Author's Note: Hey, thanks for coming back! So, I've been taking some time to write multiple chapters, and, for the next 3 days, I will be uploading a chapter each day. I hope you like the idea! I'm just so busy because of summer plans, but I know that's just an excuse. I hope you enjoy!

~Sofi

*DISCLAIMER*

I DO NOT OWN STRANGER THINGS I AM JUST BORROWING THE CHARACTERS AND SOME EVENTS

Chapter 4: Not as He Seems

The chill, it was terrifying. He knew where he was, but not the place. The specific place mirrored in the Upside Down was unfamiliar. Fear spread throughout Will's mind, seeping into every single nook and cranny. He was so scared, more scared than he had felt in a long time. Almost as if it was the first time he had been there. It was last year all over again. The glowing white particles swirled around his figure, landing below him onto the dirty, slimy earth. A slight breeze, seemingly from nowhere, tussled Will's hair. How long had he been standing there?

The smell, it was horrendous. She knew where she was, but not the place. The specific place mirrored in the Upside Down was unfamiliar. An unsettling feeling gurgled in the bellows of Eleven's gut, churning and twisting in an uneasy way. Her heart raced, more than it had ever raced in a long time. Almost as if she was in the lab. It was the last 11 years all over again. The luminous flakes gliding through the air moved circled her, resting at her feet below. A gust of wind, seemingly from nowhere, shifted Eleven's dress. How long had she been sitting there?

Will observed his surroundings, trying to make sense of where he was. Although the foreign land was eroded and worn, his location was still unrecognizable. He seemed to be standing at the edge of a forest, far off from any civilization. The grass below his feet was dead, damp with an obscure slime that appeared to coat everything in the alternate dimension. Vines winded around and up the trees, a rough texture covering them. Thunder crackled and Will towards the distance at the swelling storm. The clouds were ominous, a deep red hue staining the haze. Why hadn't he returned home yet?

Eleven stood up, observing her surroundings as well. She eyed the storm too, the unsettling feeling creeping into the back of her mind. The thick, gooey sludge clung to her knees and shins, as well as her hands. Deep blue, almost black, vines lay on the floor, surrounded by debris and chunks of god-knows-what. She swore she saw one move. Eleven flinched at the thunder; it's bottomless sound ringing in her ears, over and over. She was also at the edge of the forest, Will only a few feet away, but they couldn't see each other. They were much to focused on the ruby glow in the sky.

They continued to peer into horizon. Eleven squinted her eyes and turned her gaze below the storm, Hawkins lying beneath. Her breathing got a bit quicker. Will could only keep his eyes on what was emerging from the sinister clouds.

An enormous silhouette materialized before them, looming above every single thing that stood. It's head came to a point and it's slender body faded into the clouds, almost as if it were a shadow itself. Long, tentacle-like arms expanded over the disturbed town. It was planning something.

Will stepped forward, snapping a stiff twig beneath his sneaker. Eleven's head shot in his direction. Her face contorted into a fearful expression. "Will?"

His face turned towards the voice. He recognized her. Before he could say anything, an anomalous sound echoed through the air and the children were zapped back into reality.

. . .

"Look, Marissa, can I just see these articles?" Hopper gestured his hand in annoyance. He did talk with his hands a lot.

"Why do you need them, Jim? No one's missing last I heard," She shifted from one heel to another behind the welcoming desk of the library.

"Classified," He countered, straightening his face. "Just let me see 'em,"

"Fine," The librarian stepped out from behind the desk and lead Hopper over to the side. "What will it be this time?"

"The same, any you can find on Hawkins Lab," Hopper transferred his hat between hands, a little embarrassed by the repetition of the previous year.

"You sure are obsessed with that place," Marissa opened a few miniscule draws to reveal the contents inside.

"Well, we'll do it like last time, you check "Times" and I'll check "The Post,""

"Okay," She snorted as if she had been offended and walked away. Hopper let out a quick sigh and began to search.

In the monitor, beyond the rounded glass, he tediously read through each news article and headline. One read: "Rumors have been escalating surrounding human mind control experiments. In this small town, unnerving reports have begun to come up of children physical and mental testing in hopes to 'expand the boundaries of the human mind,'" Another headline read: "CHILDREN ALLEGEDLY ABDUCTED FOR EXPERIMENTAL TESTING," Hopper's mind swirled back to Terry. Those people ruined her life, all for this little girl. He wondered, he had to know what happened to her. Hopper sighed. This wasn't enough information.

