"It's like... It's like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling." Will's voice echoed through the walls in the bedroom of him and Y/n. Will was just staring off into space, a silent tear rolling down his cheek. Y/n and Mike, who had just gotten there worried sick for his friends, sat beside him, listening to his every word, "See what he's seeing."
"Like in the Upside Down?" Mike was the first to speak aside from Will as Will gulped a little just at the mention of the Upside Down. Y/n slipped her hand into Will's, him squeezing down onto her soft hand, ultimately thankful for this gesture.
"Some of him is there. But some of him is here, too." The tone in Will's voice was unnaturally monotonous. In fact ever since what happened yesterday, everything seemed to be unnatural about William Byers.
"Here, like, in this house?" Y/n spoke up, her and Mike just watched Will who was still just staring at the wall, almost not allowing himself to look anywhere else.
"In this house and... in me." The room almost seemed to almost get colder just when Will said those six little words. "It's like... It's like he's reaching into Hawkins more and more. And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel."
"And the more you see these now-memories." Mike added, leaning towards him a little bit. The room went silent for a moment, both of them taking in the description of what Will had been going through.
"At first I just felt it in the back of my head." Will reached up a bit to his neck as Y/n rose an eyebrow. She breathed out a little, her eyes not leaving her brother.
"In your neck?" Mike turned to her as Will nodded, just barely. He still wouldn't dare tear his eyes away from the wall. Mike's face twisted up a little, giving her a look of confusion.
"You feel it too?" Mike asked her.
"Yeah... we feel basically everything each other feels." Will muttered, speaking for Y/n as she just nodded, confirming his words. He had said this as if it had been something Mike should've known, which at this point he really should have.
"Why didn't you guys say anything?" Mike questioned, speaking a bit harsher than he intended to.
"We didn't think it would get like this, Mike." Y/n answered, defensively, "Also, we thought it was pretty obviously after what happened yesterday."
Mike sighed a little out of his nose, softly tapping his thigh, trying to think up something to say before he finally figured up out and turned his head to look over at Will, "Maybe... Maybe that's good that you see those memories."
"Good?" Will spat out, loathing the thought of believing that what was going on being good.
"Just think about it, Will. You're like a spy now. A superspy. Spying on the shadow monster. If you know what he's
seeing and feeling... maybe that's how we can stop him. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason."
Will's eyes light up a bit as he realized that Mike's words could hold a bit of truth, "You really think so?" (By the way, I'm so mad at Mike for being there for Will in Season One and Two then doing a full fucking 180 and being a complete douchebag in Season Three to my poor baby boy. "WeRe NoT kIds aNyMore" boi, you are fourteen years old, sit tf down. But anyway lmao, sorry for the rant)
"Yeah. Yeah, I really do." Mike smiled a little as Will breathed out in a bit of relief before something crossed his mind, something that terrified.
"What if he figures out we're spying on him? Wha-What if he spies back?"
"He won't."
"How do you know?" Y/n piped up, her voice soft.
"We won't let him."
>>>
The next morning, Bradley laid in his bed, fast asleep as light poured through his window. It had been early in the morning and most of Hawkins was fast asleep, regardless of the fact that today was a school day. However, Dustin Henderson was wide awake and in a bit of a mess that he needed help getting out of.
"Brad? Bradley?" The voice of Iris following by the feeling of her shaking his shoulder roughly was what caused Bradley to first stir awake. He groaned a little, his eyes squinting open just so he could barely see her. "Get up." She pleaded, shaking his shoulder even more, "Come on."
The boy whined, shoving his face into the soft comfort of his pillow. Iris stood up fully, almost about to give up before an idea struck her. She grabbed the warm, blue and grey duvet and threw it off his body so it was just hanging off his bed.
"I will light you on fire." Bradley grumbled, his voice muffled through the pillow yet Iris still understood him easily.
"Go right ahead. You won't." Iris teased, a little smirk ripped onto her face.
With a sigh, Bradley moved his head up from the pillow so he met her eyes before rubbing them. "What is it, Iris?" He mumbled, his eyes drooping just a little. His voice was a bit scratchy yet it still was just as cute as it always was. He whirled his head to the other side of his bed to get a look at his bedside clock before scoffing and turning back to his sister, "It's six in the morning, what is it?"
Iris sighed a little, stepping back, her hands on her hips, "Dustin's on the phone. He said it's really important." She told him, nodding a bit towards the hallway.
