Chapter Text
The only thing William Byers can feel right now is the heat from the fire, his bruised knees on the rough pavement, and his own sweat dripping down his forehead. He managed to accomplish something that little Will Byers, the same one he imagined 30 seconds ago, would never, ever, believe.
Will Byers has never been a confident kid. He’s been riddled with anxiety, self-doubt, hatred, and disdain since he could remember. It didn’t help that his own father viewed him as a joke. It didn’t help that he left when he was young. Will can’t remember when he first started to view himself as a joke, too. Maybe he was dramatic, but nothing had gone right for him in a very long time. Hell, people forget he was kidnapped at 12 years old. William James Byers died on November 6th, 1983. Zombie Boy was born that same day.
Zombie Boy, the idiot who thought he could be normal. Zombie Boy, the one who got asked to dance. Zombie Boy, the one who fell for his best friend. Zombie Boy, the one who was left behind in his own body.
However, then Zombie Boy met Robin Buckley. Robin was everything Zombie Boy wanted to be. She was confident; she was unapologetically herself. She was Rockin’ Robin. Zombie Boy and Rockin’ Robin became quick friends. Maybe it was because it was the 80’s, and they were both… well, they were both different. Zombie Boy was 17 years old now, ever the idiot who believed he could have something good, something for himself.
Zombie Boy was 17 years old when Rockin’ Robin gave him the speech that would change his life. She told the tale of a teenage girl who had her first crush, albeit unrequited. She told the tale of a little girl, small and fearless, who was only, and all of herself. She was looking for the answers in somebody else, but Robin Buckley found all of the answers within that little girl on the 8-millimeter film roll.
So, when Zombie Boy was thrown to the ground, bruised and bleeding, something clicked. He stood there, terrified and still. He whipped his head to the side and saw his mother lying limp on the ground. A violent red flash, and a demogorgon was sprinting toward Robin. Another painful flash of a point of view that wasn’t his, and he saw Lucas Sinclair, already bleeding, about to be slashed to death. This was it. Zombie boy and his friends, family, and everyone he loved were about to finally die.
A scream, and Zombie boy whipped his head forward and sucked in a breath as he saw a demogorgon that was supposed to be dead, lunging at his best friend. A demogorgan was about to murder Mike Wheeler in front of him.
And suddenly, in that moment, everything became clear. The demogorgon could take Zombie Boy at 12, the demogorgon could take Jane at 12, the Mindflayer could take him again at 13, the demodogs could take the only man he began to see as a father figure at 13, the Mindflayer could take Max’s brother at 14, and Vecna could take half of Hawkins with him at 16. But William Byers would be damned if this interdimensional prick was going to have the last laugh and murder his mother, his best friends, and the boy he loved right before his eyes at 17.
With a stuttered breath and locked joints, Zombie Boy died on November 5th, 1987, and William Byers finally came back to life.
When all of it was over, Will, not really being sure what ‘it’ was, fell to the ground once more.
Everything was quiet inside his mind for 10 seconds, and then everything became so blaringly loud again. The bodies scattered on the floor around him, the flames fiercely crying behind him, the blood and ligaments splattered not even a few feet away from him, the lack of the children, his heavy breathing, his hands, his eyes, his-
“Will!” There was a hand on his shoulder.
He looked up, and there was his mom, alive and breathing. Will made eye contact with her, and his face completely crumbled. He fell into his mother, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Joyce hoisted him up into a standing position, grabbing onto her son for dear life. Will sobs once, grabbing at the fabric of his mother’s coat. He was okay- His mom was okay. His mom had him.
“Mom!” He cries, his sobs melting into her mumbles of, “Baby,” “Oh, baby I have you,” “Oh Will,”. Joyce wipes her son's tears as she pulls back from him, cupping his cheek and assessing his face for injury.
“Baby, I don’t understand. How did you-” She begins, but is interrupted by quick footsteps running towards the two of them.
“He’s- He’s a sorcerer!” Came the voice of Mike Wheeler, all but running over to Will with labored breaths. A smile filled with awe was plastered on Mike’s features as he made his way to Will. “A real life, honest-to-god sorcerer!” He praised as he wrapped his arms around Will, barely giving Joyce enough time to release her son.
“Mike…?” Will whispered into the hug, only now registering that Mike was also alive and well. “You’re okay,” Will stated, pulling back and studying Mike’s features as the other did the same. “Of course I’m okay! You saved me, Will. You saved me,” he was beaming, his hands still planted firmly on Will’s shoulders. Will's face went hot, and in the same moment of realizing how this must look to his mother, he realized that the children were still nowhere to be found. Will's face falls as he looks back at his mom.
“The kids, Vecna, he’s got the kids,” Will says, his guard going back up. “I know,” Mike replies, a hand settling back on Will’s shoulder. Will tries to act like it doesn’t burn. “Derek, Mary, Glen,” Mike rattles off, but Will has to correct him as much as he doesn’t want to.
“No, not just them.” He says, his voice grim. “The others, they didn’t make it out of Hawkins..I could’ve helped them fight if I had just acted sooner. But I was too late, and now he’s got all of them. All twelve. We failed, I failed-” Will was rambling, his face screwing up into one of disappointment and failure.
“No-” Joyce began, “Will, you didn’t fail. As far as we know, all of the kids are alive. I’m alive, your mother is alive. Don’t talk like that when you just did something otherworldly, okay? You’re a sorcerer, not a failure.” Mike said, using his other hand to turn Will to face him by grabbing Will’s other elbow.
Will was about to respond, or find a way to worm his way out of Mike’s grasp, when all three of their heads snapped up, seeing the helicopters making their way over. They knew how this would look, three survivors in the midst of hundreds of mutilated corpses. They had to leave.
“The tunnels, Radio Shack!” Mike says, ushering the three of them along. Joyce begins to move, but groans in pain as she tries. “Mom-” Will says, taking her arm and placing it around his shoulders, being her anchor. “Let’s go, you’re going to be okay.” Will comforts as he follows Mike into the Radio Shack tunnels. Mike helps both of them through the hatch door and down the ladder. There’s a strange lingering in his chest. There always has been, but this time it's different. This time, it’s open and flowing, and there’s no stopping it.
It feels like an avalanche.
° ° °
A girl watches eleven more children arrive at the Creel house through a spyglass. Just dealing with Holly alone was dangerous enough as it is, but trying to help her sneak out with even more children now in the mix? Damn near impossible.
Max Mayfield watches as Henry Creel closes the door, a disgusting and evil smile plastered on his face. Since Holly has arrived here, she’s grown protective of the small girl, and Max would rather die at the hands of Vecna than watch it happen to Holly. She closes the spyglass and retreats back into the thick of the forest.
Inside the house, Henry Creel smiles. Everything is going according to plan
° ° °
At the same time, a girl gasps in the back of a truck. Her grip has been lost, and her nose is dripping blood.
El turns around, worried. “You okay?” She asks her sister, placing her own hand over Kali’s. She’s breathing heavily, “I….lost it. We’re too far,” She says, looking out the window worriedly.
El caresses Kali’s hand as Hopper pipes up, “It’s okay, we’re far enough away that they’re not going to catch up with us now.” He pauses, “That’s a hell of a trick you pulled back there, kid.” Kali scoffs internally. She is not a child.
