Chapter Text
November 6th, 1983
Hawkins, Indiana
In a small house in the suburbs, four best friends were playing their favorite game: Dungeons and Dragons.
The kids have known each other since ever, it's not like it was a town big enough for you to not know everyone. Hawkins is the type of town where if you live there for more than a couple of weeks you already know everyone who lives there, a town where just one school is enough and news travels more easily by word of mouth than through newspapers and TV. Childhood friendships here are extremely close, especially when they are friendships between nerds and outsiders, since the latter usually have to fight to be included and accepted.
"Something's coming..." Mike Wheeler, the dungeon master, narrated. He has messy, black hair, wearing a blue sweater and gray pants. He's most likely the leader of the group and the one who brought them all together, likely the first to take actions and break adult rules just because he needs to help a friend.
"What is it?" Asked Will Byers, the youngest of the group. He has short, brown hair in a bowl cut, wearing a flannel shirt, a jacket, and blue jeans. Some would say he is the peacemaker of the group, always the one to stop fights and disagreements to maintain peace.
"What if it's the demogorgon?" Asked Dustin Henderson. He has curly brown hair, wearing a hat on his head, a white T-shirt, and sweatpants. He's the brain of the group, with sharp, witty comebacks, the kind of nerd who is often bullied by other students for both personality and appearance. "We're screwed if it's the demogorgon."
"It's not the demogorgon." Lucas Sinclair assured. He was an African-American with short, black hair, wearing a blue and yellow shirt, and red pants. He was practically the protector of the group, the one that takes front to defend the others and gets angry when the others put themselves at risk for him.
"An army of troglodytes charge into chamber." Mike narrated as he set down troglodytes figures. "Wait a minute. Do you hear that? That sound. BOOM! That wasn't the troglodytes. That came from something else." Dramatic pause, then he set down a demogorgon figure. "The demogorgon!"
"We're in deep shit..." Dustin commented, resigned.
"Will, your action!" Mike demanded.
Lucas tells Will to cast a fire ball. Dustin tells him to cast a protection spell. This left Will in panic, not knowing what to do.
"The demogorgon gets tired of your silly human bickering!" Mike narrated, his voice getting louder. "It stomps towards you!"
Lucas kept telling Will to cast fire ball, Dustin kept shouting for protection. In the end, Will chose a fireball, but the dice rolled and fell off the table, making them get up immediately to search for it.As the kids search for the dice, Mike's mom, Karen, comes in, telling the boys it's time for bed. Mike went up to her to beg and pout for more time to finish the campaign.
"Mom, wait, just 20 more minutes!"
"It'd a school night, Michael. I just put Holly to bed. You can finish next weekend." Karen ignores the protests, organizing the kitchen.
"But that'll ruin the flow!" Before his mom could interrupt him, he continued. "Im serious, mom. The campaign took two weeks to plan! How was I supposed to know I was gonna take ten hours?"
"You've been playing for ten hours?!" She looks at him with a deathly stare, that makes Mike go for his father.
“Dad! Don't you agree with 20 more minutes?!”
His father doesn't even seem to be paying attention. “I think you should listen to your mother.” And right, that's his answer for everything. He was obviously more focused on the TV glitching, hitting the machine angrily. "Urgh, dang dumb piece of junk..."
Sadly, when the boys found the dice, it had landed on a seven, which Lucas shushes Will, telling him that if Mike didn't see it, it doesn't count, the three of them already getting themselves ready to leave.Dustin went to the bedroom of Mike's older sister, Nancy. Nancy was a girl with long, curly hair. She wore a white and blue sweater and black sweatpants.
Dustin tried to say hi and offer her the last slice of pizza. Nancy just shut the door on him.
Dustin went outside the house and met up with the boys.
"Your sister's got a stick up her ass." he told Mike, still offended with the door shut on his face.
"Yeah," Lucas agreed. "She's changed ever since she started dating that asshole, Steve Harrington. It's like she's a completely different person."
"She's turning into a real jerk." Will remarked sadly. He used to like when Nance played and laughed with them, now she'd look more like the jerks from their class who made fun and mocked them. Will really, really hates those types of idiots...and was kinda hoping that Nancy couldn't get to their level.
"She's always been a jerk." Mike countered with a grumble.
"No, she used to be cool." Dustin retorted. "Remember when she dressed as an elf for our elder tree campaign?"
"That was four years ago!" Mike argued.
Lucas and Dustin biked home, but Will stayed for a bit.
"The roll was a seven," he told Mike with a nervous smile. He just couldn't lie to his friend, it wouldn't be fair. "The Demogorgon got me. See you tomorrow."
