Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
When the Russians heard the thump from Steve practically wrestling the goggles from Dustin, Robin and them slinked down to hide from their sights. Steve was panting, his heart racing from the fact that he and Dustin nearly gave themselves away. He then saw that he and Robin linked hands. Both were quick to let go, him looking weird about that.
With their raincoats on, Kali and Jonathan had arrived at Doris's home, running up to the porch. They removed their hoods as the Indian girl knocked on the door. "Mrs. Driscoll?!" she called out. There was no answer or footsteps to indicate that anyone was home. "Mrs. Driscoll?!"
Jonathan looked back to see if a truck she had she was still at the barn. And it was. "Her car's still here," he stated.
"No shit." She then looked down at the doorknob, holding it and about to turn it.
That made her friend freak out and exclaim, "Wait, what are you doing?!"
She looked up at him. "She probably fell." She then opened the door and got in.
"Kali..." he muttered before getting in with her. "You've gotta be kidding."
"Mrs. Driscoll?" she called out again, ignoring him. "Mrs. Driscoll?" She made no effort to be quiet in voice and movements, much to his dismay.
A thunderclap rolled as she and him looked around, her stating, "It's Kali, the girl from The Hawkins Post." As they looked around some more after no answer, they saw that the basement door was open, the two puzzled as to why.
They both carefully approached it, Kali opening the door all the way. "Mrs. Driscoll?" Still no answer. They slowly descended the stairs and she turned on the light. They both saw a ravaged bag of fertilizer on the ground, making them worried and concerned for the old woman. They looked up at each other, exchanging glances about what could've happened here.
They then heard a piercing squeal, the two looking at the direction it came from. They then heard monstrous noises eating...something. Now they were both on edge, tense about the fate of the old woman. Without a second thought, Kali grabbed a hammer near the stairs and Jonathan a fire poker. Slowly and quietly, they walked towards the direction of the noise.
They were finally in front of the gardening room...seeing Doris herself eating another bag of fertilizer like a wild beast. They lowered their improvised weapons, aghast and dumbfounded at what they were seeing. "Oh my God..." Kali muttered. "Mrs...Driscoll?"
The elderly woman stopped and looked at them with wide eyes, letting out an inhuman groan as she started to freak out.
"So we're all in agreement, then?" Lucas said, the boys back at Will's and in his room. He was pacing around while the two sat on his bed. "Something very wrong and creepy is going on."
"Yes," Mike answered quickly.
"Yeah, especially since I kept feeling it," Will also answered. That got both of his friends' attention.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
Right, only he knew the goosebumps he's been having for the last few days. He took a deep breath and explained, "Ever since we went to see Day of the Dead-" Mike was confused, having no idea what Day of the Dead was. "-I've had goosebumps suddenly rise from the back of my neck." Mentioning it made him subconsciously rub the back of his neck. "It first started there...then out in the field when we were helping Dustin set up Cerebro, then earlier today in the bathroom at Max's, and finally when we left Billy."
Lucas shrugged. "I dunno, man-"
Will narrowed his eyes at him. "There should be no reason why I felt that during the movie."
"I mean...scary things happened in that movie-"
"I felt it when the movie went back on after the blackout. Nothing happened then!"
He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, I believe you." He then put his hands down. "But what does this mean?"
Will shrugged. "I really don't know, but it's got to mean something." And that conversation ended there, silence roaming around the room for a while.
"Well, it's too late to warn the girls now," Lucas stated to break the silence. "They're probably having a sleepover now. Dunno if it'd be at Jane's or Max's."
"And they'll surely kick us out if we appear to them," Will added.
Mike sighed and said, "We should still warn them."
The boys looked at him in disbelief. "What?" the auburn-haired boy asked.
"Billy is Max's brother, right?"
"Uh, duh," Lucas replied.
"She would still want to know what's happening with him."
Lucas nodded. "Yeah...she could be in danger."
"Uh, you guys know they're still pissed at us, right?" Will questioned.
He shrugged again. "They could've cooled down."
He sighed. "I wouldn't risk it now."
"Then tomorrow?"
