Chapter Three: Home

Elizabeth never let go of Will's hand as she led him through the trees, the other hand holding the dim lamp out in front to lead the way. She examined every tree they passed, looking for any sign of the glow that had led her to his place. It felt like they had been searching for hours, with no luck. She was starting to lose hope that they would ever find it, but knew she couldn't stop looking.

"Lizzie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry," Will whispered, and Elizabeth's own stomach growled as if responding to the boy.

"Me too," she admitted. "Just wait a little longer, okay?"

The boy only groaned in response, and she sighed. Maybe they had gone the wrong direction? She couldn't remember which way she had been running the first time she ran from the monster, so they could be going the complete opposite of the way the hole in the tree was.

With a sigh of acceptance, Elizabeth stopped walking. She turned to Will after a quick scan of the surroundings to make sure nothing was around. "This place looks like Hawkins, right?" Will nodded. "So… maybe we're still there. I mean, your Castle was here right?"

"Right," Will nodded again. "Which means other places should be here, right?"

"Right," Elizabeth echoed. "And your castle has to be close to your house. You have food there?"

Will's eyes lit up. "Yeah! I think I know how to get there from here."

"Perfect. Let's find your house, get some food, and then we'll keep looking for the hole. Good?"

Will took the lead then, still holding tightly to Lizzie's hand as he led her back the way they had come. It took a while, but eventually they made their way back to Castle Byers. The light had gone out on the lamp and Elizabeth considered re-lighting it, but decided to save it for when they were searching for the hole. She still held onto it though, just in case.

Passing by the fort, Will continued to lead her through the trees until they came across a small house in the middle of the woods. Will stopped just short of the front porch, and Elizabeth looked down at him. "What's up?"

"It looks… different," he admitted.

Elizabeth imagined that was true for everywhere here. While it certainly looked like a house, it looked like it should have been condemned. It was covered in dead foliage and vines, just like everything else here, and there was no light coming from inside. "Come on," she urged, walking him towards the door. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

The pair made their way inside the house, careful to avoid touching any of the vines as they did. Will finally let go of Elizabeth's hand, making his way to the kitchen. She took the chance to glance around the place, biting her lip. Yeah, definitely condemned.

When she joined Will in the kitchen, she saw him staring at the yellow phone on the wall. "Think it works?" he asked, and she wasn't sure if he was kidding or not.

"Guess there's only one way to find out," she said in the same half-joking tone. "Give it a whirl, kid."

Will reached carefully towards the phone, lifting it off the hook and holding it to his ear. He didn't even dial anything, just spoke. "Hello?"

Elizabeth took the time to start searching cupboards, pulling out a box of cereal she found. If there was any milk here, she didn't even wanna try to find it. Dry cereal was better than nothing.

"Mom?"

Elizabeth turned her head to Will, almost dropping the cereal box from her hand. "Is someone on the phone?"

Will looked back at Lizzie, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "I — I don't know. I think I hear something, but I can't hear what they're saying."

Elizabeth rushed forward, pushing the box towards Will and grabbing the phone from his other hand. "Hello? Hello, is anybody there?" The sound that came from the phone sounded like it was underwater, garbled and staticky. "Miss Byers? This is Elizabeth Parker, I'm here with Will!"

"W — my son?"

"Joyce, can you hear me? I'm with Will, we're trapped somewhere and we need help!"

"Ca— my — done —"

"Joyce?"

"Let me talk to her!" Will nearly shouted, ripping the phone away from Elizabeth and shoving the cereal back into her hands. "Mom? Mom, you have to help us! There's something here, it's trying to hurt us! I don't know how to get home, please, you have to —"

An all too familiar low growl had Elizabeth once again holding her hand over Will's mouth. It sounded like it was right outside the window. Pulling Will away from the phone as he yelled against her hand in protest, she dragged him towards the back of the house into a bedroom and kicked the door shut. She tossed the cereal box onto the bed and let go of Will for a second to lock the door before grabbing him once more and pushing him towards the closet, closing them both inside and holding him behind her back.

