PATIENT ZERO «1» Will Byers x Male Reader

-The Monster - PT. 1-

"Nancy!"

"Jonathan!"

Both teens made a desperate attempt to find each other; each time they called out met by a smaller echo. Jonathan Byers was panicked, his partner had disappeared while they were hunting down a monster, and her voice had started to surround him, turning him every-which-way. Nancy Wheeler was terrified; she had seen the monster, feasting on the dying dear that she was going to shoot just minutes ago. She ran through the replica of the forest, following Jonathan's voice before she came to quick stop, letting out a quick, shrill, scream. It was right in front of her, it had seen her.

She turned on her heels, dodging through the trees to try and escape the beast. When she couldn't run anymore, she hid. Her back pressed to a tree, she put a hand over her mouth to try and quiet her heavy breathing. She heard Jonathan's voice again, but it was much closer. Looking to her right, she noticed the opening in the tree that had brought her here. She checked for the monster. Once she knew where it was, she took her chance.

Jonathan looked at the tree, confused. The inside of the tree was fleshy and just barely see-through, the bark was moving, as if slowly closing a gate. He kneeled down to get a closer look, shining his flashlight directly into the slimy part of the tree.

Suddenly, a hand shot out of the substance, making Jonathan fall back. At first, he was terrified, but then his ears were met with Nancy's distant call, and he could finally make out her glove and sleeve. Quickly grabbing on, he started pulling her out, her body covered in slime and sweat as he pulled her closer to him. Once she was fully out, he hugged her tightly to his chest, watching as the bark moved faster, completely hiding what lay beneath.

As the teens held each other they both had the same thoughts, how had things gone this way?

- -

Papers were scattered around Joyce's home, files and cases about Hawkins's lab, anything Joyce or Hopper could find. Her house always seemed to be more of a mess than usual. Before everything, it was like organized chaos, she was never able to find things, always needing Jonathan or Will to help her look. But now, she had no doubt that if she needed something, she could pinpoint exactly where it was. It was like her mind was put together in some sort of paranoid, fucked-up way.

Her and Hopper sat at the dining table, her thoughts tried to wrap around everything Hop had told her about the lab.

"We need to go through this again."

"I already told you everything I saw, Joyce."

"Tell me again!"

Joyce demanded, Hopper sighed, running a hand down his face, something he does when a situation was stressing him out. Despite his frustration, he started to repeat himself,

"Upstairs or downstairs?"

"Upstairs."

"There was a laboratory. Where they must do experiments or something and there was...there was this kid's room."

"How do you know it was a kid's room?"