34. I've Got You

Karmen begged her feet to begin moving as the fleshy creature scuttled towards her with its scorpion-like legs. She felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks but found she could no longer scream. She couldn't even move her eyes. One of its limbs suddenly lunged towards her, gripping her leg and dragging her towards its mouth. Karmen fell onto her back with a cry, as a tentacle-like limb shot out from its mouth. She felt herself choke as it attached itself over her entire face, as a disgusting black fluid began to enter her mouth. A moment later she felt sparks flickering all around her body, causing the large monster above her to pull back with a growl. Karmen rolled to her side, coughing up the remaining black sludge, as she tried to catch her breath.

Not compatible. Not compatible. Not compatible.

Karmen placed her hands over her ears as the words repeated over and over and she realised that the sound was coming from her own head.

"Interesting defence mechanism" Billy mumbled from behind her, his voice deeper than before.

"Yeah…so's this" Karmen exclaimed, as she spun her leg around, pushing Billy off his feet.

She instantly pushed herself up, rushing towards the large warehouse doors, but she could hear the creature scuttling behind her already. Holding her hands together, she began to create a large blue orb. Whipping her body around, she threw it towards the creature, hitting it head-on. She gasped as felt severe pain in her stomach and looked down to see blood beginning to pool under her shirt. She frowned as she looked to Billy and saw he too was on his knees, blood dripping from his stomach. They were all connected. Karmen grimaced as she saw a gaping hole was now burnt through the monster, as it flopped to the floor. However, it clearly wasn't dead. While the creature was dazed, she limped towards the exit as fast as she could and didn't look back. She couldn't believe her luck when she saw a car on the main road and quickly rushed forward to flag it down.

"Help! I need some help!" Karmen cried, waving her arms around as she stepped into the road.

The car stopped just before it could hit her, as the driver's eyes widened when he noticed the blood covering her neck and chest. Not giving the man any more time to think, Karmen rushed over to the passenger's side and opened the door.

"Drive…drive!" Karmen insisted, as she looked behind them and wondered why the creature wasn't following them.

"What the hell happened to you?" The man inquired, looking her up and down.

"I was attacked…" Karmen trailed off, lifting her shirt and seeing a large burn was now covering her stomach.

"You want me to take you to the police?" The man asked, his eyes flitting between her and the road.

"No! No Police. I just need you to take me home. Back to Hawkins" Karmen told him.

She needed to make sure Dustin and Claudia were safe. Even if she did walk out of the house herself, she couldn't remember anything.

"Anyone know you're out here?" The man questioned.

"What?" Karmen frowned, seeing that his eyes were on her more than the road.

"Someone drop you off out here?" The man guessed.

"No…I walked…I think…" Karmen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, as her head began to pound.

"Those cuts from tonight?" The man went on, as Karmen glared at him.

"Yes, they're from…wait, you just missed the turn" Karmen pointed out, but got no reply from him.

"No one knows you're here, somebody's already attacked you...the opportunity's fallen into my lap..." The man trailed off.

Her frown deepened when he pulled over into a layby and felt herself stiffen when he turned the engine off.

"What are you doing?" Karmen gulped, as he turned to her.

"I saved you…don't I deserve a reward?" The man smirked, as Karmen's hand reached from the handle.

The man quickly locked all the doors and was on top of her in a matter of seconds. Karmen let out a scream, as she tried to push him off her, but he was far stronger. Just when his face was inches away from her own, Karmen suddenly blacked out, her body going limp. Her eyes fluttered back open a moment later…or so she thought. Her hands flew to her mouth as she realised, she was standing outside the car, while the man was lying on his back, half out of the vehicle. He had blood all over his neck, mixed with a black substance.

"No, no, no…" Karmen trailed off, as she saw herself in the car window.

Blood was covering her mouth and hands, and it certainly wasn't her own. Just as she was about to step forward and check whether the man was still alive, she blinked. And the next moment she was outside the Henderson's house. Karmen looked down and realised that her clothes had changed, not to mention there was no longer even a speck of blood on her. She didn't know who's clothes she was wearing but she knew they weren't her own. She raised a hand above her head to block out the blinding sun. Sun? How long had she been out, she wondered.

