42. Keep Going

The moment Karmen wrapped her arms around Dustin's shoulders, she let out a long sigh of relief. She had been worried they would be too late. If anything happened to the younger boy, she didn't know what she'd do. Dustin was still shaking with adrenaline as he smiled into the hug, resting his head on her shoulder. Karmen's eyes trailed down to the three dead bodies on the floor, all of which had been hit when Eleven threw a display car across the mall. The Russians had been approaching where Dustin and the others had been hiding, their guns raised, but they had been no match for Eleven's powers. Dustin let out an indignant cry as Karmen pulled away and began hitting his shoulder roughly, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Dustin screeched, rubbing his now aching limb.

"Oh, you know what that was for! You could have been killed, Dustin!" Karmen insisted, crossing her arms.

"I know. I just wanted to help. I don't have powers like you or El but I'm smart. I thought if I figured out what was going on with the Russians…I'm sorry…" Dustin trailed off, his eyes downcast.

"I'm still pissed at you, but…I know you were just trying to help. I was just worried. Can't have anything happening to my little brother, huh?" Karmen explained, ruffling his curly hair.

Dustin's large grin brought a smile to Karmen's own face, as he brushed her hands away. Dustin opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as Steve suddenly approached the pair and pulled Dustin into a tight hug, practically crushing him with his gangly limbs.

"Are you dweebs done hugging yet?" An irritated voice questioned, as Karmen turned to see Lucas' little sister staring at them.

"Nice to see you too, Erica" Karmen chuckled.

"You look like shit" Erica pointed out, looking at the blood and cuts that seemed to mar every inch of Karmen's body.

"What happened to you?" Robin frowned, concern clear on her face.

"Not much. Just an evil being from another universe tried to take over my mind and then kill me. Just your average day in Hawkins really" Karmen shrugged, as Robin's eyes widened.

"Why do I feel like you're not joking?" Robin gulped.

"I'll let Steve fill you in" Karmen replied, patting her boyfriend on the shoulder, who was still squeezing Dustin.

"The Mindflayer tried to possess you? Like with Will last year?" Dustin questioned, brushing Steve's hands away.

"Worse. I've done some things, Dustin…some really bad things" Karmen mumbled, guiltily.

"No. The Mindflayer did. That's not you" Dustin told her, as she gave him a grateful smile.

"Oh, and your mum knows about the Upside Down now" Karmen exclaimed, as Dustin's mouth went slack.

"She what?!" He cried, his eyes wide.

"Billy kind of…kidnapped her when he was possessed by the Mindflayer too and tied her up-" Karmen began, but Dustin quickly cut her off and turned to glare at Billy.

"Yeah…sorry about that, kid" Billy mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, awkwardly.

"I am so grounded" Dustin groaned, knowing how much his mother be freaking out.

Karmen laughed lightly, watching El walk away from the group in her peripheral vision. Her eyes followed the younger girl as she clutched at her head, and Karmen could see that her nose had begun bleeding again.

"El? El, you okay?" Karmen frowned when Eleven shook her head.

The next second, Eleven was falling to the floor, as Karmen raced forward to catch her. She managed to grab her shoulders just as her head was about to hit the floor and pulled Eleven into her lap.

"El!" Mike cried as he rushed over to the pair, his forehead wrinkled with worry.

"What's wrong?" Karmen questioned, seeing how Eleven was grimacing in pain.

"My leg…my leg…" Eleven muttered.

"Take off her bandage, quickly!" Karmen ordered, as Jonathan and Nancy all but ripped the bandage away.

The group cringed in disgust as they saw the red, cracked skin that lay underneath, with black veins protruding from the wound. Karmen flinched as she watched something move underneath her skin and realised that a piece of the Mindflayer must have dug into her leg. Eleven wailed in pain as the creature pushed further up her limb.

"El? El, are you okay?!" Mike exclaimed, grabbing onto her shoulder.

"Jesus Christ…" Dustin trailed off, looking like he was about to be sick.

"Keep her talking, she needs to stay awake" Jonathan announced, before running off.

"Mike, take her" Karmen stated, as she helped to push Eleven to lie on Mike's lap.

"You know, it's not that bad. There…there was a goalie on my team, and this other girl slid into her leg, and the bone came out of her knee. It was insane-" Robin began but was cut off by a dumbfounded Steve.

"Robin? Not helping" Steve told her.

"Sorry" Robin muttered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Alright, El…this is gonna' hurt like hell. I need you to keep still, okay?" Jonathan exclaimed, crouching down beside them, a knife in one of his hands.