“I mean, maybe I should say it was um- bitchin’. Isn’t that the uh… word you added to El’s vocabulary?” Hopper says. He’s trying to lighten the mood. He knows he fucked up, and he knows El is livid with him.
“I'm a…bad influence,” Kali says, looking at Hopper.
He laughs, “Yeah, join the club.” He says, with a slight smile. El wants to wipe that smug smirk right off of Hopper’s face. She looks at him, angry as she turns back around to face the front.
° ° °
“Lucas!” Mike yells, spotting his friend lying injured on the floor.
Lucas groans in pain, his chest wound searing with every movement. “Hey- ngh…hey guys,” He says through gritted teeth, mustering a small smile.
“Oh shit…” Mike mumbles, not quite sure what to do until Joyce says, “Mike! First aid,” and he rushes to pull the small amount of medical supplies they have from his backpack.
Joyce takes the bandages from Mike and asks Lucas to lift his shirt. At the sight of Lucas’s chest wound, Joyce’s heart begins to break. It physically pains her to see this little boy she’s known since he was in first grade be hurting like this. She pushes down on his wound to stop the bleeding as the boys beging to ramble about how this gash is, “Just a couple of badass scars!”
Lucas barely responds, his face just goes grim as he says, “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect the kids.”
“No- You did everything you could, you fought, you risked your life. Nice swing, by the way.” Will says, challenging Lucas’s self-deprecating talk.
Lucas’s face morphs into one of confusion, “You saw?” How could will know he swung at the demogorgans?
Mike pipes up then, pride evident on his face. “He more than just saw.”
° ° °
After they bandaged Lucas up and gave him the rundown of Will tapping into the hivemind through the demogorgans, the group continued down the tunnels to the WSQK.
Lucas’s mind was reeling. How does this make any sense?
“So, Demo’s floating, limbs snapping, dying… that was all you?” He asked Will, using the sides of the tunnels to keep himself upright.
Will turns bashful, “I mean… yeah.” He says, still helping his mom walk.
“Holy shit.” Lucas concludes. “Holy shit! You- you know what this means, right? You’re like– Will the wise, but for real!” He praises, turning to look back at Will with every word.
“Not really..” Will says, looking away. There was something…. Something there. Someone there. A small voice was nagging in the back of his mind. “You are weak.” “Downplay your abilities. You will never be strong enough.”
Mike decides this is a good time to chime in, “Well, he’s more of a sorcerer than a wizard.” He states, smirking.
Lucas’s eyebrows thread together… Mike was always pulling this crap. Correcting other people when it came to Will.
“Okay… yeah, I mean, um.. Sure? But- you get what I’m saying, right?” Lucas says. This was not the time to be correcting Lucas’s terminology on Will, but that was Mike's job, apparently.
“This, like.. Totally changes the game. We got our second El.” Lucas says. And something about that makes Mike stop and think. Something about that makes Mike feel… weird, and warm, and kind of like he wants to throw up.
“I’m not a second El- I don’t actually have these powers, I’m just siphoning them from Vecna. And to do that, I have to be near the hivemind, and Vecna’s not coming back.” Will says, sounding defeated. Downplay. Downplay. Downplay.
“Well, the demos might?” Lucas adds.
“I don’t think so. They came for the kids, and he’s got them all now. He has his vessels.” Will says. This causes Mike and Lucas to stop dead in their tracks and turn around to face Will and Joyce.
“Vessels?” Lucas asks.
A giant wave of panic befalls Will; something inside of him is scared. Vessels? Where did he get vessels from?
“That’s.. What he called them. Vessels for reshaping the world.” Will responds, looking between the other two. Yeah, Vecna told him. That’s where he got that from. Mike’s jaw clenches, “I just hope your theory’s wrong.”
Joyce stills, “What theory?”
Lucas frowns, “November 6th, the day all this started…is the day it ends.”
Will stills. They shouldn’t know that.
He blinks once. Twice. What?
Everyone goes quiet, exchanging worried glances with one another. Mike and Will share a glance, and then they continue on, dwelling on the validity of Lucas’s theory.
Once they reach the exit, Mike climbs up first, ever the leader. “Come on, Lucas, take it slow. I’ve got you.” He says, reaching out a hand for Lucas to steady himself with. Once Lucas is out of the tunnel, Mike looks back down and expects to see Will heading up the ladder, but he’s stuck in a conversation with Joyce.
“Hey man- Thanks for coming to get me. I don’t think I would’ve pulled myself up if you guys hadn’t come along.” Lucas says, still a strained look on his face from his injury.
“Of course, Lucas, but really, you should be thanking Will. It was insane! I watched a Demo nearly kill me, only for it to stop mid-air. Mid-air! I always knew Will was capable of incredible things, but…wow.” Mike says, going breathless as he speaks.
Lucas looks at him, curious. He has the same look on his face as he did when he would tell stories of how amazing El was back when they were in middle school. Only this time…. Mike isn’t stopping. There’s no sadness in his features, and Lucas realizes Mike is still talking about Will once Joyce climbs out of the hatch.
“Mike?” Lucas says, stopping Mike’s ranting. “Yeah?” He responds, looking up. Lucas just nods toward where Joyce and Will are standing, sort of uncertain of what to do.
“Oh! Um… C’mon, guys, let’s go.” Mike says, embarrassment flooding his features. Lucas just squints and decides to save this information for later. The group looks at eachother and nods as they continue up the field to the WSQK.
° ° °
The dark sky is flooded with cracks of red lightening as El, Hopper, and Kali exit the stolen military vehicle. El thinks this is ironic as the splitting thunder represents her splitting anger.
“It’s a miracle they made it back in one piece! Wish I could say the same about Harrington's old beamer.” Hopper chuckles, then his face melts into one of regret, as he knows he pushed the fake lighthearted banter too far. El, however, is fuming. Hopper thinks he can pull that shit, and then act as if nothing happened?
“So this is what were doing now?” She asks, angry. “Act as if nothing happened? Make jokes?” She says, stance unwavering. Hopper just lets out a sigh, he doesn’t have time for this, he starts to walk away.
But El, ever relentless, keeps pushing him. “You find Vecna, you come home. That was always the plan. But- that was never real, was it?” She says as her voice cracks. She’s already lost her dad once. It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest when she witnessed it almost happen again.
“Of course it was real-” Hopper grunts, “You’re lying! Just like how you lied with my training,” She rattles off as the three of them walk toward the old church, dust and grime crunching beneath their feet. “You couldn’t have me on your crawls because your plan was to kill Vecna alone and die!” She yells, grabbing Hopper's elbow and turning him to face her.
He stops, his gaze firm. “This time was different. The kryptonite, you couldn’t fight, I didn’t have another choice.” He says sternly, his voice growing angrier.
“And the bomb?” El asks. She’s not little anymore. She’s not the curly-haired girl who used to do as he told. Hopper and El are now on the same level.
This causes Hopper to falter, “The bomb was… it was a fail-safe.”
“A fail-safe no one knew about!” El yelled.
“I saw it in your eyes tonight, I saw, Hop.” She says, her face screwing up before she gathers herself again. “You were planning to die. And you always were.” The air grows thick with tension as Hopper closes his eyes. He’s about to say something again when-
“Hey!” Kali calls from the church steps, “Your friends were supposed to be here, yeah?” She asks, upset. Clearly, yes, they were supposed to be there, but they were not.
