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november 3rd
byers' residence - hawkins lab
"you're awake!" mike smiled at the newly conscious girl.
"was i asleep?" tilly quizzed as she got uo from the couch and sat on the table with them.
"you-you passed out." mike reminded her.
"right." tilly nodded in confusion, "i had this flash of visons and i guess it was hurting my head."
"that's exactly what happened." mike sighed.
"where's joyce?" tilly asked.
"yeah, that's, uh, sattler's quarry." bob explained as he walked into the room, "and if you just follow it naturally... it moves to... the eno river. and there it is. that's the eno, do you see it?"
"wait what?" tilly looked up at the three adults.
"hey, kiddo." daniel pulled her into a soft embrace and messed up her hair.
"okay, so the lines aren't roads. but they act like roads. and they act like roads 'cause when you follow 'em, you'll see...they don't go over water." bob rambled, "and that's the giveaway. that's the giveaway. ha!"
he turned around to see everyone giving him a look of confusion.
"don't you get it?" he asked, "it's not a puzzle, it's a map. it's a map of hawkins. right, guys?"
"oh my gosh." tilly whispered in realisation, "the tunnels are how he gets through hawkins."
will had an utterly shocked look on his face, he turned to tilly who was staring at him.
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"all right. all right." bob spoke from the kitchen, "i'm 3.6 inches, what do you two got?"
mike looked at tilly for confirmation like he usually does but she just shrugged.
"we aren't not sure. mrs byers?" mike yelled.
"hold on! dannie?" joyce asked.
"twenty-one feet, four inches." he stated.
"what about tippecanoe to danford creek?" bob quizzed.
"danford? where-where's danford?" joyce stuttered.
"dining room." will spoke.
joyce ran over to him, "sixteen feet, ten inches."
"what about danford to jordan?" bob questioned.
"oh, come on." joyce groaned as she tugged the tape measure, "this-this has gotta be enough."
"come on." tilly lead mike to the kitchen, were everyone else was.
"it's not. it's-it's really not." bob shook his head.
"okay. can't you figure it out?" joyce sighed as they gathered around bob.
"w-well, it's hard. the ratio isn't exactly one-to-one." bob explained, "i mean, if you're twisting my arm, and you are twisting my arm, i would say that the x is...maybe a half mile southeast of danford?"
daniel laughed, "you're good."
"thank you." joyce kissed bob's cheek, "thank you."
she took the map and ran off, the others following behind her.
"what?" bob got up, "are we-we really going?"
"i mean, you didn't work it out for nothing." tilly told him.
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daniel had decided to go in his car, reassuring them that he was following behind.
"i want to go with you dad." tilly told him.
"you have to stay with mike and joyce, please majo." he sighed.
"but-"
"i'll be right behind you, i promise."
tilly was now sat in the middle of the two boys in the backseat but will had been extra quiet so she and mike were whispering to each other.
mike gazed out the window and saw that they were just on the road, "there's nothing. there's nothing here."
"are-are we close?" joyce asked.
"we're in the vicinity." bob shrugged.
"what's that mean, the vicinity?" joyce turned to him.
"it means we're close." tilly piped up.
"right," bob nodded, "but i don't know. it's not precise."
"but we did all that work-" joyce frowned.
"i told you, the scale ratio is not exactly one-to-one. we needed to take..."
"turn right." will ordered.
tilly turned to him and saw the serious look on his face.
"what?" joyce turned back.
"eyes on the road." tilly pointed forward.
"i saw him." will elaborated.
"where?" joyce looked out the window.
"not here." will sighed, "in my now-memories."
"in your what?" bob scrunched his face up in confusion.
"turn right!" will repeated.
joyce made a sharp turn, hitting a stop sign and causing everyone to yell out in surprise. once she stopped, she turned around to check on the kids.
"are you okay?"
mike and tilly gave each other a look, "superspy."
"what's jim doing here? joyce?" bob looked around.
