THE PARTY STOOD OUTSIDE, majority of them having said goodbyes. Leaving Mariella facing the girl who had become her best friend in a few short days. She was leaving and Mariella could feel herself losing control in everything she had. All she really wanted was to be at home, with her friends, binge watching movies or shows.

"Y-You gotta be careful... That, that place, it's not safe. Not for anyone. You can't— Oh, gosh. You gotta come back," Mariella sputters over her words, hair beginning to fall into her face as her body shakes. She wanted nothing more but for them to be safe. For her friends, to be safe. This wasn't fair! But, if it wasn't them, who would save the world?

Eleven smiles weakly at her, nudging her shoulder softly with her hand. "I'll be okay," She nods, smiling at the first person to ever teach her how to find beauty within herself. "You keep the boys safe," She goes on gesturing to the group who stood behind Mariella.

Laughing softly, Mariella shrugs. "I'll try my hardest," She attempts a smile. "I will," She goes on, patting Eleven's shoulder before looking to Hopper's truck — his head peeking out as if to say 'hurry up!'. She sighs. "I think you've 'ought to go, I'll see you," She nods her head.

Eleven smiles again. "I'll see you, Mars," She smiles to her best friend before turning away and walking to the truck, putting her faith in the idea of her powers.

♧

Mike paced around the living room, Mariella nodding and hitting her head against the wall softly. Lucas and Max staring at them in worry, cleaning up the broken glass as clatters come from the kitchen. Steve and Dustin were putting a corpse of a Demo-dog into the freezer, Dustin claiming is was a 'scientific discovery!'.

"Would you two stop already?" Lucas snaps at his two friends, their worry beginning to wash over on him. Listening to the continuous bangs against the wall and footsteps against hardwood.

Mariella stops, looking to Lucas with her head now leaning against the wall, say on the ground before Mike stops as well. "You weren't in there, okay, Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs," He explains and Mariella nods in agreement, getting up and stumbling towards Mike. Arms already reaching towards him as she latches onto his arm and leans her face on his forearm, her eyes wide with worry. 

"Demo-dogs!" Dustin calls from the kitchen causing Mariella to pull her face from Mike's arm, head turning to the noise.

"Shut up!" She calls back to him before Lucas interjects.

He shakes his head, "The chief will take care of her," He tells them, attempting to calm their nerves.

Max shakes her head, eyes wide. "Like she needs protection," She shrugs.

Mariella leans her head back onto Mike's arm. "You all don't understand, Hopper couldn't even save Bob! None of us could, those things are..." She stumbles over her words before shutting her mouth and gripping onto Mike's arm tighter.

Steve walks into the living room, holding a rag in his hand. "Listen, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it. Right?" He begins, all of them staring at him in confusion.

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench," Mike stares at him in disbelief.

Mariella shakes her head, rolling her eyes. "None of us even plays sports so, whatever analogy you were trying to make, we won't get it," She adds as Steve begins to stammer.

"So my point is... Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do," He drapes the rag over his shoulder as he sighs.

Dustin shakes his head. "That's not entirely true," He pipes up. " I mean, these Demo-dogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away," He explains, looking between his friends.

Lucas nods. "If we get their attention..." He begins.

"Maybe we can draw them from the lab," Max adds in.

Mike wraps an arm around Mariella's waist. "Clear a path to the gate." He jumps in.

"And give them a better chance of getting in safely," Mariella hums, all of them exchanging looks.

Steve sighs, crossing his arms. "Yeah, and then we all die," He raises his voice at them.

"That's one point of view," Dustin nods.

Shaking his head, Steve looks down to Dustin. "No, that's not a point of view, man. That's a fact," He tells him before Mariella pulls away from Mike and begins to wander around the living room with a dazed look.

"Sometimes you've just got to see things from another lens," She looks to Steve tiredly, rubbing her eyes as she recalls that piece of advice Bob has given her — it had felt so long ago despite it being on a few days before.

Mike takes in a deep breath before nodding. "I got it!" He jumps, rushing to the kitchen and pointing to an area on the fridge where a bunch of drawings were taped up. "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel. So..." He begins, getting up and trailing to different room, cluttered with drawings on the ground. "Here, right here. This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here," He kneels down, pointing to the drawings. "Maybe if we set this on fire...".

Steve looks at him in disbelief. "Oh, yeah? That's a no," He jumps in, shaking his head.

"The mind flayer would call away his army," Dustin nods in amusement.

"They'd all come to stop us," Lucas jumps in.

Steve stood the side, staring at the kids. "Hey," He begins.

"We circle back to the exit," Mike nods as Mariella and Max give one another looks in curiosity.

"Guys," Steve goes on again.

Mike looks between the group again. Let the time they realize we're gone," He adds.

"El would be at the gate," Max nods her head, wide eyed.

Mariella scratches the back of her neck. "And from from there, it'll be pretty much smooth sailing. Mike, you're a genius!" She breaths out before Steve pushes between her and Max.

"Hey. Hey! Hey! This is not happening," He claps his hands aggressively to get their attention, all of them turning to him in shock.

"But—" Mike begins.

Steve shakes his head. "No, no, no, no, no. No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe and that's exactly what I plan on doing. We're staying here. On the bench. And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Do you understand my sport talk, or do I need to elaborate?" He rants, looking to Mariella as he says the last part.

"This isn't a stupid sports game!" Mike snaps, repeating what he had said earlier.