>>>
Dustin and Bradley stood staring in Dustin's bathroom mirror, 6:45 on Dustin's clock. They both had pillows tied to their stomachs, legs, and backs, hockey helmets sat on their heads, oven mits sat comfortably over their hands, and Dustin held a giant stick.
"Okay so do you know what you have to do?" Dustin's voice was a bit hushed from the helmet sat on his head. He glanced over at Brad who nodded his head, "What is it then?" He quizzed, Brad sighing a little bit.
"Burn... D-Dart? Is that his name?" Dustin nodded his head before moving his hands in a circular motion as if asking for him to say more, "Burn Dart when I see him."
"No, no, no. Burn Dart if he attacks but not too much, okay? You don't wanna hurt him, got it?"
"But it's gonna hurt if I burn him."
"Fi-Fine! Just not too much, okay?"
"Yes. Okay, okay. Burn Dart if he attacks." Bradley corrected himself as Dustin nodded his head.
A sigh left Dustin's lips as they both turned back to the mirror at the same time, "Okay, let's roll."
The boys both waddled out into Dustin's hallway, Dustin taking the lead as they walked past the trail of bologna sprawled out onto the floor, leading out the front door. They rushed out the door as fast as they could, leaving the door open and bolting into the open door to Dustin's shed.
"Now we wait." Dustin murmured, turning to Brad, "Thanks by the way. I know how hard it's been for you to use your powers since last year but still, thanks."
Bradley forced a smile, nodding his head as they both leaned against the wall, meeting eyes, "Of course, Dustin." He said in his soft voice as Dustin smiled back at him.
Without saying another word, Dustin peered behind him. He squinted his eyes through one of the cracks in the shed walls, swallowing down hard as he faintly could see the creature that he had considered his pet, walking out the open front door.
"Shit, shit, shit. He's out." Brad rushed over, hitting himself against the wall lightly to look out too. Dart, who they both had hoped hadn't heard the noise, did hear the noise and snapped his head over to the shed. They tensed up, frozen in place until Dart just shrugged the noise off and started walking more down the trail of bologna.
"What is that?" Bradley whispered, his eyes wide as his jaw hung open just at the sight of Dart.
"What do you think it is?" Dustin replied, gripping onto the inside of one of the cracks.
They both tried to control their breathing so they wouldn't get caught but when Dart flung his head to face them, they both panicked. The boys flinched a bit, stepping back just to knock into each other. They both fell to the ground, making a much louder sound than they both would've hoped.
"Shit!" Dustin hissed, climbing to his feet as Brad helped himself up, preparing to use his powers at any given moment.
Dustin squeezed his eyes shut, managing his breath unsuccessfully as Brad watched him, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Dustin threw himself out the door of the shed, yelling as Brad watched with wide eyes. Dustin took his stick and slammed it right into Dart's side. The creature flew into the open storm cellar.
Brad ran up as the boys threw the doors to it shut and collapsed onto the doors, feeling as Dart pounded up against the rusting metal doors. "I'm sorry. You ate my cat." Dustin panted as they both listened into Darts screeches and growls.
>>>
Joyce, Mike, and Y/n loomed over Will as he scribbled over a paper with black and blue crayons, his eyes wide and his left hand planted onto the top of the paper, "Hey, is this where you saw him? I-Is this where you saw Hopper?" Joyce leaned down, speaking in a soft voice as Will backed away from the desk, sitting up straight.
"I think so. Yeah." Will mumbled in a soft tone, avoiding his mother's eye as Mike and Y/n examined the paper that was sat on the table.
"Okay." Joyce picked the paper up before stepping around the room, all of them looking around at the walls with taped drawings of Hawkins, trying to find the piece of the puzzle.
Joyce, Mike, and Y/n rushed out the bedroom door, Will watching the doorway with a solemn look on his face as they began scrambling through the house to find where it went. They basically turned the house inside out to find where it went.
That was when suddenly, Mike called out, "Here!" whilst pointing at a wall in the kitchen as Joyce and Y/n ran over, Joyce not wasting a second to tape it right to the wall.
"Okay, so... so Hopper is here?"
"Yeah. Now we just need to find out where here is, right?"
"Right."
"Did he say anything? I mean, before he left?"
"Uh, some... something about vines?" Y/n answered Mike's question while they all began to faintly hear the sound of a car approaching the house causing Joyce's attention to fly over to the front door.
"Hopper." She whispered, hopefully.
All of them rushed to the front of the house and out the door to find Bob Newby, walking over to them with a stack of books for Will and Y/n since he had heard they were "sick".
