Over the years nightmares have been a frequent friend in the Hopper house. Chills and a scream lodged in the back of her throat is the only way that Christine Hopper knows how to wake up. Her father tries hard to believe his daughter has a handle on...
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"I found him," Eleven says softly, removing her blindfold with a glimmer of relief. Her nose is bleeding slightly. She glances at her friends, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of hope and worry. "And Chris too."
"Where is he?" Lucas asks, perched anxiously on the arm of the couch. Max sits below him on the floor, her eyes filled with concern. The basement TV flickers with static, echoing the tense silence. They all camped out here last night after what happened at the pool. No one slept much, though everyone tried—especially El, whose sore throat made everything harder. There's some faint bruising today, a quiet reminder of last night's chaos.
"Woods," she says quietly, her wide eyes locking onto theirs with a determined look.
"Woods?" Nic repeats, confusion flickering across his face.
"He's with...Will's mom."
Will leans forward at the mention of his mother, a flicker of hope and uncertainty in his eyes. He furrows his brows and asks, "My...my mom? What are they doing?"
"Ill-annoy, they're going to Ill-annoy," El repeats softly, her voice tinged with a touch of uncertainty.
"Mike!" Karen Wheeler's voice rings out from the closed basement door. "Breakfast!"
Mike turns on the couch, shouting up the stairs with slight frustration, "Not now, Mom!" He shifts his gaze back to El. "Illinois? You mean Illinois, the state? The state of Illinois?"
She shrugs her shoulders gently. "Ill-annoy," she repeats more firmly.
"Where's Chris?" Nic asks, sitting next to Will on the couch, worry clear in his voice.
"Ohio. With Lisa and Robbie."
Lucas throws his hands up in frustration, his voice tinged with exasperation. "Didn't realize everyone was taking shitty road trips," he mutters, a mix of disbelief and worry deep in his tone. Max pulls El into the bathroom to help her clean up the blood while the boys discuss what to do with this new information.
"Something's not right," Mike begins, pacing the length of the basement with a growing sense of unease. "I can't get Hopper off my back all summer, and now, all of a sudden, he's hiking with Will's mom to Illinois? And Dustin's MIA, too? This can't be just a coincidence."
"What does it matter?" Lucas questions, grabbing a fistful of cereal from a box on the table, trying to stay calm. "The bottom line is, they're not here. It's up to us."
"Up to us to do what, exactly?" Mike asks, still pacing, his voice edged with urgency.
"Find Billy and stop him."
The boys continue debating how to take Billy down on their own. Finally, they realize that El, Nic, and Chris could be crucial in stopping him, if they all stay together.