Now Will shrugged. "Sure."
"Then what should we do?" Silence came by with the boys again, all looking thoughtful of what to do.
"Maybe we can play D&D," Will suggested. "For REAL this time."
Lucas gave him an irritated look. "How many times are you gonna suggest we play D&D?"
"I want to play," Mike stated, surprising Lucas a little and making Will smile.
"You sure?"
He nodded. "It sounds like fun."
"It is, trust me," Will replied. "You'll really get into it. All you need to do is use your imagination."
Mike looked a little puzzled. "Imagination?"
"Just think about what's happening, even if it doesn't seem real."
He nodded, giving him a smile and a hand on his shoulder. "Okay." Will felt weird again, like his stomach was flipping a little. Why...?
He got off of his bed to get his board and pieces. "I already came up with a world, so this won't take long."
...
With the radio playing Celtic music and Will dressed in a wizard's outfit with the staff to go with it, they were all at the dining room table with the board game and pieces. Mike was just going to play while Lucas helps him. Enthusiastically, Will appeared and asked, "Do you hear that, my friend?"
Mike looked puzzled. "Hear what?" he replied.
He walked closer to the table. "Any normal mortal would hear this and say that it is music. But it is not music. It is the sound..." He looked up and waved his hand up. "...of destiny!" Mike smiled while Lucas tried his best not to snicker.
He approached the board and hovered his hand over it and the pieces placed there. "An entire tribe of villagers are under the threat of evil forces that hail from the swamps of Kuzatan!" Mike nodded, looking at the pieces. He then looked straight at his freckled friend. "Michael the Brave, you hear the villagers cry, see the children so frightened, they cannot sleep." He imagined everything, feeling sad about those villagers and children. "You won't let them perish, will you? Will you come to their rescue and become the hero you were always meant to be?!"
He smiled widely and answered happily, "Yes! I will save them!"
Will smiled back at him. "That's what I'm talking about!" Lucas sighed. At least Mike looked like he was enjoying this.
The girls got back on their bikes and rode away from the woods after seeing nobody was home at the cabin. As they got out, Max stopped and said loudly because of the storm, "Hey!" She stopped and looked at her. "It's late. My parents would be worried sick about me!"
Jane frowned. "You need to go home?!"
"I'll go there and convince them that I'll be staying at yours for another night!"
She nodded at her. "Okay! I'll be at Will's!"
"Gotcha!" Just then, she rode off to her home. Though Jane was going the way, they were going to part in different directions to their destinations.
...
The brown-haired tomboy had finally rode to Will's, hating that she and Max were unsuccessful in finding the boys at Lucas's and Mike's. The fact that the storm was getting worse didn't stop her at all. She needed to let the boys know, even if they're pissed with her. She parked her bike, seeing that the lights were on, so someone was definitely home. She got up to the porch and knocked on the door.
...
"Do you hear that?" Will said dramatically to Mike. The radio was now playing dramatic orchestral music. "That sounds like..." Thunder rolled outside as he exclaimed, "Thunder!" He paused for a couple seconds, furrowing his brows. "But that's not thunder...it's..." He then placed several pieces of zombies in front of the freckled boy. "A bunch of juju zombies!" Mike looked ready to kick their asses. "Michael the Brave, your action!"
His expression was thoughtful as he and Lucas looked down at the pamphlet he had, not hearing Jane's knocks...
...
Which became louder.
"Guys!" she shouted. "I know you're in there!"
...
Mike made his decision and proclaimed, "I use...Fire Ball!" He then grabbed the dice and rolled them. Will saw what landed and slammed his hand against the table. "BOOM!" Mike jolted a little. "Your Fire Ball hits one zombie, burning him to ashes as he cries his undead cry." He then imitated a zombie dying as he made one piece lay dramatically, much to Lucas's amusement and Mike's excitement.
Will then broke character for a bit, saying, "I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." The boys nodded as he paused the music and left to go there, Lucas whispering to Mike some tips on playing.
...
