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WHEN THE SIX of them got back to the Byers' residence, the kids explained the situation. Nancy, Joyce and Mary asked Eleven if she could get in contact with Will, Barb, and Richard. They all gathered around the dining room table, watching as El had her hand on the photo of Barb and Richard before they disappeared with a comm sitting in front of her. The lights flickered before El opened her eyes, "I'm sorry."
"What? What's wrong? What happened?" Joyce questioned, gripping Johnathan's hand,
"I can't find them." Eleven answered,
"That's okay, sweetie." Mary said to Eleven, "Come on." She led the girl to the bathroom, where she could be alone. Mary sat outside as she listened to the sink turn on. Eleven soon came out and gave Mary a small smile, "I have an idea."
Mary led the girl back to the kitchen where everyone was waiting, "The bath." Eleven stated,
"What?"
"I can find them. In the bath."
Dustin called Mr. Clarke, his science teacher, to get information on sensory deprivation tanks. He wrote down all the things they needed before hanging up the phone and turning to Joyce, "Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?"
"I think so. Yeah." She answered,
"Good. Then we just need salt. Lots of it." Dustin continued,
"How much is lots?" Mary asked,
Dustin looked down at the paper he wrote on, "1,500 pounds." He answered,
"Where are we gonna get that much salt?" Nancy asked,
"Get in the car." Hopper stated, standing up and grabbing his hat,
"What? Where are we going?" Mike questioned,
"School."
They all got into their respective vehicles before driving to Hawkins Middle School. Johnathan and Hopper went to go get the salt while the rest got the kiddie pool ready. Once the water was at the right temperature, they began pouring the salt in. The boys used eggs to test to see if there was enough salt and when the egg floated, they knew it was ready.
Eleven took off her watch and place duct-tape goggles over her eyes before Mary and Joyce helped her into the pool. The girl laid back and the lights flickered. "Barbara? Richard?" El asked,
"What's going on?" Nancy asked as the lights went out,
"I don't know." Mike answered,
"Is Barb okay? Is she okay?" Nancy questioned,
"And Richard?" Mary added on,
"Gone." Eleven kept crying,
"It's okay, honey." Mary whispered, grabbing the girl's hand while trying to repress her emotions for Richard down, "We're right here. We got you. Don't be afraid."
She seemed to had calmed down before she whispered, "Castle Byers." A few more moments passed before El said something else, "Will?"
Joyce gasped, "You tell him... tell him I'm coming. Mom is coming."
"Hurry." Will's voice came through on the comm.
"Okay. You tell him to stay where he is. We're coming. We're coming, okay? We're coming, honey." Joyce continued.
There was whimpering on the radio before El sat up, ripping the goggles off. Mary held the little girl to her as she cried.
Soon, Hopper and Joyce left to find Will while the teenagers stayed behind to watch the boys. Mary sat by herself across the gym, keeping the kids in sight while trying to make sense of her thoughts.
Richard was gone. Those were the words El used. Did she mean dead? Was Richard dead? Tears ran down Mary's face. Richard was her best friend. They've been friend since they were six. They've been dating since their first year in high school. They were planning on going to the same college, getting married, having kids. Living an apple-pie life.
