*23*

🔥CHAPTER 23🔥

*-*Merliah's POV*-*

Somehow we ended up at the pool, after telling them about Billy's strange behaviour. "I don't know. He looks pretty normal to me." Max says, looking through the binoculars, we were hiding by a car, parked far enough so that Billy won't spot us.

"Normal? How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?" Lucas asks, making a pretty good point, Billy was actually wearing a long sleeved shirt and his legs were covered with a towel.

"I mean, it's a little weird." Max says.

"More than a little. He was in a tub with ice. The Mind Flayer likes it cold. Plus everything else..." Mike says, getting cut off by Max, still not believing anything they were telling her, I didn't wanna believe it either, but all the signs were there. "But he's lounging at the pool, which is, like, the least Mind Flayer thing ever." She says.

"Not necessarily. The Mind Flayer likes to hide. He only used me when he needed me. It's like... like you're dormant. And then, when he needs you, you're activated." Will explains to the red haired girl.

"Okay, so we just... wait until he gets activated." Max states.

"No. What if he hurts someone? Or kills someone. We can't take that chance. We need to find out if he's the host." Mike says, he starts walking in the direction of the pool.

"Mike, where are you going?" I ask the boy, he turned towards us and says, "I have an idea. Boys only."

"Seriously?" Max asks in disbelief.

"Just trust me on this one." Mike says, as the three boys disappeared from our sights.

"Let's hear them out, if it's a bad idea, you can yell at them all you want." I tell her with a smile, she seemed to like that idea, calmly waiting for the boys to return.

When they got back, they explained the entire plan, they actually impressed me, because Mike's plan might just work. Everyone went to gather the stuff that would be needed for the plan to be successful, max and I were left on lookout duty.

"Mike, are you there?" Max asks, talking into the walkie.

"Yeah!" Mike voice came through, he sounded rather annoyed.

"Where are you guys?" She asks.

"I'm coming. Just... Hold on a second."

I was sitting on the hood of the car, Max still looking through the binoculars. "God, I hope it's not you. I really hope it's not you." Max mutters nervously.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, making her look at me. "Don't worry, everything will be okay, and if it's him, than we'll find a way too burn this thing out of him, I promise, I'll tie him up myself." I told her, and I meant every word.

The boys used a CPR dummy, with a walkie taped to it, to lure Billy towards the sauna in the men's side of the gym, and by his yells, I knew he was angry.

He stormed into the room, where the sauna was located. Billy glared at the dummy, not able to see it wasn't an actual person, because of the steam.

"Got you." Billy says, walking closer to it, he started laughing like a maniac, clapping his hand's together, in all honesty I was completely freaked out by this.

"Come and get me, you piece of shit."

He stormed inside the sauna, grabbing the dummy up in the air, which had him glaring at it in confusion.

"Hey. Behind you!"

"Hi!" Eleven stood infront of him, when he tried running at her, she pushed him back, shutting the door with her powers.

"Now!" Mike yells, putting a pipe through the door handle, and locking it up with a chain.

"Come on!"

"Got it."

Billy pushed against the door, until his eyes landed on me and his sister. "Max. Merliah." He mutters, staring straight at us, my words got caught up in my throat.

"Do it." Max says without any hesitation. Will went to put up the temperature of the sauna to its highest.

"Max! Merliah! Let me out of here! Let me out!" Billy yells out in rage, the way he was staring at us had me shivering and not in a good way. "You kids... You think this is funny? You kids think this is some kind of sick prank, huh? Merliah, you bitch, how can you allow this. You little shits think this is funny? What is this? Open the door. Open the door! Open the door! Open the goddamn door!" Billy shouts, his anger very visible, and I was starting to feel the tears forming in my eyes.

Billy fell to the floor, and started screaming in pain, my heart clenched at his screams.

"We're at 220." Will says. I could only stare at the door, as I heard Billy's cries. "It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault, Merliah." Billy mutters in pain. I slowly stepped closer to the door. "I promise you, it's not my fault." Billy states, I looked through the window, to see him sitting on the floor, crying.

"Babe, what's not your fault?" I ask him softly, he looks up at me with tearful eyes. "I've done things, Liah. Really bad things. I didn't mean to. He made me do it." Billy says, holding his hands together.

"Who are you talking about, Billy?" I ask him, feeling my own tears running down my face. "I don't know, it's like a shadow. Like a giant shadow. I was so scared that he would hurt you too. Please Merliah." Billy says in tears.

"What did he make you do?" I hesitantly ask.

"It's not my fault, okay? Merliah, please." He says, laying his head down on the bench. "Please, believe me, Merliah, it's not my fault. I tried to stop him, okay? I did. Please believe me, Merliah. Please believe me." Billy says, tears running down his cheeks like a waterfall, which had me crying even worse than I already was.

"I believe you, Billy." I mutter softly.

"I love you, Merliah." He told me, making me cry even more, Billy kept on begging for me to believe him, acting like those words never left his mouth.

"Merliah, get away from the door." Mike says, calmly.

"What?" I ask the boy confused.

"Get away from the door!" He yells, just as Billy punches through the glass, some of the glass ended up cutting my face, as I ducked down, before he could grab me.

"Let me out, you bitch! Let me out!" Billy yells, trying to punch me. "I'll fucking gut you!" He pulled out the pipe, Lucas shot him with a rock, making Billy fall backwards. The lights started flickering, when Billy got back up, pushing against the door with even more force, until the chain broke.

The chain ended up flying against my head, making me fall backwards, the last thing I saw, was Billy holding Eleven up in a choke hold, and than I passed out.

*🔥Unedited🔥*