I had eventually made my way back into the waiting room of the hospital after finding a vending machine for a snack. Ezra was sitting in the chair next to me and eventually Jonathan had made his way out of the morgue. He took a seat across from us and I took note of how pale he looked. I furrowed your brow and spoke to him. "Hey, are you feeling okay? You look like you're gonna be sick." I got out of my seat and placed a hand on his forehead. He didn't look over to me, instead keeping his head aimed at the floor. "I thought I would be okay but seeing him like that..." Moving my hand to his back and rubbing small circles, I replied. "You don't have to explain. I completely understand." The room fell into silence until Sheriff Hopper strolled into the hospital. "Do you kids mind if I talk to Jonathan alone?" I shook my head at him, got up, and slapped Ezra on the back of his head. He looked up and I motioned with my head to follow me. Walking down the hallways to find the cafeteria, Ezra spoke up. "Do you really think that Will's out there somewhere? I mean I know I said I would help find him, can we really find him? I mean, we're only high school students. What can we do?" I opened the door to our destination and gave my answer. "I'll admit, I am a bit skeptical about actually being able to find him, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel." Luckily, the cafeteria didn't have too many people hanging about, so finding a secluded area to continue talking wouldn't be an issue. I pointed to a table towards the back of the room for Ezra to sit at, while I went to go get him something to snack on and me something to drink.

Upon sitting down, I handed your brother his food. I looked on in disgust as he immediately began devouring the hospital food. "Jesus fuck dude. Slow down or your gonna choke, you absolute psychopath." He gave me a dirty look and swallowed his food. "So, if this is something that could be out of a movie, then how are we going to get help? How exactly are we going to find Will?" I took a moment to think things over but to no avail. I looked over to my twin with a look of defeat. I shrugged and replied, "I don't think there's anything we can actively do to help. Well, except be there for them, I guess. Let's face it, we really can't do anything." The two of us sat there in silence until I got up, glancing at the clock as I did so. "Come on. Hopefully, Hopper's done talking with Jonathan about whatever it was they needed to talk about." Ezra threw away his trash and followed me back to the waiting room, where we saw Hopper and Jonathan. I was walking over to them when Joyce comes bursting into the waiting room with a coroner following closely behind her, yelling something about signing some papers. "I don't what you think that thing is in there, but it is NOT my son!" She yells back at him and storms out of the building. We all look at each other in confusion and follow her out into the parking lot. "What the hell happened in there?" I whispered under my breath while struggling to keep up with the incredibly speedy woman.

I thought she was going to get in the car and drive off, but she just kept walking past the car and down the street. The three of us got into the car and proceeded to follow her, telling her to get back in the car. Joyce wouldn't listen to any of us, so Jonathan stopped the car and tried to get her to stop. Ezra and I both silently decided it would be best if we sat in the car until Jonathan came back. Everyone on the street had stopped to watch the yelling match between the mother and her son, presumably about everything that has led up to this point. I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but I could make up the last bit of the conversation before Jonathan started to make his way back to us. He got in the driver's seat and leaned his forehead against the steering wheel for a couple of minutes trying to calm himself down. I gingerly touch his shoulder from the back seat, almost scared that he would yell at me. In a soft and quiet voice, I ask, "Do you want to be alone right now? Cause we'll just walk back to your house if that's what you need." He took a deep breath in and picked his head up. "I would feel bad for making you walk all the way there. I can drop you guys off so you can go home. I'm sorry to bring you guys into this situation." Not saying another word, he turns the car back on and drives to his house. Ezra and I mutter our goodbyes, feeling bad about leaving him alone, but he needs the time alone to collect his thoughts. I watch as he reverses back out of the driveway and disappears, the sound of tires on asphalt getting fainter the further he gets. Running my hand through my hair, I sigh and get into the passenger seat of Ezra's car. The drive back home was quiet, not even playing music to fill the void.

Once I made it back home, it was well into the afternoon. Not even a minute after opening the front door, the phone began to ring. I pick the phone off of the receiver, "Hey, it's Nancy. Can I come over and confide in you? It's kind of important." "Yeah, that's not a problem. Our door is always open to you, whenever you need." She uttered a small thank you and hung up the phone. Hearing the urgency in Nancy's voice made me restless and I tried to distract myself from the anxiety by cleaning up a little bit. It took me a while to finally calm down and I had just finished sweeping the kitchen floor when I heard the front door open and Nancy calling for me. Walking in I see my friend standing in the living room, looking distressed. "Hey, what did you want to talk to me about? It sounded urgent." We both sit down on the couch and Nancy starts playing with her hands. It takes a moment for her to calm her nerves and begin to unload her worries onto me. "You know the party I was telling you about yesterday... when I asked if you had seen Barb? Well, I went back to Steve's house to see if her car was still there, and it was. Completely untouched from when we were there last. No one was home yet, so I went around the back to try to figure out what could have happened and... I saw... something. It was almost like a man, but it didn't have a face. I don't actually think it was human, but it also wasn't any sort of animal that I've ever seen. When I tried to tell Steve about it, he just blew me off and worried about the cops, he was worried about his dad finding out about the party." She has finished speaking and looked me right in the eye, waiting for my response. "Wait, you saw something? Like in Steve's backyard?" She nods in response and then something struck a chord. "If it wasn't a man, and it wasn't an animal, then I wonder what it was. Maybe that thing you saw, had something to do with Barb's disappearance. It's not my place to say, but Joyce Byers has been experiencing some weird goings-on. The way that both experiences sound, makes me think that maybe they're connected to each other in some way." I look to Nancy, and she has a slight look of relief on her face. "You believe me? Like actually trust that I'm telling the truth?" I nod at her. "Yeah, you've never lied to me before, so I figure why would you start lying to me now? I know we aren't as close as we used to be, but I still trust you with my life, and with all of my secrets." She hugs me tightly and lets a few tears spill from her eyes and onto my neck. "Thank you so much for believing in me. It means a lot to me." I rub her back before pulling away. "Of course. It's what I'm here for." We smile at each other as she wipes her eyes. She gets up and gathers her things, walking to the door and looking back at me before she leaves. "I'll see you later." She opens the door and with those departing words, she gets into her car and drives off. I lock the door and go back into the living room and sit down on the couch, releasing a deep breath and rubbing my face. It seems that my life is going to get a lot more complicated from here on out.