"GUYS!" she shouted one last time, slamming the door. She huffed, figuring they were in Will's room with loud music on. She turned the knob, even though she knew the door was locked. She did know another way in, so she put her hood up and ran to the back of the house, about to enter through the patio.
...
As Will got out, hands washed, his staff ready, and his wizard clothes back on, he looked ready to get back into the game. However, he heard the back door open, making him freeze up. Who could possibly...? Then he heard some footsteps, thinking of the worst...
Billy.
He turned quickly and positioned himself with the staff so that he could whack the intruder with it, but then he saw that...Jane was inside, her hood down and her hair wet from the storm. Her eyes widened and she held her hands up. It didn't take them more than two seconds to process the fact that they were seeing each other. Will felt less tense now, but more confused. "Jane?"
"Will?" she asked, seeing his garb. "Wait...are you guys playing D&D?"
He huffed and set his staff against the wall. "What's it to you?" He then crossed his arms.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Even Mike? I didn't even-"
"No, you didn't teach him how to play." Jane felt a little hurt by her best friend being this way with her now. He got close to her, trying not to blush. "By the way, we're in a middle of Mike's first campaign, so you should leave."
She scoffed and shook her head. "No way, I need to tell you guys-"
"I said you should leave."
She looked quite taken back by that, but stood her ground and looked at him sternly. "No." Now he scoffed and grabbed her wrist, dragging her to the patio. "Hey!" They then got into the patio, the tomboy getting out of her friend's grasp. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"What the hell's wrong with YOU?! You, of all people, know you shouldn't interfere with a campaign!"
She crossed her arms and sighed. "Listen, I know what I said to you yesterday was uncalled for." He slightly softened his demeanor a little when he heard her say that.
"What?"
"In fact, I was a...a total bitch to all of you guys yesterday, especially Mike." She looked up at him solemnly, his face now one of concern.
"Especially Mike?"
"Yes! He's been through so much and to make him feel and be absolutely hurt, I..." She looked like she was about to cry, making the auburn-haired boy look sorry for her and rub her shoulder. She sighed once more, now feeling like she needed to talk to Mike about her behavior right now. "I should talk to him."
Thunder rolled again as that statement got him panicked, him exclaiming, "No!"
She looked at him, sad. "Why not?"
"Because..." He quickly tried to think up of a lie. "He's still really pissed at you...and he's really into his D&D campaign, so it'll just, uh, make things worse." The latter was true in a way, but...he suddenly wasn't feeling so confident about that.
She took a deep breath and stepped away from him. "Will."
"Yeah?"
"We've been friends since kindergarten, we've known each other for years." The auburn-haired boy began feeling his heart racing a little, some butterflies in his stomach, his cheeks turning red a little. Why was he feeling like this now? It was always how he felt for her, but feeling this NOW? Maybe because...she would...
She looked away from him for a bit before looking straight at him, the boy blushing a little more. "You rarely lied, so I know when you're lying to me." Now he felt sunk, his feelings fighting against his confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"What you said to me about why I shouldn't talk to Mike right now. That's not true and you know it." He felt called out, him feeling cold now.
"I-it is-"
She shook her head. "It's not, I can tell by the way you talk." He sighed, knowing she got him there. "So why are you lying to me?"
"I'm not-"
"You are!"
Will huffed and rolled his eyes. "Even if I did lie, it's still not a good time-"
"Your game can wait-"
"No, Jane, no it can't!" She was taken aback by that, seeing the irritated look on her best friend's face. "He's REALLY getting into it and I don't want to change that!"
She glared at him sharply. "What I want to tell him is more important than your st-" She stopped herself, reminded of the advice Kali and Steve gave her. "Your game, okay?!"
"I don't want to end or postpone the game so that you can talk to him and you two can swap spit again!"
She looked more offended by the way he was talking about her and him. "What's going on with you, Will?! Because now, I don't think you're really talking about the game!" He was silent for a moment, feeling backed into a corner. She then huffed and asked, "Do you not want me to see him?!" He didn't answer, him gulping nervously.
"I-it's not like that-"
"Then tell me why you're acting so weird about me wanting to see Mike!"
