𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

7

𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈 𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐎𝐅 jeans and tattered, black canvas sneakers and threw her bookbag over her shoulders once she shimmied on an obnoxiously blue poncho she found stuffed in the back of the coat closet. the notebooks and pencils had now been swapped for search party supplies, which included a plastic baggie of piping-hot bagel bites.

upon opening her front door and stepping out from underneath the porch's awning, she sighed at the sound of small raindrops dripping against the plastic atop her head. it had also occurred to her that hawkins was not exactly swarming with red convertibles, so her only viable option was the lead that hopper had found hours before: will's bike.

dani nabbed her youngest brother's bike from the porch. the handles were cold to the touch, goosebumps prickling up on her arms. she noticed the frayed seat and the tires that were damn near flat. a lot of love was shown to the schwinn, and it was apparent. and it wasn't a hand-me-down from sheridan or jonathan. it was all will's, his pride and joy. even if his sister had offered him a ride, chances were that he'd take his bike. and dani almost felt like she was tarnishing it by taking it to mike's.

dani let out a deep breath, hoping to exhale her bad mojo before trudging the bike down the stairs and planting it atop the gravel. the things i do for these kids, she thought to herself. the ginger shook off her nerves, getting on top of the bike and beginning to pedal. albeit challenging at first, it took her no time at all to find her rhythm. she hadn't done this in a while; it was a foreign feeling. but something she used to know well. she remembered when her mom taught her how to ride a bike, with jonathan at her side and will in her arms. once she had picked up pace and set off on her own, jonathan jumped up and down and cheered excitedly for his sister, with will clapping his hands together like joyce had taught him.

and now, she was riding down that same road, in search of the bike's rightful owner.

✽

𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐈𝐓, she rounded out a street corner into a neighborhood she knew like the back of her hand. a streetlight in the distance led her right to where she wanted to go.

she stood straight up on the bike pedals, letting the tires run their course before she approached the wheeler house. sheridan slowed down as she met mike at the end of his driveway. the young boy nodded his head to the right with a scoff. confused, dani's eyes drifted towards the two-story townhouse; a building she envied a lot growing up. the pair sat and watched as none other than steve harrington stood on top of a crate, attempting to scale the roof to get to nancy's window.

during his attempts, steve had a sneaking suspicion that he was being watched. his head whipped around to be faced with mike and sheridan shaffer. an embarrassed giggle escaped the boy as he stopped and stood on the crate, giving a quaint wave before scratching the back of his neck.

dani let out a laugh, mixed with a scoff. steve heard the pity in her howl despite the distance between them. the ginger-haired girl rolled her eyes. "let's get out of here." sheridan and mike navigated out of the driveway and eventually, the neighborhood.

a pit grew in the bottom of steve harrington's stomach. he hadn't seen dani in a while; well, besides the bathroom run-in that same morning. he supposed he felt guilty for that, and guilty that any attempt he made to see the girl's ex-best friend, dani always seemed to witness. as much as he hated to admit it, he knew he was what drove the girls apart. and it was the exact opposite of what he wished to happen.

✽

𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃 mike, lucas, and dustin as the four pedaled along mirkwood. the same feeling of dread washed over dani from earlier; this is where they had found the bike that she was currently riding on. without her little brother on it.

the rain had since stopped, but there was no doubt in the girl's mind that it would start again—and soon. "awe, man. this is it," lucas warned. the group halted all along the red and white barriers, attempting to keep citizens out of the woods, that clearly were of no use.

thunder rolled in the distance, lighting up the dark sky. dustin held out his hand. "guys. you feel that?" sheridan extended her own hand out, as well; small raindrops fell into her palm. i knew it. "i think we should go back." before mike could get a word out, dani took the lead.

"we've made it this far; no turning back now." the girl stepped off the bike, walking around the wooden barriers and down the hill with it at her side. she gently set it down before digging the flashlight out from her bag, as well as a couple of bagel bites. dani popped one into her mouth, chowing down as the boys watched her try to turn on her light. she glanced back up at them. sherrie did a double-take once she noticed the bewilderment written all over their faces. "you guys comin'?" she questioned through a mouthful of food. a strobe of light shot out from the flashlight, the brightness startling sheridan a bit. she smiled and stepped forward into the trees and muck.

mike and lucas were the first to follow suit, going around the cautionary barricade and leaving their bikes at the base of the hill. they nabbed flashlights of their own and warned dustin to use the walkie talkie if he really was going to pussy out of this.

as the two boys jogged to catch up to dani, the rain quickly picked up its pace. and dustin caved. "hey guys, wait up! wait up!" sheridan stopped in her tracks to wait for the boy, giggling as she watched him try to run down the steep hill to join them. and once he did, their own search party commenced.

dani listened to the heartbreaking sound of her brother's friends yelling his name. she could hear the pain in their voices; but she knew they were determined to find him. and that's what kept her going.

the group panned their flashlights in every direction, no inch of the forest going uncovered. they looked for absolutely any sign at all. and so far, they had no luck. "will! will! byers!" mike hollered.

"i've got your x-man 134!" dustin followed up, causing sheridan to chuckle. the rain was coming down harder now. it fell in droves from the leaves above them, the four of them quickly getting covered. ironically enough, dani was one of the only ones who wore a poncho or raincoat of some kind. "guys, i really think we should turn back!" dustin warned.

"seriously, dustin?! you wanna be a baby? then go home already!" lucas fired back.

"i have a great idea: how about we all shut up and-" dani shouted, but got cut off by mike shushing her. he raised his pointer finger in the girl's direction; a double whammy. sheridan's eyebrows raised and her jaw gaped open. "excuse me?!"

"shut up, dani!" mike whispered, the distinction in his voice causing the boy to practically spit the words out. he trudged ahead of the group with his arms out. sheridan huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. you are so lucky, she thought to herself, hoping she could somehow telepathically implant the words into mike's brain. "you guys hear that?" the boy questioned as he glanced around the woods. suddenly, the crunching of leaves startled everyone out of their argument. mike turned his flashlight in the direction of the sound, but there was nothing. then, it came from the other side. and mike's flashlight illuminated the figure of a little girl with a buzz cut, wearing nothing but a benny's burgers t-shirt. and it was taking everything in sheridan to not scream at the top of her lungs.

"holy. shit."

✽