"Karmen? Are you alright?" Ms Henderson inquired, as she opened the door to her house, having seen the younger girl in the yard.

"I…I'm fine. Are you okay? Nothing happened last night?" Karmen asked, limping towards her.

"No…are you sure you're alright? You don't look well" Ms Henderson pointed out, taking in Karmen's waxy skin and the way she was limping.

"I'm just tired" Karmen replied, as she came to stand beside the older woman.

"I thought you said you were going to spend the day with Steve" Ms Henderson stated.

"When…when did I say that?" Karmen frowned.

"Last night. You said you were going to stay around his" Ms Henderson informed her, as Karmen gave her a confused look.

"I talked to you last night?" Karmen tried to clarify, as Ms Henderson nodded.

"Do you need to sit down?" Ms Henderson queried, noticing Karmen's strange behaviour.

"No, I'm fine. I just…did I say anything else last night? Anything at all?" Karmen insisted.

"Not really, just that I might not seen you much for the next few days" Ms Henderson shrugged.

"Where's Dustin?" Karmen inquired.

"With Steve…which you should know. What's going on, Karmen?" Ms Henderson frowned.

"Nothing! Everything's fine. I'll see you later, okay?" Karmen replied, as she began to stumble away.

"Where are you going?" Ms Henderson asked, rushing after her.

"To Steve…I need to talk to him" Karmen mumbled.

"Then let me drive you" Claudia insisted, putting her arm around Karmen's shoulder and pulling her towards her car.

"You don't need to-" Karmen began, but Claudia cut her off.

"You look like you can barely walk. And maybe if you don't want to talk to me about what's wrong, you'll talk to him" Claudia explained, opening the door for her.

"Thank you" Karmen nodded.

Karmen had managed to convince Ms Henderson to leave her outside Scoops, even though the older woman clearly didn't want to. The last thing Karmen wanted was to get someone else involved in the mess she had gotten into. She self-consciously pulled the plaid shirt she was wearing higher, noticing the stares from some of the children in Scoops, as they looked at the dressing on her neck.

"Robin, is Steve in the back?" Karmen inquired, as Robin's eyes widened when she saw the state that Karmen was in.

"Jesus, you look even worse than yesterday" Robin told her.

"Appreciate that, thanks" Karmen grumbled.

"Uh, yeah he's in the back…don't you think you should go to the hospital…" Robin trailed off, as Karmen was no longer listening to her.

"You totally thought he was an evil Russian!" Dustin exclaimed as Karmen opened the door.

"No, I didn't!" Steve retorted, neither having noticed her.

"Yes, you did" Dustin exclaimed, with an exasperated tone.

"Oh thank God, you're alright" Karmen announced, as she rushed towards the younger boy, pulling him to a hug.

"Should I not be?" Dustin frowned, patting her on the back.

"Uh, no…I was just worried about you" Karmen mumbled, pulling back.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Steve questioned, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

"Steve, I need to talk to you. It's about-" Karmen cut herself off mid-sentence, her gaze going blank.

Karmen flinched when she suddenly found herself sitting on top of the table, Steve and Dustin on either side of her. She let her head fall into her hands as she realised, she had blacked out again. The Mindflayer must have realised she was about to tell them what had happened to her and stopped her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Steve asked, placing his hand on her thigh.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling one hundred percent" Karmen replied, sitting back upright.

"You're all sweaty" Steve frowned, touching her forehead lightly.

"With lines like that it's a wonder why it took us so long to get together" Karmen joked.

"Sweaty or not, you're still the hottest girl in Hawkins" Steve grinned, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Ew, stop!" Dustin complained, jumping off the table.

"Are you sure we shouldn't take you to the hospital? Your wound could be infected" Steve stated.

"No. I'm fine, really" Karmen promised, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hold on…I think I might have the cure for your problem" Dustin announced, as he rushed out of the room.

