𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

21

𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃, hopper divulging that, after scoping out the wheeler house, it was a possibility that they were on the hunt for mike. this terrified both nancy and sherrie to no end. the man insisted they find the kids before the bad people do, with sheridan suggesting will's walkie talkie; "mike always keeps his on him," she confirmed.

before they knew it, the five of them entered the mess that was the byers household. nancy paused in the living room, fixating on the undone christmas lights, the pictures that littered the home, and the wood sporadically nailed over the gaping hole in the wall. jonathan and sherrie practically ran to their little brother's room. "you check under the bed, i got the desk," jonathan declared, his sister nodding her head in agreement. hopper and joyce followed the pair closely.

"got it!" sherrie exclaimed, coming up from under the bed with the device in her hand. she tuned it to what she hoped was the right channel, and handed it to nancy, who pleaded for mike to answer. dani hovered over the girl's shoulder, pressing the button down herself.

"mike, it's dani, please for the love of god, pi-"

hopper yanked the device from both the girls' hands and began to speak so firmly into it that he was practically spitting his words out. "listen kid, this is the chief, so if you're there, pick up. we know you're in trouble, and we know about the girl." the man breathed out for a moment to formulate his next sentence. "we can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up."

"mike probably thinks this is a trap or something, knowing him," dani theorized with a small snicker. given the situation, she was the only one laughing.

"are you there, do you copy? over!" hopper commanded, disregarding sherrie's conclusion. static filled will's bedroom. hopper pounded the walkie talkie onto his dresser. "anybody got any other ideas?" the man questioned, glancing at dani. her shoulders shrugged.

"yes. i copy." mike's words poured like liquid gold from will's gadget. "it's mike. i'm here... we're here."

sheridan's face lit up with a smile, dashing to the dresser to grab the walkie talkie. "mike, you crazy son of a bitch, i love you!"

✽

𝐉𝐎𝐘𝐂𝐄, 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄, 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐘 sat atop the byers's couch, anxiously waiting for jim to bring the kids to the house. sheridan was tempted to bite down on her chipped black nails, but rested her hands on her shaking knees instead. her heart skipped a beat as white headlights panned across the bay window. instantly, she got to her feet and rushed out the door. nancy followed behind her, calling out for her little brother.

a smile painted dani's face as she saw mike, dustin, lucas, and eleven. while nancy hugged mike, and scolded him because of her worry, sherrie wrapped the remaining three in a group hug. "i am... so, so glad you guys are safe."

once inside, mike nabbed a piece of notebook paper to explain to his sister, jonathan, and joyce the flea and the acrobat piece from will's funeral. "okay, so, in this example, we're the acrobat. will and barbara, and that monster, they're this flea. and this is the upside down, where will is hiding. mr. clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space," mike divulged.