"Charlie, Steve! God dammit, get up!" Mary yelled between the pair as she frantically looked back and forth.

She was crouched down by Charlie, trying to shake him awake but he was out cold with a forming bruise along his cheekbone and his skin grazed. Meanwhile, Steve was recovering after being kicked in the face. Corina was at Steve's side, trying to help him get up but he was disorientated and could barely sit without taking a dizzy turn.

"Steve, come on, man. Get up!" Corina was saying with frustration, sitting on her knees with her hand on his shoulder.

The boy nodded his head, wincing as he did so, "Alright, Alright," He said, getting to his feet with the help or Corina that held him up, one hand on his stomach and the other on his back. Meanwhile, Mary was having no luck waking Charlie, "Shit. Is he alright?" Steve asked with worry when he noticed his friend unconscious on the ground and unresponsive.

Mary breathed out a shaky sigh, "I—I don't know." She stuttered, holding onto Charlie's face.

"We have to leave him here and stop Billy before he does something stupid," Corina said but Mary didn't seem to be listening to her, "Hey! The kids are more important right now, okay?!" She yelled, clapping her hands to get Mary's attention.

Mary and Steve both looked at her with risen eyebrows. They went silent. Corina threw her hands up, "What, they're growing on me." She said with a shrug before offering her hand to Mary and the girl stared at it for a long moment before sighing and taking it.

Together, the three of them marched up to the house, "What's the plan?" Mary asked in the middle.

"I can use my powers if he goes batshit crazy on everyone." Corina suggested.

Steve shook his head, "No. Let me handle it." He said as they stepped inside the house to where there was a loud yelling coming from everyone.

"So dead, Sinclair! You're dead!" Billy was yelling at Lucas whilst the kids crowded around.

Steve grabbed Billy's shoulder, turning him around, "No. You are!" Everyone gasped when Steve swung, punching Billy across the face and knocking him back a few paces.

Mary stood behind him, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Billy began laughing, looking at Steve with a bloody nose. He pointed at him, "Looks like you've got some fire in you after all, huh? I've been wanting to meet this king Steve everyone's been telling me so much about!" He yelled, extending his arms.

Steve stepped towards him and pushed him back, using only two fingers, "Get out." He said in a low voice, holding eye contact with Billy that did nothing for the longest moment. And then he swung, attempting to punch Steve who luckily ducked under it in time and came back up, returning the throw but actually hitting Billy.

"Yes! Kick his ass!" Dustin egged on whilst Billy laughed like a maniac and Mary stared in horror, standing still and not knowing what to do.

Steve hit Billy again. And then again until the boy was knocked against the sink. He threw his head back, laughing humorously as his hands reached for something to his left. Mary's eyes widened when she noticed what it was and she rushed forward, "Steve, look out!" She warned but it had been too late; Billy's hand had already grasped around the ceramic plate and he smashed it over Steve's head.

The room went eerily silent as Steve stumbled back, clutching his head. Beforehand it had been a petty fight, one worthy of being in the school corridors of Hawkins High — but now it was serious and dangerous as Billy bound towards Steve and whacked him across the face, making him trip into the living room.

Billy grabbed at Steve by the jacket, pulling him into him, "No one tells me what to do." He growled before head butting Steve in the face who fell to the ground from the strength.

Billy yelled like a wrestler in a ring as he marched towards Steve. Mary shook her head, knowing it was going too far and she ran at him, "Billy! Billy, stop!" Mary yelled, grabbing onto him but the boy fought in her grip.

"Get off!" He yelled, shoving Mary aside and the girl stumbled back, watching in disgust as Billy crouched down and grabbed Steve from the ground.

Everyone was screaming as Billy hit Steve over and over again, making blood pour from Steve's mouth and nose who didn't even have a second to recuperate before Billy was punching him again, "Billy, stop it! You're going to kill him! Billy!" Mary screamed at the top of her lungs, over all of the other yelling as she wriggled in Corina's grip that tried to hold her back from the fighting despite her efforts to get there.

