𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬, Mike Wheeler (on hold)

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

"Even if El can do it, there's another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies." Mike told them.

"I thought that was the whole point" Max frowned.

"It is, but if we're really right about this I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayed army" Mike explained.

"Will's part of that army" Veronica summed up "closing the gate will kill him"

"He likes it cold," Joyce said suddenly said as she walked into Will's room which made the group exchange strange looks as they followed her.

"What?" Hopper asked her.

"It's what Will kept saying to me. He likes it cold" Joyce started before she closed the windows "we keep giving it what he wants."

"If this is a virus and Will's the host, then..." Nancy started as she looked at Will.

"We need to make the host inhabitable" Jonathan finished.

"So if he likes it cold..." Nancy trailed off again.

"We need to burn it out of him," Joyce stated.

"We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time, "Mike told them.

"Yeah, somewhere far away" Dustin agreed which caused Hopper to tell Jonathan the directions to the house he was keeping El

———✰———

"E, who gave you that bitchin' makeover?" Veronica commented as she and El stood outside the Byers house.

"She said she was my sister" El responded.

"Oh," Veronica looked down feeling slightly disappointed and replaced.

"But she wasn't my real sister. You're my real sister V" Eleven told the smaller girl.

"You're my sister too." Veronica smiled before she held her pinkie up. "Promise you'll come back safe."

El linked her Pinkie with the Veronica's and muttered "promise" before the two hugged each other tightly.

"El" Hopper called softly as the girls split apart "it's time" which made the two hug again.

"Love you E" Veronica muttered into her shoulder.

"Love you too V" Eleven responded before she walked over to Hopper and got in his truck.

When Veronica walked back into the house she was greeted with the sight of Dustin and Lucas trying to stuff the dead demo-dog into the freezer but she then started biting her nails and pacing.

"Veronica, would you stop already" Lucas snapped at the girl which made her turn to the group of three.

"You weren't in there, okay, Lucas? That lab is swarming with those demo-dogs" Veronica started.

"Thank you" Dustin thanked for the use of his word.

"What if they eat them, or Hopper runs out of the bullets or she can't defeat the shadowmonster and that kills them or she disappears again." Veronica started to ramble before Mike grabbed her hand and pulled her into him on the sofa.

"They'll both be fine. Hopper will protect her" Mike soothed her softly.

"Like she needs protection" Max pointed out the girl's badass entrance trying to calm the slightly neurotic girl.

"Listen, Guys, a coach calls play in a game, bottom line, you execute it. All right?" Steve told them as he and Dustin entered the living room.

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench" Mike snapped at the older boy.