It's quiet in the car when they go home from the hospital. Dad drives, keeping his eyes glued to the road. She sits next to Mike in the backseat. She glances at him a few times but he just looks out the window, lost in thought. She glances at mom in the passenger seat. She can tell she's holding in a million questions for now.
There had been more than enough questions already at the middle school. When she and Jonathan got back there were ambulances, police cars, fire trucks, army vehicles and mysterious vans and sedans all everywhere. And their station wagon. Mike had been sitting in the back of an ambulance fielding a barrage of questions from their parents. When they got there she only had time to get out "Where is-" before Mike answered her with a shake of his head and a curt "Gone". That was enough. Then her mom switched focus from Mike to her, asking where the hell she had been and what had happened to her hand. "We were looking for Will and Barb" and "It's nothing, I just tripped and cut myself a little on a sharp rock" she lied in the moment. Jonathan beside her had the presence of mind to conceal his bandaged hand in his coat pocket to avoid questions about the fact that they match. She could've kissed him again just for that.
In his other coat pocket Jonathan kept the walkie they grabbed from Will's room and before her mother could continue her questioning it crackled to life and Chief Hopper's voice came through with the jubilant news: "We've found Will! We're bringing him to the hospital!" She had time to see her parents completely shocked expressions and Mike's elated one for a second while Jonathan hurriedly answered Chief Hopper. Then Jonathan was bolting back to his car and she instinctively followed while the news spread, Hopper radioing his police colleagues as well.
Chief Hopper and Mrs. Byers had only just gotten to the hospital with Will when she and Jonathan burst through the sliding doors. She waited with him while Mrs. Byers and Hopper were with Will who was examined by doctors. Soon her family, Lucas and Dustin arrived. Hopper had come and gotten Jonathan while they all sat in the waiting room. She didn't see him again until 20 minutes later when he briskly walked past, saw them all and let them know "he's okay, he's asleep, I'm going to go get some things for him" before hastily walking outside to his car, speeding away. He soon returned, carrying a box, and walked by them again. They shared a glance then and in his soft eyes she finally saw great relief.
"Everyone just go to bed and try to get some sleep. We'll talk about this in the morning," her mom says when the car pulls to a stop in their driveway in the middle of the night.
She's not sure what exactly "this" entails. Will coming back from the dead? Her and Mike both going MIA for a few days? Mike hiding a girl in the basement for a week? Do their parents even know about her? Government agents swarming the house? Whatever happened at the middle school while she and Jonathan were gone?
"What happened?" She quietly asks Mike before he slips into his room.
"The bad men came to the school. They were going to take El. Then the monster came to us. El killed it and vanished."
"Vanished?"
"Into nothing. One second she was there the next… not," her little brother says to the floor, looking so very small in that moment.
She doesn't know what to say to that. She hugs him instead. Two hugs in a day after years of barely talking to each other besides bickering. She can't remember the last time she felt this close to her little brother.
Sleep feels like an impossibility when she gets under her covers. The lights stay on. She tries closing her eyes. But just like last time she did that all she sees is the monster. She opts for staring at the ceiling instead. She gets up again after a minute and goes over to her coat which she draped off her desk chair. She gets the gun out of one pocket and another box of ammunition out of the other. She loads the gun and gets back into bed, putting it under her pillow. It was pretty much useless against the monster, and the monster apparently is gone now. But still it gives her some, probably false, sense of safety at least. She turns her head to the right. It felt safer when Jonathan was there. She couldn't sleep then either, but still.
Turning her head to the left she sees the photo of herself and Barb she's kept on her nightstand for years. Happy and smiling in the photo. Barb. The tears well up again. She sits up abruptly, trying and failing to shake herself out of it. She spies a sweater on the floor. She didn't realize he left it here. She gets out of bed again to get it, Jonathan's sweater that he so gently wrapped over her shoulders last night. It still smells like him, the woods and safety. She gets back into bed and clutches the sweater to her chest and resumes staring up into the ceiling.