"B-because I..." He had no other choice. All these years in the Party and she was the only one that didn't know. Even Max eventually knew. "I..." He took a couple deep breaths, closing his eyes. He then opened them and looked straight at her, taking a step closer. "I...have a crush on you, Jane." Her eyes widened by that news, her tensing up and gripping the sides of her arms tightly. "A...huge crush...since we first met in kindergarten."
...
Mike and Lucas looked real concerned about Will in the bathroom, the African-American looking down at his watch. "It's been nearly five minutes," he stated.
"We should check on him," Mike said, getting out of his chair.
Lucas nodded and did the same. "Yeah."
Suddenly, they heard loud knocking on the door, hearing a familiar voice shout, "Guys! It's me, Max!"
The two looked at each other, puzzled as they said at the same time, "Max?"
They went to the door and Lucas opened it, showing the redhead herself with her yellow raincoat and wet hair. "Uh, what're you doing here?" he asked.
She looked confused. "Wait, you guys haven't seen Jane yet?" Both of them shook their heads, all of them now worried as hell. "And Will?"
"He's in the bathroom, but for too long..."
...
There was a thunderclap before she took a step back and looked away from him, utterly surprised by this. She never knew...since kindergarten...all these years, he...but she never thought...
Will was worried about her reaction, but since that was out, he decided to keep on going. "The rest of the Party eventually knew, even Max after she joined." She looked even more baffled by that. "We promised that they wouldn't tell you until the...time is right." She didn't comment on it, now her pacing around and trying to process all of this. "You're unlike any other girl I've met. You're brave, kind, fun to be around, selfless...you're even a really good friend." She sighed before he added, "I also always thought you were...cute." She stopped and looked at him as he looked at her, the boy blushing hard. "Even...pretty when you're all dressed up." She suddenly felt cold. She did feel heart-warmed to hear those compliments, but at the same time...he had FEELINGS for her all along...
"So...then, last year, when we were talking while Dart was in the bathroom..." she said, her voice stilted.
He nodded. "Yeah, I...tried to ask you to the Snow Ball...as a date." She let out a shaky sigh and looked away from him again. The thought of him asking her like that had crossed her mind, but...she just didn't want to believe it. He then scoffed. "And then your ex threw me like a toy and re-triggered...'him'."
She looked at him sadly. "He's sorry-"
"Yeah, he is, but even if I didn't have that problem, I could've gotten a concussion!"
"He'll NEVER do that again, Will!"
"And then I saw you guys dance and kiss at the Snow Ball and suddenly, you wanted to spend ALL your time with him!"
Now she was angry again. "We still hang out with you guys-"
"And then bail on us so you two can have your stupid alone time like the stupid couple you are!"
She felt hurt...and more angry to hear him say, especially since he admitted to having a crush on her. "Oh, so it's HIS fault I'm hanging out with you less?!"
"YES!"
"He saved your ass twice!"
"And made you different!"
She scoffed. "I'm DIFFERENT? Just because I want to spend some time with him?!"
"You two together are RUINING our Party!"
"NO, WE'RE NOT!" She pointed at him. "Mike has NOTHING to do with me changing! What, do you expect me to be the same until we die?!" He gulped, looking just as angry as she was. "We're not kids anymore! You can't expect us to not have dates and play games in my basement for the rest of our lives!"
He felt more hurt and angered by her statement. "Ever since you and Mike started dating and also Lucas and Max, we're never together the way we were before! There's NEVER a possibility of all of us hanging out and having fun like we did before!"
"Are you telling me that we expel two of our new members of our Party?!"
"I'm telling you that you guys have changed for the worst, especially YOU, Jane!"
Her jaw dropped before she pointed at the door, presumably at Mike. "It's NOT Mike's fault I don't feel like playing D&D more often! It's not his fault that I have something to do besides playing games! It's not his fault that we're not hanging out as often-" Will clenched his fist before she yelled, "And it's not his fault that I fell in love with him and not YOU!"
