Byler- The Unwanted Return of Everything (And How It Finally Ends)

The Funeral

Mike shook his head quickly. "No, no. I understand what you're thinking." If Will could live with all his Jonathan and Brad accusations, he could live with crazy Jane ones. "It's definitely suspicious if she just opened it for no reason." He thought. "And she wouldn't tell you why?"

Will shook his head. "She... well, she just told me out of nowhere after you left last night, and then she said I couldn't tell anyone, and maybe I'm being paranoid, but the way she stated it almost seemed like a threat."

The word made Mike's shoulder stiffen. "Threat?" he asked. He didn't like the idea of anyone in the party threatening someone else... especially Jane.

"Yeah," said Will quietly. "She said it like she'd hurt me if she found out I told someone." He looked up, making a gesture of frustration. "I'm sorry I mentioned anything. I was just freaked out by it and I-"

"No, you're fine," Mike said, giving a light smile despite his bad feeling. If something was off about Jane, that was bad. Jane had an advantage over everyone else in the party, if she was secretly against them, she'd win easily. "Thank you for telling me. I'll make sure the information doesn't get back to her... Just be careful, okay? Just in case something is wrong?"

Will smiled slightly, a relief to Mike. "I will." The two boys continued their drive. Mike with a new worry hanging over his head.

The meet-up in the woods definitely felt like a funeral as everyone gathered in a circle around the gate and Jonathan's body, but Mike was the only one wearing black. It hadn't been on purpose, of course. He had just decided to wear his black jeans today and black jacket for warmth, but now it was fitting. Nobody else looked like they were dressed in mourning outfits. Dustin wore a blue jacket, Jane wore red, Lucas wore orange, and Max had borrowed out of Luca's sister Erica's wardrobe, wearing a pastel pair of overalls. Even Will was wearing bright yellow, nobody looked ready for the unexpected funeral. Nobody except Mike, that is.

Everyone stared for a while, unsure when would be the right time to speak, move, or breathe. It was slightly somber, but there was also a hopeful air. As Will had said earlier, once they put Jonathan in the gate and sealed it off, the conflict would be over and the Upside Down would be no more.

Although... Mike's eyes made their way to Jane, standing innocently between the trees, her flannel shirt a dark red color as if it had soaked up the blood that Jonathan never spilled. She caught Mike's eyes as he glanced at her, giving him a quick smile. Mike couldn't believe that she could potentially have opened the Upside Down with evil intentions, but he had no reason to believe Will wasn't telling the truth. The thought of Jane threatening him scared Mike.

"Alright," Max said finally, making Mike look away from Jane. "Shall we finish this?"

Lucas nodded to his girlfriend, and then looked to Will. "Are you okay if Max and I take him?"

Will nodded, with no verbal response. He walked forward and kneeled down to the body, smiling at it momentarily before allowing Max and Lucas to lift it from either side. Everyone watched as the took Jonathan and stuffed him through the gate. As Max pushed in his last foot, Jane readied herself to close the gate. Max stepped back and Jane approached with her arm outstretched, making Mike slightly alert. Would she really close it?

To Mike's relief, he watched the gate slowly retreat, closing completely and becoming no more than a bump in the ground. Jane stepped back, catching her breath and wiping her nose on her sleeve, staining the red with a darker red. Lucas handed her a tissue.

"Well," Dustin said after studying the spot where the gate had been. "It's over. We did it!" He looked around, his arms out with a smile. "Who's up for lunch? I feel like we deserve some sort of celebration."