What do you think? I think you're an idiot. (Dustin Henderson x Reader)

12: Like the vale of shadows!

Y/n's pov

I woke up suddenly, hearing several voices talking around me.

My eyes were foggy and it felt as though someone had crammed a ton of cotton into my head.

"He said it's like home, but dark." One of the voices said.

"Ow." I mumbled, rubbing the spot where my head had collided with the bookshelf.

I looked up to see El leaning down over the top of the couch I was laying on, staring at me in concern, her features softening into a small smile when she noticed my eyes were open.

"Awake." She said softly to the boys, who came rushing over to me.

Dustin was the first to come over, a goofy smile plastered across his face.

"Thank god, you're alive!" He exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.

I was overwhelmed by the smell of chocolate pudding, which was lovely if I do say so myself.

He pressed an ice pack to the back of my head, mid-hug, before pulling away and smiling at me.

"You okay, y/n?" Lucas asked once Dustin had pulled away, handing me a glass of cold water.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks" I nodded, taking the glass of water with one hand and holding the ice pack with the other.

I took a gulp of water, the cool liquid trickling down my throat.

Mike looked at me, concern coating his face.

I smiled and nodded at him, silently telling him that I was okay, and giving him the signal that he could continue rambling.

He smiled back and started pacing again.

"He said it was like home, right?" Mike asked.

"Like home... Like his house?" I questioned, jumping into the conversation.

"I don't know, the stupid radio kept going in and out." Lucas replied, raising his arms in frustration.

"Like riddles in the dark." Dustin muttered loud enough for all of us to hear.

"Maybe he means, like Hawkins...?" I offered, but it came out as more of a question.

"Upside Down." El said quietly.

"What?" Lucas and Dustin and I asked in unison.

Mike walked towards our D&D table, where the board was, the three of us trailing behind him.

"Remember when El flipped the board?" Mike asked, flipping the D&D board over to its blank black side. "Dark. Empty."

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Lucas asked Dustin and I, obviously irritated.

"No." Dustin said.

"Not entirely." I replied unsurely.

"Remember when El took us to Will's house?" Mike recalled.

"Yeah, and he wasn't there." Lucas said.

"Well, what if we just couldn't see him. He was on the other side. Like, this is Hawkins, right?" Mike demonstrated, turning the board the right way. "And this is the Upside Down." He said, flipping the board to the black side again.

"Like the vale of shadows!" Dustin and I said at the same time, high-fiving.

Dustin grabbed the D&D manual and flipped to the vale of shadows.

"The vale of shadows is a dark dimension, and echo or shadow of our world. It is a place of decay and death. A place of monsters. It is right next to you and you don't even see it." He read.

"But how do we get there?" Lucas asked.

"You cast shadow walk." Dustin said, referring to the game.

"In real life, dummy." I smiled, playfully rolling my eyes.

"Well, we can't shadow walk... But maybe she can." Dustin said, pointing to El.

"Do you know how to get there?" Mike asked El, who just shook her head.

I sighed. This is going to be one long day.

Word count: 605