Long Live ~ Stranger Things

5. The Will Problem

The new idea was simple; get Will in a place he couldn't recognize. That meant Hopper threw out everything that was in the Byers' shed and then everyone else would make it unrecognizable. Some were taping up old newspapers, others cardboard, and even tinfoil. The goal was to cover every surface with anything they could find.

Once everything was set up Inez, Steve, Nancy, and the younger kids all waited inside. They were all on edge and hoped to have a better insight on what to do soonly.

Inez sat on the sofa in the living room with a dazed look in her eyes while Steve stood not far swinging his bat around. Without looking up Inez spoke suddenly, "What were you and Nancy talking about? I notice you two were the first to put things up in the shed."

Steve stopped swinging the bat for a moment, "Just about how these kids are going to give us early gray hairs."

"Oh and I bet Steve 'the hair' Harrington wouldn't want to lose the one thing he's got going for him." Inez joked, finally looking up.

Steve put his hands on his waist, he was offended, "That is not the only thing I have going for me."

"Well tell me then." Inez raised her eyebrows.

"Well, uh..." Steve nervously looked around. "Oh I got basketball."

"You mean the team that hasn't won anything in years?"

"Not the point."

"Okay let me turn it around now. What does Inez Wheeler have going for her?"

"I have nearly straight A's," Inez started counting off on her fingers. "My reading speed is faster than the average, I'm a trained archer, I-"

"Okay, okay. I get it." Steve put his hands up in defeat before sitting next to her. "You're better than me."

"While that may be true," Inez laughed. "You are pretty skilled at using a nail bat to warn off literal monsters."

"I can't really put that on college admissions now could I?"

"Fair point."

Suddenly the lights started going haywire and everyone immediately stood up and walked towards the back door. It was very obvious Will was awake and that it was not going well. And soon enough Hopper, Joyce, and Mike all walked back in the house seemingly on their own mission.

"What happened?" Dustin asked as Hopper grabbed a loose paper and pen.

"I think he's talking, just not with words." Hopper started drawing out seemingly random dots and lines.

"Hey, what is that?" Steve questioned, looking down over everyone's shoulders.

"Morse code." Everyone else said in unison.

"H-E-R-E." Hopper spoke as he wrote each letter.

"Here." Everyone spoke in unison again.

"Will's still in there. He's talking to us." Hopper pointed out.

This next idea was for someone to continue talking to Will. Jonathan brought out his boom box and started playing songs from the mixtape he made for his younger brother a while back. The idea was to bring up any old stories to let Will keep contact. And as Will tapped the chair he was on Hopper would send the same codes through a walking talkie.

Inez took lead over what to draw out as Dustin called out the codes. "Dash, dot, dash, dot." He spoke as Inez scribbled away. And this continued until a full word could be spelt.

"Close gate." The group read out loud, they all then jumped as the phone suddenly rang.

"Shit. Shit." Dustin muttered before running over to the phone and banging it in order to shut it up. Which worked until it rang again and then Nancy three it across the room.