Will biked away from Mike's house, and didn't notice the lights flickering.
[...]
The Harrington household is silent; every step sounds like a loud drumbeat against the wood. The twins shared that comfortable yet uncertain silence, as if something were missing. Steve grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator, cracked it open, and grabbed a second one to throw to his sister, Stephanie.
The twins are remarkably similar to each other, both proud of their appearances, especially their hair; no one in Hawkins dared question their beauty. Known as the King and Queen of the high school in this small, quiet town, they instill fear in anyone inferior to them. That means, every weirdo and nerd is at their aim, like deers being hunted.
“So…that girl…the Wheeler. Are you really taking it seriously this time? Because that sounds like bullshit to me.” Stephanie asked, drinking from the can with a suspicious look. She's still with her fashioned clothes, too tired to change when arrived home. “She's kind of sweet and cute, even though she's a bit of an oddball. I don't want to see you ruining her emotionally just because you're tired of this little game and want to move on to someone else"
Steve choked slightly, surprised that the subject had been brought up so suddenly. Stephanie's amusement at his shock was obvious. "I don't plan on breaking up with her! What gave you the idea?" He asked, confused and almost hurt for Steph to assume that of him so quickly. But I couldn't exactly criticize her for it, after all...
"It's common behavior of yours" She completes, almost like she's reading his mind, and gets up from the couch, She tied her hair in a lazy ponytail and walked towards the bathroom to remove the makeup still on her face, followed by her brother. "You focus all your attention on a specific girl, spend a short time trying to impress her and get her all excited about you until you get tired of her and move on to the next one." She rubs a tissue on her lips, removing the red lipstick, then moves on to blush and foundation. "I don't judge, it's a good way to keep up appearances for our father, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to get so attached to a girl like Wheeler. She's pretty, but she has no social standing."
Steve huffed and grumbled, leaning against the wall near the door. Steph was always like this, acting like the spitting image of their father; everything was about social standing, taking advantage of others, and keeping up appearances just so other powerful adults would find you cute and promising for the future. It was never about what they really wanted. Sighing heavily as his forehead develops slight wrinkles.
"Can't I actually be looking for a different future than the one he expects?" Steve retorted, his fingers fidgeting anxiously as he tried to resist the urge to pinch himself and curse himself for even considering it. "I...want something with Nancy, something different from what he expects of me. I'm not good at business, and this is far from being a job that will make me happy. Nancy makes me think that...maybe I can have a different path."
Stephanie stops cleaning her face, The water dripped from the tap while her silence seemed to suffocate Steve. It was painful and unfair how frightening she could be even without really trying, especially when it came to the suggestion of going against their parents. Being a Harrington is living by the expectations and rules imposed on you, it's stepping over anyone in your way to get to the top, it's moving forward when your parents would rather be anywhere in the world than with you, it's staying in line and dealing with your own problems because no one will do it for you. It's not letting yourself dream about things that are impossible to happen.
These were things they learned from a very young age; they may seem free, but they are not, and that is a notion that any young Harrington needs to have in order to stay on their feet.
"Yeah, right..." Stephanie mocked, she ran her hand over her wet face, a disbelieving laugh escaping her lungs. "As if that would ever happen. Do me a favor, Steve, and break Wheeler's heart with style." She slammed the bathroom door shut, making sure the noise would make Steve recoil.
The only thing that could be heard afterward was the sound of the shower turning on and the boy's tired sigh. She was right, but that wouldn't make him give up on Nancy so easily. Especially since his father was at yet another conference and his mother had obviously joined him; neither of them would be returning home anytime soon, which meant that Stephanie and Steve once again had the house to themselves.
[...]
Riding his bike alone at night wasn't really new to Will. It was still a little scary, sure, but he had to get used to it; after all, his mother couldn't come pick him up since she had to work overtime to earn extra income, and his brother wasn't home either.
But he'd lived his whole life in Hawkins; to say he knew every road and shortcut in town was an understatement. Whenever he needed to hide from his bullies or his father, Will sometimes, or almost always, had to use shortcuts to lose them; he was an expert at it. After all, Will Byers was never a fighter, but he was great at hiding.
The flashing light on his bike was his first sign that something was wrong.
When it happened again, Will didn't expect a third time. As soon as he saw that deformed silhouette a little further down the road, Will couldn't tell what it was, but it definitely wasn't human. He was already far from Mike's neighborhood, and the closest path to his house was through the forest, so when he got scared, his first instinct was to turn towards the woods, losing his balance and falling to the muddy ground. He barely had time to process, rushing to get up, abandoning his bicycle there to run as fast as he could.
