"Mike?" Eleven's voice echoed.
Mike shot up in his bed, sweat beginning to pool under him as he woke and looked around the dark abyss that was his room. He sighed as he realized he was the only one there. Just another one of those experiences.
Ever since Eleven had disappeared, Mike had these 'experiences'. He always heard her call for him, whether it be at school, at the dinner table, or in his sleep. She would gently say his name. He knew she was still alive. He knew she would be back.
After hearing about what Joyce had explained, about being in the Upside Down, he knew that Eleven was still with them, just in another plane. He slinked back down into his bed, pulling the sheets over him.
"El…" He whispered, as he stared at the ceiling, hoping for a response. Even if it was another "Mike?", like he'd been hearing constantly.
"Have you seen Mike, yet?" Dustin asked as he lowered his bike to the ground, meeting with Lucas.
"Nah, I didn't see him on the way here. He should be here soon." Lucas said as he did the same as Dustin, carefully lowering his bike to its side as they made their way to Will's door. After the bickering of who is going to knock, Lucas and Dustin quickly changed their demeanor as the door flew open with Jonathan standing there.
"Oh, uh-… Hey guys. Will's upstairs. Be careful with him. He's not doing great today." Jonathan said, seeming to be out of breath as he shuffled out the door, leaving it open for the boys. "Thanks Jonathan." Dustin said, hurriedly pushing Lucas into the doorway, and shutting it behind him. They booked it upstairs, headed directly to Will's room.
"Byers!" Dustin exclaimed, busting in through the door, completely nullifying Jonathan's request. Lucas quickly followed, both boys seeming just as excited as the other.
Joyce was sitting next to Will's bed, and shot the boys a glare when they burst into the room. "Not a good time to be rowdy, boys!" She said, trying to be quiet, but having quite the tone to it, putting emphasis on every word. She was holding onto Will's hand; his hand was barely grasping hers back.
Lucas and Dustin made their way over to the side of the bed, trying to be quiet with their steps. Will's eyes were closed and his breaths were soft. His skins was pale as could be, making him seem so fragile. With a slight cough, he opened his eyes a bit and managed to breathe out a quiet phrase.
"Hey Dustin. Hey Lucas." He spoke, trying to sound excited. A smile left just as quickly as it had come as he coughed again. He rested his head on the pillow, angled so that he could see the boys.
"I'll let you boys have your time. If he needs anything, come find me." Joyce pestered Dustin and Lucas before turning back to Will. "I'll be downstairs in the kitchen, okay? I'll be back up after awhile, honey." She patted his hand gently before leaving the room.
"How ya doing, man? We thought we'd come see you for awhile. I brought your homework for you." Lucas said, as he slung his backpack off his shoulder and began poking through it.
"Yeah, and Mike said he'd be coming too. Maybe we can play a pickup game of D&D if you're feeling up fo-..?" Dustin began, before Will could even answer the first question.
"I don't know why this came back, guys." Will said under his breath, interrupting Dustin. He shifted his gaze from Dustin to Lucas, and then back. The bags under his eyes, the paleness of his skin, and the weakness of his body gave it away.
"Is it… the slugs? Have you coughed up anymore?" Dustin asked, looking to Lucas and then back to Will. "I didn't think it would be this again…" He mumbled, reaching his hands to his head, resting them there after adjusting his hat out of a nervous habit.
"Yeah man, I thought the doctor's cleared it out, and gave you the green light. It could just be a slight cold, you know?" Lucas butted in, pulling his attention from his book bag.
"No, guys. This is the same feeling I had when I coughed up the first slug. I know this feeling… This is that…" Will said, before breaking into a coughing fit. He reached his elbow up, to cough into it several times, trying to clear something from his throat before continuing on, "I don't want to tell my mom; she'll be so sad. Not with all that's going on…" Will brokenly said, taking the occasional moment to cough and wheeze.
"Well…" Dustin motioned to Lucas and then to himself, "We're here for you. And I know Mike is too…" He said, trying get a smile out of Will.
After an hour of the boys joking around with what they could and trying to keep Will in high spirits, Joyce made her way back into the room. She began wrapping it up; she let the boys know that it was getting late and Will needed his rest.
"But… I thought Mike was coming?" Dustin turned to Lucas, his eyes bugging with confusion.
"Might have gotten caught up in something. Maybe his mom made him eat at home." Lucas said with a shrug, leaving books and a notebook on the bedside table for Will. They both said their goodbyes and made their way to the door.
Walking out, they thanked Joyce for letting them stay for awhile and closed the door behind them. As they stepped closer to their bikes, they notice a third bike lying close by.
Mike's bike.
"What the…" Dustin said under his breath, and quickly looked around. Will's house was heavily guarded by thick woods, and with it getting darker, they could barely see through the tree line.