"Thank you again Marissa," He uttered as he exited the building.

"No problem," She replied sarcastically. "And if you ever need those news articles again, just leave me a note and get to it,"

He gave a small nod and left through the grand double doors of the Hawkins Library. As he exited, Hopper pulled out a pack of Camels from his back pocket. He pressed one in his mouth, watching the smoky wisp leave his lips and disappear into the atmosphere as he exhaled. What am I gonna do? He shifted into the front seat of his truck, placing his hat onto the dashboard in front of him. He though for a moment, a good long minute. "Screw it,"

Hopper withdrew from the front seat and checked the back of the car. The wire cutters were still there. He chuckled to himself and glanced down towards the watch tightly wound about his wrist. 5:15. He still had a few more hours, but he could prepare during that time. Hopper threw the cigarette to the pavement and stomped down on it, extinguishing the spark. He swiftly returned to his seat and started the engine, shaking the car as grey smoke exited through the exhaust. He pulled his car from the parking lot and traveled down the road. He had a plan, and he was set on it.

. . .

"Will?" Joyce's voice rang through the house. She marched her way to Will's bedroom and opened the worn wooden door. "Will time to-" The room was empty. "Will?"

"Mom! I'm in the bathroom! I'll be out in a second," Will's muffled voice escaped from beneath the door. Joyce let out a good, long sigh of relief before retreating to the kitchen. Jonathan resided by the stove, cooking something that smelled exquisite. He flipped a piece of bacon in a skillet, sizzling as it fell against the heated iron. The heat filled the room, but the scent made up for it.

"Jonathan, have you seen my keys?" Joyce rummaged through her purse, checking the table and counters briefly. "I swear I had them in my bag,"

"Did you check the couch?" He exclaimed over his shoulder, chuckling internally at the repetition. "I thought I saw 'em there before I started dinner,"

"I'll check but- oh, got 'em," Her faced slightly shifted to red in embarrassment, but Joyce quickly shook it off. "Will? You're going to be late if we don't hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" He responded, washing his hands quickly. He turned the faucet and looked into the mirror cabinet hung above the sink. Oh no.

Water fell slowly from the end of the faucet. Drip. A familiar sting crept up the back of Will's throat. Drip, drip. Will coughed. Drip, drip, drip. He coughed a second time. Then, the feeling was gone. Will sighed, not noticing the small grin flash across his face for a brief moment. He hurried from the bathroom, grabbing his bag from his room on the way out.

"Ready," Will uttered, entering the kitchen. He pulled the bag onto his back as he headed towards the door.

"Alright," Joyce pulled her own bag onto her shoulder and mimicked her son's actions. "I'll just be a few minutes, I'm dropping Will off at the Wheeler's for a sleepover,"

"I'll have dinner ready by then," Jonathan replied, his eyes never leaving the pan before him.

"Perfect," Joyce said back while granting him a small grin. "Come on," She ushered Will out the door and followed him. The brittle wind greeted the mother and son unpleasantly as they made their way to Joyce's car.

Joyce pulled into the Wheeler residents as Will quickly unbuckled his seat belt. He rushed to get out of the car and into the house, but his mother quickly stopped him.

"Now, please stay inside tonight, okay?" Joyce said, going over every rule they had made in her mind. She did not want a repeat of last November. "And remember, if anything bad happens, and I mean anything, I want you to call me straight away,"

"Mom, okay, okay, I know," Will turned to go inside.

"Wil!"

"Yes?" Will asked, a bit irritated, but nonetheless giggling.

"I love you," Joyce reminded him, though there wasn't really any need to. He already knew.

"Love you too, bye!" Will waved towards the vehicle pulling out of the driveway, his mother waving back. He wasted no time rushing to the door. Ever since the episode in the bathroom just before he had left, Will felt happier, more hopeful. He was genuinely excited to do something with his friends again. Maybe it's finally going to stop, Will told himself.