He took the forest path, heard a chime, and panicked, running even faster through the turbulent path, full of mud and rocks that hindered his run. But his fear spoke louder, it always did, and his only certainty there was: If he stopped running, he would die.
Will gasped and whimpered when he finally reached his destination, arriving home and rushing inside, still hearing the grunts and growls of that thing that was chasing him.
He rushed into the house, ignoring his dog barking happily at his arrival. He frantically searched for his mother and brother, desperately seeking help.
"Mom?! Jonathan?!" He opened the doors to the rooms, searching for his two sources of safety, but received only silence in response. "Mom?!" he cried once more.
He went to the window, an unusual fog covering the surroundings outside his house. Forcing himself to look, he was confronted with the horrendous silhouette again, his eyes widening as he looked away from the glass and went to the phone, his breathing irregular.
He dialed the police number, his last hope for survival. That thing was there, and it was after him.
"Hello? Hello?!" He cried, his voice reaching a different, high-pitched tone from so much fear. On the other end of the line, he only heard a strange crackling sound, but no answer.
His dog's barking grew more and more insistent, warning him about the creature, trying to protect him somehow. He looked at the door; the checkered window was slowly covered by the same shadow as before, and when the lock opened by itself, Will ran again, dropping the phone and exiting through the back door, taking shelter in a separate room in the yard where gardening tools and other junk were stored.
This time he wasn't going to run anymore; there was no more running. He needed to fight. And it was with this thought that he picked up his father's old gun and loaded it with ammunition, aiming at the door with an intense look that revealed his terror.
But of course, for a desperate and lost child, things were never fair. The small lamp that pathetically illuminated the space increased its power to an impossible level.
The light got brighter, brighter, and brighter...
And when it reversed back to the normal, Will Byers and the creature were no longer in this reality.
[...]
The next morning, Will's mom, Joyce, was searching for her keys. After a while, she found them.
She then said goodbye to her oldest son, Jonathan, who was cooking breakfast for himself and Will.
Joyce noticed the claw marks on a broken front door.
A lot of thoughts flooded her mind. The thought of a bear coming into the house, or anything that could be dangerous for them. She then realized Will wasn't in the room and her chest ached with worry.
"Where's Will?" she asked, panicking.
"I haven't woken him up yet." Jonathan replied.
"You have to make sure he's up, Jon. I told you this a thousand times." Joyce went to Will's room. "Will, it's time to get up!"
Will wasn't there, her little boy was nowhere to see. Joyce felt her heart race, panic filling her lungs.
Joyce went back to Jonathan. "You saw him come home last night, right?"
"I didn't see him." Jon replied.
"Did he come home or not?"
"I don't know. I came home late. I was working. Eric asked if I could cover for him. I said yes. I thought we could use the extra cash."
"Jon, we talked about this. You can't take shifts while I'm working!" She stressed, getting even more nervous
"I'm sure he just stayed over. He was at the Wheelers all day."
"I can't believe you." She sighs heavily, running her hands through her hair, trying to keep herself calm. A good mom wouldn't freak out on her son, a good mom would calm down and breathe, not taking out her feelings on her oldest son. Joyce really needs to get better at this...
Joyce went to the phone to call Mike's parents, remembering that Will was playing on Mike's yesterday.
The phone rang for a bit, but after a while, Karen answered.
"Hi Karen, it's Joyce." said Joyce. She heard a voice in the background. "Was that Will I heard back there?
"No." Karen replied.
"Will didn't spend the night?"
"No, he left a little bit after 8:00. Why? Is he not home?"
"You know what?" said Joyce. "He might've left early for school. Thank you. Bye." Yeah, that's a likely reason, Will must have left early, because she's a very intelligent and studious boy and wants to make her and Jonathan proud and...
Joyce hung up the phone, her mind racing and millions of mixed feelings making her sigh heavily and shake her head, trying to keep calm. That's all she needed to do. Keep herself calm and wait for her son to come back from school, because that's where he must be.
[...]
Meanwhile, at Hawkins Middle School, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas biked over to the school. Once they stopped, they noticed something off.
"I don't see him," said Mike, already feeling strange and missing the boy who is always glued on him.
"I'm telling you," Lucas assured. "He probably went to class early…again."
"He's always scared Ms. Gurskey will give him another pop quiz," Dustin remarked.
"Step right up ladies and gentlemen!" a voice shouted. "Step right up and get your tickets for the freak show!"
The boys turned to see their biggest arch-nemesis, Troy, the boy who always makes fun of them for no good reason.
"Who do you think will make more money in a freak show?" Troy continued before he punched Lucas. "Midnight?" He then punched Mike. "Frogface?" He finally punched Dustin. "Or Toothless?"
