Chapter Four: We Have To Go Back

How many days had passed since they made it back to the fort in the woods? Elizabeth couldn't even make a guess at this point. Will was asleep for the fourth time, but after her nap at the Byers' house she hadn't slept again. She didn't even know if time worked the same way here, considering the sun never came out. It wasn't possible that it was still the same day, she knew that. Maybe time didn't move at all here, wherever they were.

Other than some handfuls of dry cereal, neither she or Will had any food or water. She could feel her body begging to shut down. She could only imagine how bad it was for Will. He was still just a kid, this time in his life was so important for health and growth. At least she was 16.

The thought briefly crossed her mind that she may actually be 17. The day she came here was only a week before her birthday. Had it been a week already? She chuckled quietly to herself, the thought almost making her feel delirious. "Happy birthday to me," she muttered, picking at a string on her jeans. One of the knees had ripped at some point. She had no idea when, and she couldn't really find it in herself to care.

Will moaned quietly in his sleep, and Elizabeth instinctively moved closer to him and placed a hand on his head while looking around the fort to make sure nothing heard him. He settled under her touch, but she could tell he was shaking. He had his own jacket on as well as her denim one draped over him as he always did when asleep, but his body was still close to shutting down. She wanted to lay down and hold him to share their body heat, but was too afraid she might fall asleep. So instead she bundled the pillows around him as much as she could to insulate him before standing from the bed.

She needed to move, get her blood pumping to keep her awake. As quietly as possible as to not alert Will or anything else that might be listening, she grabbed the axe from the floor and stepped outside of Castle Byers.

A quick scan of the forest told her that nothing was in direct sight. Elizabeth did a circle of the fort, partially for security reasons and partially just to stay awake.

Elizabeth and Will hadn't been back to his house since the monster had tried to get inside, against Will's wishes. He wanted to go back and talk to his mom again. To be honest, so did Elizabeth. Joyce was their only connection to the outside world, and probably their only hope for getting out of this place. It just wasn't safe. Not that anything here was safe, but at least the monster had never been inside the fort.

Not wanting to be away too long in case Will woke up and found himself alone again, Elizabeth took one more glance around the trees before heading back inside.

—

Joyce stood in the middle of her living room, staring at the wall that she had watched that… thing crawl out of. She knew that Hopper was talking to her, but she wasn't listening. All she could do was stare.

"Joyce? Joyce, do you understand what I'm saying?"

Joyce shook her head slowly, breathing in and out in short bursts. She hadn't stopped shaking since she saw her wall rip open and something inhuman come crawling out of it. "No… no, whoever you found, it's not my boy. It's not Will."

"Joyce."

"You don't understand. I talked to him, just a half hour ago. He was talking with, with these!" She ran to the cabinet and grabbed the bundle of Christmas lights.

"Talking?"

"Uh-huh. One blink for yes, two for no. And then I — I made this so he could talk to me," she explained further, running to the wall above the couch and motioning towards the letters. "He was hiding, from that… that thing."

Hopper glanced at Jonathon as the boy joined his side, looking concerned for his mother. Hopper was trying to keep his face and tone neutral. He didn't want to set Joyce off any further than she was doing to herself. "The thing that came out of the wall? The thing that chased you?"

"Yes!"

"Mom," Jonathon said, stepping closer to her and putting a hand on her arm. "Come on, please. You've gotta stop this."

"No! No, please you don't — he, he said he wasn't alone! He said that Elizabeth was with him, Elizabeth Parker! She's missing too, isn't she? And they're both in danger!"

Jonathon took a step back then. Since he spoke with Steve a few days ago, nobody had mentioned Elizabeth being missing as far as he knew. How did his mom known that? He hadn't told her, figuring she had enough to worry about with Will. So how did she know?

Hopper shared a look with Jonathon before looking back to Joyce with a heavy sigh. "Elizabeth Parker took off the same day Will went missing, but her dad said they got into a fight and she ran off. We don't know that she's missing."

"But she's with Will!" Joyce insisted, pointing again towards the letters on the wall. "He told me! He said he wasn't alone, that she was with him! Please, Hopper, that thing is after them!"

"And what exactly was this thing?"

"It was almost human, but it wasn't. It had these long arms and… it didn't have a face."

"It didn't have a face?"

"It… it didn't have… it didn't…"

Jonathon turned on his heel and hurried out of the room. Hopper heard his bedroom door slam and took Joyce by the arms as she stammered, guiding her gently to sit on the couch. "Joyce, you have to listen to me, okay? After Sarah… I saw her too. And I heard her. I didn't know what was real. And then I figured out it was all in my mind, and I had to pack it away. Otherwise, I was gonna fall down a hole that I couldn't get out of."

Joyce shook her head and sniffed, wiping at the tears on her cheeks. "You're talking about grief. This is different."

"I'm just saying that you —"

"No, I know what you're saying, Hop. But I swear to you that I know what I saw, and I'm not crazy."

"I'm not saying that you're crazy."

"No, you are, and I — I understand but… I need you to believe me. Please. I swear, Hop, I talked to him. He is with Elizabeth, and they are somewhere bad and we have to help them. I need you to help me help them."

