I see, I care. *Billy Hargrove*

11

You leaned against the back porch and watched as Hopper pulled random things out of the old shed. You wrapped the jacket around your body even closer to you as you shivered in the cold. One thing after the other you watched the Pile grow until you heard a voice call out.
"Could you be useful and i don't know, give us a hand" Steve shot at you making you shake your head
"Harrington you are so close to getting beat over the head with your own bat" you pointed at him hopping down the steps
"You'd never he smiled" Nancy watched between the two of you as you interacted before she cleared her throat.
"We don't have much time" she walked into the shed quickly. You and Steve looked at each other holding in your respective laughs.
"After you" he gestured to the shed. You took a step through the door way and looked around the room.
"It looks, completely different" you spun in 180 degrees. "Me and Jonathon used to hide out in here as kids" You smiled to yourself holding up a tarp for Steve. "The original Fort Byers" you joked.
"Hey" Nancy started making you and Steve both turn towards her. "What you did, helping the kids. That was... really cool" she gave you both a half smile. You looked at Steve out of the corner of your eyes.
"Yeah" he nodded "Those little shits are real trouble ya know" he climbed back up the later.
"Here here" you joked.
"Believe me, I know" Nancy ripped a piece of duct tape handing it up to him.
"I'm gonna.. Go over there" you nodded your head to the side and walked back out the shed. You rested your hands in your pockets and looked up at the stars taking in a deep breath.
"Sure this is gonna work?" you heard and listened in to the conversation around you.
"He knew who I was, he's still in there" Ms. Byers spoke "Its gonna work" she stated with a shaky voice making you gulp." It has to." When she walked away you walked up behind Jonathon and rested a hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly but relaxed when he realized it was you.
"It'll work" you reassured him.
"How can you be so certain" he asked softly.
"I'm not" you offered him a small smile "I just believe"
Everyone finished covering up the shed and You watched anxiously as they tied Will to a pole. You chewed on your thumb nail before Steve pulled it away from your mouth
"Stop you're gonna make me nervous" he scolded
"Sorry" you mumbled. You waited outside with the kids and led them into the house as Hopper and Joyce attempted to wake up Will
"This is crazy" Max mumbled
"Yeah" you looked over at her "you'll get used to it" you offered her a hand. She reached out and held onto your hand. You could feel her slightly shaking as her fingers trembled in your grasp.
"Can i, ask you something y/n?" you looked at her face
"Yeah anything"
"What do you see in Billy?" she asked softly.
"I think somewhere deep down, he has a kind soul. But, its been hidden for so long he has problems accessing it. He's just scared like anyone else. Just really good at hiding the fact that he's terrified." Max nodded as you squeezed her hand before letting go. You sat on the couch bouncing your leg as Steve practiced swinging his bat.
"Keep acting anxious and ill use you for batting practice" Steve joked
"You're really starting to hurt me in my heart Harrington" you smiled
"Got you to smile" he smirked and sat down next to you.
"You know last year, when we got back. I never thought I'd have to deal with this kind of anxiety again" Tears started to well in your eyes. "I'm so scared Steve, but I cant show that to them" you whispered. "I feel him, he's in there. But its got him" Steve watched you with a clenched jaw before reaching over and pulling you into a hug as a tear ran down your cheek. Your head snapped up as Hopper stormed into the house.
"What happened?" you asked standing up and following him to the table everyone else crowding around.
"I think he's talking just not with words" Hopper started writing out dots and dashed lines onto an old envelope
"Hey what is that" Steve asked
"Morse Code" everyone else answered simultaneously as you pat Steve on the back.
"H-E-R-E"
"Here"
"Wills still in there, he's talking to us." Hopper nodded
You sat next to Steve as the kids wrote out all the Morse code hoppers was sending through a walkie talkie.
"You were right" he whispered in your ear with a smile. Everyone's head shot up as the phone rang
"Shit" Dustin ran to the phone. It rang again and Nancy threw it off the wall.
"Do you think he heard that?" Max asked
"It's just a phone, it could be anywhere... right?" Steve asked nervously.
"No, no," you gulped "they know. They know" you sat down as the room started spinning
"woah hey hey" Steve watched you before Dustin spoke up
"That's not good'
'Hey, hey! Get away from the windows" hopper yelled at the kids who ran to be behind me. "You know how to use this?" He offered a gun to Jonathon
"What?" Jonathon replied
"Can you use this?" Hopper asked urgently
"I can" Nancy stated. Hopper nodded and tossed her the gun. You took in deep breaths to try to calm yourself.
"Its ok y/n its ok you're not going back there its ok" Dustin tried to calm you down.
"Where are they" Max pointed out. You sat on the couch and concentrated on breathing not paying attention to anything happening around you. Until a demodog flew through the window making you scream out as tears poured down your face.
"No no no" you mumbled over and over
"Holy shit" Dustin looked at the creature laying motionless on the floor.
"Is it dead?" max asked grossed out. You all whipped your head to the door as it unlocked and opened on its own. You stood from your seat quickly your mouth agape.
"El" you mumbled before losing your balance.

~~~
a/n im alive but im dead

published 7/26/21