☆✫❣︎𖤐♥︎𖦹𖣴
// twelve
• 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗉𝗒
It was a late afternoon on a Saturday, Julia been home all day waiting for her father to return home, when he didn't she grew worried, she even went by the police station, they said he hasn't check in yet.
The only person who would probably know about his whereabouts is Joyce Byers, so that's why she was driving to their home, Julia knocked on the door and almost immediately the door opened.
"Julia, honey, what brings you here?" Joyce smiled stepping aside letting the girl walk into her home, Julia entered home and turned to face the woman.
"My dad, he hasn't come home yet and I was wondering if you might know where he was, he also said he was coming by here." Julia tells her.
Joyce shook her head, crossing her arms. "No, i haven't seen or heard of him but I did tried call him. No answer."
Julia peeked behind the women then around the house noticing that every corner of the house was covered with pictures they seemed to be colored coded, she could only think that it was Will, moving into the kitchen and more came to view. "Is this the shadow monster?" Julia finger traced over a picture.
Joyce furrowed stepping into her kitchen. "You know about this thing?" She asked pointing to the picture, Julia nods. "I been getting into Will's head since that night and I have been seeing what he's seeing, I know it sounds weird— but I was worried about him." Julia told her honestly, she hope she didn't regret telling her.
"No, that's okay. So you can see what he sees." Joyce started down, Julia nods "yeah, only when he lets me." She has seen some strange things in william' head, things he has been experiencing since the night on halloween, Jonathan told her what happened, though she didn't have the chance to speak to him about it.
••
The following morning, Julia woke up to Joyce Byers shaking her shoulder awake, rambling on about her father being in trouble, so now they surround will as he scribbled with a blue canyon on a note sheet until he stopped. "Is this where you saw him? Is this where you saw Hopper?" Joyce's asked her son, examining the drawing.
"I think so, yeah." The boys nods, Joyce snatched the paper he just colored off the desk, walking out the room and Julia right after her glancing around the living room finding a spot for the sheet to fit, it was a puzzle that had missing pieces.
"Here." Mike calls from the kitchen, Julia and Joyce walked over to the fridge, lining up the picture with the others. "Okay, so... so Hopper is here?" She pointed down.
"Yeah, now we just need to find out where here is, right?" Mike says glancing between the two woman.
Julia nods."Right." Mike stared down at the drawing tracing it with his fingers when he looked back saying. "Did he say anything? I mean, before he left?"
"Uh, some—something about vines?" Joyce furrowed shrugging, she wants to sure, Mike turned to Julia.
Julia pursed her lips, "Yeah, he said he was working on a case, I think it was—" Julia interrupted herself when they heard a car engine approach the house. "Hopper." Joyce sigh in relief practically running to the front door, Julia and Mike right behind her tail.
Turns out it wasn't Hopper but Joyce's boyfriend, Bob, she knew he had a history for maps from when back when, so she decided to let him in and help them out in finding Hopper.
They stood behind him letting him take in everything. "Huh, hmm." Bob turned back to Will. "You drew all these yourself?"
"Mmm-hmm." Joyce nodded answering for him.
"Why, exactly?" Bob asked, he knows his girlfriend told him not to ask any questions but he was curious with the sudden drawings especially since they are everywhere. "I told you the rules, no questions, okay!" Joyce stern voice caught him off guard, Bob blinks and nods.
Joyce closed her eyes, not meaning to snap at him. "sorry but—we just need you to help us figure out what..." Joyce walked away into the kitchen then turned back. "Bob? Bob? Over here." She waves.
Bob immediately walked into the kitchen. "—where this is." She took a red marker off the table circling over the page. "That's the objective, find the X."
"Yeah? What's at the X? Pirate treasure?" Bob joked laughing, Julia shook her head at him making him silent. "Bob, no questions." Joyce repeats again.
"Okay." Bob stood up locking eyes with his girlfriend. "Let me talk to you for a second, hang on, guys." Bob smiled kindly taking Joyce by the arm out of the kitchen.
Julia pushed her hair back reaching for Will rubbing his shoulders when he winced at her touch, she frowns retrieving her hands from him scanning his eyes trying to figure out a way into his head. "What?" She utters confused, he did nothing but sat down.