Just like back in the fort, Elizabeth's eyes remained glued to the door until the growling stopped. She waited a few extra minutes after the noise had stopped just to be sure before opening the door just an inch, glancing out into the bedroom. The door was still closed and locked. She left the closet and moved to the window, pulling the curtains shut.

"I yelled again," Will whispered behind her. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she mumbled back. "I was being loud too. We just have to be more careful." She glanced at the cereal on the bed and pointed towards it. "Help yourself, kid. Just don't eat all the marshmallows, okay?"

Will probably would have laughed at that if he hadn't just been on the verge of death for the second time in a span of hours. He loved quietly to his brother's bed and crawled on top of it, opening the box and shoveling cereal into his mouth.

Elizabeth took the opportunity to open the bedroom door, glancing around the corner to be sure no terrifying monsters were lurking around. "I'm gonna check out the living room, okay?" Will nodded and she opened the door the rest of the way, stepping carefully down the hallway.

—

Joyce sat on the floor of her living room, her head in her hands as she sobbed. She was so sure she had heard somebody on the phone before it shorted out, she was positive. At first it sounded like Will, but then someone else? It had sounded almost like a girl, but then it was Will again, and then it had fried in her hands and she just wanted her boy back please God just give me my boy back.

The light flickered above her, and her head shot up to stare at the ceiling. She stood slowly, walking towards the lights on the walls in the hallway as the flickering moved there. "Jonathon?" she asked the air, following the flickers. The lamp on the table outside of her son's bedroom flickered then, and she rushed to it.

"Should I stay or should I go now?"

The music blaring made her jump and press her back to the wall, a small whimper escaping her lips. The song continued loudly as the lights beneath the door flickered on and off. Building her courage, she moved towards the door and pushed her way into the room.

The radio continued to play as another lamp by the bedroom window flickered once more. Joyce moved closer to the lamp, trying to hold back her sobs as she placed her hands on the lamp.

"Will? Will, is that you?"

The light grew brighter and brighter, and she almost smiled as if it was confirmation until the lightbulb burst. The radio stopped playing, and the electricity in the house shut off. "Will," she sobbed once more, almost hugging the lampshade to her chest.

Then the wall started moving.

Joyce screamed and backed away until her knees hit the bed, the wall stretching impossibly towards her. She didn't stop screaming as she scrambled towards the door, running down the hall and straight out the front door, slamming it behind her.

She made it all the way to her car, fumbling for her keys and muttering to herself, "Oh God, oh God, oh God," the entire time.

Just as the car started, all the lights in her house suddenly turned back on, drawing her attention. She could faintly hear the sound of Jonathon's radio kicking back on.

"Darling you have to let me know, should I stay or should I go?"

Joyce had no idea what the hell was happening, but if there was even the slightest chance that this was some kind of message from her son, she knew she couldn't leave. Steeling her resolve, with a few steady breaths, she turned the car back off and climbed out, heading back towards her house.

—

Elizabeth jumped when she felt a hand on her back, and physically bit her tongue to hold back the scream that threatened to escape. She turned back to see Will, his eyes bright. "You have to come check this out," he insisted, grabbing her hand and leading her back to the bedroom. He stopped in front of a lamp against the window.

"I heard my mom," he told her. "I heard her say my name, so I started moving around the room and — well, watch this." Elizabeth watched as Will moved his hand closer to the lamp and it started to glow. "See?"

Elizabeth squinted her eyes, moving closer to the lamp. "What the hell?"

"I don't know how it works, but I think she could see it. It was hard to hear her, and I don't hear her anymore, but I think we can talk to her." Will moved his hand away from the lamp and the light dimmed out. Then he grabbed Lizzie's hand and moved it closer to the lamp, laughing quietly when it lit back up. "See?"

Elizabeth chuckled, testing it out a few times moving her hand back and forth. "This is amazing," she whispered.