Steve looks down at him, pointing his finger irritated. "I said do you understand? I need a yes," He says, pulling the rag off his shoulder and staring at the exasperated children.

They stay silent. Before they hear the sound of an engine revving, heads snapping towards the window in shock. Max beginning to rush over to it, Lucas following after as they hear rock music begin to blare. "It's my brother," She mumbles. "He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us," She panics, the car coming to a stop as Steve begins to push them away from the window.

"Stay put, I'll take care of it," He tells them, walking towards the door and exiting, shutting it.

They stand in the middle of the living room before Dustin wanders back over to the window, all of the following and going out as Steve begins to speak with Max's brother, Billy. "What's he saying, do you think?" Mariella tilts her head. "Gross, he smokes," She goes on as she notices him pull out a cigarette and light it.

"Shut up," Lucas rolls his eyes, nudging her rib before they all make eye contact with Billy staring at them.

Ducking down in a panic, they fall against the couch they peered over. "Shit!" Dustin whispers. "Did he see us?".

"Obviously!" Mariella groans, getting up, dusting herself off and helping Max up before they all follow suit, rushing towards the front door and waiting for Steve to come back in — hoping he had found a way to take care of it.

He hadn't. They figured out, the door opening and revealing Billy. "Well, well, well," He stares at the five of them, slamming the door shut and entering the house. "Lucas Sinclair. What a surprise," He walks towards Lucas. "I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max,".

Max looks up at him, the group shuddering in fear. "Billy, go away," Max whispers.

He shakes his head. "You disobeyed me. And you know what happens when you disobey me," He says in a dangerously low voice. A shiver going down Mariella's spine as she grabs onto Mike's hand in fear. He grips it back.

"Billy..." Max whispers again.

"I break things," He tells her before he turns to the side and grabs Lucas by the jacket, pushing him back.

Screams and shouts fill the house as they stare in fear, Mariella's hand flying to her mouth as Billy puns him against a shelf. "Billy! Stop! Billy! Stop it!" Max screams.

They watch in fear as Billy shouts at Lucas, holding his jacket with an iron grip as they begin to think of what to do. "I said get off of me!" Lucas yells, bringing his knee up and nudging Billy between the legs. He falls back, grunting.

"You're so dead, Sinclair! You're dead!" Billy shouts at him, heaving in heavy breaths before Steve nudges him.

"No," He shakes his head. "You are," He says, sending a punch to Billy's jaw in anger.

Billy begins to laugh, rubbing his cheek as Mariella rushes over to Lucas, grabbing his hand and pulling him back towards the group in a panic. All of them hugging him. "It's okay," Mariella breathes out, patting his back as they watch the scene unfold.

"Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh?" Billy shouts, wagging a finger at Steve with a smile. "I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about," He leans closer to Steve who put two fingers against his chest and pushed him lightly.

"Get out," Steve spits, Billy stopping for a moment before he raises his arm and attempts to send a fist towards Steve in anger. He ducks just in time, getting back up and sending one back at Billy.

Dustin jumps up in excitement. "Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!" He shouts.

"Get him!" Another punch.

"Murder the son of a bitch!" And another.

"Now! Now!" Again.

"Get that shithead!" Billy falls against the counter, picking up a plate and slams it against Steve's head.

"Oh, God!" Mariella screams.

Max's hands fly up to her mouth as she attempts to run towards the scene, Mike and Lucas holding her back. "Billy!" She yells, Steve clambering towards them.

"Holy shit," Mike mumbles as Billy walks towards them, slamming his fist against Steve's cheek. Mariella pulling Dustin from nearly getting hit and farther away.

Billy grabs Steve by the shoulders, forcing him to look up to him. "No one tells me what to do!" He grunts, head-butting Steve and sending him falling backwards and into the ground. "Get up!".

The kids begin to scream, shouting for him to stop as they watch Billy grab Steve and punch him repeatedly, screaming over and over. "Stop it!" Mariella screeches.

"You're gonna kill him!" Dustin shouts.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion, they watch as Billy beats Steve to a pulp. The sound of their shouts and screams and Billy's punches the only sounds they could hear. Max rushes forward, walking to Billy and stabbing him with a needle to the neck.

Letting go as he gets up, turning towards her and ripping it out himself. "The hell is this?" He grunts, walking closer to Max. "You little shit, what did you do?" He continues to walk before abruptly stopping, falling to the ground with a thud.

Their eyes going wide as they stare down at him. "Shit," Mike breathes out, pulling Mariella towards him and gripping her hand.

Billy begins to laugh, his head lolling around in the ground before Max turns away, grabbing Steve's bat that leaned against the wall. She walks in between his spread legs, raising the bat in anger. " from here on out, you leave leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?" She asks.

"Screw you," Billy rolls his eyes, staring up at her.

Max brings the bat down, right between his legs. His head looking down at the area. "Say you understand! Say it! Say it!" She screams, pulling the bat back up.

His head falls back towards the ground. "I understand," He mumbles.

"What?" Max spits, leaning closer.

"I understand," He repeats, looking up to her again before she drops the bat to the ground and walks to his side, leaning over and grabbing his keys from his front pocket.

She turns to her friends, holding the clattering metal up. "Let's get out of here," She tells them, all of them exchanging looks of amazement and awe. "I said, let's go!" She beckons them before Lucas, Dustin, and Mike hurry to help Steve up as Mariella rushes to the kitchen, grabbing hold of the pistol she left on the counter and then to the bathroom, grabbing the first aid kit as well.