𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐈 𝐆𝐎 - 𝐵𝑌𝐿𝐸𝑅

One Day It's Fine

Day five, reconvened
Mike

His hands shake where they fist the material of his sweatpants as he sits on the cabin's couch. After five hours of restless sleep in his own bed, and a lie about helping with the evacuation to his mom, Mike's back at Hopper's cabin with the rest of the group. The adults, Hopper and Joyce, don't seem to have slept a wink. The latter of which is sniffing back a fresh bout of tears. Nancy and Jonathan are out getting food, or something close to that. Lucas and Max are gone back to the hospital to wait for her mom.

Leaving the adults, Steve, Robin, Dustin, El, and Mike all sat around the room desperately trying to scrape together a plan to get them out of this mess. It's not going well.

"We can't just run in there, Dustin! Even with a pipebomb!" Hopper shouts, face going red with anger. The teen on the recieving end is even more flushed, finger stabbing into the paper where he's written a plan.

"Well how else are we going to get past the bats! They aren't exactly easy to kill!" He screams, making Joyce wince.

"Kid's right, those things are evil." Steve shudders, as if at a memory, while Mike's hands clench tighter. All he can think about is the sneer on his bestfriends lips, the blackness of his eyes.

"Listen! We know that this va-vi-vecna thing is connected to the mind flayer right?" Hopper sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face while Dustin rolls his eyes.

"No, Vecna basically created it. Or controls it. We thought killing the Flayer would kill all the monsters, but it only killed the ones it spawned." He explains as simply as he can.

"To kill everything, we'd have to get to Vecna first. But that's impossible because..." Mike trails of with a loud sigh.

"It's got too many things under its control." Steve finishes for him. "I mean if the bats and dogs weren't enough we still have to worry about the shadow monster and now Will."

"My son is not with that- that thing!" Joyce interrupts, voice and expression so fierce that Steve's eyes widen and his hands shoot up in surrender. "It's possessed him like last time."

"We don't know that." Dustin nearly whispers as if afraid to face the angry mom's wrath. Mike's eyes narrow on the teen, irritated that he could suggest Will isn't innocent.

"Henry... he may have conv-inc-ed." El stutters through the word slightly. "Will to join him." The group seems to fall silent at the revelation, and Joyce's hand slams on the coffee table.

"He's not! He wouldn't do that!" Hopper's arm wraps around her shaking shoulders and she seems to deflate, turning into his chest.

"We-." Mike cuts himself off with a clearing of his throat. "We haven't exactly been there for him lately. The party, I mean."

"What do you mean?" El asks quietly.

"Like, when was the last time you called him Dustin?" Mike turns to look at the boy, who seems to pale slightly. "Or how many letters did any of us send him? Did you ever check up on Will, El? Or made sure he was doing okay after having to leave his only friends?" Mike's frustration starts to seep into his tone. "Ms. Byers, when was the last time you asked Will how he was doing after everything he went through?" He could see the sudden fear and despair i n her eyes. And Hopper could too.

"Leave it alone kid." The ex-cop snaps. Mike deflates.

"I'm just saying. Is it so unbelievable that Will wouldn't be able to fight Henry off? He literally uses your worst fears and thoughts against you, right?" Dustin nods solemnly and Mike decides to leave it at that, leaning back against the couch to pick at a thread on his sweatpants.