"Surprise." Bob smiled as Y/n's face lit up a bit, "I would've called, but you said not to clog up the line." His eyes darted over to Y/n, "Hey, sunshine." Y/n smiled even wider before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him as he chuckled a little, hugging her back, "Hey, kiddo. How ya feeling?"
"I'm better." Y/n grinned, her smile quickly falling though, "Will's not doing too good though."
Bob ruffled her hair a bit, trying to make her smile again, "Cheer up, sweetie. We'll get Will feeling better soon." He paused a bit, Y/n smiled again a little.
"You guys got sick on the same day too, twins really are connected, eh?" Bob chortled a bit as Mike shifted uncomfortably on his feet, "I'm glad you're feeling better though. Y'know when I was sick as a kid, and I was sick all the time as a kid, nothing made me feel better than focusing on these brain teasers." He looked over to the pile of books he held as Joyce forced a smile.
"Those are great. But uh..." Joyce began before Bob accidentally interrupted her.
"I could teach them how to play."
"You know, he's sleeping." She excused, sounding a bit awkward.
"I could wait with you guys? Teach Y/n how to play a few?" Bob shook Y/n's shoulder lightly.
"Listen, it's just not a good time. But, um, you know what? I'll call you, okay? Thank you."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Okay... well, have him call me. They don't call me Bob the Brain for nothing." Bob said as he started walking, waving goodbye to Y/n who waved back at him. Mike just watched all of this as this happened, his hands balled up in his pockets.
Joyce chuckled a little, nodding her head as they all turned to walk into the house before Joyce spun around, her face deadpan with realization, "Bob!" She called out to him, Bob turning around with a gentle smile tugging on his lips.
>>>
Y/n, Mike, Will, Joyce, and Bob stared at the drawings that littered the floors and walls, "Huh." Bob murmured, "Hmm." He turned his head to Will, "You drew all these yourself?" He asked, still holding the books in his hands.
"Mhmm." Joyce answered for Will.
"Why exactly?" He questioned, turning his head back to the drawings. His eyes were filled with a sense of perplexity as everyone glanced over at him and his look of confusion.
"I... I told you the rules. No questions, okay?" Joyce told him, them locking eyes, "We just need you to help us figure out where this is?" She guided Bob over to the drawing where Will had told them that Hopper had been, all of their attention falling on the sketch that by now Joyce had drawn a red 'X' on.
"That's the objective. Find the X." Mike explained to Bob as Bob kneeled down to get a closer look at the drawing, squinting his eyes a bit as he let the books rest on the floor.
"Yeah? What's at the X? Pirate treasure?" Bob chuckled, peering over at everyone one by one.
"Not exactly." Y/n breathed out, her arms crossed as she looked down at Bob. Will sighed a little, gulping as he shifted on his feet.
Bob slowly got up, letting his hand rest on Joyce's back, leading her out of the room as the kids all watched the two of them, "Let me talk to you. We'll be right back." He lowered his voice into a whisper so none of the others heard, "Joyce, you can talk to me. You know that, right?"
"Y-Yeah." Joyce stammered, looking away briefly before meeting his gentle eyes. "What's the problem, exactly?"
"What's the problem? Joyce..." Bob sighed a little, "...Will doesn't look so well. You don't look well. What's going on?" He asked, tilting his head a little.
"Nothing!"
"Is this an episode? Is this one of Will's episodes?"
"No. No." Joyce scoffed, shaking her head a little.
"I-I'm sorry. I just... I don't... see how any of this is good for Will or for you. And even if I wanted to play along, I mean, how could I figure anything out if I don't understand the context of the game? Or..." Bob's voice trailed off as he looked behind her.
Joyce followed his line of sight. "What is it?" muttered the woman as her eyes locked on the circle of drawings taped up right behind Joyce Byers.
"I know that shape. It's Lovers Lake." Bob pointed to it a little as a bit of hope struck Joyce, "It's Lovers Lake. I get it!" He started walking through the house, Joyce following his lead as he began talking louder, "Okay, I get it. That's Lake Jordan." He pointed to another circular shape taped to the wall.
"And if that's Lake Jordan, then you can probably find..." Bob walked through the hallway towards the living room as Joyce continued following him, looking to the walls, "Yeah, thats uh Sattlers Quarry." He snapped his fingers, stepping into the kitchen where the kids all walking this happen.
