𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 ⇢ stranger things ¹

04 • 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

RINGO did his best to stay quiet, following closely behind Alex as they crept through the trees in the rain like mice. "I feel like we shouldn't be out here," he said warily. He glanced with caution from side to side, watching for any danger. "Remind me again what we're looking for out here?"

Alex rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I've told you. Will is missing, and I'm not going to sit around waiting for that bozo, Jim Hopper to get off his drunken ass and find him. He doesn't even believe Will's in danger, he just thinks he ran off or something. I know because I talked to Will's mom earlier, and that's exactly what Hopper said to her."

"Okay," Ringo nodded. "Say something did happen to Will, and say he is in fact in danger right now . . . You really think it's a good idea to follow in his footsteps in the rain at nighttime? Alone in the woods?"

"I'm not alone, silly. I've got you!" Alex turned to grin at Ringo, making him swallow hard.

"Like I said," he mumbled. But he didn't comment much more on it. If push came to shove, he would protect Alex any way he had to . . . He hoped.

They continued on for a while longer in silence. It had been at least an hour since they'd began their seemingly aimless meandering. Ringo wasn't even sure if Alex had any idea where they were going or what they were looking for. He sensed she was just desperate, and he wasn't about to do anything to upset her even more than she already was.

It felt like they'd been trodding along for an eternity, and Ringo's work shoes were starting to rub blisters on the back of his heels. The moisture from the pouring rain drenching his socks probably wasn't helping, either. "Alex, wait up! I've gotta adjust my shoes!" Ringo called out to her, but he must have zoned out for a while as they'd been walking because Alex was nowhere to be found. "Alex?"

No response.

"Alex?!" He cried. "Alex! Alex, where are you?" His wet, matted hair was smacking him in the face, whipping back and forth as he looked around like a mad man searching for Alex. Scott would have his head if he ever found out something happened to Alex, and Ringo had been there to try and stop it. "I swear, she's going to be the death of me, that kid . . . Alex, say something! Ale-"

Ringo wasn't paying attention to where he was going. An overgrown tree root seemed to reach out for him and trip him purposely, causing Ringo to go tumbling to the ground, his work clothes and his face going brown from being caked with mud so suddenly. Ringo sputtered, spitting out mud and a few tiny pebbles as he managed to push himself to his hands and knees.

"Ringo!" He could hear distantly the sound of Alex's voice calling to him. Ringo shook his head, trying to get the feeling of mud out of his left ear.

Then something caught his eye. Ringo stopped suddenly, ignoring the rush it brought to his head, and his gaze honed in on an object stuck in the mud. A very small portion of it was poking out now, the corner of it shining slightly in Ringo's flashlight beam. "Ringo, where are you?"

Ringo reached for the object and pulled it from the mud, wiping it off to reveal a keyring with a small figure attached to it. "Oh my gosh, Ringo! Are you okay?!" Alex was frantic as she skidded to a halt, nearly running into Ringo and knocking him over again. Ringo was unresponsive, still trying to get a better look at the keychain with his flashlight. "What happened? What's wrong?"

And then she saw it. Alex had a much different reaction to the keychain than a very curious Ringo. She snatched in from his grasp, holding it closer to Ringo's light, and finishing wiping off the remaining mud in the rain. Ringo had to squint, but he finally realized why Alex reacted to way she did to seeing the harmless object. It was a simple little silver puppy keychain with the word best etched on it. "Oh god," Alex breathed, cupping her free hand over her mouth, and looking like she was close to crying. "Will."