"boys, joane, i need you to stay here." joyce demanded.
"no. mum, mum, mum, it's not safe." will pleaded.
"that's why i need you to stay here!" joyce ordered, "stay here!"
she slammed the car door shut and her and bob made their way around the land. daniel eventually caught up and he ran over to them.
will grabbed tilly's hand out of instinct for comfort. when she felt his finger intertwined with hers, she turned to him and gave him a soft smile.
"do you think they'll be okay?" will questioned in distress.
"i have no idea, you're the superspy." tilly reminded him.
the trio sat in there for about two minutes before mike began growing impatient.
he unlocked his car door, "come on."
"didn't joyce say to stay here?" tilly raised her brow as the boy let the cold air in.
mike scoffed, "when have you ever listened to instructions?"
"you're right." tilly nodded as will gently pulled her out his way, "none of you told me i was wearing this."
she looked down and saw she was in will's sweatpants and one of jonathan's shirts.
"you picked the outfit." mike explained as they slowly walked to where the older trio previously went.
"yeah right." tilly scoffed.
mike sighed, "do you see anything? i mean, in your now-memories?"
will shook his head and before any one of them could speak, bright lights came from behind them as vehicles pulled up.
"what the?" tilly squinted as she stepped behind the boys.
when the vans reached them, it was clear they were from hawkins lab. the two boys shared a glance before trying to shield tilly from their view.
multiple lab workers piled out of the van, the ones with full suits on entered the hole and the others examined the area.
will suddenly clutched his stomach and dropped to the ground in pain. the duo crouched down beside him and watched him.
"will?" tilly's face softened as she felt strong chill.
"will? will, you okay?" mike asked.
"will? c-can you talk to us?" tilly placed her hand on his cheek as he flipped over to his back.
"will, what's wrong?" mike continued.
will started screeching and trembling causing mike to flinch back, but tilly was frozen in fright. her face crumpled as will shook violently and screamed at the top of his lungs.
mike pulled tilly up and hugged her, making sure she was facing the other way. he closed his eyes, unable to see his best friend like that.
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tilly watched with tears in her eyes as will sobbed and sweated in the hospital bed, she was freezing cold and her fingers were numb but that wasn't her main focus.
"vitals?"
"heart rate 220. temperature's 106."
"will, where does it hurt?"
"all over." will groaned through his oxygen mask.
"she says he feels like he's burning." dr sam owens explained as they cut will's pyjama top, "check for burns."
when they ripped it off, his skin was normal and scar-free, meaning the pain was internal.
"i don't see anything."
"where does it hurt the most, will?"
"everywhere!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "everywhere!"
his two best friends had to look away as they injected him with sedative to put him to sleep.
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they had given tilly additional layers as she explained she was chilly. now, she and mike were sharing a blanket as them, bob, daniel viewed will.
"you okay?" mike muttered.
"no." she sighed as she rested her head on his shoulders.
"he'll get better soon, i promise." mike comforted her.
"i know he will." tilly nodded.
"and you'll get better too." mike whispered.
"what?" tilly hoisted her head.
"i know the shadow monster did something to you." mike hissed, "you're wearing 6 layers and i can still hear your teeth chattering."
"it's november." tilly shrugged.
"november or not, the cold or hot never effects you." mike explained, "not to mention your tattoo."
"how did you-" tilly squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment.
"i'm your best friend." mike sighed as he pulled her wrist up, "you can't hide anything from me."
"please, don't tell anyone." tilly begged.
"i won't, but you will."
"i will." tilly nodded.
"does it hurt?" mike asked.
"it burns." tilly explained.
"how bad?" mike investigated
"think of me burning your hand, but 100 times more painful." tilly admitted.
mike winced, "what are you going to do?"
"i can't do anything." tilly confessed, "i tried using absorbing the heat but it was too strong."
"don't waste your energy."
⎯ ❃ neens speaks!
my gosh, i am so bad at ending chapters sorry
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