Mrs. Wheeler opened the door and greeted Will. She let him inside and he quickly through his shoes off onto the mat beside the door. She told him the rest of the boys were downstairs and ushered him to the entrance of the basement.

"Byers!" Dustin shouted as he spotted his friend bound down the staircase towards them. Will noticed the usual D&D table had moved to the side as to make room for a boxy television. He dropped hi backpack onto the couch and joined his friends on the floor, multiple movie cases and VHS tapes surrounding them.

"You'll never guess what movie i got to watch tonight!" Mike exasperated, clearly very happy to share the information with them.

"We've been waiting for Mike to tell us, but he insisted we all be here," Lucas complained while moving aside to make room for Will.

Mike smiled to himself and slowly pulled the movie from behind his back. On the cover lay a green, oozing egg of some sort and underneath the text: "In space no one can hear you scream." In bold, white letters across the top read: "Alien."

"No way, Mike," Dustin shook his head. "If your mom finds out we're watching that, she'll beat your ass,"

"She won't find out! Besides, weren't you the one who wanted to watch "A Nightmare On Elm Street?" That would for sure put us all on house arrest!" Mike countered, removing the VHS from inside the casing.

"Fine," Dustin muttered, defeated. As Mike started the movie, the party members took their place in preparation to watch the horror film. Will sat upon the couch, saving the spot beside him for Mike, while Dustin and Lucas laid out their sleeping bags in front of the sofa. "Oh man," Dustin chimed, "I'm so nervous!"

"Just shut up already," Lucas whispered, whacking his friend on the arm.

"Hey, before we start, what time is it?" Will uttered, turning towards Mike.

"I'm not sure, let me go get my watch," Mike quickly got up from the couch, hurrying over to the other end of the room. He looked down at the watch resting on the table, almost too long.

~:~

"Boys! Time for school!" Mrs. Wheeler shouted from the top of the stairs.

Dustin and Lucas quickly grabbed their bags and jackets and headed up the stairs, determined not to make Mrs. Wheeler angry. Mike knelt down next to her, who was lying on the sofa in his basement. "Just stay down here. Don't make any noise, and don't leave," Mike uttered, soft but yet firm, so she would understand. "If you get hungry, eat Dustin's snacks, okay?"

Mrs. Wheeler yelled once more, annoyance lining her voice. "Michael!"

"COMING!" Mike hollered back, a little too aggressive. "You know those power lines?"

"Power lines?" The girl repeated, with confusion.

"Yeah," Mike replied, "The ones behind my house?"

She nodded in understanding, "Yes,"

Mike quickened the speed of his talking, "Meet us there, after school,"

"After school?" She questioned the confusion contorting her face once more.

"Yeah, 3:15," Mike clarified, his eyes never leaving hers. She still remained in her confused state. "Ah," Mike muttered, reaching for his wrist. He unraveled his watch, placing it around her own wrist. "When the numbers read 3 1 5, meet us there."

She looked towards him, "3, 1, 5,"

"3 1 5," Mike defined for her, and she gave him a soft, kind of awkward smile. With that, he turned and grasped his backpack, loudly racing up the staircase. He barely noticed his face growing redder by the second.

~:~

The rest of the night went pretty smoothly, the boys finished watching "Alien," leaving Will a bit paranoid. They began to watch the "Star Wars" trilogy, but slowly transitioning to board games and comic books after the second movie. Dustin had brought his "X-Men" comic #134, which Will had tried to sneak into his own bag multiple times, but to no avail. Finally, as 8:00 turned to 12:00, the boys began to unravel their sleeping bags and lay down. Mike slept atop the couch, while the other three slept on the floor. Lucas laid closest to the couch, then Dustin beside him to his left, and then Will. Will had placed his sleeping bag closest to the bathroom, just in case.

Within the early, early hours of morning, around 3:00 or 4:00, Will awoke in a cold sweat. His stomach made a low, familiar gurgle, and he rushed towards the bathroom. He slammed the door, a big mistake a wished he hadn't made. Instantly, the rest of the party members shot up from their resting positions and looked towards the bathroom.

"Will? Are you in there?" Mike asked, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

"Y-yeah," Will stammered, heaving over the sink.

"You okay?" Lucas sat up taller, concern making its way into his face.

