𝙂𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙚𝙧 - ᴍᴀx ᴍᴀʏꜰɪᴇʟᴅ

Chapter Nineteen: The Mind Flayer

"It's Billy." El says, saying the boy on the beach was Billy. "It's California. It's a memory." Max says, staring at the back of El's head in pure curiosity. "I think i see it." El says, "The source." She finishes. Ava then hears thunder, there was clearly a storm brewing.

"Hey! Billy, stop!" Ava then hears a grown man yelling at Billy, "What the hell is wrong with you? What did we talk about, huh?!" The man screams at the boy. "You gotta slide!" He shouts, "I know." Billy responds weakly. "Wait. Afraid you're gonna get hurt, is that it?" The man continues, "N-No." Billy says, it was obvious he was afraid. Shit, were these more of Billy's memories?

"Well, what then? What?!" The man continues to shout at the younger boy, "What, did i raise a pussy for a son?!" He shouts, "Leave me alone!" Billy shouts, "Hey!" The man yells, "That's right, run! Like you always do!" He continues, scoffing. Ava then hears more lightning bolts, and a thunderclap.

"Where were you last night, Where were you?" Ava hears the same man ask. "I told you, i was with Wendy." Billy's mom responds to the man. "Stop lying to me!" The man shouted. "I'm not lying to you!" The woman shouts back, "You saw him again, didn't you?" The man yells, "Didn't you?!" He shouts, "Get away from me!" The woman shouts back at the man.

"I said, get away!" She screams, Ava hears glass shattering, as if the woman threw something at the man to protect herself. This man must be awful. "You- You whore!" The man shouts, "Stop it!" Billy's younger self shouts in between the two. "Don't hurt her!" Billy shouts, Ava hears pushing. "No!" The woman yells.

"You bastard!" She shouts. Ava hears a woman scream and then a punch noise, holy shit he punched her. "Mom!" Billy screams.

"I don't understand, why not?" Billy asks in a teary voice. "Please, mom, don't do this." He continues, "Please come home." Billy pleads. "No. How long? How long?!" Billy asks, "I miss you." He says, sobbing.

"Get back here!" Billy shouts, Ava hears punching. "Get up! What, are you scared to fight me?" Billy shouts, "You scared?! Get up and fight me, pussy! Pussy!" Billy shouts. The reason Billy's like this is because of his father.

"Billy, come over here, i want you to meet someone." The familiar man's voice says, "This is your new sister. Her names Maxine." The man says. "Max.." Ava mumbles, not thinking she'd be in it. Max turns her head to the girl, confused, but relieved she actually said her name after what she did.

"Max." The little girl, Max, says. "Shake her hand." The man says, "Who's there?!" Billy's older self shouts, "I said shake her hand." The man continues. "I said, who's there?!" Billy's older self shouts once more before screaming. He continues screaming, over and over again. Everything finally goes quiet, apart from thunder rumbling.

"I think i found it." El speaks up, panting. "The source." She finishes. "Where El, where are you?" Max asks, turning her head away from Ava, she was staring at the other girl ever since she said her name. "Brimborn.. Steelworks." El says. Jonathan rushes to the kitchen, grabbing an address book.

"Here. Okay, uh, steelworks, steelworks.." Jonathan mumbles, Nancy follows him, looking at the book. "Here, steel." He says, "Uh.. Found it. 6522 Cherry Oak Drive." The older boy says, glancing up at everyone. "El, El, we found it. Get out of there." Mike says.