And the Earth, It Will Shake

Chapter Six - Episode One (END): The Vanishing of Will Byers

~~

You hadn't been expecting a call so late into the evening.

After the unpleasantness of Hoppers questioning, dropping off the kids to stressed mothers, and having to explain the situation to your dad who had been out of the loop, you were beyond exhausted. The emotional weight of this morning finally settled from off your body the moment you got home, and you would have been sleeping the rest of the day away, had it not been for the loud ringing of the landline in the living room.

For a small second, you let yourself ignore the sound, willing it away as you tried to get some shut eye. You didn't want to hear or speak to anyone, terrified you'd be told more bad news that you couldn't comprehend. You wanted to remain ignorant for just a few hours, let reality catch up inevitably the next morning.

Still, you rose from your comfortable bedsheets, rushing by your fathers closed room to answer the trilling machine before it could end. You reasoned that whatever it was, it must have been important, the kitchen clock indicating it was well past nine. "Hello-"

"Y/N, it's me, Dustin!"

And just like that, you knew you wouldn't be getting that sleep anytime soon, because whenever one kid needed something, the others were close behind.

"What's wrong?"

Pacing could be heard on the other end of the line, then, "Okay, I need to tell you something, but you have to promise not to get mad."

"Dustin-"

"Promise?"

Huffing, you relented, giving the boy your promise. He seemed to lighten just a bit, however, a hit of apprehension still lingered in his tone. "So, you know how you said we shouldn't go out looking for Will cause we can complicate things?"

"...Yes-?"

"Well, Mike said to forget it and told me and Lucas to meet him by Mirkwood. I'm about to head over there right now, but I... I wanted you to come too. J-just in case, you know?"

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? I told you guys-"

"You said you wouldn't get mad!"

Fighting the urge to wring your neck with the landlines cord, you sigh, long and hard as you try to think things through. "Okay, I'll be there soon. Don't go anywhere inside the woods without me, you hear?"

"I promise! Take a bike if you have one, a bag, and a flashlight. We'll need it in order to carry things around, just in case."

And with that, Dustin ends the call, and you continue to wonder what it is you've done in a past life to deserve such disobedient kids.

Quietly, you pack up what you need, stepping out of the trailer to see if your bike still resided within the little shed your dad built out back. It's small, but it does what it was made for, holding old trinkets that no longer fit within the house.

The old purple bike that you once used is still there, covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs that you wipe off hurriedly. It's still in good condition, and after giving it a small test ride around the exterior of your house, you head off in the direction of Mirkwood, hoping to catch up to the unsuspecting teens.