Suddenly, Max was storming towards the fight with something in her hands and Mary stopped struggling once she seen Max slam a syringe into Billy's neck. He stood up, leaving Steve on the ground covered in his own blood and Mary didn't hesitate for even a second and ran to him, collapsing by his side and checking if he were okay.

Billy plucked the syringe from his neck as he stepped towards Max that coward backwards, "What the hell is this? Shit. What did you do?" And then he went tumbling to the floor, landing a few inches from where Mary sat on her knees, holding Steve's head in her hands as she tried to get a response from him.

Billy laughed from the ground, his arms sprawled out like a birds wings. Max grabbed Steve's bat and held it over Billy, "From here on out you leave me and my friends alone, do you understand?"

"Screw you." Billy fired back.

There was no hesitation in Max as she brought the bat downwards, slamming the nails into the floor between Billy's legs. Mary's lips went into an 'o' shape. Max pulled it back out, "I said do you understand?! Say it! Say it!" She screamed at him whilst the rest of the kids and Corina stood back and watched.

"I understand." Billy said under his breath.

"What?"

"I understand." Billy clarified before his head rolled on his shoulders and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Mary swallowed hard, looking down at Steve that was mumbling incoherent words. She leaned over him, holding his face, "You're gonna be alright, Steve," She told him before standing up. She looked at the kids, "I'm gonna go get some damp cloths to clean him up and afterwards you all can help me bring Charlie in here." She said as she walked towards the bathroom, not even considering the fact that the kids would maybe do a runner — but that's exactly what she realised they did after she emerged from the bathroom with two damp cloths in her hands.

She stood in the living room, staring at where only Billy's unconscious body lay with no sight of Steve or the kids, "They left with Steve." A voice said, making Mary let it a startled 'oh shit' and drop the cloths to the ground as her whole body jumped with fright.

She looked over to the couch, seeing Corina casually draped across it. She stared at her, "What the hell, Corina? If they've all gone why are you still here?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes whilst Corina stared at her blankly.

"Umm, did you hear the part earlier where I said this mind flayer thing is strong as hell?" Mary nodded, "Then there's your answer! I'm not getting anywhere near that thing or it's ugly-ass minions." She settled, folding her arms at her chest and pursing her lips.

Letting out an agitated groan Mary stormed out onto the patio where she realised Billy's car was gone, "Sweet mother of god." She whispered to herself, doing a double-take, realising that the kids had taken it but she had no way of going after them unless she wanted to run all the way to her trailer to get her car — which was a definite no.

She walked back inside, smiling sweetly at Corina who eyed her up suspiciously. Mary sat down by Corina's feet, looking at her with a smile that unsettled Corina because she knew she was after something. The redhead threw her head back, "My god, what do you want, dweeb?!" She demanded, throwing her head back.

"You warped Charlie into the Upside Down, right? So, is there any chance you could warp me into those underground tunnels?" She asked hopefully.

Corina scoffed, "Nope!" She chirped, deflating Mary's hopefulness, "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere near that place nor am I using anymore of my energy in case something goes wrong... You can just sulk in the meantime but maybe do it somewhere I don't have to see your broody little face." Corina said, turning away from her and grabbing a magazine from the table beside her.

The girl looked at Mary, "Oh, and your boyfriends still on the yard."

"Shit!" Mary jumped up, tripping over her own feet. She ran to the door, jumped over Billy and rushed down the stairs to where her boyfriends unconscious body lady. In all the madness she had forgot he was there.

She crouched down, "Babe, Hey, can you hear me?" She asked him, putting her hand on his cheek. She could see his eyes moving around from underneath his eyelids but still, he didn't open them or talk.

Mary frowned, sitting back onto her ass and leaning her elbow against her knees. She sat there for what felt like ages, waiting for Charlie to wake up. She had her legs pulled to her chest, arms wrapped the whole way around them and her head against her thighs when he finally came to.