"Woah, woah. What the hell are you doing?" Karmen gaped, as he brought the knife close to Eleven's leg.

"I'm gonna' cut it out" Jonathan replied, as Karmen shook her head vehemently.

"She's not a Sunday Roast, Jonathan! You're not carving her damn leg!" Karmen insisted, as she practically shoved him out of the way.

"Do you have a better idea?" Nancy retorted as Karmen looked to El.

"Do you still trust me?" Karmen inquired, as Eleven nodded instantly.

"I can destroy it" Karmen announced, as Mike realised what her plan was.

"With your powers? You're crazy! You'll burn her whole leg off!" Mike stated as Eleven gulped.

"My powers are amped up right now. I think I can destroy the thing without actually going through her skin if I concentrate enough-" Karmen started, but was cut off by Max.

"You think?" Max exclaimed, with an exasperated expression.

"She can do it" Steve interjected, placing his hand against his girlfriend's knee.

"Do it…just do it…" Eleven whimpered, the pain becoming almost unbearable.

"I need her leg held down" Karmen announced, as she got in position.

Steve and Jonathan quickly moved to grab her foot and knee respectively, making sure the creature underneath her skin couldn't move any further. Karmen took a deep breath, brushing a hand through her hair.

"This is gonna' hurt like crazy, but only for a second, okay?" Karmen said, turning to Eleven, who was balling her hands into fists, ready for the pain.

Placing her hand against Eleven's leg, she grabbed onto the creature beneath with two fingers and closed her eyes. She tried to drown out the panicked breathing and smell of blood that seemed to surround her. Opening her palm, she slammed it down onto Eleven's leg who let out a bloodcurdling scream. Then there was nothing. Slowly, Karmen opened her eyes and saw that the creature was now nowhere to be seen underneath her skin, with only a red mark remaining. She looked to Eleven, who smiled at her, relief clear on her face.

"Would someone care to explain what in God's name I just witnessed?" A familiar voice questioned, as the group turned to see Hopper, Joyce and a man Karmen had never seen before, staring at them in disbelief.

Karmen and Billy stayed on the side-lines as the now extended group tried to work out their next course of action. Karmen didn't want to worry anyone but since using her powers to help El, she had felt increasingly weaker, and was now not sure if she'd even be able to stand on her own.

"It's getting harder" Billy exclaimed, as Karmen turned to him in confusion.

"To breathe. It's like my lungs are giving up" Billy admitted, making Karmen let out a long sigh.

"I don't think we've got much longer left" Karmen mumbled, sadly.

"We'll take the son of a bitch down with us, right?" Billy suggested as Karmen gave him a smile.

"You bet your ass we will" Karmen replied, making Billy grin.

"There you go talking about my ass again" Billy smirked, as Karmen hit his shoulder.

"If…if you want to say goodbye to Max, this is probably the time" Karmen stated, as Billy looked down at his feet.

"I don't know what I'd even say. I'm sorry I treated you like shit for years, doesn't seem to really cut it" Billy pointed out.

"Just don't leave it too late" Karmen warned him, as Billy nodded.

"Hey, uh…can I talk to you for a minute?" Robin announced, approaching the pair.

"I'll leave you two to it" Billy mumbled, as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

As Billy walked away, he mouthed 'play nice' over Robin's shoulder, knowing how much Robin usually rubbed Karmen the wrong way. Karmen shook her head fondly, as the other girl came to sit opposite Karmen, a conflicted look on her face.

"I'm sorry about bringing Dustin along. I didn't…I guess I didn't think about the danger I'd be putting him in. I know you've never liked me…maybe you were right not to" Robin sighed, fidgeting with her fingers.

"It's not like that, Robin. I was jealous. It seems so stupid now" Karmen scoffed.

"I was jealous too" Robin admitted, making Karmen frown.

"So, you do like Steve?" Karmen inquired, as Robin slowly shook her head.

"It was Steve I was jealous of" Robin whispered, so quietly that Karmen could barely hear.

"Okay, I'm a bit lost-" Karmen started, but Robin quickly cut her off.

"I was jealous of Steve…being with you…" Robin trailed off, as Karmen's eyes widened.

"Wait. You…you had a crush on me?" Karmen gaped, as Robin nodded, her cheeks flushing.

"The English accent was kind of hard to resist" Robin muttered, with an amused smile.

