Lost boys • Will Byers

Summer 1984 part 2

June 1984
Danny's POV

By the time they'd gotten halfway to the woods, Danny felt sick to his stomach.

He couldn't stop turning to look over his shoulder, waiting for a cold, damp hand to grab him and take him away again.

His stomach flipped and turned with each step and he wanted to turn around and go back to sleep.

He stopped dead in his tracks and waited for the others to turn around so he could ask to go home.

"Danny?" Dustin said, turning to see his friend far behind them, body shaking.

"I— I think we should go home."

Lucas turned and his eyes softened at the sight.

"Shit..." he muttered. He whispered something to the others and they rushed towards him.

"I'm sorry Danny... we—"

"It's fine just... I'm gonna call my brother."

Mike handed him a quarter and together they found a phone booth.

He dialed Caleb's number, as that's where Charlie was that night. He hoped one of them would answer and not a parent. He'd never seen Caleb's parents but he assumed they had to have been weirder than he was.

On the third ring, right as he was about to hang up, the line clicked and he heard a quiet, "hello?"

"Caleb?" He gripped the phone, glancing at his friends. They were all looking at him, worry evident on their faces. Mike looked guilty— worse than he'd ever seen before.

"Who's this?"

"Caleb, it's Danny. I need to talk to my brother."

There was a sharp inhale on the other end, then, "Charlie's not here."

Panic began to flood again. He couldn't call home. What if Dad answers? Or worse, Mom...

"I need— I need him to pick me up."

There was silence on the other end for a few moments.

"I can get you if you want."

Danny frowned. He didn't know if he'd be able to make it back to Mike's house, but he also didn't want to be in a stranger's car.

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine."

Caleb laughed. "If it was okay you wouldn't be calling at three in the morning."

He had a point. Danny sighed and pressed his face against the glass. "I'm outside of Lovett's. Do you know where that's at?"

"I have a slight idea... that's by...?"

"By the movie theater. It's a hardware store."

Caleb hummed and there was a shuffling noise on the other end. "I'll be there in ten." And the line clicked.

He hung up the phone and turned to the boys.

"Danny, we're sorry we weren't thinking about—"

"It's okay," he said, even though it wasn't. Dustin shrunk back. None of them seemed to know what to say.

He knew that if Will was there, he would've stood up for himself, or better yet, he wouldn't have gone at all. He was always good at doing the right thing. It made Danny envious.