His eyes slipped open calmly, taking a moment to check his surroundings. And then he sat up, almost robotically. The movement caught Mary's attention and she looked up, gasping with relief and smiling at him, "Hey, how you feeling?" She asked, reaching out to brush away the dark curl on his forehead to see the small cut and larger bruise on his skin.

Charlie flinched away, "I'm fine," He said, barely paying her any attention as he looked by her and to the house. Mary furrowed her brows. Charlie glanced back at her, "Is Corina still here?" He asked which Mary found odd — that he wouldn't check to see if Steve was alright or what actually happened after he was knocked out.

She frowned deeply, scooting closer to him, "Charlie, do you remember what happened?" She asked worriedly.

The boy nodded once, looking her in the eyes but somehow it felt like he was looking beyond them, "Billy knocked me out," He said. Mary's lips parted, not sure whether to be relieved or not that he remembered — because why else wouldn't he ask about Steve first? Charlie looked at her or straight through her, "Where'a Corina?" He asked again.

Mary was getting more on edge and creeped out as the moment went on. She pointed over her shoulder, "Uh, she's in the house. Charlie, what's the — oh, okay, guess we're going to see Corina then," She said, quickly changing the subject when Charlie got up quickly and began walking towards the house. He walked up the stairs and stepped in, not even doing so much as giving Billy a glance as he went straight for the living room, "Charlie, you're kinda scaring me, dude. What's going on?" Mary asked as she followed after him.

Corina, upon hearing footsteps peaked up from her magazine. She straightened up when she noticed Charlie walking towards her, "Ah, Charles. Glad to see you're no longer comatose but maybe fix that face of yours it's —" Before Corina could even finish her snarky sentence, the moment Charlie reached the couch he crouched down and grabbed the redhead by the throat, ceasing her words and her ability to breathe.

Mary's eyes widened in horror at what was happening as Charlie lifted Corina from the couch, using only one had to do it — and yes, Charlie was strong, but not that strong. Which was how Mary instantly knew something else had to be in control of him — the mind flayer she thought.

"Charlie!" Mary exclaimed as Corina clawed at his hands, her face turning red as her feet left the ground, the tips of her shoes grazing the wood as she kicked out. Mary shifted the weight between her feet, not knowing what to do, "Charlie, put her down!" She yelled, giving him one last chance before she would have to get physical.

Corina's eyes were beginning to roll into the back of her head as her face turned a shade of purple. Meanwhile, Charlie's face held no emotion — he barely even blinked.

Mary, thinking fast, ran across the living room and grabbed the first thing she seen which happened to be a vase, "I said put her down!" Mary screamed before smashing the vase over her boyfriends head, making him release Corina who slipped to the floor, unconscious.

Charlie, with little shards of the ceramic vase in his hair slowly turned, giving Mary the chills as she stepped back. Her heart was beating fast, her chest heaving with each breath, "Charlie please, this isn't you — try and fight it. Please, try and —" A yelp escaped her lips when Charlie backhanded her across the face with brute force and she tumbled to the floor, smacking her cheek against the corner of the wooden table and she let out a cry of pain as she rolled onto her back and clutched her face, bringing her knees to her chest.

Charlie walked towards her and she scurried back whilst holding her cheek. She swallowed hard, "I don't want to hurt you, Charlie." She told him nimbly, her words coming out in a stutter.

But the boy didn't stop marching towards her and when she realised he wasn't going to stop, she let out a yell as she thrust her foot out and kicked it into his knee, making him crumble. And whilst he was on the ground, she quickly tried to get off the ground but he grasped her ankle, yanking her back down onto her stomach.

He pulled her, dragging her along the floor as she screamed for help, trying to grab at the carpet. He flipped her over and she stared up at him, tears in her eyes and blood trickling down her cheek. And then Charlie wrapped his hands around her throat and began to squeeze.