El and Hopper rush up the steps and are greeted by a completely empty church. Dustin, Steve, Nanc,y and Jonathan are nowhere to be found.
“Oh, you gotta be shitting me…” Hopper mumbles.
° ° °
Dustin Henderson was no stranger to fear. He felt it when he watched Eleven take on a demogorgon all those years ago, he felt it when he trapped a demodog in his basement, he felt it when Steve and Robin got captured by those Russians, and worst of all, he felt it when Eddie Munson cut the blanket rope tying the right side up to the upside down.
But right now, as he approaches the Hawkins Lab in the aforementioned upside-down, he just feels numb. He’d be lying if he said he hasn’t felt this way for a long time. But it’s a little shocking that even an interdimensional hellscape doesn’t even phase him.
He’s here with Nancy, Jonathan, and…. Steve.
Dustin isn’t sure why every little thing that Steve says irks him to no end. Steve is supposed to be his best friend. But right now? Dustin Henderson wants nothing to do with Steve Harrington. Dustin registers Nancy and Jonathan, asking him questions about why exactly they’re here, but all he can focus on is Steve calling Ewoks, “Teddy Bears.”
Dustin begins to explain the plot of Return of the Jedi, trying to equate it to their situation, but of course, Steve has to butt in and say, “Yeah! Cool, thanks for the summary of the movie we’ve all seen….” All he can do is quip back a fast response and continue explaining the shield.
Dustin explains that the shield generator must be in this building, and of course, Steve asks, “Well, what does this thing look like?” and all Dustin can respond with is, “How would you expect me to know that?”
He doesn’t mean to be rude to Steve; he’s just hurting, and being close to Steve hurts. So, they move on. Dustin walks, and everyone else follows. They reach the door, and there are staircases that go above them and below them.
“Up or down?” Dustin asks, and Nancy responds, “We’ll go in teams of two. Like usual.” And then, the icing on the cake, Steve asks to switch up the teams.
Dustin is in complete agreement and disagreement. On one hand, he doesn’t want to be with Steve right now. But on the other hand, if Steve continues with this bullshit of trying to team up with Nancy, Dustin might just punch him. They’re arguing suddenly, but Dustin doesn’t care. The same gross, numb feeling makes a home in his chest again. And it only deepens when Steve verbalizes that he doesn’t want anything to do with Dustin either.
Nancy and Jonathan rush up the stairs, and Dustin is stuck with Steve again.
° ° °
The twigs and leaves under Holly’s feet are entirely too loud as she sprints from Mr.Whatsit’s house. She needed to get out of there, and fast.
When Max notices the little girl making her way over, her heart drops. “Holly! What are you doing! The plan-” She begins to scold, “Was to wait for Henry, I know- but then he started saying all this creepy stuff and-”
“Did anyone see you come here?” Max interrupts, looking behind Holly to see if she was followed.
“No! I was careful, please just listen! I know why Henry kidnapped us. He’s going to draw another world to ours.” Holly rambles, talking with her hands, just like her brother.
“Draw another world- I don’t understand…?” Max questions, looking at the ground.
“He says he’s going to merge another world with earth but- but I think he’s going to destroy it! I don’t know exactly what he's going to do, but whatever it is, he’s going to do it tomorrow! We have to get out of camazotz right now!” She cries.
“We’ll never make it! Because as soon as he realizes you’re gone, he’ll use his powers and track you down.” Max scolds. She really feels like she’s talking to Mike. This girl is just as, if not more, stubborn than her brother.
Just as Max finishes her sentence, a rustling is heard behind them, and Max knows they’re screwed at that moment.
“Are you sure no one saw you?” She asks Holly, tense.
“Positive…” Holly says… her eyes peering over past the log where the snap was heard. The girls slowly walk over to the culprit, and as they find him, Max grabs the back of his vest and hauls him up.
“Who the hell are you?!” Max accuses, coming face-to-face with none other than Derek Turnbow.
“Derek! Who the hell are you?” Derek chides.
“What are you doing here, dipshit?” Holly asks, annoyed to see that she was followed by Derek, especially.
“It’s not Dipshit Derek anymore! It’s Delightful Derek,” The boy says smugly. He begins to ramble until Max picks up on the fact that Derek says, “Vecna.”
“Vecna?! I didn’t say that name. How do you know that name?”
“Mike.” Derek answers.
“Mike!?” Max responds.
“My brother, Mike?” Holly asks.
“He’s like my best friend now,” Derek replies, amused with himself.
“You’re best friends with my brother??” Holly asks again, just as confused.
Derek then begins to go on a tirade about how he had a plan with the others before being captured, led here, and guessing that Holly knew Henry was full of shit. And now, they’re here, in the woods. Derek then asks to go with them, to which both girls respond with “NO!”
However, Holly thinks of a small plan, but there’s a catch. Derek needs to stop being delightful Derek and become Dipshit Derek again.
° ° °
Now, in the WSQK radio station, everyone is seated on the couch cushions listening to Joyce give her new plan.
“Okay, the plan is simple. We get Will close to the hivemind, and once he jacks back in, he doesn’t go after a demo, he goes after Vecna himself. One blow takes him out, ends his army, ends this nightmare.” Joyce smiles, very happy with herself. “That’s it, so… any questions? There are no bad ideas!” She says.
Robin decides to pipe up, “I mean, I think it’s a great plan, uh… I mean,n it’s a great plan, right? Hey,” She says, signaling to Murray for help.
Murray takes a beat, then “Yeah, no uh it’s a great plan! It’s just uh… it's just…” Murray has no clue where he’s going with this.
“Will, you took out those Demo’s with your mind?” Robin asks in awe.
“I mean-” “Three! To be exact.” Mike cuts off Will, smiling.
“Simultaneously,” Lucas adds.
“Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit…” Murray says. Robin gives him a look, “Murray, what?” He only shrugs in response.
“Whatever- Will, you’re a real-life wizard.” She says.
And before he can even say anything, Lucas predicts what Mike is going to say, he’s just surprised Erica beat him to it.
“A sorcerer, actually. His powers are-”
“Innate! Thank you!” Mike says, piggybacking off of Erica.
Lucas decides to poke the bear, just for fun. “How does that matter??” He inquires, only to be yelled at by bother his sister, and Mike.
“It matters!”
Lucas rolls his eyes.
Next to him, Will wipes his hands on his jeans, his hands evidently clammy. Is Will… flustered?
“Can we just- focus? Please?” Joyce asks. She inhales, “We could build another telemetry thingy, and we could find El, Jonathan, and the others and hope they have a track of Vecna.” Joyce says.
“Dustin built that thing himself. I have no idea how it works.” Mike admits, looking embarrassed. “We could maybe put our heads together and try to figure out how it works, but… that’ll take-”
“Days. Days we don’t have,” Lucas says.
Then, Robin decides to chime in again with one of the stupidest plans Mike has had the displeasure of hearing. Something about putting him in the back of the WSQK van?
“Will isn’t just our tracker, okay? We’re not treating his newfound abilities as some sort of joke. He’s our sorcerer, not our toy.” Mike says, giving Robin a slight sideways glance.
She looks at him, an unreadable expression on her face.
“C’mon, guys.. Anything else. Anything?” Joyce pleads, looking around the group.
