The Surfer Boy Pizza van pulls up, out of sight, seeing that a police car was sat innocently outside the Wheeler's house to everyone's confusion. The chief and another officer were conversing to the side of it, and the officer gives a long yawn with outstretched hands. The chief looks remarkably unimpressed.
"Why are they at my house?" Mike hisses, whilst the group stays antsy and silent.
El feels the consistent shiver of anxiety since her revelation back at the facility rack up. Her friends were in terrible danger, and the knowledge sits there as a constant itch.
"It seems our friends have been up to the usual. You know, supernatural shenanigans, somehow got on the radar of tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum there," whispers Jonathan, pushing indiscriminately at Argyle's shoulder who was looking like he'd rather drift back to sleep.
"How are we supposed to nab the talkie without them seeing us? Like, that's the whole reason we're here. We need to contact the others, and soon. We can't waste any time like this-,"
"Mike, stop." Says Jane, an idea sparking.
"You know we don't need it." She says with confidence inflecting her tone.
"What!" Argyle exclaims after startling, having had another shove to his shoulder. "I'm awake, I'm awake." He glances at everyone's faces, "you guys, that was awesome before. You," he turns to look at Jane, "you are just like, amazing. Like yes, a superhero, but forgetting like, total badass. When you went, blam, and that grandad went soaring. He'll need his rocking chair. Y'know?"
Jonathan shushes him, "dude, we're here."
"Oh right, Hawkin' time. Yeah, what are we doing exactly?"
"El, no. You can't. You're clearly exhausted, and what if you need your powers when we get to them. I can just quickly get the talkie, whilst I don't know, you guys distract them or something. We can plan this out, but we just need to do it quick-,"
"That's the problem though, Mike." Will interjects, "how do we even know it's there?"
"It's there, okay. Just, can't we go with my plan first? I don't think it's a good idea to use your powers on that scale on a slightest chance that we'll just instantly recognise where one of them could be."
So, off Mike and El go, saying that they'll go grab it by hopping the fence around the back and that El will unlatch the kitchen window. Easy-peasy.
El lends a helping hand, sensing him struggle to land softly.
"No noise, right?" She smiles.
"Yeah," Mike laughs quietly. They never really had chance to talk about their last bad fight, and Mike feels his heart thrum nervously. He still doesn't know quite how to say, to express… He doesn't know. Remembering the one-to-one with Will, he really questions if it's all that simple. So much has changed this last year. Everything just feels different now. He shrugs off the thought.
An image of Will in the car springs to mind, and a glimmer of concern lights up once again. Once they got close to Hawkins, Will just seemed… off. Sort of pale. Probably nothing, he hopes.
"So, just to recant the plan. You just need to unlock the window and I'll be back to the van soon. I promise." El gives him a hesitant face, just as she reaches out her pinkie-finger. After a beat, Mike hooks it, and they just look at each other, words not forthcoming.
The moment passes.
Once Mike clambers through, having double-checked no one was around to witness, he hastens up to his room as quiet as can be. He knows that El would be heading back now. Once he's done here, he hopes they can finally help their friends somehow.
As Mike looks around, hearing no noise in the house apart from the slight noises of his parents, television on, he gets a tad nervous that it won't be where he last put it.
But it is, and he minds not to do a celebratory dance, hoping to rush out with zero hassle.
Yet, before he leaves, he glances into Nancy's room and notices his little sister's light box on her bed; a toy she never lays up properly to the agitation of their mom. The room door is suspiciously wide, as if Nancy took no heed in closing it. As if she ran out.
A light box.
A dawning realisation slides across his face, and he goes to grab it quickly.
El had already clambered into the van, noticing Jonathan and Argyle absent.
"They're scoping out the situation," Will states, looking peaky.
El realises this with a frown, and she questions him with her soft tone, "Will. Are you… okay?"
Will snaps his head, "um, yeah. Of course. It's just. I'm worried, I guess."
El sympathises, nodding, "me too."
Jonathan and Argyle get back not long after.
"The cops' car. It's not going anywhere, one of the tyres is popped."
"Slashed." Argyle pops in.
"Yeah. I think they were here, definitely had a run in with the cops. They must've had to get out of here pretty fast from the looks of it, but what for? No clue, but it doesn't look good."
Jane hums in agreement, watching Will, and they share the same look of anxiety.
A knock on the window abruptly shocks them.
Mike slides opens the door with a face of alarm, and he states, "we have a problem," holding up a Lite-Brite.
"Yeah, the problem being you've totally not understood how to use that thing. You're like, supposed to create a picture with the beads, not fill it up, dude." Argyle says matter-of-factly.
Mike stares, raises an eyebrow as if in wonderance. Then, he clambers into the car and urgently begins, "look, I think they were here, used it to, to contact someone, maybe someone stuck in the Upside Down, I don't know. But Will! Joyce used lights to talk to you, right? It's the same thing."
Will's eyes widen, "but, there's no gates left. How would one be opened? It doesn't make sense."
"Unless the Russians are back," Jonathan blurts.
"Russians?" Argyle questions, high-pitched. He tries to remember what they explained to him so long ago now, but over the insanity that was the dead body, something probably got lost in translation to his frenzied mind at the time.
"The radio, Mike? Can't we try talking to them?" Jane says, twining her fingers, hands clammy.
"Right here." He smirks, waving it.
"Guys, you there?"