"Wow, I'm a complete idiot" Karmen groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

"I was too scared to say anything. I mean what was the point, I know how much you love Steve. But I guess I don't see the point in hiding it anymore" Robin shrugged.

"Jesus, I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you the last few months" Karmen grimaced.

"It's okay" Robin shrugged, as she pushed herself to her feet.

"Hey, Robin?" Karmen exclaimed.

"Yeah?" Robin questioned, wondering what she was about to say.

"You're cute. You'll find a girl no problem, Hawkins girls are just dumb. Case and point with me" Karmen stated.

"Maybe we can friends? You know when this is all over?" Robin suggested as Karmen gave her a sad smile.

"Sure" Karmen nodded, as Robin turned away.

"Did I see you just smiling at Robin?" Dustin gaped, as he walked over to Karmen.

"I know. It must really be the end of the world, right?" Karmen giggled, as Dustin came to sit beside her.

"…I'm leaving. While you guys drive to Murray's place, there's somewhere I've got to go first. There's this powerful handcrafted radio tower on the outskirts of town, made by yours truly. I can use it to help navigate Hopper through the Russians lair. He can then close the gate. Problem solved" Dustin explained, as Karmen smiled proudly at him.

"Henderson saves the day again, huh? How far is this tower?" Karmen questioned.

"Not that far. I can meet you and the others at Murray's in a few hours" Dustin stated.

"A few hours?" Karmen mumbled, biting her lip.

She didn't think she had a few hours left. With Dustin leaving soon, Karmen realised sadly that it would probably be the last time she would get to see him. She needed to say goodbye.

"Don't worry, I promise I'll be safe" Dustin replied, thinking that was the reason for Karmen's apprehensive look.

"You better be. Or else" Karmen warned, with an amused smile.

"I think Mom is gonna' ground us both for the rest of the summer" Dustin pointed out.

"More like for the rest of our lives" Karmen grinned.

Karmen quickly pulled the younger boy into her arms a moment later, feeling tears welling in her eyes. It wasn't fair. She didn't want to leave him. For the first time she felt like she really had a family. But life wasn't a fairy-tale, and maybe happy endings didn't really exist.

"Are you crying?" Dustin frowned, as he heard Karmen sniffle.

"Nah...you just smell" Karmen teased, pulling away.

"Jerk" Dustin scoffed, making Karmen grin.

"Thanks, Dustin. For…for giving me a home" Karmen announced, as Dustin nodded.

"I'll see you soon" Dustin gave her a toothy smile, as he stood up.

Karmen watched him walk away with a sad expression, rubbing her eyes, as she tried not to cry. She wanted him to stay with her, wanting him to be there at the end, but he had a job to do. They all did.

"Are you sure we'll all gonna' fit?" Steve questioned, his arm helping to keep Karmen upright as they walked out of the mall.

Robin, Dustin and Erica had taken Steve's car and were now on their way to Dustin's radio tower and hopefully to safety. While Joyce, Hopper and Murray, the man whose strange house they were supposed to be going to, were on their way to close the gate. Karmen had wanted to protest and go with them, but she knew she'd only get in the way. All that was left was to get as far away from Hawkins as they possibly could.

"Sure, I mean a few people might have to sit on someone's lap-" Nancy began but was cut off by Billy.

"I opt for Karmen to sit on my lap" Billy smirked, as the whole group rolled their eyes.

"Maybe Steve should sit on your lap, Billy. You two seemed pretty cosy earlier" Karmen teased.

"Get in before I tie the three of you to the roof" Nancy ordered, as the the group shared amused looks.

They were just helping to carefully pull Eleven into the car when Billy's head shot up, recognising a familiar sound. Karmen turned around, hearing it too, as a sickening feeling grew in her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Steve frowned, turning to face where Karmen was.

"Is…is that Billy's car?" Max gaped, as they watched the Camaro pull into the car park.

"Shit…shit…" Nancy mumbled as she tried to turn the ignition on in the car, but it wouldn't work.

Steve quickly rushed to the front of the car, as Nancy popped the hood open. He made quick work with surveying the engine and realised that the ignition cable was missing. The car had been tampered with.

"We're not going anywhere" Steve gulped.

"Mom?" Max gasped, as she exited the car and could make out her mother's face in the front seat of the Camaro.

"Get back into the Mall!" Karmen ordered as she ushered the rest of the kids out of the car.

"Go, go!" Nancy shouted as she helped Mike pull Eleven out of the back of the car.

"Max, we need to go…Max!" Billy insisted, as he grabbed her hand and started to pull her back.

