𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 | stranger things

twenty-nine

The Wheelers' basement had become the home base. They slept in shifts, making sure that one person was awake at all times to keep an eye on Wren and Max in case one of them started floating.

That was of course a lot easier said than done, and after such a long day, they all ended up falling asleep.

"Hey, Dustin, this is Eddie . . . the Banished. You there? Dustin, can you hear me? Dustin?"

Nancy's eyes shot open when she heard Eddie's voice coming through the walkie-talkie. She sat up and reached for it, not noticing that someone was missing from the room. "Hey, it's Nancy."

"Wheeler!" Eddie exclaimed. "Hey. Um, I'm gonna need a food delivery, like, real soon unless you want me going out into the world."

"No." Nancy shook her head. "No, no, no. Don't do that. Just stay where you are, and we'll be there as soon as we can."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen, um . . . can you pick me up a six-pack? I know it's stupid as shit drinking right now, but a cold beer would really calm my jangled nerves."

Nancy sighed. She took a quick glance around the room, fear shooting through her when she saw that Wren was no longer curled up on the couch next to Max. "Hey, I'm gonna have to call you back."

"No, don't you dare— Wheeler? Wheeler?"

"Dustin!" Nancy shook the boy awake. "Wake up! Aren't you supposed to be on Maren watch?"

Dustin wiped his hands across his face. "Yep. Yep, yep, yep. Sorry."

"Then where is Wren?"

"She's right there—" Dustin cut himself off when he looked over at the couch. Max was still there, fast asleep, but Wren was nowhere to be seen. "A second ago. I swear, I just dozed off for—" he glanced down at his watch and then back at Nancy, his eyes widening, "an hour . . . "

Nancy rushed out of the basement, Dustin right behind her. She hurried into the kitchen, letting out a breath of relief when she saw that Wren was coloring at the table with Holly, the two of them talking quietly.

"Morning, guys," Mrs. Wheeler greeted them from where she was making pancakes. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Nancy lied. Wren glanced over her shoulder, her brows furrowing when she saw the panicked look on Nancy's face. "Yeah, everything's okay."

"I think it's so sweet that you guys are sticking together like this."

"Could try sticking together at a different house for a change," Mr. Wheeler grumbled.

"You know you're welcome here anytime," Mrs. Wheeler said to Dustin as Nancy went over to the table.

"You okay?" Nancy asked Wren as she put a red crayon down.

"Don't know," Wren mumbled, shrugging. She stroked Kiwi's fur as her beloved cat laid curled up in her lap, purring softly. "Couldn't sleep. My brain wouldn't shut off, and Steve's snoring wasn't helping. Whenever I'd start to doze off, someone would blast music in my ears. It was frustrating."

"So she came to color with me instead." Holly grinned. Wren smiled softly at her with tired eyes.

Nancy looked over the several sheets of paper that Wren had drawn on. They were a mix of different shades of red along with white and black. None of them made any sense. "Is this what you saw last night?"

Wren nodded. "I kept picturing it every time I closed my eyes. I thought drawing it out would be easier than using my words to explain what I saw, but . . . it still doesn't really make sense."