Mike furrows turning up to her confused, before slowly taking a sit across from william, that definitely had never happened before especially by her touch, and somehow he found a way to block her out from his mind, it was almost like he knew.
"Okay, I get it, that's lake Jordan and if that's Lake Jordan, then you can probably find..." Bob began walking down the hallway snapping his fingers. "yeah, that's, uh, sattler's quarry and if you just follow it naturally—" Bob entered the living room, staring at the corner of the house, "it moves to the Eno River and there it is, that's the Eno, do you see it?" Bob smiles turning back to Joyce.
Joyce blinks frowning and shook her head, "okay, so the lines aren't roads but they act like roads." Bob moved down to the kitchen. "—and they act like roads cause when you follow 'em you'll see... they don't go over water and that's the giveaway. That's the giveaway. Ha!"
"Don't you get it. It's not a puzzle. It's a map. It's a map of Hawkins." Bob finished, Julia glanced to Joyce in shook, she had no idea that something so simple could possibly be a map of Hawkins.
••
In was dark when they had found hopper' location, Julia sat between the two boys as Joyce drove with Bob in the passenger seat. "There's nothing. There's nothing here." Mike says looking outside the window seeing nothing but complete darkness, shivering at the sight, it was a cold night
"Are we close?" Joyce asked taking a small glimpse over at Bob then back to the road. "We're in the vicinity."
"What's does the vicinity mean?" Julia asked leaning forward taking a peek at the map in the man's hands.
Bob turned to her saying. "It's means we're close. I don't know. It's not precise."
"But we did all that work." Joyce argued.
"I told you, the scale ratio is not exactly one to one. We needed to take—"
"Turn right." Will suddenly says, Julia turned to the boy as he kept a blank stare, Joyce stared up into the review-mirror to her son. "What? Turn right?"
"I saw him." Will states.
"Where?"
"Not here. In my now memories." Will told them making Bob repeat the words in his own head, he didn't understand what the boy meant by that. "In your what—"
"Turn right!" Mike shouts, Joyce makes a sharp turn making everyone in the car scream at the sudden move, trying to steady themselves as the car drove into a farm taking down the sign and immediately spotting Hopper's car and stopping right behind.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Superspy." Mike utters gripping on the seat infront of him, Julia smiles turning to Mike "What's Jim doing here? Joyce?" Bob asked his girlfriend, watching her removing her seatbelt.
"Boys, I need you to stay here." Joyce says getting out of the car. "No. Mom, mom, it's not safe." Will cried moving forward wanting to reach for her.
"That's why I need you to stay here! Stay here! Come on, Jules." The women turned back, Julia jumped over the front seat following the woman with Bob rushing to get out the car after them.
"Hopper!"
"Dad!"
Joyce jumped down into the hole, by where she stood she could see that it was once open and somehow closed. "Hey, joyce be careful." Bob says from behind her.
"I'll stay here, and watch the kids." Julia told her getting an nodded from Joyce. "Vines." The women mumbles spotting the sliver shovel. "Give me that." Joyce pointing by Bob' feet. "The shovel?" He asked.
"Yes, give me the shovel!" Bob quickly tosses the shovel, Joyce instantly stabbed the shovel straight into the vines making them screech, growing frustrated she stabbed down repeatedly until the vines separated and the hole appear.
"I need you to help me get down there." Joyce tossed away the shove holding her hand out towards Bob, Julia glanced back to the car then to Bob. "Joyce, what are you talking about?" Bob says grabbing her hand. The poor man was confused with everything that was going on, his mind was racing with some questions that weren't being answered.
"Bob! Now!"
Bob quickly stepped down helping her into the hole, the boys instantly jumped out of the car moving by Julia observing the small hole when a bunch of cars approached the scene, men dressed in white jumpsuits and masks carrying flame-guns immediately moved to climb down into the hole. "Stay close." Julia tells the boys.
Will closed his eyes watching the men move around when he yell dropping to the ground clutching his stomach. "Will!" Julia fell to her knees flipping him to lay on his back, the boy shook violently as his eyes rolled to the back of his head arms going straight down to his sides screaming,
Julia didn't move so Mike took action pulling her away from him, watching as he shook on the ground violently, she froze she didn't know how to help him.
—