Worlds Turned Upside Down: Will Byers x Reader

Chapter Nine: An Electrical Presence

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"Will, it's me. Talk to me," Tears start to make their way out of Joyce's eyes. Mrs. (L/N) is too shocked to understand that's she's started crying as well. The sound of her daughter's breathing becomes her only focus. "I'm here," Joyce is struggling to form sentences, "Just tell me where you are, honey," Joyce is shaking but she still manages to have a solid grip on the phone. (Y/N)'s mother is frozen, she cannot speak. The build up of tears hurts her throat. She sobs lightly. Subconsciously her hands start moving towards the phone. Towards the sound of her daughter. "I can hear you. Please."
"(Y/N), (Y/N), I'm here. I'm here too," Mrs. (L/N) stumbles frantically over her words. She doesn't want to talk but she feels the need to make herself known to her daughter. So, that (Y/N) knows that she's trying. Trying to find her. Static is heard rattling through the phone.

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"Mom?" Both children almost simultaneously ask. Will's tone is calmer. It sounds as though he's comforted by his mother's voice, yet there's a longing to get to her. (Y/N) is more surprised. Shock is evident in her tone. She had never thought that she'd hear her mother with Joyce Byers. She also hadn't believed that her mom would be looking for her in this particular way. Yes, she knew her mother would search for her. But, she hadn't expected her mother to actually believe that she's in some alternate dimension. Now, she knows that someone else is aware of their situation and that brings her a slight fragment of relief. They may actually have a chance in escaping. And even if they don't, there will be some answers to where the children had ended up.

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The lights start to flicker out of control. Both mothers shriek their own child's name a few times. (Y/N)'s mother grabs Joyce's arm, she feels light-headed. "Yes, it's me! It's me!" Joyce sobs into the phone.
"Where are you?" (Y/N)'s mother chokes out, putting her face close to the phone to try and get her message through clearly.
Joyce repeats what Mrs. (L/N) said, "Where are you?" Just to make sure the children heard the question. No answer. "Just talk to me— " Joyce let's out a cry as the phone produces a string of electricity that shocks her. She drops the phone into the armchair. Everything is silent for a single second. (Y/N)'s mother turns to Joyce, still holding onto her arm, and by default tries to ask if she's okay. Joyce however, falls to the ground and repeats, "No!" as she examines the phone which has, like the other one, burned to the point of disfunctionality. Mrs. (L/N) covers her mouth with her hand and weeps. She gasps for breath, to try and stop the tears. But her attempt is no use. Joyce pulls the phone toward her ear again and aimlessly presses the buttons. She breaks down over the scorched telephone and slams it to the ground. It lets out a Ding as it hits the ground. Joyce recoils into herself and bawls. She feels as though she's failed her son. "No!" Joyce clenches her hands into fists and waves them around feverishly. Mrs. (L/N) would have thought Joyce was insane if she'd seen her break down this terribly out of context. But now, Joyce's reaction seems perfectly reasonable to her. (Y/N)'s mother just stands clasping her hand over her mouth breathlessly sobbing into it. Tears roll and soak both the top of her hand and her palm. The lights, once again, begin to flicker and the mothers are alert again.

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A crash echos from the back door. This time the door has flew right off of it's rusted hinges and up against the wall. The Demogorgon emerges from the spot which the door had previously been. It's head snaps upwards towards the kids. In a dog-like position, the monster crawls forward. Thick tendons and muscles move significantly as the monster walks. It's mouth splits open disturbingly and reveals an ugly, red crevasse with hundreds of tinted, off-white teeth. (Y/N) is the first to rush into action this time. She gives Will a push as a signal to run. He wants to stay with the phone, it's clutched tightly in his hand, so tightly that his knuckles have turned white. The monster gives off a crackling call. (Y/N) yanks Will from his spot at the phone and the children bound down the hallway.
Hearing his mother's voice has made Will almost completely immobile. He misses her greatly. All he wants is to be with her right now. She sounded so, so sad.
(Y/N) has almost an opposite reaction to Will's. Hearing her mother's voice has filled her with some sort of determination. She wants to get back to her. (Y/N) knows now that her mother would go out of her way to help find her, even if that's out of her mother's comfort zone. And that means more than anyone could know.