"This is a code red. Do you copy? This is a code red. Max. Do you copy?" Max's walkie continues to go off.

I nudge her sleepily, "Turn that shit off."

Max groans and reaches down to grab the walkie, "Shut. Up." She turns it off and I sigh in relief and start to drift off to sleep.

The phone starts to ring and I whine as Max gets out of bed to get it.

"I'm sleeping. Go away." She answers, "...What are you talking about?" El and I sit up as Max continues to talk to the person on the other line. She hangs up the phone and turns back to us, "It was Mike."

"What did he say?" El questions.

"He said we need to meet him at his house. Something about our lives being at stake."

I climb out of the bed and stretch, "Okay. Get dressed."

We all change quickly and head over to Mike's house.

"I didn't think it was anything at first," Will continues, "I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it. The first time I felt it was at ."

"Power went out that night, too." Mike adds.

Will nods, "And then I felt it again at the field near the Nelson farm the next day. Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers."

"What does it feel like?" Max asks.

"It's almost like...you know when you drop on a roller coaster?" Everyone let's out small affirmations except El, who shakes her head, "It's like...everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but...this is worse. Your body, it goes cold and— and you can't breathe. I've felt it before, whenever he was close."

"Whenever who was close?"

El shakes her head, "I closed the gate."

"I know, but...what if he never left? What if we locked him out here with us?"

Will grabs a piece of paper and a pencil, "This is him," He starts to draw the Mind Flayer, "But that Day in the field, a part of him attached itself to me," Will wipes his hand across the paper and the graphite stains his hand, "My mom got it out of me...and Eleven closed the gate," Will flips the paper over, "But the part that was still in me, what is it's still in our world?" Will slams his hand down on the paper, leaving an imprint from the graphite, "In Hawkins."

Max shakes her head, "I don't understand. The Demodogs died when El closed the gate. If the brain dies, the body dies."

Mike looks at her, "We can't take any chances. We need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayer's back."

"Yeah. And if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again. A new me." Will adds.

Lucas nods, "A new host."

I feel fear rising, "H-How can you tell if someone's a host?"

"I don't know," Max says, watching Billy through the binoculars, as we all hide behind my car, "He looks pretty normal to me."

I glance at Billy who sits in the lifeguard ladder. He's wearing a long sleeve shirt and a hat, "Normal? How many times have you seen him with a shirt on, Max?"

"I mean, it's a weird."

Mike scoffs, "More than a little. He was in a tub with ice. The Mind Flayer likes it cold. Plus everything else—"

Max cuts him off, "But he's lounging at the pool, which is, like, the least Mind Flayer thing ever."

Will shakes his head, "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."

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

Mike sighs, "No. What if he hurts someone?"

"Or kills someone." Will adds.

"We can't take that chance. We need to find out if he's the host."

Mike starts to run off, "Hey, where are you going?" I ask.

"I have an idea. Boys only."

Max scoffs, "Seriously?"

"Just trust me in this one."

The boys run off and we wait behind my car.

"Hey, Y/N?" Max starts.

"Yeah?"

"What if Billy the host?"

I wrap my arm around her shoulder, "They got it out of Will. That means we can get it out of Billy."

"God, I hope it's not him. I hope it's not him."

"Me, too."

The boys come back after a few minutes and explain the plan to us. We all get the supplies we need and wait around until the pool closes.

The plan is in motion. Just as Billy walks to the door, Lucas switches off the breaker and we all hide as Mike calls into the walkie, "Billy."

"Who's there?" Billy says lowly.

" Mike says in a sing-songy voice.

"Billy repeats, mocking Mike.

Mike laughs into the walkie and I hear something slam.

"Billy! Billy!"

"You think this is funny, huh?"

Mike continues to taunt Billy, "Billy! Come and find me!"

"I find you, it is your funeral."

"Come and get me! Come on! Billy!"

Billy falls right into our trap. I watch from behind a row of lockers as he walks towards the sauna. Billy cackles and claps his hands together.

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

Billy opens the door to the sauna to see the CPR dummy with a walkie strapped to its chest. El and I quietly move out from the lockers as Billy raises the dummy up by its neck.

"Hey," Mike says into the walkie, "Behind you." Billy whips around and drops the dummy.

