There's No Place Like Hawkins//Stranger Things. SH

THIRTY

Will The Wise

"Will! Kit!" Dustin called out as they ran down the hallways.

"Dustin?!" Joyce asked as she saw the boy turn round the corner.

"Mrs. Byers?"

"What's going on? Where's Will?"

Lucas raced through the door at the end of the hallway. "The field." He pointed behind him. "They're on the field." He turned around and raced back through the doors, Joyce, Dustin and Max following after him.

"Will." Mike stood next to him, a hand on his shoulder as Joyce ran up to her son. "I just found him like this! I think he's having another episode."

"Where's Kit?!" Dustin yelled frantically.

Lucas and Max looked around, the latter pointing the older girl's body. Dustin ran over to her, trying to calm her down as she continued to scream- her body shaking like crazy.

"Will!" Joyce grabbed her son's shoulders, trying to snap him out of his episode. "Will! Will! Sweetie, wake up! It's Mom!"

Dustin looked away from his sister, trying to think of a way to help her. It pained him to see Cat like this. She continued screaming out to the monster, wishing it was her in Will's place. He didn't deserve to go through whatever the monster was doing to him. She watched helplessly as Will began choking, the monster still surrounding him.

"Will, wake up!" Joyce demanded, her hands not leaving her boy's arms. "Can you hear me?"

Dustin tried calling out to his sister too, and like Joyce, he didn't get any response. Cat could faintly hear her younger brother calling to her but again, she couldn't do anything. The monster wouldn't let her. It wasn't letting her run over to Will and it wasn't allowing her to leave the Upside Down either. It was like it was torturing her, putting one of her boys through pain and not allowing her to rescue Will.

Her screams grew louder as she tried to fight against the monster's hold. Dustin covered his ears at his sister's deafening screams as Lucas and Max ran over to try and help him help Cat. Mike watched helplessly as Joyce begged her son to wake up. His eyes moved to Dustin, Max, Lucas and Cat- the latter shaking uncontrollably as she didn't stop screaming. Suddenly, Will let out a gasp and his eyes shot open. Joyce sighed in relief.

Over by the tree, Cat stopped screaming although her body still shook slightly. Her eyes were closed as she slipped into unconsciousness, content now that she knew Will was somewhat okay and no longer in the Upside Down.

***

Joyce led Will out of the school as Dustin carried a still unconscious Cat to Joyce's car, the woman helping him to place her gently across the backseat. He walked quietly back to the others as they watched Joyce drive away.