the year of el | mileven

ch. 5 | slugs

He watched the IV.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

He strained to hear the doctors that were standing outside his room. He just wanted to know how many tests he'd have to endure today.

This room had become his home.

When he was first admitted here he used to draw pictures all the time, hoping to add some life to the bland white walls. Over the years though he grew tired, not of drawing but of waiting. He wasn't allowed to return to society as he was considered a "threat" whatever that meant. He couldn't do much about it though even if he wanted. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he wasn't allowed to know but he figured it had to do with the time he spent in the upside down.

He missed his freedom though. He missed riding bikes with his friends and listening to the clash and dancing along with his brother. He hated that his childhood was basically stripped from him.

He remembered clearly the last time he saw his friends.

3 Years Ago

"Hey Will race ya to the top!" Dustin yelled, as he pedaled faster

Will smirked, accepting the challenge

He raced up the hill as fast he could but he suddenly began to feel extremely nauseous

It had been a year since he left the upside down, but the upside down hadn't left him. He didn't know why but he felt sick on and off since that day.

Will pedaled his bike, sharply in-taking air more quickly

As he finally made it to the top of the hill he looked back at Dustin and then immediately collapsed.

He couldn't remember what happened after that. All he remembered was waking up in a hospital surrounded by his mom, Jonathan, Lucas, Dustin, and Mike.

Once he woke up he immediately felt sick to his stomach and coughed up a slug-like creature

Lucas jumped "Whoa what the hell is that?!"

Mike and Dustin immediately ran to examine it as Joyce and Jonathan went to get the doctor

The boys looked at Will, worry spreading across their faces. He was pale, weak, and coughing up.. slugs? They all knew something was seriously wrong.

"Will.. please be okay, We..we.. can't lose you again" Mike uttered softly

Before Will knew it a team of doctors rushed in and the boys were pushed off to the side.

And that was the last he saw of them.

From that day forward he was sent to Hawkin's immediate care unit for treatment and there he stayed.

✧

"Hey sweetie, ready for today's tests?" Joyce said gently

"You know it's been three years and they still do the same thing. They run their stupid tests and pump me with drugs and run some more stupid tests"

"Will, they're getting closer to finding a cure. I can feel it."

"A cure for what exactly? I bet they don't even have a clue. It's not some disease that there can be a magical cure to, I only wish it were that damn simple!"

Joyce looked away, holding back tears

He knew he shouldn't have yelled at her, he felt bad about it.

He wasn't the kid he used to be. He never had such a quick temper before. He was actually very calm and quiet as a child. He knew the medicine had a lot to do with it but he also felt himself slowly losing who he was. He was slowly losing his sense of reality.

He took a deep breath "So.. mom, how's Jonathan?"

She smiled "He's doing great, he's about to graduate from IU soon. Can't wait until he comes home in a few months"

Will was genuinely proud of his brother. It took him forever to convince him to go to college in the first place. Jonathan hated the fact of leaving his family behind especially with Will's condition but Will didn't want to be the reason that his brother didn't go on and live his life. Just because he was trapped didn't mean he wanted to trap his family.

"Hey sorry to leave so soon but I really have to head to work! Be good okay?" Joyce kiss her son's head before she rushed out the door

A doctor walked in the room five minutes later holding a clipboard

"Alright Will, Today we're gonna measure brain activity and see what's happening in that head of yours"

"Whatever"

"Just a simple EEG and we'll be done for today. How are you feeling though?"

Will stared at him blankly "How am I supposed to feel..?"

The doctor scribbled some notes "No more slugs?"

"Not for awhile, what do you do with them anyways?"

The doctor was taken back by the question "What do you mean?"

"You say you get rid of them, but I know you keep them"

He wrote more notes, looking one last time at Will before walking out of the room.

Will was always suspicious of these so called doctors but grew even more so knowing they kept the slugs he would cough up. They knew something and they definitely were hiding it from him.

The doctor suddenly returned with a small needle

"Time for you to sleep" He whispered, sticking it into Will's arm

The room began to turn into a swirl of colors as Will drifted off into another world

"Ready to begin a campaign boys?"

"Guys? Is that you? it's me Will!"

They didn't seem to notice him as they continued on with their game

"You rolled a seven!"

"Aw man..." Lucas groaned

Dustin laughed "Looks like the thessalhydra's got ya"

"Guys! I'm so happy to see you! It's been so long!

Nobody paid any mind to him though as they mindlessly played on

"Can you hear me? Mike? Dustin? Come on.. anybody? Lucas?"

The boys drifted away slowly as darkness grew more and more present

Will found himself alone in this dark room.

"Hello?" his voice echoed loudly

Suddenly he saw a small light flickering

He didn't know why but he was drawn to it..like a moth to a flame

He chased after it

but the more he chased it, the further it went from him.

✧

"The boy is getting curious about the slugs sir"

"Does he know?"

"No, I put him to sleep for a little, hopefully he'll forget"

"Good. Can't have him or anybody else finding out, now can we?" Professor Lowe looked over at the incubators

There were five of them lined across the lab room. Each incubator held a baby monster. Once the monsters were big enough they were then transported into a holding cell.

Lowe walked slowly by the cells "These creatures and the boy will be our greatest weapon yet. We are on our way to sure success my friend. Sure success."