"We're so screwed" Karmen mumbled, as Steve helped drag her inside.

Karmen's breathing got faster and faster as they made their way back to the main courtyard. At first, she thought it was the fear of the Mindflayer now knowing where they were but as she looked ahead, she could see how Billy had slowed down a few metres ahead of her.

"S-steve…" Karmen stuttered, as her legs gave out.

Steve quickly crouched down to pick her up bridal style, as Karmen's breathing became shallower. His eyes snapped forward as Billy fell to his knees, still holding onto Max's hand.

"What's wrong?" Max questioned, kneeling beside him.

"I can't…I can't breathe" Billy exclaimed, clutching at his chest.

"The Mindflayer…it's coming" Karmen warned them, as Lucas grabbed Billy's other arm and he and Max helped pull him upright.

"Oh God, Karmen" Steve panicked, as he watched black blood running down her nose.

As soon as they were in the courtyard, he rushed to lay her on top of one of the counters, fear washing over his face. He placed his finger against the pulse on her neck, panic rising as he only felt one beat.

"What's happening to them?" Max cried, as she helped Billy sit down beside the counter.

"We've run out of time…" Billy trailed off, with a sad expression.

"What? No, no. Lucas, get the first aid kit!" Max insisted as Lucas ran off to do as he was told.

"There's nothing you can do, Max" Billy shook his head, as Max looked up to Steve, hoping he would have some idea what to do.

"Karmen, please. Stay with me. Just a little bit longer" Steve exclaimed, stroking her hair softly.

"You need to go. It…it knows we're here" Karmen told him, panting as she did so.

"There's no way we're leaving you. Either of you!" Steve retorted.

"Here it is!" Lucas announced, placing the first aid kit on the counter.

Steve quickly unzipped the bag and started to survey what was inside, but he didn't even know what he was looking for. Karmen and Billy were dying, that was nothing a small first aid kit could fix.

"Steve…Please go" Karmen begged, as Steve ran a hand through his hair.

"There must be something-" Steve cut himself off as he heard a strange rumbling from above his head.

Steve's mouth dropped open as he saw the Mindflayer's massive body walking on the thin glass of the roof. Everyone joined him, as they looked up in horror, too frightened to even move.

"Run!" Karmen yelled as the Mindflayer stamped down on the glass, trying to break through.

Steve instantly jumped over the counter, pulling Karmen onto the floor beside him. Mike and El grabbed Max's hand and began to lead her away, hoping to find a safer spot.

"Shit" Steve mumbled when he realised Billy was still on the other side of the counter and too weak to move.

He quickly jumped up and slid over to counter, grabbing a surprised Billy by the shoulders. Just as he was pulling Billy up, the glass ceiling crashed to the ground, the Mindflayer following seconds later. Steve gave one hard pull against Billy's shoulders and managed to send them both falling to the floor a second later, hoping they hadn't been seen.

"Karmen…" Steve trailed off when he saw her eyes were closed.

"Karmen? Hey, wake up. Wake up!" Steve insisted as he crouched beside her, patting her face lightly.

He instantly pressed his finger against her pulse, his eyes widening as he felt no beat of her heart. He looked down at her chest and realised that she wasn't breathing.

"Karmen!" He exclaimed, clutching at her shoulders.

"No, no, no" Steve mumbled, as he turned to grab the first aid kit and emptied the contents on the floor.

His eyes quickly found an orange box and ripped it open, finding a vial of epinephrine inside and a syringe. He drew the liquid from the vial with shaking hands and crawled back over to Karmen, placing the syringe against her chest. He had no idea where to inject her, or how much to even inject her with, but he didn't think it mattered at that point.

"Please come back to me" Steve begged, as he slammed the syringe into her chest, scrunching his eyes shut.

Almost immediately he heard a loud intake of breath, as Karmen jumped bolt upright, her eyes darting around frantically. A small smile spread over her lips when she saw Steve staring back at her in relief.

"Are you okay?" Steve questioned, reaching out to touch her cheek.

"Y-yeah…are you?" Karmen replied as Steve leaned forward to press a quick kiss to her lips.

"Now I am" Steve smiled, resting their foreheads against each other for a moment.

They pulled apart a second later when an ear-splitting growl practically vibrated through the room, as the glass windows around them shook. Karmen's eyes widened as she remembered what had happened before she had passed out.

"What're we gonna' do?" Billy panted, barely conscious.

