The babysitters club|| Steve Harrington

44

The metal gate that led to the back of the mall was closing rapidly. The yellow lights outside the building bathed everything in a fake glow, illuminating the two figures rushing after the children. 

There was a nagging thought in the back of Lucia's mind. 

She knew that boy. She knew him, she knew she knew him. He'd only been visible for a split second when the other car appeared out of nowhere and hit Billy's, sending them spiraling, making flames burst under the hood. She had been getting so many head injuries these past few days, she wouldn't be surprised if she got permanent brain damage.

Everything had been going to shit since the car crash— the first one. Lucia knew she had been living somewhat robotically since then. She had been accompanying Billy Hargrove wherever he went, doing what the Mind Flayer demanded of her. If it was up to her, she'd be taking on the tasks assigned to Billy, after all he was just a kid, the same age as someone else she knew...

Her mind wandered. Who was she thinking of? 

The boy. 

The boy that crashed into them.

All she had seen was a split second of his expression then the image of him getting dragged away. 

Lucia was pulled out of her thoughts as Billy stopped the metal gate just before it closed, forcing it open with his bare hands. He was drenched in sweat, grime and dust, the bags under his eyes had only gotten worse and when he pushed the gate open, his veins turned dark, showing from just under his skin. 

If she was herself, Lucia would have wanted to take care of the poor boy. He reminded her of the other boy... M... something. Why did it feel like she was forgetting someone important? All she wanted to do was keep the teenager safe. She'd take on the responsibility that the Mind Flayer put on Billy's shoulders, if that meant Billy would be safe. 

Her mind was clouded and nothing was making sense so she just followed the boy inside the mall. 

The lights were flickering and if Lucia was still in her right mind, she would have had a migraine twenty times over. But she had been given a job, so she would persevere. 

The hallways they raced down in search of the kids, were mostly toward the back of the mall. Just plain hallways, no trace of color, just white walls, white doors and white flickering florescent lights overhead. 

Billy was like an animal, screaming, yelling, growling as he pushed through door after door. Lucia felt the same frustration. These stupid kids were making things so much harder than they needed to be. They should have just given in, should have just joined the Mind Flayer. 

There would be no opposing its power, it would make their job so much easier if the kids just fucking gave up. 

Billy pushed through another set of double doors and Lucia heard it, small whimpers not far from where they were. Finally. 

Lucia had never been an angry person, she didn't think so. So the rage coursing through her couldn't have been hers. She never wanted to hurt others, especially not children. But there was a voice in her mind that wasn't her, telling her what to do, what to feel, what to say and all she wanted was to rip it out of her mind. 

But for the time being there was nothing she could do as she followed Billy down the hallway. It led to a turn a few feet down, Lucia guessed it was where the children were hiding. 

She turned out to be right when a girl walked into the hallway, barely thirteen or fourteen with her flaming red hair in two braids, her shock written plainly across her features. 

Normally, Lucia would have felt a motherly instinct, a human instinct, a protective instinct, something. But now she felt nothing.

"Billy" The girl said. Lucia could tell she was terrified, her hands shook, but she closed them into fists as she looked at the two approaching figures. "Billy, you don't have to do this" 

With every word she said, Billy and Lucia only walked closer, with more purpose. They had a mission to carry out. 

"Billy" She pleaded. "Your name is Billy, Billy Hargrove. You live on 4819 Cherry Lane"

Her voice shook the more she went on. But all three of them knew it wasn't working. They were too far gone. No matter how desperate she sounded, no matter what she said, there would be no coming out of it for the two of them. 

"Billy, please, I'm Max, I'm your—"

He backhanded her with such rage Lucia had rarely seen before. Her words cut off, dying in her throat as she fell to the floor.

Something tugged inside of Lucia, but the voice inside her head controlling her, giving her instructions, forced her to ignore it. 

It was hard to describe what it actually felt like. Everything before that day she woke up in the Metal works factory was blurry. She couldn't remember anything, how she got there, why she moved and talked so robotically, she couldn't remember her family, her home, anything. And as terrifying as it was, it was even worse to have the voice monitoring her every move, telling her what to do and Lucia was just one woman, one desperate woman who couldn't possibly hope to fight to get the voice out of her head. 

She feared a fate like the redheaded girl on the floor, or worse. 

Her friends rushed to her aid, a boy with gangly limbs and shaggy hair screamed as he tried to catch Billy off guard. Lucia just shoved him aside. Other than just controlling them, the voice had granted her more strength. Lucia hadn't felt so powerful, so rejuvenated and young since she had last been a teenager. Her strained veins looked black under her skin, just like Billy's. 

She was surprised by how easily she had managed to shove the kid aside, flexing her fingers as she and Billy turned to the last girl, all alone at the dead end, her friends all knocked out or having left her. 

Eleven. 

The only real threat the Mind Flayer could have faced. And here she was, like a scared child. Pathetic. 

She raised her hand, as if to try and use her powers, but Billy grabbed her wrist, twisting her hand and shoving her against the wall, perhaps with more force than necessary before tossing her across the room to another wall. 

She crumpled easily and briefly Lucia wondered how they'd come to fighting children. She picked up El's limp body with relative ease, walking out of the room with Billy. 

Now they'd have to wait for further instructions, but at least one part of their plan was successful. Though Lucia wondered if it was their plan or just the Mind Flayer's. A sharp stinging pain between her eyes made her stop thinking about it so much. 

She just followed Billy through the maze of hallways deeper into the mall. 

Things are not looking good rn but I promise you guys will love me in about two more chapters

Lucia is trying to fight the Mind Flayer control already!! Matteo's such a mama's boy and Lucia's such a (non-toxic) boy mom I love them