The group hid out in Scoops Ahoy. "So, you've been dealing with a corrupt government?" Lucas asked. "And they're the ones who reopened the Upside-Down?"

"Yes," Dustin answered. "And you've been dealing with our possessed friend? I hate that these events don't surprise me."

"Same," Max answered.

"The last two years have been crazy," Lucas agreed.

"Understatement of the decade," Will said.

"We need to stop them from releasing the Upside-Down," Robin said. "We don't know where the machine is."

"We've been trying to deal with the flayed," Will said. "Mike appears to be their leader. We've had one encounter with him and another encounter with the others. The others have become some spider creature."

The lights began to flicker. Will grabbed the back of his neck. "They're here," Will said.

"Crap," Max whispered. The next sound surprised them. It was the sound of a car. The group quickly left the ice cream shop. Mike was laying face down in the car. The party, plus Robin, Steve, and Erica, recognized the car.

"Dad," Eleven exclaimed. Hopper and Joyce climbed out of the car. Eleven ran over to hug her Dad. Hopper took her into his arms.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Hopper muttered.

"Me too," Eleven whispered.

"Hopper, you hit someone," Joyce exclaimed. "Wait, is that Mike?"

"That's not Mike," Lucas explained. "I mean, that is Mike. Just, he's been flayed. He'll be fine."

"We need to make a plan before he wakes up," Dustin said. "Let's get back to Scoops Ahoy."

The group arrived at the ice cream shop.

Everyone went through what had been going on in their lives. "We found the machine," Hopper said. "We had some help on the inside."

"Some of us need to stay here to deal with the flayed," Nancy explained. "The others need to destroy the machine. Me, Jonathan, Eleven, Max, Will, and Lucas will stay to fight with the flayed."

"Fight?" Will asked. "You're not planning on us killing them, right?"

"We're going to save Mike," Eleven said.

"We need to save them all," Will argued. He saw himself in them. He wasn't used to being on this side of the fight. He couldn't help but extend a large amount of empathy to them. "We need to save Mike and all of them. I love Mike. I can't lose him."

There was a stunned silence. Robin gave Will a gentle smile. Nancy was the only member of the Wheeler family who knew that Mike was with Will. "So, you finally admit it," Lucas said. He grew a smirk.

The group started to get ready to part ways. Robin walked over to Will. "So, about this Mike guy," Robin started.

Will's body began to tense. Maybe I shouldn't have said that right then. "You know who my first crush was?" Robin asked. "A girl in my class named Tammy Thompson."

Will's body became completely untensed. "Really?" Will asked. Robin nodded slowly. "You know, sometimes it feels like me and Mike are the only ones out there. I'm happy to know we're not."

"There's an entire community out there," Robin explained. "They're just not very out here in Hawkins. Hey, next time you're at Scoops Ahoy, ask if I'm working. I'll give you an extra scoop for free. I can't give you the safe world we deserve, but I can give you free ice cream."

"Thanks," Will said.

"We're loading up," Dustin called. Joyce went to hug her sons. Will and Jonathan wrapped their arms around her.

"Be safe," Joyce whispered.

"We will," Jonathan whispered.

"I love you both," Joyce whispered gently.

"I love you too," Jonathan and Will said.

The leaving group climbed into the car and drove off. The group gathered back into Scoops Ahoy. "Grab your weapons," Max announced. "Mike is due to wake up at any minute. He's going to be angrier. That spider thing is probably not far behind him."

"Try to save as many as possible," Will said.

"Is everyone ready?" Nancy asked.

"Let's save our friend," Lucas declared. The lights began to flicker.

"One last time," Will muttered.

"It will be," Eleven said. The group stared at each other, sharing reassuring smiles to say, "We're going to get through tonight. We're going to see the next sunrise."

They heard a cry from a monster. "We need to act fast," Max whispered. "Like, right now."

The group jumped up from their hiding spots. The Spider monster had entered Scoops Ahoy, signifying the beginning of the battle of the Starcourt Mall.

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