"I'd go with Toothless," Troy's friend, James, replied, a sadistic smile on his face.
"For the millionth time," said Dustin. "My teeth are coming in. It's called cleidocranial dysplasia."
"'For the millionth time,'" Troy mocked. "Hey, do the arm thing."
Dustin reluctantly did as requested. He took off his jacket and stretched out his arms, cracking the bones.
As the bullies left, Mike assured Dustin, "That's actually cool. It's like you have superpowers."
"Except I can't fight evil with them," Dustin retorted with a grumble.
Being a weirdo in Hawkins is a challenge, one called: Survive it till You're grades or try to fit in. Those four boys? They're really trying to get through it, not planning to change themselves to be included, but also tired of having to get beat up just for being who they are. So they stick together and keep others like them around.
They're strong, they can overcome this.
Nancy Wheeler hadn't expected her year to end so well. After all, being a real scholar at Hawkins High School only meant being an invisible, nameless person without the respect of the rest of the students. She would dare say that this school could be considered a battlefield where you have to fight to survive. This year she did well enough to go unnoticed, grateful that she had her childhood best friend with her throughout the process, Barbara, someone who could be just as forgotten among the students as Nancy, but because of her appearance ended up being more persecuted and teased, mainly by Stephanie Harrington and her two best friends Nicole and Emily, the main trio of cheerleaders. Nancy and Barbara shared a common anger towards the queen of the school.
However, the biggest shock was that the brother of the girl who had been pursuing her, Steve Harrington, took an interest in her to the point of treating her almost like a girlfriend now. The king of Hawkins High School proved to be more interesting than she expected, captivating and sucking all of Nancy's attention for himself, like a needy dog craving all the attention it could get, it was even cute. Barbara definitely didn't let the matter of her actually dating Harrington go unanswered, questioning her in the school hallways with curious whispers while Nancy timidly answered and tried to change the subject.
"So, did he call?" Barbara asked, with noticeable enthusiasm in her voice.
"Keep you voice down.." Nancy shushed her, holding back a smile.
"Did he?" She questioned again, but in a more quiet tone.
"I told you, it's not like that." Seeing the look in Barbara's face, Nancy quickly corrected herself. "Okay, I mean, yes, he likes me, but not like that." She goes to her locker, opening it with a smile. "We just...made out a couple times."
"'We just...made out a couple times'? Nance, seriously, You're gonna be so cool now, it's ridiculous." Barbara jokes. "You better still hang out with me, That's all I'm saying. If you become friends with Tommy H and Carol, or Stephanie Harrington I swear--"
"Oh no, That's gross!" Nancy immediately rejects the unrealistic idea. "Okay, I'm telling you, it was a one-time...two-time thing. I'm not simply going to replace you for Queen Harrington, that would be...ught, gross, just gross." They both chuckle and she turns towards her locker again, finding a note inside it.
Find me in the bathroom
- Steve.
"You were saying?" Barbara raises an eyebrow.
In the bathroom it didn't take too much time for them starting to make out, Steve held Nancy against the wall and held onto her front. As they kissed, the ring echoed through the school, catching Nanny's attention, but Steve just ignored it.
"I have to get to class" She tried to tell him.
The Harrington urged for the kiss to continue, as if this would be their last moment together, pouting every time Nancy tried to interrupt. After a minute, Steve relented, he let Nancy go and allowed her to breathe.
"Wait, wait, wait!" He ran to catch her backpack from the floor. "Can we do something tonight?" He quickly asked, his round eyes looking at her as if she owns his life.
"Uh...No, I can't." She even felt bad about having to reject his invitations, but if he didn't want to put in the effort at school, there was nothing she could do. Nancy had parents that would care if she got bad grades. "I have to study for Kaminsky's test."
"Oh come on, what's your GPA again? 3.999..."
"Kaminsky's tests are impossible." She tried to catch her backpack, and Steve quickly took it out of her reach.
"Then I'll help!"
"You failed chemistry." She rolled her eyes, trying to snatch the backpack from him again.
"It'd only a C-minus. So It'll be at your place around 8:00?" He kept talking as if she had just agreed with him.
"Are you crazy? My mom would not--"
"It'll climb through your window!" He suggested, like it was a great solution. "She doesn't even know I'm there. I'm stealthy, like a ninja." He smirked, returning her backpack but still blocking the passage.
Nancy chuckled incredulously. "You are crazy." She tried to walk past him, but he held her back.
"Wait, wait, wait. Just...forget about that. We can just...like, chill in my car. We can find a nice quiet place to park, and..."
"Steve..." She stared, trying to look deadly serious at him. "I have to study. I'm not kidding."