Murray, ever the saviour, asks, “Is anyone else starving?” And a parade of nervous hand raises follows.
Everyone then reluctantly follows as Robin pulls out the Sqwuak’s hidden snack stash and dumps it on the table. Everyone takes their preferred snack, Will’s being the bag of Doritos.
He then rounds the corner, hoping to catch a moment of solitude before hatching this new plan. Will rests on a countertop, grimacing at his dirty hands. “Eugh…” He says outloud, opening his chip bag.
“Here,” Mike’s voice says, stopping Will’s hand from entering the bag.
“Huh? Oh,” Mike is holding a wet paper towel and a bag of potato chips.
“The towels were in the bathroom- but now that I’m thinking about it, you could actually just wash your hands. Sorry, I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea I just-”
“Mike?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. It’s okay, I’ll use the paper towel.” Will is laughing, unsure of why Mike is acting so weird. There’s also a cloud of tension between them that wasn’t there before. Will isn’t sure why.
“Are you going to give it to me?” Will asks, raising one eyebrow. “Oh! Yeah, sorry,” Mike says, handing it off to him.
Will wipes at his hands, scoffing at the amount of grime rubbing off on the towel. Will then decides to take a look at Mike, whose gaze is still glued on Will.
This makes Will even more confused as his mind reminds him of a point Robin made just a day prior.
‘A shared look,’ echoes in Will’s mind as they look at each other.
The cloud of tension is thickening, neither of them saying a word until- “You know you stink, right?” Will says, an off attempt at cracking this blanket of….he wasn’t even sure what to call it.
Mike guffaws, “I stink? You stink!” He laughs, moving closer to Will as he pops a chip in his mouth. “I think we both stink, but… You definitely smell worse.” Will says, eyes raking up and down Mike's figure.
Mike's hair is tousled, his clothes are disgusting, his face is bloody and covered in dirt, and he reeks of sewer water.
However, Will would be a filthy liar if he said he didn’t want to kiss that smug look right off of Mike Wheeler's face.
Even covered in literal shit, Will still thinks Mike is the most beautiful person he’s laid his eyes on.
“We’re both covered in the same crap, Byers. You aren’t special.” Mike says, somehow coming even closer.
Something about being called by his last name makes Will's stomach do flips. Mike has been pulling this shit for a couple of months and is the reason for Will’s never-ending inner turmoil.
Even before him and El broke up, there were signals...but now? It’s impossible to ignore, but the worst part is, Will doesn’t even think Mike realizes he’s doing it.
“Whatever, Mike…” Will says, drowning his troubles in Dorito dust.
“Hey, you missed a spot,” Mike says, placing his bag of chips on the counter behind them.
“What?” Will says, looking at the other boy, confused. Mike then picks up the paper towel and takes Will’s hand.
Will Byers thinks he might die.
At the rate he’s going, he’ll die by heart attack before Vecna can even get to him. Mike is about to wipe at Will’s hand when Will’s knights in shining armour come to his rescue.
Will has never loved the Sinclairs more.
In that moment. Mike and Will's personal bubble was shattered as the two of them flew into the other room, both claiming to have a plan.
Mike and Will exchange a glance, and both rush to hear the new developments.
A flurry of “I got it!” Is heard as the two walk into the room. Lucas and Erica argue about who goes first until Erica ultimately winds up on top.
Erica brings up Mr.Clark and how Dustin was his star student, “Even if Dustin is M.I.A, his mentor isn’t.” She says, to which a few nod and agree.
Lucas rolls his eyes and begins recounting to the group about the sauna and Billy. He remembers that heat was what woke up the flayed particles within him, and maybe if they did the same to the demogorgon, they could bring it back to life just enough that Will could tap back into the hivemind.
“You want to Dr. Frankenstein a dead Demo? That’s your big idea?” Erica chides.
“Well, your plan is slow as shit,” Lucas responds.
“Your plan is stupid as shit,” Erica shoots back.
All of this is stupid as shit. Will isn’t even listening to this plan that’s supposed to be for him. Not after what just happened, and especially not now when Mike’s arm is placed firmly against his.
Why is Mike right here? He has an entire room; has he ever heard of personal space? Why was he-
“So we try both. We throw two darts and hope for a bullseye.” Joyce’s words break Will from his internal monologue.
If Will was being honest, he didn’t even know what those “two darts” were. He was not listening.
° ° °
Dustin is sick of this. The banter isn’t fun; it’s just constant arguing. They were going back and forth about a metaphor, an analogy, and treasure.
Speaking of treasure, Steve just made another asshole comment about treasure while tossing a metal ball at Dustin, so he decides he’s had it. “Actually, Steve, I think this is the perfect place for you, considering your arrested development. So, while I go search the rest of the building, how about you stay here and play with your balls.” He says, tossing the metal ball back at Steve. Dustin turns around and walks off, he’s had enough.
“Finally! A plan I can get behind. Have fun looking for your treasure, or shield generator, or made-up-bullshit!” Steve calls to him.
“Thank you!” Dustin shoots back sarcastically. But he’d be lying if he said every word Steve said wasn’t a punch to the gut.
° ° °
Nancy and Jonathan are having quite the same issues as Steve and Dustin. They were off on their own, searching, but Nancy seemed as if she’d rather be anywhere else.
“Hey, did I do something- to piss you off or something?” Jonathan finally asks, ripping off the band-aid.
“What are you talking about?” Nancy asks, annoyed.
“I don’t know, there’s a tone.” He says.
“A tone?” She asks incredulously.
“Yeah…”
“Okay.”
“See, that was it!” Jonathan exclaims.
“Yeah, well- now there’s a tone because you’re being ridiculous!” Nancy says, walking off.
“Was I being ridiculous downstairs also?” He asks, walking alongside her.
“Oh! You mean when you and Steve started up your macho crap again?” Nancy mumbles.
Jonathan is shocked, “Wait- what? You mean when Steve asked you to go with him, and you hesitated?”
“Um, actually, I said we should stick to the usual,” She says, deflecting.
“Yeah! After you hesitated. I know you, Nancy, you hesitated.”
“Okay! So what if I did- which I didn’t. It doesn’t matter! My sister is missing!” Nancy declared, her anger boiling in her chest. This was not the time for Jonathan to be hashing out this bullshit.
“Yeah! Which is exactly why it does matter!” Jonathan is yelling now. Nancy didn’t expect that.
“After everything that has happened, that is happening. I’m scared, Nancy, okay? I’m really scared. I don't know what’s on the other side of this. But if we want even a chance of surviving- we need to be a team, a real team.” He pleads.
She deflects, “We are… still a team.”
“No, we’re not, not anymore.” Jonathan challenges.
“So, what? You want to solve all of our relationship issues down here? In The Hawkins Lab? In The Upside Down?” She scoffs.
Jonathan deflates. He just loves her so much. “No, Nancy. I just want you to stop running away from me. Be honest with me.”
All Nancy can respond with is, “Oh, and that’s what you’ve been? Honest with me?” This sucks. She doesn’t like fighting with Jonathan. However, it seems like that’s all they do these days.
“...yeah,” Jonathan says pathetically.
“You hesitated.” Nancy sneers.
“No, I didn’t-” “I know you, Jonathan, and that hesitation was the size of a MAC truck.” Nancy shows she’s finished with this argument by walking away.