"So, what was that about earlier? It seemed like you had something important to tell me and then you just stopped yourself" Steve suggested, as Karmen bit her lip.

She wanted so badly to tell him everything that had happened. Billy, the Mindflayer, her blackouts, but she was scared. What if she didn't come back the next time the Mindflayer shut her off? She needed to act like everything was normal, she couldn't let Steve get hurt.

"I did have something important to tell you" Karmen informed him, as she lifted her head to look into his eyes.

"Yeah?" He questioned, worried that it was something bad.

"…I'm starting to like this sailor suit," She told him, as Steve scoffed.

"I look like an idiot" He grumbled.

"Maybe a little. But somehow, you're still managing to pull it off" Karmen insisted, nudging his shoulder, as Steve gave her a small smile.

"Here it is! The best ice cream you will ever taste. The cure to everything" Dustin grinned, as he returned with a multicoloured ice cream.

"Uh, what's in that?" Karmen inquired, as he handed her the ice cream.

"Everything" Dustin replied, proudly.

"You used every flavour?" Steve gaped.

"Try it" Dustin insisted, as Karmen attentively gave the ice cream a lick.

"Well…it's certainly different" Karmen laughed, as the flavours hit her tongue.

"I'll have some-" Steve exclaimed, as Karmen kept the ice cream out of his reach.

"Uh uh. You get your own, Harrington" Karmen teased, as he continued to try to grab the ice cream.

Soon he had both his hands holding onto Karmen's arms as he tried to pull her closer to him, making her giggle manically. Dustin shook his head fondly, as he decided to leave them to it, expecting the play fight would end in a make-out session.

"That was surprisingly nice" Karmen admitted, as she ate the last bit of the ice cream cone.

"But we better not let Dustin know that. His heads big enough" Steve suggested, licking the ice cream from his fingers.

"Not as big as Steve 'the hair' Harrington's though" Karmen teased, as they both began laughing.

Karmen's laughter was cut off when her head suddenly began to pound like before, as it felt like her head was being squished in a vice. She put a hand to her forehead, the pain clear on her face.

"Are you okay?" Steve frowned, putting his hand on her back.

"Yeah, just brain freeze" Karmen lied, gritting her teeth.

"No, it's not. Is it your neck hurting?" Steve guessed.

"A little. Can you just…hold me?" Karmen sighed, as Steve nodded and pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's okay, everything's going to be okay" Steve soothed, as he rubbed her back.

Karmen tightened her hold around his shoulders, dropping her head into the crook off his neck. For a few minutes, she had all but forgotten all the terrible events of the past couple of days, but now they were at the forefront of her mind.

"I'm scared, Steve. I'm so scared" Karmen sobbed, feeling a tear drop down her cheek.

"Of what? Talk to me, Karmen. Please" Steve begged, stroking her hair.

Bite him. Bite him. Bite him. The words repeated in her head over and over as she flinched. She could feel his skin underneath her lips. Maybe she didn't have to be alone in this.

"No!" Karmen cried as she pulled back as if she had been burnt.

"Woah, woah. What's wrong?" Steve frowned, as Karmen jumped off the table, visibly shaking.

"I…I need to go" Karmen stuttered, as she began to stumble towards the backdoor.

"Wait, Karmen!" Steve called after her, as she ripped the door open.

"Stay away from me, please" Karmen exclaimed, as she ran out of the room as fast as her legs could carry her.

Karmen didn't stop running until she was out of the building, finding herself in an alleyway behind the mall. She fell to her knees, feeling her breathing getting out of control. It felt like her lungs were about to explode, as she scrunched her eyes shut. She almost hurt Steve. How could she do that? What if she attacked someone else next? She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Billy standing over her, a sad expression on his face.

"I can't…breathe…" Karmen trailed off, hyperventilating.

"You're having a panic attack," Billy told her, crouching down in front of her.

"No…no…I can't…" She repeated her chest heaving under the strain.