Despite the storm, things went eerily quiet. Will looked shocked to hear that last statement, his feelings turned into a knife in the heart. He felt a lump at his throat and his eyes were getting watery. Jane realized what she said, saying her feelings about the telekinetic boy right in front of her best friend, who had a crush on her for years. "You're...in love with him?" he asked. She didn't answer that, but she didn't need to.
He then turned his back on her and began leaving, making her follow him and looking horrible for him. "Will, wait." He didn't reply to her, just went inside before she did as well.
There, they were met by the others in the hallway, the two of them surprised to see them together. Mike, Lucas, and Max looked relieved to see that they were alright, but then they looked concerned due to Will looking like he was going to burst into tears and Jane looking apologetic before they saw them.
Meanwhile, Terry was leading Stacey, Andrew, and Dave through the storm with her car. Stacey and Andrew were back in her own car, the long-haired man still driving, and Dave was driving his old 60s car. Terry had stopped near the Calloway's, leading the others to stop as well. The three parked their cars, but kept them running, just in case, and got out there. Terry stayed behind in her car in case something goes wrong. Dave was the only one with a raincoat, so Stacey and Andrew were getting soaked in the rain.
They went up to the red door, one of them about to knock when they heard a man inside yell, "Call 9-1-1!" They tensed up, now looking worried. "CALL 9-1-" And then he abruptly stopped. All of them exchanged scared glances.
"Oh shit," Dave muttered.
"We have to help them!" Andrew exclaimed.
Stacey nodded as she dug into her purse and got out a bobby pin. She twisted in and inserted it into the doorknob, unlocking the door quickly. All of them got inside, hearing "American Pie", and marched to the dining room...seeing Heather chloroform her father, who had a head wound, and Billy watching it happen. It only took the two teens one second to notice the adults' presence, looking shocked to see them there as her father passed out from the chloroform.
...
Terry looked worried. They just picked the lock and went in there. That's not legal, but...they went in there in a hurry. What was going on...?
...
The three looked aghast to see this. They walked right into a crime...a crime they were willing to stop. Andrew narrowed his eyes at Billy and said, "You're not getting away with this."
The blonde-haired teen chuckled while Heather laid her unconscious father on the floor and stood up, getting beside him. "Oh...I will," he replied before charging towards him.
Before he could move, however, his best friend charged right at him as well, the two tackling each other as Stacey screamed in surprise. A thunderclap appeared.
Dave and Billy tumbled around, hitting each other before Andrew ran to them to help his friend. He tried pulling Billy off by his hair, making him scream a little, but then the teen managed to hit him with the back of his head. He screamed and staggered back, being in a pained daze.
Stacey looked scared to join in, but as soon as she saw Heather pick up the wine bottle and go to Andrew to knock him out, she felt enraged. There was no way these kids were going to get the upper-hand from her friends, so she let out a cry and tackled her to the ground, making her drop the wine bottle and cry out in shock.
Andrew felt a little better as his vision cleared up. He saw Dave shove Billy against a wall and throw a punch at him. Not too far from him, Stacey was on top of Heather, punching her before she got a punch back. He began panting heavily and unevenly, absolutely horrified that he and his friends were in this situation. He should've expected it, but still...he never expected this to be so...chaotic.
"GO!" Dave shouted to him as he regained himself from Billy's blow.
The long-haired man gave him a shocked look. "What?!"
"Go to..." Dave dodged a punch from Billy before he shoved him away. "Terry!"
He looked appalled at the suggestion. "No! I can't leave you guys!"
"GO TO HER NOW!" Stacey shouted as she and Heather were up, the teen pulling her hair, making her scream. However, she managed to scratch her face, making her let go. She looked at her male friend pleadingly. "We'll get them off your back!" She then turned to Heather to fight her some more.
"We'll see you guys at our house!"
"SO GO!"
His eyes began to water. "Guys-"
"GO! FOR US, FOR HER!"
"PLEASE, ANDREW!"
Without a second thought, Andrew ran away from the fighting, leaving it to them. Billy wanted to go after him, but Dave grabbed him from behind to stop him. "OH NO YOU'RE NOT!" He managed to get him away and kick his gut, making him cough painfully.
...