Jonathan feels a stinging behind his eyes, and he’s not sure if it’s from the inevitable tears or from the shitty LED bulb of his flashlight. Nonetheless, he pulls out the cassette tape from his pocket and rubs his finger over it.
Maybe this was a stupid idea anyway.
He’s about to walk off on his own until….
“What…?” He mumbles to himself, noticing the melted doorknob highlighted by his flashlight. He inspects it further and tries to open the door. Yet, the strangest thing happens, and it breaks clean off. This only confuses Jonathan further, but he decides he needs to get into this room, so he starts to try to bust his way through the door using his shoulder.
This gets Nancy’s attention, and for a split second, she’s worried, but when she sees what Jonathan is doing, she’s just annoyed again. “What are you doing?!” She accuses, rushing toward him. “Jonathan!” She yells right as he breaks through the door.
Jonathan stumbles forward, but as he lifts his head, he’s met with a horrifying yet confusing sight. The stairs, walls, and rails of this hallway are all… melting. “What is it…?” Nancy asks, now intrigued.
Jonathan mumbles something about Dustin's theory and follows Nancy up the stairs.
° ° °
“Nancy, Jonathan, do you copy? Over.” Hopper asks into the walkie.
“We are at the Church, and we’re wondering where the hell you are,” He pleads, looking around again as if that’s somehow going to make them magically appear. Hopper pleads some more, and El can hear it even from within the Church.
She tries to tune it out.
“After you and your policeman found me, it must’ve been a surprise to see me instead of Henry,” Kali says, sitting next to El in this vine-ridden, broken-down excuse for a church.
“I’m sorry, Kali, I’m sorry for not finding you sooner,” El says. “You couldn’t have known…” Kali tries to comfort, but El shakes her head.
“I have a bath at home. I can search far, even here. I think I was afraid to look for you,” Kali gives her a look, one filled with pain. El can’t take it, so she changes the subject. “How much did you know about Henry?”
Kali sighs, “Everything. Besides the fact that he was still alive.”
El perks up beside her, “Help me find him, kill him.”
“Then what?” Kali asks, her tone laced with defeat.
“Then it’s over- we can live, really live,” El says, confused.
“That’s just a dream, Jane,” Kali says sadly.
“But it doesn’t have to be,” El says back.
Kali suddenly looks scared. “I had… the same dream, that I could put a stop to all this, that I could.. Heal our wound,” Kali recounts the story using her ability, showing El the sequence of events that have taken place since she left all those years ago.
“They found my friends… they killed them… and they took me.”
Kali shows El….everything. It's horrifying, it’s revealing… It’s the truth.
She shows El the government taking her blood, over and over again… “Doctor Kay thought she had stopped my tricks… with that awful sound of hers, but not all tricks require powers.”
Kali shows El her attempt at escape, her driving the scalpel into the soldiers' necks, and her fleeing the room she was in.
Then, Kali’s tone takes a turn; it's darker, more sinister. “If I had known what was on the other side of that door, I never would have tried to escape.”
° ° °
Robin and Will are on the roof of the building underneath the giant radio tower. They’re enacting Lucas’s version of the plan, trying to use cables to reheat the particles. However, first, they decide they need to have a practice trial. So, they’re using a pumpkin.
“Hey, so um- and I realize I’ve waited just long enough to make this super awkward, but.. I never thanked you? For saving my life?” Robin says bashfully.
“You’re welcome… I mean, I should be thanking you.” Will responds.
Robin is confused, “Thanking me..? Why?” She asks while connecting the cables to the pumpkin.
“For talking to me about Tammy, and your life? It was so helpful,” Will responds like it’s obvious.
“Me, talking, helpful? Someone should really tell my mother,” Robin laughs, hitting the peg into the pumpkin.
They go quiet for a bit, Will wondering how he could approach this next question.
“So.. after all this Tammy and the um… the tape epiphany… is that when you and Vickie started to…?” Will asks, still dancing around the question, he wasn’t quite sure why he couldn’t say it outloud yet.
When Mike was being threatened by the Demogorgon, Will got his own version of Robin’s tape. However, there’s a very pointed difference between Robin’s childhood tape and Will’s childhood tape. Will’s tape had Mike in it. Mike has always been there, and he will continue to be there.
Robin let’s out a small laugh, “No, no, no. Um, I mean I never would’ve had the guts to talk to Vic back then. I was finally cool with myself but….sharing that part of myself with someone else? That was a whole other thing.” She trails off, seeming to be reminiscing, “But eventually, I..I did it. I told someone.” She states, suddenly changing the subject, she thought right now wasn’t exactly the best time to be rehashing this conversation.. “Looks like we’re all set!” Robin says, jumping up and beginning to climb down the ladder.
Something registers deep in his mind. Remember this. Remember this. The next step. Remember this. Remember this.
Will sits there, confused for a moment. He blinks, and everything is normal again. He whips his head around as he stands up, “Wait- Who did you tell?” He inquires. Will hasn’t told anyone, not even Robin. Well, not explicitly at least.
Robin rolls her eyes, she knows how this is going to sound.
“Oh, well, the obvious of course,” She pauses, a grin painting her features as she remembers her best friend, “Steve!”.
Will feels floored, Steve? As in Steve Harrington? As in the jock who used to bully Jonathan? Sure, Will knew that Steve was a good guy, a lot better now than he used to be but… still… Steve? Will scrambles to call after her as she continues descending down the ladder.
“What?! Wait- Robin! I don’t understand, Steve? I mean– not the same as… as in your Steve? Like Steve-” Robin cuts him off, “Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington, my once sworn enemy!” She smirks as she rushes into the room with the voltage meter, readying herself for this plan.
“Alright! Watch out!” She screams from inside the room.
Up on top on the roof, Will watches as the pumpkin becomes a light with volts of electricity. This is great! Now they know that they can re-heat the particles. However, Will still has questions about Robin choosing to come out to Steve of all people.
“Robin, I mean… I guess I don’t understand. I mean, I like Steve! But I don’t know, he just seems…” Will didn’t necessarily want to peg their friend as the bigoted type, but.. Will didn’t really know how else to put it.
“Like a bonkers choice?” Robin asks, looking up from the ground. “Yeah…” Will mutters. Robin smiles in return. “Yeah, I know. I mean, to be fair, we were coked up on Russian truth serum and in the face of imminent danger, but… It felt right.” Robin says, making her way back up the ladder. “He’s been the most important person to me- besides Vickie- ever since then. I can’t imagine my life without Steve, he’s like a brother to me.” She recounts. “And if I hadn’t have told Steve, then I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to open up to Vickie about it, and… I probably wouldn’t be talking to you about it either,” She said, smiling.
This opens up a whole new door of possibilities for Will. Realistically, it shouldn’t be a checklist of things he needs to complete to ‘get the boy,’ but in his mind, it seems like the easiest option.
Remember this.
“You don’t by any chance.. Have any of that truth serum left, do you?” He jokes. They both laugh, but suddenly the pumpkin is on fire, and the electricity is going haywire, so they’ll need to put a hold on this conversation. “Shit! Grab the extinguisher!” Will says, pointing to the object. Robin complies, grabs it, and presses down on the lever to allow a thick cloud of bellowing smoke to put out this fire.
° ° °
“C’mon, man…” Steve groans, rolling the Rubik’s Cube he’s been messing with around in his hands.