"Well, why do you think I want it to be nice and quiet?"
Nancy can't hold back a smile this time. "You're an idiot, Steve Harrington."
She pulled away from his chest, walking to the bathroom door before stopping and turning back to face him. "Meet me at Dearborn and Maple at 8:00." Watching a smile growing on his face, she reinforces. "To study." He sighed.
Nancy responded with a barely concealed giggle before leaving the bathroom, her cheeks flushed and her heart racing.
Dating the boy known as the king of the school was certainly the biggest news in Nancy Wheeler's life. Known as just another studious nerd in Hawkins, it was still hard to believe that this was even real. He had proven to be more decent than she imagined, of course, only when they were alone, but Nancy liked her privacy.
However, good things always bring bad things along with them. Steve Harrington's problem—besides his reputation as a womanizer—was his twin sister, Stephanie Harrington.
The same Stephanie that Nancy had the misfortune of running into as soon as she left the bathroom.
Stephanie was beautiful, the definition of what many would call gorgeous, with beautiful, slightly curly, and extremely voluminous brown hair. Her expression always carried an air of impressiveness and power, walking through the school hallways as if she owned the place. Unlike Steve, her clothing style was much bolder, with low-cut tops, tight skirts, pants that accentuated her buttocks and legs, leather boots with long shafts or flashy, shiny heels; sometimes she wore sunglasses, but she always sported expensive necklaces and bracelets, bags, and trinkets. Although, she didn't need much to be beautiful, as proven by the numerous times Nancy saw her soaked from swimming, wearing only a swimsuit with minimal details.
The taller girl stopped her at the bathroom exit, her penetrating gaze analyzing the girl from head to toe, her judgment clear in her body language. "Nancy Wheeler, isn't it?" she asked with a forced smile, the hallway too empty to bother trying to disguise it better. "You must be my brother's new girlfriend..."
Nancy didn't dare correct her, since they were actually just dating. “It’s me…”
“I don’t think Steve ever properly introduced us, and knowing that idiot, he won’t bother.” Stephanie’s arm, which had been leaning against the wall and cornering Nancy, moved to her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “I just wanted to get an idea of the kind of girl he’s been hanging out with lately, and…have a little chat with you, Nancy. Can I call you that? Wheeler seems too much since you’re temporarily my sister-in-law now. I’d let you call me Steph!” Her face reveals no trace of deceit or malice to anyone watching from afar, but every stranger or nerd who has suffered at Stephanie’s hands knows how to recognize her threats to this extent. “Especially since Steve will probably bring you along with his little group, which consequently includes me. And I wanted to make something clear, Nancy…” Her lips moved to Nancy’s ear, whispering there. “Just because my brother suddenly decided you’re worth something now, doesn’t change the fact that it’s all temporary. So don’t get your hopes up too high, you’ll end up getting hurt.”
Stephanie stepped back with a wicked smile, gently patting Nancy’s shoulder and blowing a goodbye kiss. “Have a good day, Wheeler!!” And she walked down the hall with all her mighty, leaving Nancy breathless at the bathroom door.
[...]
Joyce couldn't wait any longer, not when her son was nowhere to be found and hadn't been seen by anyone since the previous night. She needed to find him, she needed help.
So she went to the police department, worried and anxious for her child's safety. She sat in one of the chairs, her leg tapping nervously as she waited for the police chief, Jim Hopper, to arrive at the station.
As more time passed, all she could think was that Will could be anywhere, lost and alone, most likely suffering. That made her stomach churn and her fear grow. Her youngest son had never disappeared like this. In fact, he was a very well-behaved child, always letting her know when he was going out and where he was going, keeping her and Jonathan informed as much as he could. She couldn't have failed so badly as a mother; she couldn't bear to lose her little one because of her own irresponsibility.
Being a single mother of two with a low income, it was extremely difficult to be the best mother in the world, especially on days when she came home exhausted from her two jobs and the only thing she could think about was collapsing on the couch and sleeping, but Joyce believed she was doing her best.
But if her best meant losing her son completely off the radar...maybe her best wasn't enough. And that hurt like hell.
As Hopper filed a missing report, Joyce went on tangent. "I've been waiting for an hour, Hopper! I'm going out of my mind!"
"Look, boys his age go missing all the time," Hopper assured. "He could just be playing hookie or something."
"No, not my Will," said Joyce. "He'd never do that."
"You never know. My mom thought I was on the debate team, when I was just..."
"He's not like you. He's not like me. He's not like…most people. He has a few friends, but most of the kids are mean. They make fun of him, call him names, they laugh at him, his clothes..."
"What's wrong with his clothes?"
