✓ | 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 (BYLER)

𝒙𝒙𝒙𝒊𝒙. APOCALYPSE

━━━━ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

While the remainder of the crew split into pairs to engage in their own conversations, Mike and Will ventured into the seemingly endless patch of woods surrounding Hopper's quaint cabin.

They ambled side by side with a tranquil silence lingering between them, blood surging to their cheeks whenever their arms brushed together with the lightest of touches. Fallen leaves and fragile twigs crackled beneath the soles of their worn-down sneakers, providing a fleck of noise to cancel out the rather potent quietness.

All was seemingly ordinary in that particular moment. The pure ambience of the forest's astonishing spring foliage was vigorous enough to distract the teenage duo from the frightful disaster creeping upon them.

Suddenly, as if Vecna had discerned the unusual contentedness between the boys, Will felt a familiar sensation emerge from out of the blue. As a result, the wispy hairs on the back of his neck shot up while an assembly of goosebumps developed.

The brunette shuddered at the recognizable sensation tickling his skin. He slowly raised a shaky hand to the back of his neck, allowing his fingertips to graze the patch of tiny bumps in order to confirm that he wasn't being paranoid.

Nope. It was one hundred percent real.

"Hey," Mike spoke in a gentle voice, delicately grabbing the boy's forearm to prevent him from trekking any further. "You okay?"

In the past, Will's response would have consisted of a faux smile and an unconvincing "I'm fine!" At that instant, however, his gut urged him to tell the truth regardless of how unsettling it was.

"No," He gulped, struggling to breathe properly. "I can feel him. He's here."

"What does he want?" The younger boy inquired.

"He wants to kill us — all of us," Will sniffled, the words exiting his mouth through choked sobs. "He isn't going to stop until everyone is dead."

"Hey, hey, listen to me," Mike shushed the boy, cupping his face and stroking his rosy cheeks with his thumbs. "It's going to be okay, I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."

"No, Mike, you don't understand," The Byers boy sputtered. "We have to get out of Hawkins."

"No," The Wheeler boy stated without expressing an ounce of emotion.

"No?" Will echoed, his brows furrowed with bewilderment.

"We can't leave just yet. If we don't put an end to this, nobody will. I mean, we're the only ones who actually know what's going on. The rest of Hawkins thinks this is the result of a goddamn earthquake!"

"That's insane, Mike! Are you hearing yourself right now? We'd be risking our lives!" Will sneered, unconvinced by the boy's lecture.

"We've risked our lives dozens of times! This is Hawkins — we've dealt with shit like this before! And you know what? We made it out alive every single time."

Will couldn't bring himself to discredit the fact that it was a reasonable argument. Mike was absolutely correct. They had survived encounters with a multitude of supernatural creatures that ranged from the tall Demogorgon to the colossal Mind Flayer.