“Piece of shit.” He says as he tosses it on the ground. He can’t believe Henderson actually left him here. So now, Steve is sitting, dangling his legs like an idiot, waiting for Dustin to get back. Seems like the universe heard his stupid pleas, because like clockwork, Dustin’s flashlight shines on the very same Rubik’s cube he tossed on the floor.
Steve lifts his head, “Really? You’re actually playing in here?” Dustin asks with a deadpan expression on his face.
“I’m just following orders, dude. Your orders. And by the pissy look on your face, I'm guessing you didn’t find your magic shield generator.” Steve quips, pointing a finger at Dustin’s face. Why was Steve so deadset on pissing him off every chance he got?
“It’s here, somewhere,” Dustin says back, his posture straightening.
“Yeah…but you didn’t find it,” Steve replies, looking at him.
“Yeah. Not on this floor,” Dustin was pissed again, more so than he had been before.
“So, you were wrong.” The older male says. He knows this annoys Dustin, but he can’t find it in himself to care. Not when this Dustin has been such a prick for the past year. Not when Dustin left him alone in the Upside Down. Not when this isn’t Steve’s Dustin.
“You would just love that, wouldn’t you?” Dustin shoots back, in full argument mode again.
“Nah, I’m just… stating a fact.”
“No, you’re gloating. Even if I am wrong, we don’t reach past that wall and find Holly and the other kids. Do you understand how selfish you’re being?” Dustin asks, walking closer to Steve.
Something gross and angry is bubbling in Steve's chest. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re currently stuck in the hell pit that is the Hawkins lab, but maybe it’s just Dustin Henderson.
“Yeah? You wanna talk about selfish? How about the fact that when we finally reach Hope and El, we promptly ditch them to pursue this bullshit theory of yours. Not to mention! You’re the reason we lost contact with them in teh first place due ot your no-show at the crawl.” Steve knows he’s rubbing salt in the wound, but he wants to make Dustin hurt. Steve wants to show this kid that he cares about so much just how much pain he’s caused him over the past year.
Dustin backs up, offended and hurt. “So! This mess is actually… your fault.” Steve finishes, glaring a disgustingly angry glance at Dustin.
“Shit again- it’s not like I didn’t just not show up, Steve! I was attacked, okay?!” Dustin says, like that’ll mean anything to Steve at this point.
Steve scoffs, pointing a finger at Dustin and approaching him. “No, you wanted a fight, and that’s exactly what you got. Just look at your face, man,” Steve sneers.
Something angry is boiling over in Steve, and something hurt is taking home in Dustin. He didn’t… he didn’t think Steve would snap. That’s not Steve.
“You’ve done some stupid shit in the past, right? But ‘this’? This takes the cake, Henderson.” Steve turns around, but Dustin isn’t done with this fight.
“You want to talk about dumb shit? How about chasing after somebody else’s girlfriend while the world is ending!” Dustin knows that bringing up this topic is dangerous territory.
Steve turns back around, fast. “Nancy is a friend, okay? A friend! Do you remember what that’s like? Hmm? Do you remember what that’s like, Dustin? Having friends?” Steve’s voice is getting louder.
Dustin’s face hurts, Dustin’s eyes hurt, Dustin’s throat hurts, and now Dustin’s chest hurts. He might’ve gone and finally fucked up his last friendship. Good job, Dustin. Your mom would be so proud.
“Yeah. I do. I remember what it was like to have a real friend. A real friend who was kind to me, who believed in me-” Dustin’s voice is wavering, he’s talking about Steve, but he’s also talking about–
“A-hah! A-hah. That’s what this is really about! This is all about Eddie.” Steve says.
Something breaks in Dustin again.
That’s the first time Steve has mentioned Eddie since he passed away.
“All of your bullshit, pushing everyone away? It’s because nobody could be as perfect as he was, right?” Steve is really trying to drive the stick in further. This fucking sucks.
“No! He wasn’t perfect! But you know what? At least he knew that! Unlike you! He was never fake! He didn’t care what other people thought about him. He was unapologetically himself,” Dustin was yelling now, too.
There's a thick band of red-hot unresolved tension tethering between the two, ready to snap.
“Eddie was the smartest and kindest person I have ever met. And you know what? He would’ve solved this in thirty seconds flat,” Dustin says, shoving th un-solved Rubik’s cube in Steve’s face.
The tension in the air is growing thicker, and the band is wavering.
“Well, if I’m such a goddamn idiot, how come I’m the one still standing here?!” Steve shouldn’t have said that.
They both still. The room goes silent.
Dustin looks completely taken aback. There’s a stinging feeling above his throat and behind his eyes.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Dustin questions, his voice cracking.
“That night?” Steve starts, his voice equally as wobbly. “I told you not to be heroes, I told both of you. What did Eddie do? He charged into a swarm of killer bats.” Steve knows deep down why Eddie did it; Steve knows he would do it too. But Steve can’t help but be eternally pissed off at Eddie Munson for getting himself killed when he didn’t need to.
“TO SAVE MY LIFE!” Dustin yells in response. This unhealed wound was opening further, bleeding and spilling onto the floor between them.
“He saved no one,” Steve stated.
“HE SAVED EVERYONE!” Dustin screamed, how the hell could Steve even say that?
Steve is done.
“Yeah? You can keep telling yourself that, Henderson. But deep down, the reason you’re so goddamn pissed is because you know the truth.” Dustin is making a face that Steve has never seen before; they’ve never gotten into it this deep.
“Eddie wanted to play hero, and he made a dumb call, and he got HIMSELF killed,” Steve ripped off the bandaid.
The tension snaps, Dustin snaps.
“SHUT UP!” Dustin screams, lunging at Steve and hitting the older man in the face with the Rubiks cube.
“Ow! Fuck!” Steve yells, grabbing onto Dustin, who’s currently punching him repeatedly in the back. He wrestles with the younger boy, trying to pry Dustin off his jacket.
Steve isn’t going to hit Dustin back even though he really, really wants to.
He manages to throw Dustin to the ground with a loud thud, causing Dustin’s walkie to fall as well, the antenna snapping.
“What are you doing, man? Stop it, stop it!” Steve cries, walking toward Dustin, who only begins to hit and kick him once more. Dustin picks up some sort of chessboard and begins beating Steve over the head with it.
“Henderson! Cut it out!” Steve says as he pries the board out of Dustin's hands and throws it to the ground. What the hell has gotten into this kid?!
This causes Dustin to fall to the ground again. He looks scared; he looks like the little kid Steve met that one Halloween.
Dustin is just grabbing anything to throw at Steve, building blocks, marbles, and checker pieces; it didn’t matter. He wanted to hurt him.
“Henderson! You have to calm down,” He said, blocking the objects that were flying at him. Steve didn’t think he’d ever see Dusting go absolutely batshit insane like this. He was acting like a rabid dog.
Dustin scrambles to get up again, ramming into Steve’s lower half, latching on, and trying to trip him. Again, Steve wants to hurt this kid, but not like this.
“Dustin! You’re going to hurt yourself, man!” Steve says, attempting to trap Dustin in his arms just like he watched Hopper do to Mike that one year. Somehow, Dustin manages to trip Steve’s footing and sends them flying through a broken window into the room next to them. The tumbles onto the floor, Steve’s back hitting the concrete with a thud.