Hopper thinned his lips, sighing through his nose. He cared about Joyce, and he didn't want to see her like this. But he knew that he couldn't play along with her fantasies, or she would never stop. "I think you should go to the morgue tomorrow and see him for yourself. But tonight, I want you to try to get some sleep. If you can."

Joyce just stared at him for a minute before nodding her head. He nodded with her and mumbled, "Okay," before standing and moving towards the door. When she heard the front door close and was sure he was gone, she stood from the couch and looked back to the wall.

She was going to help them. Even if nobody believed her, Joyce knew that her son and that poor girl were stuck somewhere. Even if nobody would help her, she was going to get them out. Whatever it took.

A thought struck her, and Joyce marched to the shed out back. It only took a second for her to find what she was looking for, and then she returned to the couch. Gripping the axe tightly in her hands, she stared down the wall.

The monster would come back. She could feel it. But this time, she would be ready.

Meanwhile, Jonathon was laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. How had his mom heard about Elizabeth? He still couldn't figure out it. Nobody was really talking about her, other than the occasional rumors at school that Jonathon had killed her the same night he killed his brother. Thinking about what people were saying made Jonathon clench his jaw. He usually didn't care what people thought, but the fact that they were talking about his family like that? Saying that he had snapped and turned as crazy as his mom and went on some kind of murder spree?

Jonathon flipped onto his side, tucking his knees up against his chest like a child.

What if his mom was telling the truth? He almost rejected the thought as soon as it entered his mind, but for some reason he couldn't push it away. What if his mom really had talked to Will? What if he was trapped in some weird other place with Elizabeth? How had they ended up there, and how were they talking through lights! Why were they there? And what monster was chasing them?

Jonathon groaned, rubbing a hand down his face. No. It was crazy. His mom was just stuck in her grief and couldn't accept the truth. Will was dead, and Elizabeth had run away from home.

His chest tightened in pain, and he buried his face into his pillow as his throat closed with tears.

Will was dead.

—

Elizabeth's eyes were dragging downward, and she didn't have the strength to pinch herself anymore to stay awake. It was like her hands didn't work at all. Her entire body felt numb.

Maybe if she just went to sleep, she would wake up in her own bed at home. Maybe this was all some long, intense nightmare. Maybe she could wake up to the sound of her dad throwing up in the next room, trying to clear the last remnants of alcohol from his stomach. She would crawl out of bed and toast some bread for him, bringing it with a glass of water to the bathroom before getting dressed. She would drive to school, her radio playing a Journey album as she sang along. She would walk into her first period chem class and pointedly ignoring Carol and Heather gossiping next to her. She would barely stomach the gross school lunch. She would see Steve in the hallways, his arm draped over Nancy Wheeler's shoulder, and have the briefest wish to run to him and apologize for the years of radio silence and beg him to be her best friend again because she was so alone, dear God she was so alone and all she wanted was for somebody to love her again, to care enough to look for her and save her from this cursed place and —

"Lizzie!"

Elizabeth's eyes shot open and her fingers tightened around the axe as she sat up from her place against the wall. Will was kneeling in front of her, hands on her shoulders and shaking her awake. "What, what is it?"

"You were crying," he said quietly.

She raised a hand to her cheek and brought her fingers back down, seeing the wetness on the tips. "Oh," she muttered lamely.

Will was frowning as he moved to sit next to her, their shoulders touching. He let the silence linger for a while before talking again. "Are we gonna be stuck here forever?"

She had denied it so many times, it came as instinct when she replied, "No. I promised to get you home, remember?"

Will just nodded, but stayed quiet. She knew he didn't believe her anymore.

They had to do something. Nobody was coming for them, and they only got weaker by the day. If they didn't find a way out of here, both of them would just lay around until they withered away from hunger and thirst. Elizabeth didn't want to leave the fort again, but she knew it was either that or die. Die out there fighting, or die in here doing nothing.

She had promised to bring Will home, and she had to at least try. One last time.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Elizabeth pushed herself to her feet before reaching a hand down to Will. He looked up at her skeptically. "Come on, kid. It's time for me to take you home."

Will frowned again, looking down to his feet. "I — I don't know if I can make it."

Elizabeth studied the boy for a second before making a decision. She wasn't sure she could do it, but she wasn't just going to leave him here. "Come on," she muttered, turning her back to the boy and patting her back. "Hop on, kid."

"Lizzie —"

"I'm not asking."

Will hesitated for a second before reaching forward and wrapping his arms around her neck, swinging his legs over her waist as she stood. She had to take a minute to steady herself against the wall, but slowly she was able to support his weight. She found herself thankful once again that the boy was stick thin.

Elizabeth kept one hand under Will's thigh and the other wrapped tightly around the axe handle as she stepped out of Castle Byers. "I'll do the walking, you do the talking. We're going back to your house, you just gotta tell me how to get there."

"Back to my house? Why?"

"Because," she sighed. "We're never gonna find that hole in the tree. There are too many places to look. But if we could talk to your mom in that house, there must be a way back through there. Come on, directions. Let's go."