Eventually she must have simply dozed off out of sheer exhaustion. Because one moment she's looking at the ceiling, the next moment the monster is breaking through it and ripping into Barb and Jonathan right in front of her and she can't do anything to stop it. And then she's awake, sitting up in bed, panting and sweating from the nightmare.
7 AM. She's slept barely three hours. If she woke up this early on a normal Sunday she'd just try and go right back to sleep. No way she's doing that now. She's still scared to close her eyes. Instead she gets up, takes the gun out from under her pillow and hides it in a shoebox in her closet. Then she heads for a well needed shower. She unwraps the bandage Jonathan had so gently wrapped her hand in. The bleeding has stopped at least. She wonders how it will scar. Stepping into the shower, she washes her face as fast as she can so she doesn't have to close her eyes for more than a few seconds.
With a new bandage and a fresh set of clothes she feels slightly better. Still like a walking corpse, but at least a clean one. Walking out of the bathroom she finds Holly playing with some of her toys on the floor of the upstairs hallway. The three year old an early riser as usual.
"Hi, Nancy!" Her baby sister looks up and cheerily exclaims.
"Hey, Holly", she greets with a little smile.
"Can you make me breakfast?"
"Sure, come on."
She takes Holly's small hand in hers and leads her downstairs. While she gets started on breakfast Holly runs into the living room to continue playing. Soon she hears that her sister has turned the tv on. No doubt in search of cartoons, but coming up empty on that front.
"-on the scene, how's it looking there, Mitch?"
The sound of the local newscaster's voice draws her into the living room.
"Thanks Patricia, I'm standing here outside Hawkins Middle School. There is still a lot of chaos and confusion around the cordoned off site, curious onlookers started to gather already during the night and more have arrived during the early morning hours. There's still an ongoing federal response on the scene. It is still unclear what exactly transpired here late yesterday evening and during the night. Residents living close by report hearing what some thought was firecrackers, others, rapid gun fire. Along with some loud crashes and unidentified noises. I cannot see any direct damage to the school buildings from the outside, but one local police officer described the destruction inside as 'wide spread'. The officer also reported that federal agents and a National Guard unit had taken control over the scene and hastily removed all local emergency workers from the inside."
Holly is on her way to turn the knob again so she distracts her sister by informing her breakfast is on the table, causing Holly to run off to climb up into her chair at the table. She lingers in front of the tv.
"Thanks Mitch. For viewers just joining us, you're watching a special report on the bewildering events that transpired in Hawkins during the night. Some type of chaotic event took place at Hawkins Middle School which prompted a federal response as well as a National Guard unit to respond, what exactly happened there is still a mystery. Another mystery is just what happend to 12 year old local boy Will Byers this week. Seemingly at the same time as the events at the school took place, Will Byers, who went missing last Sunday evening, and whose body was reportedly found at Sattler's Quarry by State Trooper David O'Bannon on Wednesday and buried on Friday, was found alive in the woods outside Hawkins by police chief Jim Hopper and taken to Hawkins General Hospital. We're now going live to the hospital where Rick Helm is standing by outside and I'm told police and Will Byers mother Joyce are coming out to make statements, is that right Rick?"
Mom comes downstairs, and looks surprised to find her in front of the tv and Holly already having breakfast.
"Honey, did you sleep at all?"
"A little bit," she answers, distracted by the tv. Her mother quiets and follows her gaze.
"Yes Patricia, I'm told- oh, here they come now. Mrs. Byers! Mrs. Byers!"
"Alright everyone settle down. I am Officer Powell of Hawkins PD. Chief Hopper is currently uh… unavailable, so I will be making a short statement and answering any questions you may have, Mrs. Byers will speak briefly but-"
"Officer, is what happened to Will Byers related to whatever happened at the middle school?"