He thought this would be the thing that got Dustin to stop- but he was wrong.
“Alright, Dustin-” Steve says, only to be promptly cut off by Dustin’s fist connecting with his cheekbone. Steve is taken aback once again, but he can't even stop to think when Dustin tries to punch him again. Steve needs to take the high ground. So even though his face hurts like a bitch, he quickly stands up and traps Dustin in a headlock, forcing the kid to stop punching him.
“Enough! Stop- STOP!” Steve screams, wrestling with Dustin and resisting his clawing hands against his jacket sleeve.
Finally, Dustin kicks the wall in front of him, causing Steve’s head and back to connect harshly with the door behind him, sending them both hurdling toward the floor.
He’s dizzy for a moment. Then, between the racing heart, the sweat, and the anger, Steve decides that he’s done.
“You know what, man? I’m done.” He says, not even sparing a glance at Dustin.
Steve is actively crying now. Steve doesn’t cry.
It’s so quick, it’s so quick, Dustin can even register it before he sees Steve’s body leave the room.
“I’m done!” Steve calls, still not turning back around. His voice cracks at the end.
Dustin’s hands scramble on the floor for his flashlight as he backs up against the wall. He doesn’t want Steve to leave– why is Steve leaving? This wasn’t his goal.
But, Dustin Henderson, ever the fool, can only say the worst thing he can think of while fresh tears mixed with blood and mucus trail down his face.
“Oh, right- just go crawl back to Nance!” He sobs, barely even able to form a sentence.
“You selfish, fake, asshole!”
Dustin was such an idiot. A hurt, bleeding, crying, snotting, idiot.
He backs up, unsure of what to do with himself now that Steve is gone.
However, it’s just his luck what happens next. The door Steve had collided with is now open, and leads to a new room. Suddenly, Dustin doesn’t have time to dwell on his lifelong friendship slipping through his fingers. He reaches for his flashlight and opens the door.
He pointedly ignores the small puddle of blood and tears he leaves behind.
° ° °
“I never knew how close I was to making it out…now thanks to you and your policeman, I do,” Kali says, a small smile painting her features for the first time since she was rescued. El takes her hand, rubbing small circles into it as a sign of comfort.
“Ten yards,” Kali states. However, her tone turns cold, and her face falls.
“Ten. Yards.”
“Just-” She sucks in a breath, “Just one more corner and my life would’ve been… different,” A look of horror makes its way across her features.
She uses her abilities to recount to El what had happened that day. Soldiers approached, and Kali shot. She had no other choice but to enter the other room. She shot the card reader.
Kali makes a face and brings her hand up to cover her mouth. She’s gagging trying to recall what she saw that day.
“Kali, I’m here. Whatever it was, it can’t hurt you here,” El says. Kali has a weary look on her face.
“I wish it were something that could hurt me.”
Kali closes her eyes and projects a vision to El of what she saw.
“That day… I found the answer. The answer to why I was there.”
El thinks this is one of the most horrific things she’s ever seen.
There, on the false metal table Kali was showing her, was a pregnant woman being infused with Kali’s blood.
Kali tries to run, and there are only more and more and more pregnant women.
In the real world, El blinks to get rid of the vision, not wanting to see that anymore. There are tears in her eyes and fear on her face.
“But- I don’t understand…” She argues.
Kali gives her a look, it's one filled with pain and disappointment.
“Pregnant Women… a secret government program, does that not remind you of anything?” Kali says, her face stone cold.
A shift, and Kali is up, walking up to the stage of the church, projecting another vision. Only this time, it’s Henry.
“It was not drugs that gave us our powers, Jane. It was Henry.” She says, showing Henry, asleep on a hospital bed next to an impregnated woman.
Kali turns to El, “Now, Dr.Kay is trying to restart Papa’s program, but my blood is not working. Not as Henry’s did. The truth is, Papa’s children were always pale imitations of Henry. Only one of us…” Kali turns to El, and the girl feels her heart drop to her stomach, “Was truly like him.”
El feels sick, she doesn’t believe this- she can’t believe this.
“This is just an illusion– none of this is real. This is all fake!” She cries, rushing down the church steps and back toward the rows of pews.
“Why do you think Dr.Kay is so desperate to find you?! They will find you, and create more, more like you!” Kali screams, rushing after her.
El is making a break for it– she missed her sister, but nothing could prepare her for… this.
And nothing could prepare her for what Kali decided to project in front of her. El stopped dead in her tracks and nearly fainted at the sight.
It was her. It was El, strapped to the same contraption that she had just rescued Kali from. She looked pale, skinny, and her skin was so drained of any color that it was almost gray. She doesn’t even look human.
“There are no happy endings, Jane. Not for us.” Kali says.
El is breathing heavy and begins to walk further away from her sister. She waves her hands around to get rid of the vision, nearly hitting Hopper in the process.
Suddenly, her dad is in front of her.
“Hey- woah… It’s just me. It’s just me.” He says, placing a steady hand on El’s shoulder.
El looks at him, then back at Kali, and runs out of the church with tears in her eyes.
She doesn’t know that Hopper and Kali exchanged a pointed look in her absence.
° ° °
Mike and Lucas open the van door to reveal the dead demogorgon, still very much unmoving.
Mike looks up, and sees Will with Robin standing on top of the radio tower control room. He was always with her nowadays. He doesn’t understand why she got to stay with Will and why he had to go get the demogorgon with Lucas. Or even, Lucas could’ve stayed here! Since he’s injured and all. Mike doesn’t understand why–
“Mike!” Lucas snaps, pushing his shoulder to get his attention.
“Huh? Oh. Sorry, what?” He says. He was too caught up in his internal monologue to focus.
“The cables won't reach the ground, so we have to do the little science experiment up there,’ Lucas recounts, pointing a finger at Will and Robin.
“Oh.. okay,” Mike says, reaching his arms up to catch the rope Will tosses to him just in time.
Mike and Will finally get paired together, as it should be. They tie the ropes to the back of the WQSK van, Mike stealing glances at Will now and then.
He doesn’t know why he’s so drawn to Will. He likes looking at Will.
He looks away, embarrassed. Maybe he shouldn’t be looking at Will so much, not when it makes his heart rate. Not when-
A loud ‘bang’ from Will is heard. “Take it really slow, okay?” He tells Joyce, who nods and starts slowly driving the WSQK van forward. And suddenly, Will is running to join Lucas and Robin on the other side of the control room.
Mike leaps into action, climbing the ladder to the top of the roof.
“Ready!!!” Robin yells from the ground, and Mike watches as all three of them use brooms to steady the Demo as it rises. Thankfully, no ropes snap and cause the Demogorgon to be sent hurdling down. “It worked! Come on up!” Mike calls as he starts to untie the Demo. He grimaces as Lucas helps him unfold the tarp around the creature. This is.. Gross.
Mike and Lucas make quick work of nailing the Demo into the roof of the control room. Mike looks up and suddenly- where’s Will and Robin?
“Were all set!” He hears the girl call, already on the ground, already next to Will. Mike scoffs, unmoving.
“Dude,” Lucas says, eyeing Mike.
“What?” He says, offended.
“Nothing…” Lucas shrugs, making his way down the ladder and toward Will.
Again, Mike didn’t understand why he had to be up here, and Lucas could be down there with Will.