"I don't know. Does it even matter? All in all, he's a sensitive kid. Lonnie used to say he was 'queer', called him a fag."
"Is he?"
"He's missing, that's what." Joyce got back to the point with an irritated look.
"When did you last hear from Lonnie?"
"Last I heard, he was in Indianapolis, but that was a year ago. He has nothing to do with this." Now she hasn't even sure anymore, not with the lack of clues here.
"Why don't you give me his number?"
"Hopper, he has nothing to do with this!"
"Joyce, a lot of the time a kid goes missing, he's with a parent or relative."
"But a lot is not all. Something might be happening to him."
"Joyce, this is Hawkins. The worst thing that happened was when an owl attacked someone's head because it thought their hair was a nest."
"Fine, I will call Lonnie. I'll talk to him before he talks to a cop. Just find my son, Hopper. Find him."
[...]
Despite the bullying they endured with the other children, and the harsh and inconvenient teachers, there was one teacher who was certainly the joy of the four boys.
Mr. Clarke, as they called him, always brought and shared scientific experiments with the four, and even now with only three present, it was no different.
Mike, the curious one, was the first to ask, of course. "Did it come?"
"Sorry boys..." Mr. Clarke replied with a glum look, just to see their faces fall apart. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but..." he grinned. "It came."
Mr. Clarke led the boys to a closet where he showed them a device: 'The Heathkit Ham Shack', as he called it.
"I bet you can talk to New York on this thing," said Dustin.
"Think bigger," said Mr. Clarke.
"California?" Lucas guessed.
"Bigger."
"Australia?" Mike assumed.
Mr. Clarke nodded.
"When Will sees this, he'll blow his shit," said Lucas.
As the boys started to prank-call Australia, the principal came in with the sheriff in tow.
"May I borrow Michael, Lucas, and Dustin for a bit?" the principal asked.
In the principal's office, the kids were talking to the sheriff, but they were talking all at once, making it hard for the adults to understand.
"One at a time, please?" Hopper asked before pointing at Mike. "You said he takes what?"
"Mirkwood," Mike replied. "We made up the name. It's where Cornwallis and Kerley meet. We can show it to you. We can help look."
"Thanks for the offer," Hopper replied, as chill as he could. "But no. After school, you're all going straight home. That means no biking, no looking for your friend, no investigating, no nonsense. This isn't some fantasy story."
Everyone in the room narrowed their eyes in a certain direction.
"Do I make myself clear?" Hopper asked the kids.
The kids tried to argue.
He stood up, causing the boys to shiver in fear. "Do I make myself clear?"
The boys backed down and nodded, reluctantly.
[...]
Joyce and Jonathan searched through the woods, where she remembered about a place that Will liked to hide, the famous "castle Byers". It was a little but more elaborate fort that Jonathan helped him to build.
It was like his safe place, where no one would bother him unless he allowed the person in, even Joyce asked permission to enter, not daring to break her Son's privacy and trust on her.
Seeing that 'castle' empty hurt, and it made Joyce's hopes get even more destroyed. She reached Jonathan, hugging her oldest son for some kind of support, her tears wetting his shirt while he tried to calm her down.
It didn't take long for the disappearance of Will Byers to become the topic of the moment.
The boy had vanished like dust; there was no sign of him except for his bicycle lying on the edge between the road and the forest, which indicated that he had probably lost control of his pedaling and fallen. The only obvious answer would be that the boy walked home. That was the most reasonable assumption for Hopper.
It wasn't common for a boy to disappear like that; children are clumsy, and whenever they want to disappear from their parents' radar, they still leave obvious clues as to where they might have gone, but as Joyce had rightly said: Will Byers wasn't like other children.
He went to the Byers' residence, finding Joyce freaking out on the phone while Jonathan tried to calm her down. The older boy was really having his emotional day there, between worrying about his missing little brother and his panicking mother. Hopper couldn't pretend he didn't feel sorry for him, especially being aware of and remembering Lonnie's case. He still felt a deep anger towards the man.
He interrupted the scene by drawing the attention of the two, he and two police officers entering the house already searching for more clues about the route Will took last night. He explains to Joyce and Jonathan about Will's bicycle.
"Did it have any blood on it?" she asked, voice filled with worry even though it's tired and barely loud enough to hear.
"No." Hopper replied, his gaze exploring the entire house.
"Then why are you here?" asked Jonathan.
"He had keys to the house, right?"
"Yeah," Joyce replied.
"Maybe he came home," Hopper theorized.
"You think I didn't check my own damn house?!" asked Joyce, the intensity from before coming back again.
"I'm not saying that."
Hopper finally decided to bring up the claw marks. There weren't just some on the door, which had been reattached by now, but there were also some marks on the wall near the back door. "Were those scratches on the door not there before?"
