Trust - Lucas Sinclair

The Sauna Test (Part 2)

"I didn't think it was anything at first," Will told the group that surrounded him on the couch and in the chairs. "I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it. The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead."

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

"And then I felt it again at the field near the Nelson farm the next day," Will looked at Nikki who was to busy messing with her hands to notice. "Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers,"

That caught Nikki's attention. She looked up at Will who met her eye and he knew Nikki felt it yesterday, too. "Nikki felt it, too. The same times I did."

Everyone turned to Nikki with a surprised expression. It was unlike her to keep secrets when it came to her knowing something might happen.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Mike asked giving the girl a slight glare.

Before Nikki could speak, Will answered for her. "I told her not to. It's my fault. She wanted to tell you guys but I convince her not to worry about it."

"Well, what does it feel like," Max asked Will, who took a deep breath.

"It's almost like.. You know when you drop on a roller coaster?"

"Sure," Mike nodded.

"Yeah," Lucas shrugged.

"No," Nikki and El said in unison before scolding one another.

We really have to stop doing that.

"It's like," Will tried to think of a way to put it. "everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but this is worse. Your body it goes cold and you can't breath. I've felt it before, whenever he was close."

Max's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Whenever who was close?"

Nikki felt herself hold her breath. She knew the answer, she just didn't want it to be confirmed. "The Mind Flayer."

"I closed the gate," El reminded him.

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

"Explain," Lucas said, looking like he was trying to remain calm but Nikki knew he was terrified. She laced her hand with his, as Will stood up and grabbed a piece of paper. He set the paper on the table and motioned for the others to join him.

"This is him. All of him," Will drew a quick Mind Flayer on the paper. "But, that day on the field, a part of him attached itself to me." He swiped his hand across the paper, covering it in dust. "My mom got it out of me and Eleven closed the gate. But the part that was still in me, what if it's still in our world? In Hawkins." He flipped the paper over and pressed his hand on the blank side.

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

Nikki subconsciously put her hand on her scarred shoulder that was hidden with the sleeves of her shirt.

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

"Yeah, and if he is," Will started to add, "he'd want to attach himself to someone again. A new me."

"A new host," Lucas thought out loud, making the girls look at each other. They knew they were all thinking the same thing.

"How can you tell if someone is a host?" Nikki asked Will, making the boys look at wide-eyed.

Billy, she thought.

***

Nikki shifted uncomfortably as Max used Lucas's binoculars to look at Billy through the pool fence. She had started to get a weird feeling ever since they had gotten there. Whatever was going to happen, she knew it was something she wasn't going to like.

"I don't know," Max broke the silence as she lower the binoculars from her face. "He looks pretty normal to me."

"Normal?" Lucas laid his hands on the car in front of him as he continued to stare at Billy skeptically. "How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?"

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

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

"But he lounging at the pool, which is, like, the least Mind Flayer thing ever."

"Not necessarily," Will caught everyone's attention once again. Nikki watched as his face paled as he thought back to the time where the Mind Flayer got to him. She felt bad that they were making him think back to horrible memories. She would have hated it if she had to think back on her own trauma to help the others. "The Mind Flayer likes to hide. He only used me when he needed me."

The other's shifted uncomfortably as he continued. "It's like...like you're dormant. And then, when he needs you, you're activated."

Max sighed and looked back at her brother "Okay, so we just wait until he gets activated."

"What if he hurts someone?" Nikki asked, her eyes scanning all of the people in the pool and around Billy.

"Or kills someone," Will added, trying to convince her how urgent it was.

"We can't take that chance," Mike shook his head. "We need to find out if he's the host."

"Where are you going?" El called, making Nikki notice that Mike was walking toward the pool.

"I have an idea. Boys only."

"Seriously?" Max scoffed.

"Just trust me on this one."

The boys quickly got out of their sight and Max shook her head.

"They are just getting on my nerves today."

Authors Note

Um, hi. So I realize a few weeks ago I said updates might be coming quicker, and to be honest I thought that might actually happen. But things happened and long story short: my mental health is really not doing well right now. So over the course of the last I've written tiny pieces of this chapter because I had little to no motivation, and my mental health is still doing really bad.

So, I think I might be taking a little break from writing completely just for a week or two to try to get better and then hopefully after that I'll be back to writing more for you guys in no time.

Thanks and I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Love ya!! ❤️❤️❤️