Say Something I'm Giving Up On You

By Himself

Mike went far away from his house and into the woods. He would prefer to be in there other than being in his house with useless parents. Once he reached a small clearing in the woods, he started setting up his camp. He laid blankets down the the ground as well as his pillow. Then he gathered a bunch of wood and used it to make a fire. He felt extremely lucky that he went on a camping trip with his school and learned how to make a fire there.

The boy then took out his gun and started looking around for an animal. He was starving and they were his only source of food in the woods. As much as he hated killing animals, it was necessary for him to survive. Mike spotted a deer nearby and quietly went closer to it. He hid behind a tree and shot it. It fell to the ground, dead. The boy walked up to it and dragged it back to his campsite.

Mike then started to pull it apart so he could roast it over the fire. As he was about to eat it, he heard something behind him. He whipped around, looking to see who or what it was. He prayed that it wouldn't be one of his parents. 

It wasn't. Instead it was a police officer. That was worse. Mike guessed that his mom called the police to look for him. But there was no way he was going home, even if he was being forced to by the cops. He would rather be trapped in the Upside Down than going home.

"Hey kid. What are you doing out here?" The officer asked.

Mike just shrugged. "Camping," He said, casually.

The officer eyed him head to toe. "Alone?" He asked.

Mike nodded. "Yeah. It's more fun to camp alone. Get the experience of living in the wild," he said.

The officer somehow believed him. Mike liked to think that all of the cops in town were stupid besides Hopper because they never noticed what was happening. They were used to it being a small town with nothing happening at all.

"Alright kid. Just be careful," the cop said before leaving the area. Mike sighed with relief and continued eating his deer. He would have to move out of the area if people wandered out here. Once he was finished eating, he packed up his stuff and left the area. 

The boy had no idea where he was going anymore. He just hoped he was getting far away from where he was. It was starting to get dark, so he pulled out his flashlight to help him see through the woods. He was starting to get tired and he needed a break from walking. He nearly collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion and how heavy his backpack actually was. He had to keep moving though. He needed to get to another clearing. Mike kept moving even though he was tired so he could get to a new spot. 

Just then, he saw a small cabin just ahead of him. Mike walked up to the cabin and opened it quietly. No one seemed to be in it so he entered it and closed the door. It looked set up to look like a nice home even though it look uninhabited. Dust was everywhere and it was dark. He waved his flashlight around for a light switch before noticing one and turning it on.

Mike set his stuff down by the couch and looked around. There was a small kitchen with a small table in front of it with two chairs. The couch was there along with a chair and a small TV. There were a few shelves too and there was another room with a door. He walked through the door and saw a bed in it. It had no sheets or blankets so he got his from his backpack and his pillow and placed them on the bed. He laid down in the bed and started to fall asleep. This was where he would be for a while, unless someone did happen to live here. It was better than his house. No useless parents, no annoying sisters, no strong set of rules, no one even there. He was alone, just like he wanted to be.

The only thing missing was El.

...

The next day, Mike woke up to a static noise. He sat up from the bed and went to check out the noise. He pulled out his supercom from his backpack and pulled out the antenna. He listened in to see if there was anyone on the other side. Then he heard his name being called.

"Mike! Mike! Where are you?! Mike!" The voice on the other side said. It was the same voice he heard yesterday.

"El?! El is that you?! Where are you! Please tell me where you are!" Mike yelled.

"Bad place! Bad! Mike help me please! I'm alive, but not okay! I need you!" The voice said. That confirmed to Mike that Eleven was alive. He started tearing up at what she said.

"I-I'm coming El! I'm going to help you! I promise you!" Mike vowed. "I won't stop looking for you until you are safe in my arms again! I need you too El! I'm coming!"

"Hurry!" El said before the static went out. Mike took a few deep breaths after what happened just then. 

Eleven was alive. Eleven was alive. Those three words kept on repeating in his head. She didn't die in the hospital a few months ago. She was alive, but not safe. Where could she be though? The last time Mike had seen her, she was in a casket at her funeral. But if she was alive, then how could she be in a casket?

Then it hit him. Everyone thought that Will had died in the quarry when he was missing, but ended up being alive due to his body being a fake made by the lab. That meant that the body was possibly a fake as well. It was probably the lab again. They faked her death somehow and took her. She was gone for two months and Mike didn't realize it until now. He felt like an awful friend/boyfriend. Now he had to make that up by rescuing her. But how he was going to do that was the question.

Mike's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door open.