𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄 || 𝘔𝘈𝘟 𝘔𝘈𝘠𝘍𝘐𝘌𝘓𝘋

14. we're on the bench

WE'RE ON THE BENCH

November 4th, 1984
⏰ 10:30 pm, 📍Hawkins, Indiana

༺♥༻"It's not like it was before. It's grown," Hopper sighs. "A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs."

"Demo-dogs," Dustin slips in.

"Im sorry, what?"

"I said, uh, Demo-dogs," Dustin explains, obviously embarrassed. "Like Demogorgan and dogs. You put 'em together, it sounds pretty badass..."

Hopper raises his voice. "How is this important right now?"

Dustin looks away from Hopper. "It's not. I'm sorry."

Stephanie looks at Max to try and get her attention, but Max is understandably preoccupied.

"I can do it." El looks up at Hopper, bravery in her eyes.

Hopper shakes his head. "You're not hearing me."

El persists. "I'm hearing you. I can do it."

"Even if El can, there's still another problem." Mike says, taking initiative as always. "If the brain dies the body dies."

"I thought that was the whole point?" Max furrows her brows in confusion.

Stephanie's knees go weak hearing Max's voice. It surprised her, reminded her that she still has Max even when it feels like the world was about to end.

"It is, but if we're really right about this..." Mike begins. "I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayers army..."

"Wills a part of that army," Lucas finishes.

"Closing the gate will kill him."

Those words spiral in Stephanie's mind. She couldn't wrap her head around the idea of someone actually dying. Will seemed so real, so alive.

Stephanie notices people walking away out of the corner of her eye so she follows, even if she doesn't know why.

She follows behind Dustin until everyone stops in Will's room, where he's sleeping.

"He likes it cold." Mrs. Byers looks at the open window, cold air flowing in. "It's what Will kept saying to me. He likes it cold." Mrs. Byers closes the window. "We keep giving it what it wants."

"If this is a virus and Will's the host, then..." Nancy starts.

Jonathan finishes Nancy's thought. "Then we need to make the host uninhabitable."

"So if he likes it cold.."

Mrs. Byers stares at her son lying unconscious on his bed. "We need to burn it out of him."

Stephanie is surprised that Mrs. Byers would say something like that. She knew that Mrs. Byers was really protective of Will and possibly wouldn't even think of hurting Will.

"We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time."

"Yeah, somewhere far away."