"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. And that's the giveaway. That's the giveaway. Ha! Don't you get it? It's not a puzzle. It's a map." He slapped his thighs, turning back to the others who all stared at him in shock, "It's a map of Hawkins." Bob laughed a little, turning his head to Will whose jaw was slack, "Right, Will?"
>>>
Bob slammed down a map onto the kitchen table, flattening the edges out as he grabbed a pen from his jacket. Joyce handed him a ruler and he thanked her before going to work, "All right. I'm 3.6 inches, what do you got?" Bob yelled to Mike.
"I'm not sure. Mrs Byers?" shouted Mike as he held up a tape measurer to a window as straight as he possibly could.
"Hold on." Joyce called, walking through the hallway, holding the tape measurer as she turned into Will and Y/n's bedroom, holding the tape measurer up to Tippecanoe Lake. Her eyes fell to the numbers on the tape measurer, "Twenty-one feet, four inches."
"What about Tippecanoe to Danford Creek?" Bob asked as Joyce sighed a little, running a hand through her dark hair.
"Danford? Where's Danford?"
"Dining room." Y/n answered, Will as always just holding her hand. They both watched as their mother stomped her way into the dining room and set the tape measurer right up to Danford Creek.
"Sixteen feet, ten inches."
"How about Danford to-?" Suddenly, Bob stopped talking and everyone turned to him, confused at the sudden silence, "Wait, I would say that the X is..." They watched as he drew a line beside the ruler, "...maybe a half mile southeast of Danford?"
"Thank you. Thank you." Joyce laughed a little out of relief, waltzing over and pecking her lips onto Bob's cheek before grabbing the map and Joyce, Mike, Will, and Y/n all rushing out of the house.
"Wait, are we actually going?" Bob yelled to them, his eyebrows knitted up in confusion.
>>>
Dustin slammed his bike onto the ground on the driveway of the Wheeler's residence. Bradley, who had been still learning how to ride a bike, had been riding on Dustin's bike with him. They both, without hesitating, ran over to the sidewalk, their feet pattering onto the ground as they rushed over to the door.
Dustin quickly pressed the doorbell, the boys nervousness seeming to be coating through the air. "Goddamn it." Dustin mumbled under his breath before pressing the doorbell a few more times.
That was when the door was thrown open to see Ted Wheeler standing over the two boys. "Your line has been busy for over two hours, Mr Wheeler. Do you realize this?" Dustin flared his nostrils a bit as both Brad and Ted stared at Dustin.
"Oh, I do realize." Ted nodded his head once, leaning against the doorway to the front door.
"Is Mike home?" Dustin asked.
"No."
"No?" Brad's eyebrows furrowed up a bit, "We need him." The blue eyed boy told the older man as Ted soughed, his baggy eyes still looking down at the boys.
"Yeah, where the hell is he?" Dustin added.
Just barely turning his head, Ted called out to his wife, "Karen, where's our son?"
"The Byers!" Karen yelled back.
"The Byers." Ted answered.
Dustin sighed a little, pinching the bridge of his nose, "No ones picking up there." He paused for a split second before speaking up with, "Nancy. What about Nancy?"
Once again, Ted turned his head into his house, "Karen, where's Nancy?" Ted clamored, Dustin and Bradley exchanging knowing looks before moving their attention back towards Ted.
"Ally's!" Karen shouted back, impatient lacing her voice.
Ted Wheeler turned his head back at the boys, "Ally's." He answered as Brad scoffed, turning his head briefly and throwing his hand up a little with frustration, "Our children don't live here anymore. You boys didn't know that?"
"Seriously?" Dustin groaned.
"Am I done here?"
"Son of a bitch. You're really no help at all, you know that?" Dustin protested, turning around on his heel, Bradley following suit. The boys traveled down the sidewalk, leaving Ted to just watch them.
"Hey! Language!"
The boys stomped down the path, frustration coursing through their veins, "Is he always like that?" Brad complained as Dustin picked up his bike.
"Always." Dustin groaned with a small sigh.
The sound of a car pulling in caused them both to look over past the Reagan-Bush 84' sign planted into the lawn to see a burgundy car swerving into the side of the lawn. Dustin plopped his bike back down onto the driveway with a loud thud as the two boys just stood there, studying the car.
Out of the car, came Steve Harrington who was someone that Dustin had recognized, Brad not so much. His mop of brown hair even looked a bit upset as he held a sad look on his face and a bouquet of flowers, starting towards the house as he slammed the car door.