"Officer, the body found in the quarry-"
"Officer, is the government covering up-"
"Hey! Hey! I said settle down. I will answer questions after-"
"My boy is back, he's going to be okay. Thanks to Hop… Chief Hopper. He saved my boy."
"Mrs. Byers, what happened to Will?"
"Ask the government. They're responsible, them in that goddamn Lab outside of town!" Mrs. Byers spits out and turns on her heel heading back inside the hospital, leaving Officer Powell to fend for himself.
"Come on honey, let me fix you your breakfast since you made Holly's," her mom insists and turns the tv off and leads her towards the kitchen.
She wonders how things will go from here. How will they explain what happened?
"What did you say?" He asks his mom as she comes back into Will's hospital room, closing the door behind her.
Officer Powell had come in earlier to inform them that press had gathered outside the hospital. They're not sure where Hopper is.
"I told them it's the goddamn Lab's fault, that they should ask them what happened."
"You said that on tv?"
"Yeah. What are they gonna do? I think they've got bigger problems than us right now."
"Right. Still, we should probably be careful mom…"
"I know. I am. I just had to say something. He's just been sleeping?" She nods to Will.
"Yeah."
"That's good. You should too."
"I have."
"I mean in a bed for hours, not just in that chair for a few minutes at a time," she gestures at the chair he's occupied by Will's bed for hours now. He's not leaving his brother.
"I'm fine. You're one to talk."
"Fair. But still."
"I want to be here when he wakes up again. I promise I'll sleep for a bit at home when I go and feed Chester again later. If you promise you'll try and get some sleep here."
"Okay. We should have someone look at that," she motions at his bandaged hand.
"It's fine, just a cut. Nancy wrapped it up good."
"I'm sure she did. I still need you to tell me what you did."
"We went back to the house, to finish what we started. Nancy realized you and Hopper, you'd just be walking into that place like bait. We got all our gear back from the station, set a trap for the monster and cut ourselves to draw it to us, away from you. So you could get to Will."
"God Jonathan," his mom shakes her head. "You're so brave. Nancy too. Stupidly brave even. You could've been killed."
"Well, you and Hopper would've been if we didn't do it, so. We had to. And It all worked out in the end. He's here," he nods to Will who's still sleeping.
"That he is."
"The house is a mess though. I'll fix it."
"Honey it's my fault, the hole in the wall, the alphabet, hell I trashed the whole living room just out of anger. I think I broke the tv. I'll fix it."
"Oh, um it's a bit… more than that now. We had to… for the monster trap there's um… never mind, just, I'll fix it. But you probably shouldn't smoke indoors for a while. At least not until I've torn out the carpet. Okay?"
His mom gives him a curious look.
"... okay."
Bunker room #357A, Central Intelligence Agency
"Alright, brief me on Hawkins. Is the situation at the school under control?"
"Yes, Sir. Remaining agents on the scene have the site contained."
"Status on Project 011?"
"Still missing. Witnesses claim she 'just vanished' after neutralizing the unknown threat."
"I presume a search operation has already been undertaken?"
"Of course, Sir. But given heavy personnel losses at the school, and that priority was given to control and contain that situation, search operation has been limited in these early stages. Agents Johnson and Tomkins were able to conduct a covert search of the Wheeler residence while the family was at the hospital, but found no traces of Project 011. They have moved on to other previously known locations. Reinforcements are on route to Hawkins so that a wider search can be undertaken."
"Christ. This is a goddamn shit show, thanks to Brenner. What's his status?"
"Critical but stable at Site 53."
"Keep him there. Keep him monitored. Who knows he is alive?"
"You, me, lead agent Gregory at 53, and field doctor Russell at 53."
"No one else is to know. Dr. Brenner is now an unperson. Strip him of everything. This fiasco… he knows too much, keep him under surveillance."
"Yes, Sir. I can authorize Gregory to…"
"No, not yet at least. He might still be of use to us."
"Yes, Sir."
"Casualties at the school?"