"On my signal…you run to El and the others" Karmen told Steve, who looked at her in confusion.

"What signal?" Steve asked, as Karmen slowly began to push herself to her feet.

"Don't worry, you won't miss it" Karmen smirked, peaking out from behind the counter to see the Mindflayer slithering around the room, trying to find its prey.

"Hey, ugly!" Karmen yelled, raising her hands.

The Mindflayer's head instantly whipped around to face her, letting out an angry roar as it began racing towards her. Steve went to stand beside Karmen, having complete faith in whatever her plan was. His eyes widened as he watched the air in front of them begin to fizzle with energy. Suddenly, a large blue shield of light rose up from the ground in front of them, which spread out around the room, until it completely surrounded the Mindflayer. The beast yelped in pain as it hit the barrier, as its limbs starting to fizz and melt where it touched the light.

"Now!" Karmen eclaimed, as Steve jumped over the counter, quickly spotting where El, Max and Mike had been hiding.

"Come on, out this way!" Steve insisted, as he ushered the group towards one of the stores that led into the back.

Out of the corner of her eye, Karmen saw the others crawling away from display car they had been hiding behind, giving her a grateful nod before they ran towards the stairs.

"Karmen!" Steve called over his shoulder, as the rest of the kids ran into the store.

"Go, I'm right behind you" Karmen replied, gritting her teeth as the Mindflayer continued to push against the barrier.

She tried to give the two groups as much time as possible to escape, but soon the barrier began to break down, as part of the Mindflayer's limbs pushed through. Billy crawled forward to use the counter to help push himself up, grabbing Karmen's arm and pulling her away. They heard the Mindflayer roar, as Billy shoved the metal door behind the counter open. They rushed through the mall towards the back entrance, as Billy placed Karmen's arm over his shoulder. Holding the Mindflayer back had taken a lot out of her, as the adrenaline Steve had injected her with was already beginning to wear off. Karmen felt the cold air of the night hit her skin, as she realised they were in the back car park. Billy sprinted towards the nearest car, ripping the front door off its hinges with his increased strength, and helped lower Karmen into the passenger's seat. He was lucky enough to find the car keys hidden in the front compartment and started the car a second later. He drove as fast as he could to the front of the mall, hoping the others would be waiting there for them. His eyes widened in horror as he saw they were still trying to get the other car to work…as Billy's Camaro racing towards them.

"Put your seatbelt on" Billy announced, as he clipped his own seatbelt into place.

Karmen's eyes widened as Billy pressed down on the accelerator and sent them hurtling forward, realising what his intentions were. Karmen scrunched her eyes shut at the last moment, as she saw Max's mom showed no sign of slowing down, waiting for the collision. She almost hit the headboard as she felt them crash into the Camaro, as she placed her hands on the dashboard for support. They swung around for a few seconds before coming to a sudden halt. Karmen cautiously opened one eye, turning to look at Billy, glad to see he wasn't hurt.

"You are one crazy son of a bitch" Karmen stated, making Billy grin.

A loud rumble from the mall made them both turn their heads as they saw the Mindflayer climbing onto the roof of the mall. Billy frowned when he pressed on the accelerator but nothing happened, gulping when he saw the Mindflayer getting closer. Karmen's eyes widened when she saw Nancy get into the car that now finally seemed to start and began pressing on the car horn.

"What are they doing?" Karmen gaped, as Nancy continued to bleep the horn, and drive away.

"Creating a distraction" Billy answered, watching as the Mindflayer began to chase after the car.

"Did you see Steve in the car?" Karmen questioned, as Billy shook his head, kicking open the driver's door.

"They must still be inside" Billy suggested, as he exited the car.

"We better find them before-" Karmen cut herself off as she heard a loud gunshot rip through the air.

She gaped in horror as she saw a bullet hit Billy in the arm, whipping her head around to see Max's mom pulling herself out of Billy's now burning Camaro, a gun in her hand. Raising her hand, Karmen sent a strong pulse of energy hurtling towards Susan, sending the gun flying from her hands. Karmen quickly crawled over the front seat, and grabbed Billy's hand, pulling him back towards the mall. Billy groaned in pain as he pressed his hand against the bleeding wound. They were both panting heavily by the time they made it to the courtyard, the excursion of the past few minutes putting too much strain on their already failing bodies. Billy suddenly dropped to his knees, his hands shaking from the blood loss, as Karmen tried to pull him back up.

"C'mon! We have to keep going!" Karmen insisted as Billy dropped to his hands.

