you are not alone → stranger things

iii. the visit

Thursday afternoon, January 4, 1984
Dustin's POV

I ran up to the front door of Mike's house ahead of Will and Lucas and rang the bell. He had missed school the last four days, and we were worried about him.

"Slow down, you son of a bitch," Lucas panted, him and Will running up to stand beside me.

We had visited him after the first day. He was in a bad condition then- shaking, unable to speak to any of us. I don't think he even knew we were there in front of him. I felt awful.

The door opened, and there was Nancy. I used to have a crush on her, and I still kinda did. She's pretty badass when she wants to be. "Hey guys," she said, looking us over.

"Is he better?" Will asked. He didn't really get why Mike was acting like this, and it irritated me a little. Then again, he never met Eleven. He had been a little busy.

Nancy shrugged. "Not really. But he acknowledges you now, and he ate a little bread earlier today. And he said 'what' to me last night." She stood aside to let us in, and we walked in and gingerly went down the stairs.

"Mike?" I asked.

He looked up at me, and I cringed. His eyes were dark and hollow, and his face looked thinner and gaunt. He had deep bags under his eyes. His hands fiddled with each other in his lap, and it looked like every breath was an effort for him. He looked-

"Woah, man," Lucas said, pausing at the last step. "You look real bad."

Mike just watched us, which at least was an improvement from three days ago. Then he had stared into the distance like we weren't there.

Will slung his schoolbag off his back and set it on the ground. "You missed a lot. Mr. Clarke told me to give it to you. Oh, and, uh, he says he hopes you get better soon." He picked a few books and papers out.

I shot Will a glare. "He doesn't need that shit right now. Just look at him!" I gestured at Mike, and everyone looked at him. Mike looked back, and I noticed the now-familiar pain buried deep inside his eyes. I frowned and sat next to him. "We're here for you. Is this..." I swallowed nervously, not sure how he'll react. "Is this because you couldn't find her?"

Mike flinched and shut his eyes tight. His hands started to visibly shake, and he pressed them to his knees, running them up and down his legs.

"Um, well, Luke eventually found Leia, right? You'll find her," I said confidently.

"He wasn't even looking for-" Lucas began, but stopped when Will nudged him. "Right, you'll find her!" he said, sounding fake and happy.

As I looked at Mike, I realized that there were thin, angry cuts all over his wrists. I decided not to say anything, but a feeling of dread settled in my stomach. Did he do this to himself?

Will's eyes darted between me and Mike a few times, and he shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe we should go," he said nervously. "I don't think you're helping, Dustin."

I looked at Mike for a second longer, then stood up. "Yeah," I sighed. "I'm sorry, Mike. We'll come tomorrow if you want."

Mike's eyes fluttered open and he looked at me, then nodded slowly.

I grinned at him. "Okay, Dungeon Master." I started up the stairs.

I heard Lucas and Will saying goodbye and paused to wait for them. I watched Mike for a moment. I've never seen anyone so depressed. What happened with them when they were alone at the school?

I asked the other two this as we got on our bikes. "I don't know," Lucas said thoughtfully as we rode away. "Obviously something important."

Will blinked. "What?"

We ignored him and kept going, but I still wondered.

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