Byler- The Unwanted Return of Everything (And How It Finally Ends)

Call From a Dead Girl

Notes- Hello! TW for a slight description of death

Will could only think about Jonathan on the night of his birthday. He had stayed up until Brad got home at midnight and Brad had insisted they celebrate a little, in honor of Will turning twenty. It wasn't the celebration Will wanted, but he supposed he'd take it, since Brad had offered. Still, he wanted to get ice cream or something instead.

Now he was laying in bed. Brad was sleeping, his heavy arms holding Will in one place as they wrapped around him. But Will couldn't sleep. He was too busy thinking about Jonathan. How he'd offered to stay in the Upside Down for their plan to work. How Will had communicated with him on a walkie-talkie. How he'd described the Mind Flayer approaching him. Most of all, Will remembered the scream. Mid-sentence, Jonathan had let out a terrible scream, and then Will never heard him again. He was dead. Gone. But Will supposed it was bound to happen eventually. Not everyone can make it out of an experience like that. Therefore, Jonathan and Max had to die. Will wished they hadn't, but he wasn't sure he would've wanted anyone else to die instead. Maybe himself. He would've gladly taken Jonathan's place, knowing the outcome.

So for most of the night, he simply stared at the ceiling, unable to move. He remembered not being able to move on that night three years ago. Stuck in one place, frozen in fear. Fear of the scream coming from the other end of his walkie-talkie. He could almost hear it now.

Will must've fallen asleep at one point because he awoke to the phone ringing. The time was six in the morning, so it was very strange to be receiving a call.

Brad groaned sleepily, wiping his eyes. "Aw, what the fuck? Who calls this early? Will, can you go get the phone? I didn't sleep well last night."

Me either. Will got up groggily and stumbled over to the phone. He grabbed it and put it to his face, sighing. "Will Byers. Hello?" He shook, trying to wake himself up.

"Will." That was all Will needed to wake up. The voice was scarily familiar. It can't be her. She's dead.

"Max?" he asked slowly, not sure if he was right.

"Max indeed. No time to explain, but you've gotta come to Hawkins." What? Come to Hawkins? What a strange request, coming from a dead girl.

"Why would I need to come to Hawkins?" Will's head was spinning already. The conversation had lasted all of ten seconds and he had so many questions. Why was he getting so many phone calls from unlikely people? He supposed this one made a little less sense.

"You just have to, okay? Everyone else is gonna be there too. Lucas, Dustin, Mike." If Will wasn't sure if was Max before, he could tell after she said Mike's name with such distaste. "Just trust me, you're gonna want to be here."

Will blinked a couple of times. "Uh, okay. I'll... get there as soon as possible?" He hoped it wasn't an emergency. Well, it couldn't be anything completely normal if there was a dead girl involved.

"Thanks. See you soon." Max hung up the phone, leaving Will with many unanswered questions. He put the phone back on the wall.

Brad sat up. "Hawkins? Are you going there?"

Will shrugged. "I guess. It was a call from an old friend. Sounded pretty urgent. I think I should probably book a flight and leave as soon as I can-"

"I'll come."

Will cocked his head. "You? Why would you want to come?" He couldn't think of why Brad would feel like joining him on this small adventure.

Brad shrugged. "I don't know, I just thought I'd keep an eye on you. I need to get outta here anyway. It's like an excuse to vacation. Hawkins is pretty touristy, right? After their big earthquake thing?"