Joyce didn't notice them until now. "That's odd. How did I not notice that before?"
The two went out the back door to see the Byers' dog barking at the shed. He looked scared.
Joyce assumed the dog was hungry and took him inside.
Hopper thought that maybe the dog was barking about something in the shed.
He entered the shed and reached to turn on the light, but he noticed there was already plenty of light coming from outside. He looked in front of him to see the back wall had been torn down. He noticed the very same scratch marks coming from the wall's remnants.
That's when the light flickered on for a second before turning back off. Hopper continued searching the shed and found a red jacket lying on the ground.
Then one of the officers called Hopper, scaring him.
"Are you deaf?" asked the officer. "I've been calling you."
The two cops left the shed as Hopper ordered, "Call Flo. I want to get a search party together. Get as many volunteers as you can muster."
[...]
That night, at the Wheeler residence, the Wheeler family were having dinner.
"We have to go look for him," Mike begged. "Will could be in danger."
"More reason to stay put," Karen retorted.
"Mom!"
"End of discussion."
Karen looked around to see if anyone else would back her up, but everyone else stayed silent.
Eventually, Nancy changed the topic. "So, me and Barbara are gonna study at her place tonight. Is that cool?"
"No," Karen replied.
"Why not?"
"What do you think? Am I speaking Chinese here? Until we know Will is okay, no one leaves this house at night."
"That's bullshit!"
"Language," the dad, Ted, scolded.
"So we're under house arrest?" asked Nancy. "Just because Mike's friend got lost…"
"So this is Will's fault?" Mike interrupted.
"Nancy, take that back," Karen ordered.
"No," Nancy replied.
"You're pissed 'cause you wanna hang out with Steve," Mike teased.
"Who's Steve?" asked Ted.
"Her new boyfriend," Mike snitched.
"You are such a dick, Mike!" Nancy yelled.
"Language," Ted scolded again.
Nancy had enough and stormed upstairs to her room, ignoring Karen's demands she come back. That's when Karen saw her youngest daughter, Holly, looking as if she's about to cry. Karen went to calm her down.
"You see, this is what happens, Mike," Ted said.
"You're being so unfair!" Mike shouted. "It's like I'm the only one here that cares about Will!"
"We do care," Karen assured. "About him, and you, Nancy, and your friends. We can't have any more of you getting hurt."
Mike angrily stormed upstairs to his room.
Meanwhile, in the woods, Hopper and a search party were searching for any sign of Will. One person in the search was Mr. Clarke.
"Will's a great student," Mr. Clarke told Hopper. "I don't think we met. I'm Scott Clarke. I teach biology at Hawkins Middle."
"I never liked science," Hopper commented. "Sarah, my daughter, always understood that stuff. I always figured there was enough going on down here that I didn't need to look elsewhere. She lives with her mom in the city. Thanks for coming, teach. We appreciate it."
Meanwhile, Mike was in the basement calling Lucas on his walkie-talkie.
"Lucas, do you copy? Over," he called.
"This is Lucas," Lucas eventually replied. "I copy. Over."
"I'm worried about Will. Over."
"I was thinking. Will could've cast protection last night, but he didn't. He cast a fireball. Over."
"What's your point? Over," asked Lucas.
"My point is, he could've played it safe, but he didn't. He put himself in danger to protect the party. Over."
"Meet me at ten. Over and out."
Mike quickly packed his bags and snuck out of the house.
He grabbed his bike and biked off. He noticed Steve trying to climb through Nancy's window. He just rolled his eyes in annoyance and continued biking.
Steve knocked on Nancy's window, catching her attention.
Nancy opened the window and scolded, "What are you doing here? I told you over the phone I'm under house arrest now."
"I figured we'd study here," Steve replied.
"No way."
"I don't want you failing this test."
Nancy just rolled her eyes in annoyance as she let Steve in and closed the window.
[...]
Mike, Lucas, and Dustin reached the area of the woods where Will was last seen. The area had been closed off.
Dustin felt a drop of water hit his face.
"Guys, I think we should go back," he said.
"No," Mike replied. "We're not going back. Just stay together. Come on. Stay on Channel 6. Don't do anything stupid."
[...]
Back in Nancy's room, Steve was quizzing Nancy using some flashcards.
After a while, Steve came up with an idea. "How about every time you get an answer right, I take off my clothes, but if you get one wrong, you…"
"No," Nancy interrupted.
"Come on, it'll be fun," Steve pulled out another card. "During fractional distillation, hydrocarbons are separated according to their…"
"Melting point."
Steve turned the card around. "No. It's boiling point."
