AS ABOVE, SO BELOW (BENEATH HIS FEET) | STRANGER THINGS ✓

CHAPTER SIX | GUESS I'LL GROW UP

"I know we should've asked sooner rather than later, but where's your body? Physically speaking," Lucas asked as they made their way into Mike's basement.

"In the tunnels where the Demogorgons were, I guess. I woke up under a pumpkin patch," Amanda answered as she plopped down onto the couch next to Mike. "We know where that is! Do you think we could go there and pull you out?" Will perked up, who was once sitting in a slouched position in one of the folding chairs around the table.

"I — I don't think you can. I mean you could try, but it'd probably come out all decayed and gross because of its being down there for so long. Why do you ask?"

     Will shrugged. "I dunno. I just had a theory. Maybe the Mind Flayer was keeping your body. . .preserved or something."

     "Like I was a frog stuck in a bag of formaldehyde. Plausible." Amanda nodded, then sighed. "But if that were to be true then I wouldn't be in this state right now."

     There was silence before Amanda spoke again. "So, does anyone have any theories as to why the commies want to take over Indiana?"

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'

The kids must've fallen asleep at some point because they were all woken up to a tune that eerily sounded like the theme from Clash of the Titans. Amanda was the first to open her eyes to see Will in something that resembled a wizard's attire, that also came with a long staff and a wizard's hat. "Oh my God," she mumbled.

     Mike was next to stir himself awake as Lucas groaned and came to. "Will, what in the world?" Mike grumbled. "Address be by my full name," Will demanded in some odd, whimsical tone as he banged his staff. "Oh my God," Amanda repeated under her breath, "It's Mickey Mouse from Fantasia. I'm literally looking at Mickey Mouse from Fantasia right now."

     "Will the Wise, what the hell are you doing?" Lucas groaned. "It's campaign time!" Will exclaimed, "or did you guys forget?"

     "Sorry, Will. We kinda got caught up in all this girl drama and we totally spaced about D and D." Mike sat up and rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes. "Then I declare this summer free of girls!" Will shouted. "Hey!" Amanda sat up as well, who was apparently on the floor next to the couch. "Okay. I declare this summer free of live girls!" he corrected. "Better?"

"Much," she responded sarcastically. "Can you turn the music down?" Mike asked. "That is not the sound of music," said Will whimsically, "that is the sound. . .of destiny! A tribe of villagers need our help! Are you going to sit there and let them perish?"

"What is happening right now?" Lucas looked to Will, then to Mike, who shrugged because he didn't have a clue, to Amanda, who said, "Don't look at me," and his eyes landed back on Will.

     "Can I at least take a shower first?" Mike interjected.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'

The five of them were now sitting around the folding table where Will had set up Dungeons & Dragons. Amanda wasn't sure how to play, but she was entertained. It was pouring outside, thunder was rumbling, so it really helped set the mood. Lucas and Mike didn't seem all that into it, so it sucked to see Will's eyes light up with joy every time he rolled the dice.

     "A horde of juju zombies!" Will exclaimed, "Sir Mike, your action."

     "Attack?" Mike questioned. "Okay, I will attack with my flail."

     Will rolled the dice. "You miss. Your flail clanks against the stone, the juju zombie comes towards you and it bites! Ah! Flesh tears!" He put on a show to demonstrate the juju zombie eating his flesh. "Seven points of damage."

"Ah," Mike said, his tone lackluster, "Lucas, my arm! Look, my arm!"

The phone started ringing, and Mike went to go answer it, but Will exclaimed, "No! Don't answer it! It's a trap!"

Mike went and answered the phone, anyway. "El?" There was a pause, and then he sighed. "No. Sorry, not interested." He hung up and went to go sit back down. "Telemarketers. Hey, maybe we should just call them."

Lucas gave him a quizzical look. "We can do that?"

"Yeah. But what would we say?"

"You'll say nothing!" Will interrupted, "the Khuisar tribe still needs your help."

Amanda didn't like where this was headed.

"All right," Mike shrugged, "I'll torch the chambers, sacrificing us, destroying the juju, and saving the Khuisar. Victory."

Amanda could see the emotions on Will's face shift before it scrunched up in indignation. "Fine. You guys win." He jabbed the stop button on the radio, cutting the music. He threw the hat off and the cloak off of his head and body and tossed them to the ground. Amanda's heart broke at the sight, having known that Will was gone for a while and part of his adolescence was taken away from him because of the Mind Flayer.

Will shoved his way through and stormed up the stairs. "Will! You can't go! It's raining!" Amanda called after him. "I'll go talk to him," Mike sighed and went after him. Amanda stayed because she didn't want to hear or see that. After a while, Mike came back down the stairs, but Will wasn't behind him. "Where's Will?" Amanda asked. "He went home." Mike walked past her to sit on the couch.

"You let him go home in the rain?"

"Well, he didn't wanna stay here, so." He shrugged.

Amanda ran up the stairs and out the back door, being quick to get soaked as she stood there, thinking of which direction to go. Not knowing where to start, she let intuition lead the way.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'

With tears falling from his eyes and snot running out of his nose, Will stood before his fort, Castle Byers, in the rain, getting ready to debilitate it. He had torn up a few of the pictures, letting his anger get the best of him. He was right to be angry, with everything that went on with him.

     He lugged the bat out of the fort and began to swing at it. Tears were free flowing from his eyes that mixed with the rain as he destroyed one of the few space safes he had left when he heard a resounding "Will!"

He continued on with beating down the castle when he registered that it was Amanda calling him. Her voice was growing louder as she got closer and closer and she caught him when he plopped to the muddy ground with a defeated thump. He was full-on sobbing at this point and Amanda tried her best to drag him into the fort and away from the rain.

"Will, you gotta work with me here, buddy," she grunted as she continued to tug on him, "I don't want you to get sick."

"Just go ahead and leave me," he grumbled, "everybody else did."

"This is ridiculous." Amanda finally got him inside the fort and lay him down on the mattress that was there. "Your friends still love you. They're just starting to have different interests. They're getting older, they're growing up. You're growing up, Will."

"I'm just trying to take back what was taken away from me. I really must have been stupid enough to think that we were gonna sit in Mike's basement and play DnD all summer." Will rested his head in Amanda's lap and she combed her fingers through his wet hair as his sobs were reduced to sniffles.

     "I know," she agreed softly, "and it's not stupid. You lost a pretty good chunk of your life to some. . .monster. You and your friends fought it off and closed the gate. You're a strong kid, Will."

"What about you?" Will asked. "The same thing happened to you. What are you gonna do when this is all over?"

"I dunno." Amanda shrugged. "I guess I'll grow up, too."