"Yeah," Will agreed. "I think she left, I don't know why. But maybe when she gets back we can try to talk to her again?"

"You're damn right we'll try again. We just have to be careful, okay? Let's wait until we hear her again before messing with it anymore. We don't want anything else to see the lights in here."

Will nodded and took a step back from the lamp to show he was listening. "Oh," he said after a second, moving to grab the cereal box from the nightstand by the bed. "Here," he offered. "I didn't eat all the marshmallows."

Elizabeth laughed, tousling the boy's hair. "Thanks, kid."

The two sat together on the bed, Elizabeth eating small handfuls of cereal that tasted like the best thing she'd ever eaten purely because of how hungry she was, waiting for a sign that somebody was there so they could reach out via lamp.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" Elizabeth suggested. "It might be a while before anyone is here again. You should get some rest."

Will yawned, his body automatically reacting to the idea of sleep. "What about you?" he asked after his yawn. "Have you slept yet?"

"Yeah," she lied, ignoring the side of her brain that was scolding her for the distinct lack of sleep she had gotten lately. She had no idea how long they had been there. It could have been hours or weeks. "Yeah, I got some sleep earlier, I'm good. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out while you get a nap in. I'll wake you up if anything happens."

Will looked like he wanted to protest, but sighed instead and leaned back against the pillows that were decidedly more comfortable than his makeshift bed in the fort. He considered it for a moment before scooting closer to Lizzie, his legs pressed against her so he knew she was there. "Goodnight, Lizzie."

Elizabeth smiled at the kid, once again tousling his hair. "'Night, kid."

She waited patiently for him to fall asleep, placing the cereal back on the nightstand. When she was sure she was out, she stood carefully from the bed and inched closer to the lamp across from her. As quietly as possible, she whispered into the air, "Joyce? Can you hear me?"

All she heard was silence, and the lamp didn't so much as flicker. She moved a hand toward it to make sure it still worked. When she got close enough for it to produce a dim light, she stepped back away from it and took another look at Will asleep on the bed.

Life had gotten so crazy lately.

—

Elizabeth woke with a start, her hand searching for the oil lamp she carried as a weapon as she heard the creak of floorboards. She had no idea when she had fallen asleep, but she was sitting on the ground with her back leaned against the bed. When her fingers touched the oil lamp she tightened her grip on it and stood slowly from her resting place, glancing at the bed.

Will was gone.

She took off in a sprint, wrenching the door open and running into the living room. She couldn't see him. "Will?"

The boy peeked his head out from inside a cupboard against the wall and waved her over. "Lizzie! I heard my mom again!"

Elizabeth closed her eyes, forcing her breaths to steady as she focused on slowing her heart rate back to normal. Will was okay, she thought, she hadn't failed him. Then she realized what he had said. Her eyes flew back open and she walked closer to him. "Did you talk to her?"

"I think so! It kind of sounded like she was talking to someone else at first, but then she said my name again. Just listen."

Elizabeth held her breath as she listened. And listened. And listened. "I don't hear —"

"Will? Are you still there?"

Elizabeth's eyes couldn't have physically gone any bigger. She dropped to her knees next to the cabinet Will was inside, with a tangled string of Christmas lights on the floor in front of him. He moved his hand over the lights, causing them to glow just like the lamp had, before pulling them away. "One light for yes, two for no," he explained quietly as he stared at the lights.

"Good boy," she heard Joyce say, though it was faint and sounded watery like it had on the phone. Elizabeth scooted closed and placed a hand on Will's shoulder as they waited for Joyce to say something else.

"Baby, I need to know. Are you alive?"

One light.

"Are you safe?"

Will glanced at Elizabeth as if looking to her for the answer, and she squeezed his shoulder. "Tell her the truth."

Will looked back to the lights, and hovered his hand over them twice. No, they weren't safe.

It was a minute before they heard Joyce again. "I need to know where to find you, honey. Can you… can you tell me where you are? Please, baby. I need to find you, tell me what to do, please!"