"14 agents, including codename Connie Frazier and the other lead agents stationed at HNL, 20 military, no civilians. All bodies covertly removed."
"No civilians at the school?"
"No, Sir."
"Well, that's something at least. But now with what the missing boy's mother just said on television…"
"I know, Sir. It's unfortunate. She's irrational. Dr Brenner cut a deal with Chief Hopper for their silence."
"Fuck Brenner and his goddamn side deals. That's the least of our worries now. Christ. Four people disappearing in a week, one of them coming back from the dead, Brenner's little pet running around town and to top it off gunfire and strange noises from a school in the middle of town during a Saturday night, followed by local emergency response, federal response and army trucks on the site? In a small town of 10,000 people? Do you know how quickly word spreads in a town like that?"
"Yes, Sir. It's not ideal, Sir."
"Pretty fucking far from ideal. What's the situation at HNL?"
"Under control. But Omega is still spreading."
"Put Dr. Owens there. He is to contain it. That is the priority now, containment. Not experimentation. Make that clear to him."
"Yes, Sir."
"Do we still have the police chief?"
"Yes, Sir. Harriman is in the room with him now."
"What does he know?"
"Everything, and claims he sent it all to a friend at the Times."
"Is he bluffing?"
"Most likely."
"Who else knows what?"
"He shared information with Joyce Byers. Unconfirmed but presumably also with her oldest son. Agents on the scene identified him arriving at the school in the company of Nancy Wheeler, the girl who first reported Ms. Holland missing. They're both 16."
"Wheeler, relation to the boy who was seen with Project 011?"
"Yes, sister. That boy and his friends have all been confirmed to be familiar with Project 011. It is likely they all shared information with the others."
"Their parents?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler was interviewed by Brenner and agents earlier in the week, seems to have been kept in the dark. Learned about Project 011's existence then and that their son had been hiding her, but told no details of course. Notes relate Mr. Wheeler assumed her to be Russian and they found the possibility of their son working together with their daughter to be highly unlikely."
"So there's at least three pre-pubescent boys, two teenagers, Mrs. Byers and Chief Hopper who knows a lot, potentially a whole lot?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Well then. We cannot have any more bodies turning up, or disappearances for that matter. What's already happened is enough for a hundred years of local legend. We don't need to add to it. The mother running her mouth doesn't concern me, she can be discredited. Find out if Hopper's bluffing about the reporter. Give him this deal: if he keeps quiet and makes sure the others do too from now on, we leave them alone. I'm sure Mrs. Byers' focus will be on her son rather than us."
"Yes, Sir. NDA's to the people who met Project 011?"
"No. No paper trail. Besides, rumors will spread anyway, we don't know everyone who came into contact with Project 011. And the police chief can't know either. Town gossip we can put up with, trying to achieve total silence with something like this is a fruitless endeavor. The key is to subtly discredit the rumors when needed."
"Yes, Sir."
"Thankfully, the smallmindedness and limited imaginations of people is on our side here. Project 011's abilities are too fantastical. The average person wouldn't believe the truth. And the wonderful thing about hearsay is that it muddles everything. One person claims one thing, another something else and at the end there will be so many different rumors going around that little town it won't be taken seriously."
"Yes, Sir."
"Don't comment directly on her son's disappearance, or any of the others, publicly we just acknowledge Project 011 as a failed experiment and that the middle school was about neutralizing it. We already have O'Bannon and our coroner as patsies for the body misidentification. Brenner is our patsy for Project 011 and the school. The mad scientist who went rogue. It is important we make it clear the project was a failure. Do not give the Russians any ideas."
"People will question how it was allowed to go this far…"
"They will. And it will be an embarrassment. But it's a blemish, a blackeye. Publicly announce some investigation into HNL and a restructuring of the Department of Energy. And officially we discontinue HNL. Lock it down. Contain Omega. Blame anything that gets out on Brenner. With time we can bury this."
"Yes, Sir. And Project 011?"
"Keep searching."