𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

6

❝𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄?❞ dani overheard joyce question from the living room. the girl had locked herself in the comfort of her bedroom, a space in which she was free to let out her tears. she didn't like other people seeing her cry; she thought it was weak and pathetic. and that was exactly the opposite of who she thought she was. of who she wanted other people to think she was.

but a small part sympathized with herself, as well. she couldn't help but be vulnerable in a time like this. her youngest brother was gone. missing. vanished into thin air. the least she could do for herself was cry.

sheridan had changed into comfier clothes the moment her feet hit her bedroom floor. she was clad in red tartan boxers and was practically swimming in an oversized led zeppelin t-shirt, which she had snagged at their chicago concert for her birthday in '77. black, watercolor streaks of mascara painted her freckle-spotted cheeks. her eyelashes were soaked with tears and heartache. the tune of pink floyd's the wall hummed against her bedroom walls, the crack of her windows blowing a cool breeze past the sheer navy blue curtains.

the girl hugged her knees to her chest as she flipped through the photo album on her mattress. most of the photos were taken by dani herself, before she'd stuck her cameras on the shelf to act as dust magnets. some were of her brothers and her mom coloring eggs for easter. a quaint giggle left the girl as she noticed a picture of the family dog jumping onto will's lap, causing the boy to dump the cup of green dye all over the table. she recalls laughing harder while taking the picture.

the rumble of the officers navigating her home shook every square inch of dani's room, skipping her record. "listen, i want you to call flo. i wanna get a search party together, alright? all the volunteers she can muster; bring flashlights, too." a search party, dani thought. a goddamn search party.

✽

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈'𝐒 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 jolted the girl out of her sleep. not long after hopper and the rest of the force had left the house for good, she rolled a doobie and decided to call it a day. as much as she wanted to help the search party, the pain she was feeling had practically attached her to her bed and tissue boxes.

the ginger ran her hand along her nightstand in search of her phone, eyes remaining shut. after a few more rings, she picked it up and placed it to her ear. "hello?" dani asked. you could hear the grogginess in her voice.

"dani, it's mike." this can never lead to anything good. "meet me at mine in 10, and bring a flashlight."

"mike, what in the sam hell-"

"oh, and dustin wants some snacks, too. some bagel bites, if you have 'em!" the boy exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"wait, what?" dani questioned, sitting straight up in her bed. the demands mike was making sucked the tiredness straight out of her body like a dirt devil. "what the actual hell is happening?"

"we want to look for will." the boy's words sent goosebumps coating dani's body.

"...does your mom know?" after today's events, the absolute last thing dani needed to deal with right now was an angry karen wheeler.

"no, i'm not stupid!"

"that's debatable."

"just- be over here in ten. we're going whether you come with or not." dani huffed. she never realized how stubborn mike was until now.

a light tapping pattern at her window caused the girl to whip her head around. she picked up the phone and carried it with her to the other side of her bed. small raindrops began to litter her windowsill, and they were picking up pace. "it's pouring out!" the girl cried.

"um, raincoats exist, dani."

silence filled the line, before dani sighed. "fine."

✽