"Yes, you can. You can breathe. Just take some deep breaths, okay? In and out" Billy insisted, both of his hands now on her shoulders.

"I…I almost bit…Steve…" Karmen admitted as Billy's eyes widened.

"But you didn't. Just focus on me. You're okay" Billy soothed, as Karmen took some deep breaths.

"How did you find me?" Karmen mumbled.

"The same way you found me last night. We're connected now" Billy told her, as her breathing became less erratic.

"I keep blacking out…I hurt someone last night…there was so much blood…" Karmen stuttered as Billy's hands dropped from her shoulders.

"It activates you when it feels necessary. If you're about to tell someone or if you're in danger…it did it to me last night" Billy explained.

"But you're you now?" Karmen asked as he nodded.

"How many times have you blacked out?" Billy questioned.

"I don't know. A few times now" Karmen replied.

"You need to stop fighting it" Billy advised, as Karmen glared at him.

"Is that what you did? Is that why you did this to me?" Karmen spat out, pushing herself upright.

"No. That was different. I let my guard down because I was angry…sad, I don't know…but I let it in" Billy told her.

"You blacked out?" Karmen guessed as he nodded.

"The next thing I knew you were standing in front of me with blood dripping down your neck and I had blood on my lips. I never wanted to hurt you" Billy insisted.

"I almost did the same to Steve" Karmen sighed.

"But you were able to stop yourself. Because there's more of you left" Billy told her.

"What do you mean?" Karmen frowned.

"Every time you blackout, a little less of you comes back. Your memories…it takes your memories" Billy warned her.

"What kind of memories?" Karmen panicked.

"The important ones. Karmen, I can't…I can't remember my mom's name" Billy admitted, tears welling in his eyes.

"Maybe we can just run away? Get out of Hawkins?" Karmen suggested as he shook his head.

"I already tried that. I was about an hour away and finally thought I was going to be free…and then I blinked and next thing I know I was back in that warehouse" Billy exclaimed.

"So, there's nothing we can do? We just have to wait around until we're next activated and hurt someone?" Karmen cried.

"I don't know…I just don't want to be alone anymore" Billy murmured, as Karmen gave him a sad look.

"Your dad's not home?" Karmen inquired, as Billy opened the front door of his house.

The pair didn't know what else to do but go home, and Karmen didn't want to put Claudia or Dustin in any more danger, so Billy's house was the only option. There was no one else to turn to but Billy, he was the only one that she could trust herself to be around.

"He's not home much these days. Thank God" Billy replied, as he led her to the bathroom.

Karmen almost did a double-take when she saw herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked awful. Her skin was pasty and pale, her hair was matted and sweaty and she could see blood beginning to pool underneath her plaid shirt.

"I've seen worse," Billy told her, as she couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"A gentleman as always" She mumbled, as she began trying to unbutton the shirt.

Her hands were shaking too much to get further than the first button, which led Billy to step forward and brush her hands away. He began to unbutton her shirt far slower than she thought necessary, as Karmen realised just how close they were standing. She was distracted when he helped her to pull the shirt off and saw how black veins were now running down to her elbow and across her collarbone. She grimaced as she pulled up her tank top and saw a large burn covering most of her abdomen, which was bleeding in some areas. It hurt like hell.

"Shit…that's worse than mine" Billy frowned, as he grabbed a towel and pressed it against the wound.

"I didn't mean to hurt you" Karmen sighed.

"I know" Billy nodded.

"Do you have any bandages?" Karmen inquired, as he pulled away.

"I think so, Max's mom's first aid kit basically has everything," Billy told her, as she reached behind her to open a cabinet.

He rummaged in there for a few seconds before pulling out a green bag, as Karmen could feel his breath against her face. It felt good against her clammy skin. He poured the contents into the sink and soon found a dressing and bandage.

"It won't be big enough for your wound-" Billy began, but she cut him off.

"You're bleeding too" She pointed out, her eyes dropping to his stomach.

"I'm fine" Billy shook his head, as Karmen's hands reached out to pull up his shirt.