She whipped her head around as she saw Susan Hargrove storming towards them, a sinister smile on her face.

"Oh shit..." Karmen mumbled, panic in her eyes.

Mike practically yelled in frustration as he continued to press the lift button, watching as it slowly came towards their level. A loud shout made the group jump, as the haunting sound seemed to vibrate down the corridor.

"That sounded like Billy" Max gulped, turning towards Steve.

"They didn't make it out?" Eleven panicked, from where her arm was slung over Max's shoulder.

"You guys head towards the radio tower when you get out. I'll meet you there soon" Steve told them, as he turned around and began to walk back up the corridor.

"You can't fight the Mindflayer on your own" Mike pointed out.

"They would want you to leave. All of you" Steve sighed, as they all knew it was true.

"I'm not leaving without my brother" Max announced.

"Or my sister" Eleven added, both girls crossing their arms.

"…Alright, but you stay behind me and do what I…seriously?!" Steve grumbled as the girls walked past him, clearly not listening.

"You really have become a thorn in my side, Karmen" Susan sneered, picking up a nearby shard of glass and sauntered over to her.

"Just get it over with, I'm seriously done with listening to you talk" Karmen retorted, trying to shield an almost unconscious Billy with her body.

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you Karmen…not yet" Susan smirked, as she sent a hard kick to Karmen's face, throwing her onto her back.

"You get to watch him die first" Susan exclaimed, as she leaned down to press the shard of glass against Billy's neck.

Karmen opened her mouth to cry out but was surprised when another voice pierced through the air first. She turned to see Max standing a few metres away, El, Steve and Mike standing behind her, a look of determination on all their faces.

"Get away from him" Max warned, as Karmen's eyes drifted down to the gun in the ginger's hand.

"Now…this is unexpected" Susan grinned, shoving Billy's head against th floor roughly before she stood up.

"Get out of my mom" Max exclaimed, gripping the gun tightly.

"Your mom's gone, little girl" Susan mocked, taking a step forward, as Max raised the gun towards her.

"Your lying!" Max cried, her finger on the trigger.

"Why would I lie about something so insignificant?" Susan retorted.

"Insignificant?! You killed my mother!" Max yelled, angry tears welling in her eyes.

"She fought, you know? Right to the end. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting you. Now you'll die by her hand" Susan went on, taking another step forward.

"There's really no part of my mom left in you?" Max questioned, as Susan shook her head.

"Your mother was nothing. Just as you are" Susan spat out, as Max's hand shook, tear tracks covering her cheeks.

"I love you, mom" Max sobbed, pulling the trigger.

Karmen's mouth went slack as she watched Susan stumble backwards, blood pooling through the back of her shirt, as the bullet had gone right through her. Max let out a cry, as she dropped the gun and rushed forward. Susan dropped to her knees, letting out a shaky breath as Max crouched down beside her.

"I'm sorry" Max sobbed, as Susan fell forward, her head falling against Max's shoulder.

Karmen felt a tear roll down her own cheek, as Max wrapped her arm's around her mother's body. The Mindflayer had been wrong when it said they were nothing. They were strong. Maybe they really could beat the creature. A crackling sound above her cut the thought off as she strained to look up, watching as the Mindflayer slithered over the broken roof of the mall. Her eyes found Eleven's across the room, the fear in the younger girl's eyes, spurring her on. Placing a hand against her knee, Karmen strained to push herself to feet. As the Mindflayer used its large limbs to crawl down into the courtyard below, Karmen took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was ready.

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! We've only got a few chapters left now before this story has to go on hiatus, as we wait for whenever Season 4 to come out. I've definitely got a fun storyline in the making. I was thinking of cutting this chapter into two, but I felt like it might ruin the flow, hence the super long update. Please leave a review:)

NicoleR85: Aw, thank you! I think Karmen has really helped Steve see a better side of Billy, and who knows, in another life maybe they would have been friends! Please leave a review:)

Apoka: I'm afraid the next chapter is going to be a real tear-jerker, so have tissues at the ready! Thanks for reviewing:)

pennyblossoms: Aw, thank you! Hope you like this update:)

tazsgirl6969: Thanks for reviewing:)

Age of X: There will be deaths next chapter, that's all I can say! Your fanfic looks good, keep it up:)

eleanor: Aw, thank you:) Glad you're enjoying the story!

ReadAllTheBooks1: Thank you so much! Yeah, I really do love the show, it gives me a lot of inspiration for my fanfics. I hope you liked the update:)