He didn't like this. He hated this. He sniffled and began crying before he got outside. He ran to Terry's car and got into it quickly, yelling, "GO!"
She gasped and asked, "Wh-what's happening-"
"GO, TERRY! THEY'LL CATCH US!" Quick as the lightning that appeared, she got into the driving gear and drove away quickly from the home.
...
Dave and Billy collided with each other while Stacey and Heather wouldn't let up from their fight. Billy head-butted the dirty-blonde-haired guy, making him scream and be put into a daze. He then grabbed him and threw him against the door to the basement on the side of the stairs. The force he got from throwing him against it was enough to open, making them both tumble down there.
They got onto the floor, Billy panting and sweating, his face filled with bruises and scrapes from the man's punches. He looked up at the man for a few seconds...seeing that he wasn't breathing. Curious, we slowly crawled to him, putting his fingers on his neck for a pulse.
There wasn't any.
Wide-eyed, Billy sat up, then stood up, looking...ashamed of himself. He only wanted to knock him out, not break his neck during the tumble-down the stairs and kill him.
Kill him...
Suddenly, he looked aghast, his eyes tearing up as he grabbed the sides of his hair and backed away from him. His breath became very shaky. He killed someone...he...
He actually killed someone...how could he-
No.
'He' wouldn't allow him to be like this.
Only one tear escaped his eye before he strangely began to calm down. Why was he being calm? He just...
He just...
He failed and he hoped Heather didn't.
...
Stacey got another punch to the face by Heather, her face bruised and scratched. However, she caught the teen girl's fist, using all of her strength to not let it go further. She then grabbed her neck and threw her against the kitchen table, making more of a mess than before with the shattered dishes and glasses. Heather was shaking a little, trying to get up before Stacey kicked her at the face...finally knocking her out.
The curly-haired woman panted, glad she got the upper hand and knocked her out. Poor girl was possessed, but what the hell else was she supposed to do?
She took a deep breath. She didn't hear anything from the other room. She hoped to God Dave was alright and beat Billy. As she walked out of the dining room, however...she was met with Billy and the rag of chloroform on her nose and mouth. She screamed, feeling the teen hold her and not let her go. She thrashed around, struggling get out of his hold and beginning to cry.
He looked down at her and hushed, whispering to her, "Don't be afraid, Stacey. It'll all be over soon." Before she had time to process that...everything went dark for her.
She was finally unconscious and he calmly laid her onto the ground. He felt so awful and guilty about doing this to her, but 'he' made those feelings buried quick. He walked towards Heather and shook her to make her awake. After a couple of minutes, she stirred and woke up to look into his eyes.
"I'm sorry," she muttered to him.
He gave her a reassuring look. "Don't be." He then looked back at Stacey, then she did the same, slowly getting up. "We got one more for him." They both felt proud now. They finally got her, at last.
Well, shit.
How was this chapter? Any typos or mistakes I might've missed?
Yay! Will finally has a D&D buddy! Too bad that game becomes short-lived though...
And so the secret comes out. Ever since I saw the scene in Season 3, I've been wanting to write this. I figured with the way I wrote Will in this AU, the argument would mainly be about his crush towards Jane and his jealousy of Mike being with her, thinking it's a bad thing. And this AU's version of "It's not my fault you're not into girls." Still hurts Will, poor boy. :( But he hasn't destroyed Castle Byers...
Y̶e̶t̶.̶
Still, I hope I wrote that entire scene well.
And now Dave's dead and Stacey's captured. Poor Andrew, leaving his friends like that. At least he'll have Terry!
Review, follow, favorite, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!
*Also, quick thoughts on the new reveal: Still not a fan of the Russians. I knew Hopper was alive, despite wanting his now horrid ass dead, but to see him in a prison camp like that...wow. Hopefully, this reveal isn't deceitful like the Season 3 trailers and actually have the 4th season the same tone the first two. This might lead to something interesting, but I have a feeling that the rest of the seasons (Hopefully, just this and a fifth one) are gonna be dedicated to defeating the Russians and I don't want that. They suck and that wasn't what the show was about to begin with.*