She was horrified to find an almost identical wound on Billy's abdomen, but it seemed to be even worse than hers. She could now notice the way Billy seemed to flinch with every breath.

"You said it wasn't that bad" Karmen scolded, as she grabbed the towel they had been using.

"It doesn't matter" Billy retorted, as she pressed it against his skin.

"Your hurt. That matters" She insisted.

Cautiously, Billy raised his hand and placed it over her own, as their eyes snapped up to meet. Any sparks that she used to feel when she was close to Billy seemed to have increased tenfold since she had been infected. Karmen's heart threatened to beat out of her chest under his intense gaze. But she still didn't get the feeling of warmth and love she had whenever she was around Steve.

"Do you have any ice?" Karmen questioned, bringing Billy out of his daze.

"What?" He frowned, pulling his hand away from her own.

"I'm too hot" Karmen replied, not sure if her skin suddenly felt more flushed because of the infection or because of Billy being so close.

"You certainly are" Billy couldn't help but smirk, as she scoffed.

"Ice" Karmen insisted, an amused smile on her face.

Billy ushered to where Karmen was still touching him, as she quickly let go of the towel, not missing Billy's smug expression. He left the room, presumably to grab some ice, as Karmen took a deep breath. Running a hand through her hair, she realised it was, in fact, the infection that was causing her to feel so hot. She turned to begin running the cold-water tap, and splashed it over her face, trying to cool down.

"You feel that too?" Billy inquired, with half a dozen ice packs in his hands.

"It's the Mindflayer" Karmen gulped, as Billy walked over to the bath and began running cold water.

"It's growing," Billy told her, as he dropped the numerous ice packs he was holding in the bath.

"What are you doing?" Karmen frowned, as Billy began pulling his jeans down his legs.

"We need to cool down before we pass out" Billy warned her, stripping off his shirt too.

"What happens if we pass out?" Karmen questioned, everting her eyes from his body.

"Nothing good. C'mon" Billy insisted, as he stepped into the bath.

"That water's going to be so cold it could kill us" Karmen mumbled, as he stopped the running water.

"I think that's the least of our worries, Karmen" Billy retorted, as he slowly lowered himself into the bath.

He hissed in shock as the cold water engulfed his limbs, making him grip onto the edge of the bath. Biting her lip, Karmen knew he was right, she was beginning to feel dizzy and needed to cool down as quickly as possible.

"I won't try anything, I swear" Billy insisted, seeing her apprehensive look.

"You're not cheating on Harrington by getting in a bathtub with me" Billy pointed out, as she sighed.

She shimmied out of the jeans she was wearing, as she caught Billy's gaze wandering down her legs. Shaking her head, she cautiously stepped into the bath, gulping when she felt her cold it was.

"It's okay. Come here" Billy soothed, as he reached out to touch her arm.

He pulled her towards him so that her back was pressed against his chest, as she gasped at the feel of the freezing water all around her. Billy wrapped his arms around her, as Karmen tried to relax in the water. After only a few seconds she began to feel better, already feeling less lightheaded.

"I've got you" Billy murmured as she leaned back against him, finally allowing herself to relax.

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry, it took so long to update but I've been on holiday and I'm starting a new job soon, so I've been very busy. Poor Karmen, she's going through a lot at the moment, is she going to let Steve help her, or will she turn to Billy? Please leave a review:)

NicoleR85: Aw, thank you! So glad you're enjoying this story:) Karmen's going to have to put up a big fight if she wants to stop the Mindflayer from now on.

Angryfanfic: Thanks for the review. Glad you like it:)

tazsgirl6969: Thanks for the review:)

RoseAmeliaSarahNoblePond: Thank you so much:) The writer in me is glad your scared, haha. Karmen made it just about okay out of this chapter, but we'll have to wait and see if she makes it to the end.

pennyblossoms: Aw, thank you:) I hope you like this chapter!

Min234: Thank you so much, that means a lot to me! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations:)

paulavara40: I hope you like the new chapter!