Hey, everyone still reading!
I know my chapters are really short at the moment, but once a get a little better at this, they'll probably get longer. Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, reviewed or simply reads this story, u've no idea how much it means to me. Anyway, I'll shut up now. Here is chapter 4 :)
Steve's car pulled up in front of the Wheeler residence. He glanced over at the girl sat next to him. "Alright, here we are."
Nancy offered him a small smile, before staring out the window, daylight hardly detectable in the early hours of the morning.
Jonathan had to rush to the hospital after finding out his brother was there, so Steve, still loitering in his house after the whole Demogorgon event, had offered to drive Nancy back home. It had been quite a silent journey, both lost in their own thoughts.
Steve ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "So, are we okay now?"
Nancy rubbed her head, her love life the last thing on her mind right now. She opened his door and got out. "Look, I don't know, I'll see you later, okay?" Before shutting it, she added "Thanks for the ride."
Nancy trudged up her driveway, listening to Steve's car speeding off. She honestly couldn't wait to sleep for the rest of the day, if she could, and forget about her bedevilled thoughts for a while. This week had changed a lot for her, and Barb's death still hadn't properly clicked in her mind. There was still a part of her that blamed herself, and it wouldn't go away.
Nancy pushed her front door open, quietly in case her parents were somehow still asleep.
She hardly got two steps in the hallway, before there was an outcry of "Nancy!" and familiar arms were thrown round her, pulling her into a tight hug.
Nancy bewilderedly hugged her back. "M-Mom?" She knew they were probably worried about her, and she'd been expecting some yelling, but not this. "What's wrong?"
Her mother pulled away, and Nancy noticed tear tracks staining her face. Karen briefly glanced behind her daughter at the door, as if expecting someone else. Her face fell slightly. She turned back to Nancy, trying to compose herself. "I thought he might be with you."
"Who?" Nancy demanded straight away, trying not to jump to any conclusions. But already, her heart was thumping a little faster in her ribcage. She needed to hear it. "Mom, who?"
"Mike is missing," Karen's voice shook.
In a daze, Nancy walked further into her house. She was suddenly aware of her dad having a heated argument with someone on the phone, and Holly was anxiously sat on the couch, sucking her thumb.
"Do you have any idea where he could be?" Karen continued, gently grabbing Nancy's shoulder.
Nancy thought back when she had last seen him. "The school-"
"We looked there," Karen explained. "We've called a few people, but no one knows…"
Nancy let her mom's hysterical voice fade out of hearing. She'd left him at the school, only focusing on her furious anger aimed at the Demogorgon for her best friend's death, wanting revenge. Maybe if she'd stayed with him- Nancy covered her mouth, sickening dread settling in.
But he'd been with his friends. "Lucas and Dustin-"
"They're missing too," Karen retorted. "We're going to the Police Station as soon as it gets light enough, okay?" Karen held Nancy's face, staring intently at her. "I'm just- I'm glad you're safe, honey. And I'm sure he's fine…" she trailed off, sounding no where near convincing.
Of course, Nancy knew more than her mother did – the whole other side of the story she had to keep top secret – but the disappearance of the three boys confused even her. Was Eleven with them? Why hadn't they come home? There were a few conclusions in her head, some more disturbing than others, but she refused to think about them.
Nancy decided to stay with her parents for now, since she doubted her mom was letting her back out of her sight. She swallowed down her newfound fear. This wasn't the end.
She was going to get answers, somehow.
Will toyed with the mix tapes his brother had given them, just enjoying their presence as they continued to speak to him. Saying he'd had a 'rough' week was putting it lightly. Very lightly. It was a week he never wanted to experience again.
The last thing he remembered from That Place was his mom's distraught face staring down at him, as she cried that she loved him anything in the world.
But now he was home. Well, home enough with his mom and Jonathan sat around him in the hospital bed, their faces expressions of reassured and relieved happiness after a week of torture and not knowing if he was okay.
He still had questions, but this was really all he wanted for now; his family and his friends. It had been far too long since he'd been with them.
"Are my friends here?" the boy quietly asked. Will wondered if his friends were sat in the waiting room, probably worried about him. If they were, he wanted to see them; they never failed to cheer him up. He could do with one of Dustin's jokes right about now.
Joyce shifted, slightly. "No, sweetheart, they're not here yet. I'm sure they'll visit later though, okay?"
"Oh…okay," Will replied, shrugging it off. He'd catch up with them soon anyway, once he was allowed out of this hospital.
The friends in question – most of them anyway – were currently running out of the woods' boarders at a hectic pace, Lucas in the lead, then Dustin and El right behind him.
They could see Dustin's house now, situated on the outskirts of the forest just like he said. There wasn't a soul in sight, sans the three fatigued kids.
As they neared the residence, Dustin gave a sigh of relief when he saw he'd left his bedroom window unlocked. And his house was fortunately all on one level.
Dustin shoved at the glass and it gave way easily, the window drifting wide open. "Okay, here we go," he panted, as he and Lucas helped hoist an unsteady El up and over the ledge. They both then followed her in afterwards.
Dustin slammed the window shut and drew the curtains, not taking any chancing of El being seen, while Lucas and El collapsed on his bed, exhausted from running almost an entire mile.