In addition, Mike still thinks this plan is stupid. It’s putting Will in danger! Will’s already somehow connected to this freak. Why further this connection and risk him getting hurt?
Down on the ground, Lucas is comforting Will.
“If shit really hits the fan, we turn up the voltage, burn up the particles, and unconnect from the hive, okay?” Lucas says, to which Will nods.
“Mom?” Will asks, suddenly vulnerable. Joyce looks at her son, he’s small, and still that little boy who went missing when he was eleven years old. Or.. was it twelve? Now’s not the time.
“Thank you for trusting me,” Will says, something else behind his tone.
Joyce nods, a squint in her eye, but she brushes it off, backing away from her son.
Will takes a deep breath in, ready to tap back in to the hivemind. However, did he ever really leave?
Will can hear dialogue exchanged between Robin and Mike, and the faint squeal of the dial turning the voltage up.
As the particles inside the demogorgan heat up, so do Will’s insides. He can feel it.
As an overwhelming sensation of warmth floods his body, he can feel the tether between him and the hivemind growing stronger, and the line between himself and the upside down blurring.
Will’s neck snaps back, and suddenly he’s seeing through the eyes of the demogorgon. He can see the bottom of the radio tower, the sky, and he can even feel the pegs that have been nailed into the demo’s hands.
He jolts, and suddenly he’s…. Where is he? It’s somewhere entirely new. There are spires, webs, teeth, and… oh god. This is where Henry is keeping the kids. This is where he saw Holly and Derek.
Another sharp, painful twitch, and suddenly he’s… Derek. Great.
“I think I’m Derek,” Will can communicate between worlds.
“Derek? Where are the other lost children? Can you see Holly?” Mike asks. Will wasn’t even aware that Mike had climbed down from the top of the building
“No.” Is all Will can answer.
Will can see the other children chastizing Derek, calling him names, and asking where Mr.Whatsit is.
“Searching for Holly!” Will hears Derek answer.
“Henry… is searching for her,” Will says, sweat beginning to form on his brow.
Mike and Lucas exchange worried glances. Mike is about to say something again, probably about how this isn’t safe for Will when-
“Max,” Will says, still only staring straight forward.
This catches Lucas’s attention. He turns, instantly forgetting about whatever Michael was going to say. “What? What about Max?” He frantically asks, going beside Will.
“She’s with Holly.” Will responds.
“But Vecna, Vecna is hunting them.” The atmosphere grows even colder than it was before. Lucas’s breath picks up. This is finally confirmation that Max is alive, but… she’s in danger.
Will, on the other hand, is straight up hyperventilating. Switching from person to person while tapped into the hivemind is no easy feat. It feels like your consciousness is being ripped to shreds while your body morphs into something completely new.
He grunts, his perception growing hazy and his grasp on reality fading. He had to get to Vecna, he had to.
Mike could tell Will was struggling, he needed to get Will out of there. He wanted to get Will out of there.
“Mrs.Byers- I really think we need to wake him up. Robin go turn the-”
“NO! Are you crazy? You heard him, Max is in there. I need to see this through,” Lucas says, his eyes locking with Mike’s. His jaw clenches, “But- Lucas, look at him!” Mike pleads, waving his hands at Will.
“I need to see this through,” Lucas only repeats, a ton overtaking him that Mike has never heard before. It works, though, because Mike backs off, watching his best friend struggling to keep a grasp on himself.
Will is twitching and groaning, his eyes snapping from left to right, his hands grabbing at the grass that doesn’t have nearly as much hold as it should.
Mike watches, in complete horror, as Will lets out a guttural scream as he finally taps into the hivemind, into Vecna.
Through Vecna’s eyes, Will can see Max being choked out. He doesn’t know how to fully process this, and can feel his connection almost slipping as he tries to ground himself.
Will stands up on shaky legs, his posture matching that of a Dungeons and Dragons ghoul.
The others around him watch in fear, shock, and awe as Will manages not to keel over. He’s shaking, his teeth are chattering, and the line between him and Henry has completely blurred.
Will manages to raise his hands, a pull between them, and Vecna’s viney, twisting leg. Will bares down, and the thread snaps.
He twists his hands, and with that, Vecna’s leg splits in two. Will can hear a scream, and he knows it’s a mixture of his own and that of Vecna’s too. Being a sorcerer has its perks, but being a part of the hivemind means you can feel everything. Will lets out a strangled sound as he feels the sharp, stinging pressure of a broken leg in the real world.
Will can see Max and Holly through Vecna’s eyes. He can see Max breathing. He can see his friend breathing. He can see the girl Lucas loves breathing.
Will steadies himself and pushes on nothing and everything, bending air and reality to force Vecna to sit up and face Max. He’s grabbing at strings, pulling these barely-there threads to turn Vecna’s head.
In the real world, he’s almost there. He’s so close. He’s yelling, he knows he is, and he also knows he probably sounds ridiculous, but Will cannot bring himself to care. He needs to warn Max- He needs to be useful. He needs to prove that he can do this.
The boy gasps, and finally, finally knows he’s there. He is Vecna. Will Byers and Henry Creel are one at this moment.
“M…” He starts, fumbling. “Max…” Will says, catching both Lucas and Mike’s attention for completely the same, and opposite reasons.
“MAX!” He groans out.
“If you….can h..ear me!” Will says, pained grumbles filling the gaps between words.
“You need t…to run!” He manages to gasp out before his eyes feel like they’re being stabbed into his head, and his blood boils in his veins.
“RUN!” Will is screaming. He’s screaming loud and raw and terrifying. Mike has never seen anything quite like it. He’s never felt fear quite like this. It’s something straight out of a horror movie.
Not even Carol-Anne from Poltergeist screamed this loud.
However, suddenly, everything is quiet afterward. All that can be heard is the sound of Will’s labored breathing.
Everyone stops for a moment, and maybe, just maybe, they’ve won this…?
Until… something's wrong. Mike’s head snaps up.
A deep and painful sound rips its way through Will’s throat. He’s twitching, his neck screwing itself from left to right, to left again. He’s panting; his stance is failing.
Mike panics and starts to reach for Will, but Joyce stops him. Mike shoots Joyce a look, and she shakes her head. Sure, Joyce needs to trust her son, but this is taking it too far.
Mike can’t believe that it’s Robin who finally says something first.
“What is happening?!” She yells, her question barely registering over the noise level of Will’s screams. It only takes around 5 more seconds until blood is dripping from Will's nose.
And then, Will is thrown through the air by absolutely nothing.
Mike Wheeler’s heart drops to the pit of his stomach as he watches Will’s limp body hit the rough dirt, hard.
Suddenly, everyone is sprinting toward Will, who is still lying on the ground, unmoving; however, Mike can only look on in horror. Will isn’t moving.
Will isn’t moving.
Will isn’t moving, and Mike is running.
Will isn’t moving, and Mike is right next to Will. Mike’s hands are grabbing at his dirt-stained shirt, trying to shake him awake.
Joyce is crying, and Mike is terrified. Lucas has his arm around Robin, comforting her as she puts a hand over her mouth, muffling her anxious sounds.
Mike is terror-stricken as he pulls away, his fingertips burning as he looks at them, and then looks at Will's closed eyes. He sucks in a breath and then looks at Joyce, Robin, Lucas, and back at Will.
Suddenly, Mike is back in November 1983.