SERENDIPITY | WILL BYERS ³ ✔

The Battle of Starcourt - [Pt.2]

We were now in the center of the mall, while everyone was explaining to each other what to do and what they had seen.

"The Mind Flayer, it built this monster in Hawkins," Mike began. "To stop El, to kill her and pave a way into our world."

"And it almost did," Nancy said.  "That was just one tiny piece of it."

"How big is this thing?" Hop asked.

"It's big." Jonathan said.

"Like, 1000 times bigger than that one little claw you saw," I said.

I was still a little shaken up about what had just happened. I was sitting on the edge of the fountain, next to Will's feet, fidgeting with my thumbs inside the hoodie sleeves.

It was also getting hot as hell, and I literally have nothing to change into. And I couldn't just take my hoodie off, because I have nothing but a bra under it. Very convenient.

But anyways. Back to the point.

"Thirty feet at least." Jonathan added.

"Yeah." Lucas said. "It sorta destroyed you cabin..." Hop sighed, annoyed, and trying not to show his anger. "Sorry." Lucas mumbled at last.

"Okay, so, just to be clear," Steve began, "This... this big, fleshy, spider thing that hurt El, it's some kind of gigantic... weapon?"

"Yes." Nancy said.

"But instead of, like, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon... with melted people...?" He said, trying to comprehend.

"Yes, exactly." Nancy said.

"Yeah, okay. I-- Yeah, I'm just making sure."

"Are we sure this thing is still out there, still alive?" Mrs. Byers asked.

"El beat the shit out of it, but yeah, it's still alive." Max said.

"But if we close the gate again--" Will began.

"We cut the brain off from the body." Max finished.

"And kill it." Lucas added. "Theoretically."

"YOO-HOO!" Our attentions shifted to the guy with the scruffy beard and the tank top, who was across the mall, waving papers in the air. I learned his name was Murray. "YOO-HOO!!"

We went to a table in the food court, as Murray slammed some papers onto the table, papers with blueprints.

"Okay, this is what Alexei called the Hub. Now, the hub takes us to the vault room."

"Okay, where's the gate?" Hop asked him.

"Right here. Now, I don't know this scale on this, btu I think it's fairly close to the vault room, may about 50 feet or so."

"More like 500." Erica said, coming into the scene, hands on her hips, getting her sass up. "What, you're just gonna waltz in there like it's commie Disneyland or something?"

I lowkey snickered.

Wow, Erica is REALLY sassy.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Murray asked.

"Erica Sinclair, who are YOU?"

"Murray... Bauman..."

"Listen, Mr. BUNMAN, I'm not tryna tell you how to do things, but I've been down in that shithole for 24 hours." Lucas gave her a glance. "And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die."

"I'm sorry, why is this 4-year-old speaking to me?"

Wow, insult.

"UM, I'M 10, YOU BALD BASTARD!"