"I'm, I'm fi-" Will started to cough, hard. He realized the plug in the drain of the sink, but he had no time to remove it. Will could feel the slimy creature work its way up his throat, getting closer and closer to the exit with each hem and hack. The gooey critter slid from his tongue and plopped into the sink, sending spots of slime in multiple directions.

"Will!" Mike repeated. This time, his voice was right behind the door.

Will glanced into the porcelain sink. He would transport into the Upside Down any second now. That's it. I've gotta tell them.

Will gently opened the door to be greeted by his 3 friends who had all worn matching, befuddled expressions. "I've gotta tell you guys something, It's really important, I-" Without warning, in the middle of Will's sentence, he had vanished. Gone.

The boys began to panic.

"Will?" Mike said alarmed, eyes filling with terror and bewilderment.

"Shit! Where'd he go?" Lucas half-whispered, looking on to the other party members.

"Oh my god, oh my god. Shit guys, this is bad! Really, really bad!" Dustin chimed while pacing back and forth, hands thrown up in exasperation.

Lucas smacked him on the arm, "Don't you think we know that already? Pacing isn't going to do us any good!"

"Guys! Get over here, right now!" Mike yelled from the bathroom. He was stood in front of the sink peering inside. Mike had a bad feeling, a really bad feeling.

"What is i- Holy shit!" Dustin hollered, Lucas cupping his hand over Dustin's mouth as to not make too much noise.

Lucas released his hand from Dustin's mouth looked into the sink with his two companions. "D-did Will cough that thing up?" His mouth twitched in disgust.

"I think so," Mike muttered, eyeing the miniscule slug a bit closer.

Suddenly, a gasp from outside the bathroom startled the 3 boys. They rushed to see Will, sitting crisscross applesauce on the blankets in Mik- Eleven's, blanket fort. He had his hand up, as if he were analyzing an object in his hand that wasn't there. He looked up towards his friends, a lump growing in the back of his esophagus. "Look-"

"Where the hell did you go?"

"Yeah, and what's that thing in the sink?"

"How long has this been going on?"

Will read each of their expressions as their eyes burned holes into his head. "I… I went to the Upside Down."

"What?" Lucas expressed, clearly angry and confused, "Since when? How long, Will?"

"Since, uh… since last Christmas,"

"Last Christmas?!" Dustin repeated, voice growing. "Why haven't you told anybody? This is serious!"

Will grew smaller beneath them, "I know, I know. I just, thought it would go away, you know? I didn't want to worry anybody!"

"You didn't want anyone to worry? Will, come on! We're your friends, that's our job! What if something happened? What if you didn't come back?"

"I know!" Will snapped, causing them all to flinch, "I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted everything to go back to normal!" Will's head fell, and a silence fell upon the group. Then, Will remembered something. "Hey, umm… I think I saw something, in the Upside Down, in the blanket fort,"

Mike's head turned. Everybody knew why. "What? What'd you see?"

"You said that girl, Eleven, likes Eggo's, right?" Each party member, especially Mike, nodded and leaned closer to Will. "Well, in the fort, I saw a waffle. I know it's not much, but there was a pretty small bite in it."

"Are you serious?" Mike raised his voice, causing Lucas to shush him.

"Hold on, hold on…" Lucas began, a bit obnoxious, "How old was this waffle?"

"Really?" Dustin replied while his eyebrows rose, heading towards the bathroom once more.

"I'm just asking! This could be like a year old," Lucas countered.

"No, no… It looked pretty recent, maybe a month? 3 weeks? I'm not totally sure, but definitely not a year,"

Mike looked on into Will's eyes. The flame, the flame that was dwindling on nothing but a spark, grew bright, bolder. Mike's hope began to return. She's out there. I knew it, all along.

"Get your asses here now, all of you!" Dustin stood at the entrance to the bathroom, the panic lacing his crackly voice. Each of the boys hurried to the door, to which Dustin ushered them to look into the sink.

"Oh shit," Lucas whispered.

Mike's breathing picked up, "Where the hell did it go?"

To be continued…

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading, leave a review, I'd very much appreciate it! I'll be uploading a chapter every other day for the next 5 chapters starting Friday, including my other story, which will begin tomorrow! Thank you for following this story, I hope you return Friday!

~Sofi