Will stared at the lights, unsure of how to respond. Elizabeth waited a moment before reaching towards the lights herself, two quick glows.

"You can't tell me?"

Two more lights.

Elizabeth and Will waited, and waited, but heard nothing else. They were scared that Joyce had left for a minute, but just before they could give up they heard her one more time.

"I have an idea. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!"

Will and Elizabeth waited a long time. Eventually Elizabeth pulled Will out of the cabinet, though they left the door open just in case they needed the lights again. Will was practically bouncing with worry.

"It's gonna be okay," Elizabeth tried to calm him. "I'm sure she's just trying to find a better way to communicate. We can't answer everything with yes and no."

Will nodded his head, though the distant look in his eyes showed he hadn't been calmed. He paced around the living room while Elizabeth sat on the couch, switching her attention back and forth between him and the lights and the cabinet.

After what felt like an hour or so, they finally heard Joyce again and Will stopped dead in his tracks.

"Baby, are you still there? Please tell me you're still here."

Will sprinted to the lights and quickly held his hand over them. Yes, he was still there.

"Okay, okay good. Thank God. Alright listen baby, the wall above the couch. I set something up."

Will and Elizabeth both moved to stand in front of the couch, facing the wall. They couldn't see anything different. Will took a second to go back to the lights, two glows. They didn't see anything.

"No? No, you can't see it?"

One light.

"Okay, okay, um… That's okay, I'll just tell you. There are lights, and an alphabet. I'm gonna tell you where the letters are, the lights are above them. Use the letters to talk to me, baby, okay?"

One light.

Joyce told them how she had arranged the letters — left to right, three rows. A - H on the top row, I - Q on the middle, and R - Z on the bottom, all straight above the couch. Halfway through her explanation Elizabeth had run from the room to find some sort of marker before running back and drawing on the walls. Joyce asked if Will had understood everything, and this was their chance to test it out.

Will stepped forward, glancing once at Elizabeth before moving his hands over the letters she had drawn. Y - E - S.

"Oh my God, yes! Yes, Will, you're doing perfect, baby. Okay, okay. Talk to me, tell me where you are."

R - I - G - H - T - H - E - R - E

"Right here? I — I don't know what that means."

Will bit his lip in thought, looking again at Lizzie. She just stared at the wall, trying to figure out what to say. "Tell her you're not alone," she suggested.

N - O - T - A - L - O - N - E

"Not… not alone? Who's with you, Will?"

L - I - Z - Z - I - E

"Lizzie? Who's Lizzie, I don't — Wait, Elizabeth? Elizabeth Parker? How is she with you, what — where are you? How do I find you, what do I do?"

Then the growling came back. The pair turned to the wall behind them, listening as the growl turned to a screech. Elizabeth ran to grab Will, seeing his hand hovering over the N in some final message to his mom. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she lifted the boy from the couch, thankful he was small enough for her to carry.

He was shouting for her to put him down, that he wasn't done talking to his mom, and she once again covered his mouth with her hand as she took off down the hallway. She could hear the monster scratching at the walls. It was going to come in there, and she didn't think the closet would be good enough this time.

Thinking as quickly as she could, Elizabeth set Will back on his feet but kept a firm hand on his arm to stop him from running away. "Listen to me. We have to get out of this house. I need to you hold onto my hand and not let go. Do you understand?"

Will took only a moment to glance back towards the living room before nodding his head. Elizabeth released his arm and he immediately latched onto her hand. She gave his hand a squeeze before bolting towards the back door. Hopefully with the monster being at the front of the house, it wouldn't notice if they went out the back.

She ran with Will to the backyard and was about to head in the direction of the fort before he stopped moving. "Wait," his whispered, pulling away from her and running towards the shed. She wanted to tell after him but didn't want to draw the attention of the monster.

He came back from the shed half a second later wielding an axe that he shoved at her chest before grabbing back onto her hand. She clutched the admittedly far more effective weapon and tugged Will with her as she took off in a sprint back towards Castle Byers.