𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑷𝒀 - Dustin Henderson

005. Dig Dug

    CINDY SAT DOWN BESIDE WILL, WHILE MIKE EXAMINED ALL THE DRAWINGS COVERING WILL'S ROOM. He was sweating a lot and seemed extremely out of it same with Cindy.

"It's like... It's like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling. See what he's seeing." Will explained.

"Like in the Upside Down?" Mike questioned.

"Some of him is there. But some of him is here, too," Cindy could feel that too, and over time how strong he's getting.

"Like, in this house?" Mike queried.

"In this house and... in me," Will answered. Mike sat down next to Will.

"Are you feeling the same way?" Mike asked Cindy.

She hesitated, fidgeting with her fingers. "It feels like he's reaching into Hawkins more and more. And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel?" Will explained.

"And the more you see these now-memories," Will nodded. Cindy hadn't got what Will called them, now-memories.

Will's body began to shake and tremble even more and Cindy placed a hand on his shoulder. "At first I just felt it in the back of my head. I didn't even really know it was there. It's like when you have a dream and you can't remember it unless you think really hard. It was like that. But now it's like... Now I remember. I remember all the time." It hurt her to hear Will explain all this, he was terrified and she wished she could help him.

"Maybe... Maybe that's good." Will and Cindy turned to the black haired boy confused that he would even say that.

"Good?" Cindy questioned.

"Just think about it. You guys are like spies now. Superspies. Spying on the shadow monster. If you know what he's seeing and feeling... maybe that's how we can stop him. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason." Cindy and Will exchanged a look and shrugged.

"You really think so?" Will questioned, turning back to his friend.

"Yeah. Yeah, I really do." They looked down at the picture of the shadow monster Will had drawn on the ground.

"What if he figures out we're spying on him? What if he spies back?"

"He won't." Mike told him reassuringly.

Will sniffled, his body still violently trembling. "How do you know?" Mike then placed his hand atop his, calming his trembling.

"We won't let him."

• • •

Cindy slept on the couch, while Mike slept in Will's bedroom. She awoke after having a vision of Hopper in danger and trapped under vines.

She sat up, just as Will entered the room, "mom?"

She didn't answer so he tried again, walking closer and tapping her on the shoulder and she gasped, looking up at her son, "I saw him."

Cindy raised her eyebrows, realising that he saw the same thing, "you saw who, baby?" She replied.

"Hopper."

Cindy swung her legs over onto the floor, "I saw him too. I think he's going to die." Joyce looked between the two with a worried expression.

• • •

    Will scribbled another black line and once he was finished, placed the crayon back down. "Hey, is this where you saw him? Is this where you saw Hopper?" Joyce stammered.

Will sat blankly, "I think so. Yeah."

"Okay," they left the room and Joyce held up the piece of paper trying to find the place it goes.