Part 5

                                    

                                          

The ride was filled with laughter and the voices of small teens in the backseat. El was mostly quiet though, sitting in the passengers seat. She could feel that something was bothering Steve. She wasn't sure if it was his face or just the way he looked. His body tense and his fingers tapping anxiously on the wheel. 
El furrows her eyebrows. He did take all of his pills right? 
El quickly shook her head. Of course he did. He couldn't have lied to Hopper and said that he took them when he actually didn't. And after all she did see him swallow them. But... what was the number he had to take? Did he have to take more right now? El hadn't paid much attention to all the details Hopper explained to Steve about his pills. So El was trying her absolute hardest to remember... she huffed at herself I'm frustration. Such a simple detail and just because she didn't pay attention she couldn't remember it now? She looked over at Steve's jittery body. Something was definitely wrong. 
Steve constantly looked up at the rear view mirror and to his horror every time he saw the dark blue Camaro driving behind him. "Shit shit shit" he whispered to himself. He new it was a bad idea. He new taking only one of his anxiety pills was a bad idea. 
And he didn't want any of the kids finding out so either he'd suck it up or try to find a way to take the rest that he needed to calm him down in secret. 
//——————//
It was now around lunch time and they had finally arrived at hoppers cabin. Their cars parked a little away since there was no road going straight up the cabin. Steve unlocked the do or with the spare key Hopper had given him and quickly welcomed everyone in. The kids thought that he was living with El since his parents weren't around. And that was partly true. But the other part, he definitely wouldn't tell them. "Alright guys, make yourself at home, it's still easily so what do y'all Wanna do-" he gets cut off when he hears heavy footsteps enter the wooden cabin. He turns around and sees the one and only Billy walking inside the cabin "not bad" Billy mumbled before looking down at Steve. "Am I not welcome, Harrington?" He scoffed and pushed Steve away from the doorway and made his way to the small couch quickly plopping down. "Who invited him over?" Mike waves over at Billy while looking at Steve "shut it dipshit" Billy quickly snaps before looking back at Steve.
Steve felt the same cold trickle of sweat go down his neck as his whole body stiffened. And just like that he blinked and suddenly found himself at the starcourt mall. The neon lights making his eyes burn and the screeching and roars of the solid form of the mind flayer stood above Billy. The faint voices of Dustin, Mike, El, all in the distance. And I'm a matter of seconds he sees Billy's life fade away before his eyes. The mind flayer's strange arms stabbing and latching onto Billy who let out a pained scream. 
Steve felt his eyes fill with tears all of a sudden as he watched Billy's body fall to the ground. Blood oozing from his wounds and mouth. His body now limp. Steve wanted to tell. To cry. To scream. To at least be able to move his stiffened body but it all felt like he was in slow motion. 
Billy called out to Steve once again when he ignored his first call "Harrington? What's got you frozen up again?" He yells across the living room. When he sees Steve's eyes glaze over with tears he furrowed his eyebrows "what?..." he mutters to himself before getting up "Steve? Steve!" Dustin was now yelling. No one had seen Steve freeze up like this before. Not even El. Hopper had told El about Steve's behavior but she hadn't witnessed it herself. "Steve!" Dusting yelled out again, starting to shake Steve's stiff shoulders. Steve seemed to be in a trance. Tears running down his cheeks now.
Steve felt his eyes glued down to the limp curly haired boy's body covered in blood. The blood didn't stop. In only created a larger puzzle. Billy's skin turning a pale cold color. "Billy" Steve choked out. His heart felt heavy. His whole body did. His ears filled with the screams and shrieks of the terrible disgusting monster. 
Billy walked over to Steve with slight concern on his face that showed no matter how much he wanted to hide it. "Harrington?... Steve?..." he waved his hand in front of Steve's eyes. "Steve" he says, his voice starting to get more serious. He pushes Dustin away and shakes Steve's shoulders. "Steve!" He shakes him harder as if that would do anything. 
Suddenly a gasp is heard and Steve collapses to the ground only to be caught by Billy. Steve looks up with tears eyes and let out a sigh filled with pure relief before, without thinking, he wraps his arms around Billy. His hands wrapping Billy's shirt into his fists. Burying his face deep into Billy's neck while he continued to cry harder. His whole body trembling. 
He really should've taken his pills.