"Listen... I've been thinking... I love you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry? What the hell am I sorry for?" Steve whispered to himself as he walked right past the boys who were still just staring at him, observing every little thing of the older boy.
Dustin was the first to walk towards him, Brad looking to Dustin in a bit of uncertainty before chasing after him, "Steve." Dustin spoke up, the attention of the Harrington boy sitting on Dustin, "Are those for Mr or Mrs Wheeler?" He asked, stopping right in front of Steve.
Steve looked down at the roses, cocking an eyebrow up at the curly haired boy before grumbling out a, "No."
"Good." Dustin snatched them before spinning around and walking Bradley still following him, a bit confused at what Dustin was doing but following regardless.
"Hey. What the hell? Hey!" Steve called after the boys, walking after them.
"Nancy isn't home."
"Where is she?"
"Doesn't matter. We have bigger problems than your love life." Dustin told him, opening the passenger of Steve's car door as Bradley opened the back seat, both of them hopping in while Steve just watched them, "Do you still have that bat?"
"Bat? What bat?"
"The one with nails?"
"Why?"
"We'll explain it on the way." Bradley spoke up before shutting his door. Dustin forced a grin leaving Steve to just sigh and walk over to the driver seat.
>>>
"There's nothing. There's nothing here!" Mike groaned as he stared out the car window, hope pouring from his body. He rested his face up against the chilly window, his breath fogging it up.
"Are... Are we close?" Joyce asked Bob, looking out the front windows, frantically. Y/n leaned her head against Will's shoulder as he rested his on her head.
"We're in the vicinity."
"What's that mean, the vicinity?"
"It means we're close. I don't know. It's not precise."
"But we did all that work."
Y/n felt Will flinch forward. She looked up at him, worriedly, meeting his eye for a split second. "Turn right." Will suddenly said, "I saw him."
"Where?"
"Not here. In my now-memories."
"In your what?" Bob asked.
"Turn right!" Will demanded, squeezing onto Y/n's hand.
The tires screeched as Joyce turned the wheel of the car causing them to hit right into a sign. They all screamed out as the car ran right over the sign. They all continued screaming, the car flying into bushes and almost even into trees.
That was when Hopper's police car came into view and Joyce stopped the car right at the bumper of Hopper's car. "Are you guys okay?" Joyce asked everyone, panting a little with her words.
"Superspy." Mike muttered.
"What's Jim doing here? Joyce?" Bob questioned, smiling a little.
"Kids, I need you to stay here."
"No. Mom, Mom, Mom, it's not safe." Will and Y/n told her at the exact same time, still holding the others hands.
"That's why I need you to stay here! Stay here!" Bob and Joyce exited the car, Joyce yelling out, "Hopper!"
The three of them, once they saw Joyce and Bob disappear into the tunnel that went into the Upside Down where Hopper had apparently gone into, didn't hesitate to unbuckle their seatbelts and leave the car. Mike turned to Y/n and Will, specifically Will, "Do you see anything? I mean, in your now-memories?" He asked as Y/n turned to Will. Will shook his head before they began to see and hear vans for Hawkins lab flooding into the area.
People in hazmat suits swarmed out from the vans and surrounding the tunnel, a few of them holding flamethrowers. The three watched them in confusion. Y/n felt her stomach shift a little as a bad feeling pooled through her, something was about to happen.
Anticipation filled her as she scooted towards Will a bit more, they locked eyes. Both of them had felt it, they both knew. Something wasn't right.
When the first flamethrower went off, both of the Byers twins collapsed to the ground, the burning pain shooting through their bodies. It felt like when you burned yourself and it was over in seconds, only this stayed and with every passing second, the pain just got worse and worse. It was like when you were standing on your driveway with bare feet in the summer. The pain wasn't too bad at first but the more you stay stood on the fiery blacktop, the more it hurt, the more it burned.
They both were rolled over on their sides, still holding hands and squeezing the others as if it would even help the nearly unendurable pain. It passed through them, getting more and more unbearable by the second.
Mike looked down at them, kneeling down, "Guys... Guys? Are you okay? Guys, what's wrong?" He asked, in an obvious panic as the flamethrowers just kept going off. Soon enough the twins grunts of pain contorted to full on bloodcurdling howls of pain.
Will flopped onto his backside, still squeezing onto his sisters hand as his eyes flickered and his body shook. Their mouths were wrenched open as the horrible agony ran through them. Mike leaped up, backing away as his breathing got heavier and heavier, watching as both of his best friends just screamed with pain and everyone slowly circled around them.