"That's what I meant."
"That's not what you said. You know what that means."
"No."
"No? Or do you need help?"
Steve leaned towards Nancy. Nancy relented and the two shared a kiss.
"Was this your plan all along?" Nancy asked when they pulled away. "To come in here so you could…get another notch on your belt."
"Nancy, no," Steve assured.
"I'm not a slut."
"You're right. You're not a slut. You're my cutie."
Steve grabbed Nancy's teddy bear and imitated it. "Bad, Steve. Don't do that to Miss Nancy."
"You're an idiot, Steve," said Nancy.
"You're beautiful, Nancy," said Steve, already approaching to kiss her again, but he could feel that something was still bothering her. He stops his flirting advances, staring at her.
Confused, she tilts her head at him. “What?”
“There’s something bothering you.” That'd likely be one of the first times she saw Steve so serious, and honestly, looking even a bit worried. With his round and big brown eyes staring at her. “I wanna know what it is so I can help you.”
“It's…it's really nothing much Steve…” She smiles nervously.
“Come on, it may not seem like it, but I know how to read people very well.” He pulls her hair behind her ear, his puppy dog eyes making an appearance again. “Don’t lie to me, if it's bothering you to the point you can’t ignore, it's because it is an important matter.”
Nancy hesitated, seriously considering whether or not she should tell Steve what had happened earlier. After a sigh, she began. "Your sister stopped me after our little encounter in the bathroom and we had...a conversation, I guess I can call it that." She saw Steve tense. "Steve...promise me that if you...get tired of this at some point or decide that we're not worth it anymore, you'll talk to me first? Don't change your mind out of the blue, give me some warning."
Steve frowned, his face contorting between anger and frustration. "Nance, whatever she told you...Steph just...likes to provoke others for her own amusement, don't worry about what she says. She probably just wanted to scare you." Seeing Nancy's gaze on him, Steve sighed and smiled. "Look, I promise, okay? If it will calm your anxiety, I promise. And I'll also talk to Steph about her...provocations as soon as I get home."
"I don't want to cause any fights between you two..."
"And you won't, don't worry, Steph and I always resolve things in our own way, you don't need to worry." He smiles slightly, holding Nancy's face affectionately in his hand. "Now...where were we?”
[...]
Back at the Byers's, Joyce and Jonathan were scrolling through photos of Will, the feeling of loss hitting them like a trainwreck. As every photo passes, Jonathan can feel tears threatening to fall down.
He should have been there for his little brother, it was his job to protect him, no matter what, it has always been his job. Protect him from their shit excuse of father, from his nightmares, from stupid kids at school. And in the one time that Will needed him the most, he wasn't there to save him…
"I know I haven't been there for you," Joyce apologized. "I've been…working so hard and I feel so bad. You don't know how much I want to spend time with you. I'm sorry." Joyce noticed Jonathan crying. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Jonathan tried to deny, but he couldn't keep it in anymore. "I'm sorry. I should've been there for him."
"No. Don't do that to yourself. It's not your fault. He's close, I know it. I feel it. You just have to trust me."
That's when the phone rang. Joyce ran to answer it.
"Hello?" She asked.
Static.
"Hello?"
Static.
"Lonnie? Hopper? Who is this?"
Muffled breathing.
"Will?"
Scrambled voice.
"Who is this? What have you done with my boy? GIVE ME BACK MY SON YOU BITCH!"
That's when Joyce felt the phone overheat and she dropped it.
Jonathan picked up the phone and put it to his ear, but he heard nothing.
Jon then turned to Joyce. "Who was it?"
"It was him, it was Will," Joyce cried, sobbing, her panic consuming her already.
"What did he say?" Jonathan tried to get her to focus, noticing her mind slipping away to pure fear.
"He said nothing, he just breathed."
Jonathan hugged Joyce, comforting her.
He has to keep strong for his family, he has to find his little brother so his mother can finally rest. They weren’t going to believe her, but he was.
[...]
Mike, Lucas, and Dustin would do anything for their friend.
And when they say anything, it means going through the woods just to find him. It also means they're idiots while doing this.
"I think we should go back," said Dustin.
"If you're gonna be such a baby, then go already," said Lucas.
"I'm being realistic."
"No you're not! You're being a big pussy!"
"We're going to the exact spot Will disappeared, unarmed. Does that sound smart to you?"
"Shut up!" Mike shouted. "Do you hear that?"
Everyone stopped and listened. They heard screaming.
They turned and saw a girl fall onto the ground. Thankfully, a convenient pile of leaves saved her from dying.
The girl got up, and saw the boys. She seemed
scared, but she did not try to run and hide. She just stood silently