After a few minutes, Lucas asked managed to ask, "Do you think they followed us here?"
"I don't think so," came Dustin's reply, as he reached up and his hand met his curly mop of hair. "Aw, crap, my hat."
Lucas scoffed, and sat up. "Forget about your hat, we need to come up with a plan! And we deffinatly need Hopper's help."
El's wide, brown orbs travelled from one boy to the other, as they continued to argue about what to do next.
"We both need to go to the police station, and explain this to Hopper," Lucas insisted. "Besides, our parents are probably there…" Both boys were hit with a slight wave of guilt, as they'd likely caused their families to worry a lot, by not coming home.
"What about El?" Dustin demanded.
"We can't take her with us, are you crazy?"
"But if we leave her, who knows what will happen?"
A growing anger was starting to form inside of El, as she sat quietly in the corner of the bed, arms hugged around her knees. Each minute they spent wasting time arguing was another minute Mike was away from her, in someplace bad.
"No," El voiced, loudly. Both boys shut up and turned to look at her in awe; she spoke so infrequently. "You go, I stay," she continued, speaking with such affirmative, they didn't dare question her decision.
"O-Okay," Dustin answered her, starting to slide off the bed. It was the first time he took in what they looked like; their clothes were grubby and dishevelled from spending the night sleeping in the forest. "I think we all need to change first though; you guys can borrow some clothes."
He hastened over to his closet and began rooting through it.
Lucas gave a small laugh. "It's kind of déjà vu for you, isn't it?" he commented to El.
El stared back at him, blankly.
"Oh, I mean…" Lucas mentally hit himself, forgetting there were many phrases El still didn't know. "You know, like how you've done this before? You borrowed clothes off Mike…" He trailed off, as El's face of curiosity turned to one of remorse and discomfort. Probably best not to mention Mike right now, Lucas resolved sadly.
El's increasing sadness was interrupted as a pair of jeans flew into her face, followed by a T-shirt. She grabbed at them, startled.
"There you go," Dustin proclaimed, tossing the other pair over to Lucas. "Okay, El, c'mon, you can get changed in the bathroom." He grabbed her hand, and pulled her off the bed, the clothes scrunched up in her other arm. He led her out of his bedroom, and through the door next to it.
Déjà vu, El thought meekly, as she stepped into the tiled room.
"You can get changed and cleaned up now, okay El?" Dustin remarked on her face still covered with dried blood. "We're just next door." He then turned to leave, keeping the bathroom door open for her, the way she liked.
El gripped the handle, asset on closing the door entirely – she'd already done it once before, but she hesitated, her brain compelling her to keep a small gap. Mike had been with her the last time she had done it. He wasn't here now.
When Mike had left her, so had her new fixated bravery; her phobias were brighter now, and old memories she tried to force down were clearer. With Mike, things had become easier, she had found it effortless to be happy and contented. If he had been next to her, closing this door would have been simple.
She pulled her hand away, leaving the door ajar, and turned away from it, dropping her newly owned clothes to the floor, and concentrating on her reflection in the mirror.
Her face was caked with dirt and blood painted her upper lip. Turning on the tap, she scrubbed water on it until it was clean. El then peeled off her fleece and pink dress, also coated in filth.
El grasped the clean clothes and brought them to her face, inhaling the scent. They smelt of Dustin. That was okay; El was grateful for anything that didn't smell of the lab.
But a small part of her – or a very large part – was overcome with a longing for these clothes to contain a different scent, a scent she missed so very much.
Of course, Dustin's clothes were too big for her; the jeans trailing over her feet and onto the floor, and the baggy T-shirt coming down almost to her knees. But El didn't care, simply rolling up the jeans so she could walk properly.
Entering Dustin's bedroom again, she discovered her two friends sat back on Dustin's bed, wearing fresher clothes, eating their way through a pile of candy.
"Is that better, El?" Dustin asked, shovelling the rest of his chocolate bar into his mouth, and standing up, followed by Lucas.
El nodded slowly. Lucas abruptly shoved a walkie talkie into her hands. "We're going to the police station now, okay?" the black-haired boy explained to her. "Dustin has got the other one in his backpack. If you really need to talk to us, use this. And we'll do the same."
"Yeah, you'll be safe here," Dustin assured her, tying the laces of his shoes back up. "There's candy if you're hungry. And if you're lonely, you can talk to Yertle," Dustin gestured at the large glass tank stored in the corner of his room, consisting of his tortoise.
El inquisitively stared at over at it, not realizing it had been an animal inside. She turned back to the boys, walkie talkie clutched in her hands.
"You sure you're going to be okay?" Dustin asked, grasping her shoulders, eyes watching hers.
El took a deep breath, and nodded. "Yes."
Dustin pulled her into a hug. "We'll be back soon," he commented. And we'll find Mike, he added silently.
El let him go, and hugged Lucas too. She watched them exit Dustin's bedroom – he again left the door slightly open for her.
El finally heard the front door slam. She was alone.
It was still better then last time, when she'd been alone in the woods, after feeling guilty for hurting Lucas. Last time, she didn't know if they were coming back. This time, she knew they were.
El looked down at the walkie talkie in her hands. She shakily pulled up the antenna.
But is wasn't Dustin or Lucas she was about to try and contact.