𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐑 | stranger things ✓

CHAPTER FIVE: FRENEMY

I woke up on Mike's couch in his basement. My eyes fluttered open, remembering what happened. I perched myself up on my elbows squinting around the room as the sunlight from the door hit my eyes. Max and Lucas were awake. "That wasn't a dream, right?" I yawned.

"No, Mel. My brother has really gone psycho!" She spoke up, waking the rest up the rest.

"That's not your brother." I softly reminded her. She was really going through it. Lucas was trying his best to console her.

Mike sat up, running his eyes, "We need to get help." He stated then looked El's way, "Can you find Hopper?"

After the events last night at the pool, the first thing we did was go home to tell Hop everything. I wanted him to hug me and tell me everything would be okay. But he wasn't there. So, we went back to Mike's basement and fell asleep after I explained my new ability to the guys. 'Pain illusion' - Mike called it. Dustin would've loved to know I had this new power.

Eleven tied a scarf over her eyes. We all sat round her, eagerly waiting for information on Hop's whereabouts. "I found him."

I sighed in relief, "Where is he?"

"Woods. He's with... Will's mom."

His eyebrows rose, "My mom?"

"Ill...annoy. They're going to Ill-annoy."

"Illinois? Like the state?" Mike ask her as she remove her blindfold.

El simply shrugged, "Ill-annoy."

"Where's Illinois?" I thought aloud.

"I thought you'd been reading lately?" Lucas challenged me.

I blinked before replying, "I've been reading books not maps."

"Something's not right." Mike got up and began pacing up and down the room, "I can't get Hopper off my back all summer now all of a sudden, he's hiking with Will's mom to Illinois? And Dustin's MIA, too? I mean, this can't be a coincidence."

"It doesn't matter." Lucas reached into a bag of cereal, "The bottom line is, they're not here. It's up to us." He finished before stuffing his mouth full of cereal.

"Up to us to do what exactly?"

"Stop Billy... And Heather." I answered.

"Okay, yeah," Mike rolled his eyes, "That's a nice sentiment but even if El could find him again, and that's a pretty big if, then what?"

"We burn the shit outta him and make sure he doesn't escape this time." Lucas laid out his plan for us while still munching on cereal. "Then we win." I could hear my stomach rumbling as he ate. When was the last time I ate?

"No, see, that's the problem. We don't. We don't win." I sneakily stole Lucas' cereal as Mike rambled on, "We got the Mind Flayer out of Will before and he just came right back. We don't just have to stop Billy, we have to stop The Mind Flayer."

"How in the hell do we do that?" Lucas shrugged, reaching out for the box of cereal he put down, unable to find it.

"I don't know."

"Maybe Melanie and El do." Will perked up, looking at us both in hope.

There was a short silence as I crunched down a handful of cocoa puffs. Lucas looked at me then the box, then back to me, "Give me that." He snatched it back, gaining a small laugh from me.

"Mike?" We all heard Nancy's voice from the top the stairs.

Nancy and Johnathan rushed down the wooden basement stairs, exclaiming they had something to say. Nancy explained when she worked for the paper, Hawkins Post, she got a call from a Mrs Driscoll informing her that she had 'rabbit rats' in her basement. Nancy, thinking this was a potential great headline, took Jonathan with her to the elder woman's house to investigate. A few days later, Nancy and Johnathan went to check up on Mrs Driscoll who they found in her basement eating fertilizer and all kinds of chemicals. Mrs Driscoll was taken to the hospital and Nancy and Johnathan were fired from their internships by their boss who was also acting strange.