"Hi." El states. She flicks her head and Billy flies into the tile wall, breaking pieces of it off.

"Now!" I hear Mike say, as El uses her powers to shut the door. The kids bring out multiple locks and a chain to keep the door shut with.

Billy tries to get out of the room as the boys run back and I push them all behind me, including El.

Billy stops beating against the door and makes eye contact with me before looking behind me, "Max."

Max grabs my hand, "Do it." Will runs over and turns the heat all the way up.

Billy's breathing gets heavy and he starts pounding on the door, "Max! Y/N, let me out of here! Let me out. You kids... You think this is funny?" Billy growls, "You kids think this is some kind of sick prank, huh?" Billy spits on the glass, "You little shits think this is funny?! What is this? Open...the door." Billy slams his hand against the door, causing us all to jump back, "Open the door! Open the door! Open the goddamn door!" Billy falls to the ground, slamming his hands against the door one final time.

Will walks over to the thermometer, "We're at 220."

He walks back behind me and I hear Billy sobbing from inside the room.

"It's not my fault, Y/N. It's not my fault. Max, it's not my fault. I promise you, it's not my fault." Max and I walk forward, still gripping each other's hands tightly.

"What's not your fault, Billy?" Max asks quietly.

"I've done things, Max. Really...things. I didn't mean to," Billy sobs, "He made me do it."

"Who made you do it?" I question, my voice cracking as a tear rolls down my cheek.

"I don't know. It's like a shadow. Like a giant shadow. Please, Y/N."

"What did he make you do?" Max sniffles.

"It's not my fault, okay?!" Billy cries, "Please, Max, please." Billy lays his head against the bench, "Please, believe me, Max. It's not my fault! I tried to stop him, okay? I did. Please believe me, Y/N. Please believe me."

Max puts her free hand against the glass, "Billy, it's gonna be okay."

"Max, please."

"It's gonna be okay." I soothe, "We want to help you, Billy. We want to help you. You just have to talk to us, okay? You have to talk to us. We believe you, Billy."

Max nods, "We believe you. We'll figure it out together, okay? You just need to trust us. Please."

I fake a small smile, "Just trust us, Billy, okay? We believe you."

I hear Mike mumble something and Max turns around, "What?"

"Get away from the door!" Mike yells.

Billy darts up and I push Max away as he breaks through the glass and jabs a piece of the tile wall into my arm.

I whimper in pain, falling to the ground as Billy screams, "Let me out, you bitch! Let me out! I'll fucking gut you!"

Billy starts to work on the door and I stand up and grab Max, pulling her to the others and pushing them all behind me.

Lucas loads his wrist rocket and hits Billy in the forehead with a rock, causing Billy to fall to the ground.

The lights start to flicker and I glance at my arm to see it bleeding heavily with the piece of tile still stuck in it.

Billy lets out an inhuman roar and slams his body against the door. El steps in front of me and the world starts to spin.

"He can't get out, can he?" Max questions.

Lucas shakes his head, "No way. No way."

Billy continues to slam against the door and Will wraps his arm around my waist to keep me upright.

Billy gets through the door and El pushes us back.

Billy stands straight and El lifts up a dumbbell from the workout equipment and throws it at Billy, pinning him to the wall.

Billy's hands grip onto the dumbbell and he pulls it off of him, throwing it at El. El falls to the ground and Billy walks over to her and grabs her by the hair. I try to walk over to help her, but fall to the ground due to blood loss.

Billy makes eye contact with me and then wraps his hand around El's throat. Billy raises El in the air by her throat. She claws against his hand, face turning red from lack of air, and Mike grabs something and hits Billy over the head with it, making him fall to the ground.

Mike raises the weapon in the air, "Go to hell, you piece of shit!" Mike brings the weapon down and Billy turns and catches it. He stands up and Mike releases the weapon. Billy throws it to the ground and walks towards Mike threateningly until he's backed against the wall.

El stands up and uses her powers to lift Billy up from the ground. They both scream as El throws him through the brick wall.

Will and Max help me up and we all walk over to the wall to find Billy running away.

"I-I need..." I slur, "I think I need... to get this— There's a piece of the...the fuckin' wall stuck in my arm."

I collapse to the ground and the world around me goes completely dark.