Will told her to start walking behind the fort, and she did. He continued to give her directions as she walked, keeping an eye and an ear out for any nearby monsters. Maybe halfway there Will said he was fine to walk, and she tried not to sigh in relief as she was able to set him down before they continued on their way.

It didn't take too long for them to be back outside of his house. They walked together into the living room, Elizabeth being sure to close and lock the front door behind them. Not that she thought it would keep anything out, but at least they would have to make some noise.

Will stood in the middle of the living room, looking to Elizabeth for a nod of approval before calling out. "Mom?"

They waited for a minute with no response before Will started walking in a circle around the room, knocking on the walls. Elizabeth joined him, though she wasn't sure why. She was willing to try anything at this point. The two of them continued calling out for Joyce and feeling along the walls, desperate for anything that showed a way out.

"Will?"

Elizabeth and Will locked eyes before running to where they heard the voice. Up against the wall next to the window that showed the front yard, they heard a knock on the wall. Both kids smacked their hands against the wall, calling out again for Joyce.

"Will! Elizabeth! I hear you!"

The strangest thing happened then. Both kids backed away from the wall as they saw the wallpaper start to peel off, displaying what looked like a thick red window behind it. It looked almost like frosted glass, and they saw a shadow pressing their hands against it once the wallpaper was gone.

"Oh my god," they heard Joyce cry, clearer than ever before. Both kids were banging on the wall, begging to be heard and let out.

"Mom, mom help us!"

"Joyce! Let us out of here!"

The three of them were sobbing tears of joy. Joyce could see her baby right in front of her. Will saw his mom. And Elizabeth saw something that wasn't a monster, a brief glimpse of hope that somebody could care for and help them so the weight of the world would no longer be on her shoulders.

But as things had come to be here, happy moments never lasted. Elizabeth turned her back on the window into their world as she heard that familiar scratchy growl. Will continued to bang on the wall, pleading for his mother's help.

"Will," Elizabeth muttered, hearing the door start to rattle. "Will!"

Will stopped just long enough to hear what she was hearing before turning back to his mom. "Mom, it's coming! It's coming!"

"Tell me how to help you! How do I get to you?"

"It's like home, but it's so dark, it's so dark and empty," Will sobbed, already feeling Elizabeth wrap her arms around him to pull him away again. But this time, he fought back. He thrashed in her arms, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "No! Leave me with my mom! Don't make me leave again!"

"Will, you have to move!" Elizabeth screamed, not caring if the monster heard. It already knew they were there, hiding wouldn't save them now.

"Will, you have to run!" Joyce encouraged as she cried. "Listen to me, I swear I'm gonna get to you, okay? I will find you, but you have to run! Run now!"

Will was shrieking, screaming for his mother and kicking as hard as he could as Elizabeth tried desperately to keep her arms around him and pull him away from his mom. "Will, please!"

"No! Put me down! Put me down! Put me —"

The door crashed in, and Elizabeth finally dropped Will only to shove him behind her as she grabbed the axe she had abandoned on the floor and held it out in front of her.

The footsteps were slow and heavy at first, and Elizabeth backed away from the archway leading into the living room. She could feel Will's hands wrapped tightly in the back of her jacket. Her fingers tightened around the handle and she forced herself to breathe as she prepared herself to see the monster for the first time.

But nothing could have prepared her for that thing. It's long fingers wrapped slowly around the entryway before it's head curled around to stare at them. Except it had no eyes. It didn't have a face at all. It looked over seven feet tall, with elongated limbs that appeared to be pure muscle. It made almost a chirping sound as it took a single step closer, it's head tilting slightly. Elizabeth held her breath.

Then it opened its mouth, it's entire face splitting apart, and it screamed.

Elizabeth almost dropped the axe, but steeled herself instead and screamed back as she swung at the creature. The axe connected with its chest, and the painful screech it let out was deafening. She attempted to pull the axe back for another swing, but wasn't prepared for it to lash out at her.

She went flying against the side wall of the room, tumbling down over the couch before landing on the floor. Her body had been numb for days, but now all she felt was pain. Every cell in her body ached, and begged her to stay down. But Will was still there, and she couldn't leave him.

Elizabeth heard Will scream as the monster stepped closer to him, and she crawled forward reaching for her weapon that had been discarded on the floor. Her fingers wrapped around the handle, and she pushed herself up to her feet. The creatures back was to her, and she lifted the axe for another blow.

It must have sensed her, because it turned to face her before she could attack and stepped out of the way. Her eyes went wide and she redirected the axe away from the new target in front of her, Will. She swung out uselessly to the side, almost stumbling as she did. She wanted to scream for Will to run, but she wasn't given the chance.

The creature threw its arm against her once more. This time, when she went down, she stayed down. Her head had bounced against the floor, and she felt her vision blurring. She was begging her body to work, to please please just stand up. To move, to do anything.

But all she could do was watch as the creature scooped Will up in it's too big hands, like he was nothing, and carry him straight out the door.

She tried to call out for him, but even her mouth had given up on her as her vision slowly but surely faded to nothing.