Jonathan entered his brother's hospital room. "Are you okay?" Will asked. "You seem shaken up."
Jonathan didn't want to freak his brother out more. "Yeah, I'm fine," Jonathan said. "There's something I need to tell you. Do you remember the day Dad left?"
"In small doses," Will said. "I was only eight."
"I found some of Mom's old diaries," Jonathan said. "I was bored and grounded, so I started reading. I found one diary from high school, specifically the year of the first killings. The year she had me. At thirteen, I found out my dad wasn't my dad."
Will felt his heart beating out of his chest. "I went to Mom's room and screamed at her," Jonathan explained. "I didn't know your dad had come home early. That's how he found out I wasn't his as well."
"That's not your," Will started.
"I promised Mom I would never tell you," Jonathan said. "You didn't deserve to get effed up. That's why I left. Mom never forgave me for pushing him away."
"Why are you telling me this now?" Will asked.
"Because who my father is might be related to all of this," Jonathan explained. He was crying at this point. "It was Lonnie Byers. Someone figured that out, and that's why you're here. I'm sorry I never told you."
Will was silent for a moment. "Can you leave?" he asked. "I need time to process this. You leave for years with no contact. Then you dump all of this on me after I get stabbed. I need to be alone right now."
Jonathan left the room. "You heard that?" Jonathan asked.
"I caught bits and pieces," Eric responded.
"You should go," Jonathan said. "You shouldn't be wrapped up in this."
"You're my best friend," Eric said. "I'm not leaving you. What should we do now?"
"We should go to an expert," Jonathan said. "And I know one who still lives in Hawkins."
Jonathan stepped out of the shower. He was currently home alone. His mother was getting takeout for dinner. He received a text from his mom.
Mom: Can you take the lemon squares out of the fridge?
Dustin got changed and went downstairs. The doorbell rang. He jumped, remembering the safety tips his mom embedded into his mind. Dustin's phone vibrated again from another message from her mom.
Mom: Answer the effing door.
Dustin dialed 911. He was trembling and crying. His mom told him what to do in this situation. Someone was pounding on the door. "Run and hide," he remembered Claudia explaining to him. "Even if I'm in danger, or one of your friends is in danger. You run."
The door got kicked down. Someone in a ghost face mask was waiting for Dustin. Dustin tried to run, but he tripped over a rug. He fell on his back. The person took the opportunity to pounce on Dustin.
The masked assailant stabbed Dustin in the chest. Dustin let out a scream. He tried to fight the knife away, but the attacker wasn't relenting. The attacker plunged the knife deep into Dustin's neck. Blood ran down Dustin's neck. He gurgled for a few moments before he went limp. Claudia Henderson's body lay in the front yard.