Mike Wheeler x Reader

Chapter 26: "But she's out here all alone, Will."

Lucas comes first.

"Hey man, what's up?" He asks immediately.

"I'll tell you once the others come. Just head to my basement."

"Okay." He shrugs.

Will and Dustin come soon after. Once we're all in the basement, I tell them what's been bothering me.

I take a deep breath. "Guys, I think Y/N's missing."

"What?" Dustin asks.

"We were supposed to go to the pool today. She never came. I followed the pieces of her bike chain to some weird road. I-I found her bike and her backpack, but she wasn't anywhere. I don't know where she is."  My voice chokes with emotion.

"Don't worry man, we'll find her." Dustin pats my shoulder. I nod.

"We need to look for her," Lucas adds. "Do you remember where you found her stuff?"

I nod. "When?"

"Right now." Will says.

"Okay. Can you meet me outside in like ten minutes?"

"Yeah." Lucas says.

Dustin and Will nod.

Will is first this time. Once Dustin and Lucas show up, I set off.

"Just stick behind me. Keep your lights on, it's getting late." I say, kicking off from the ground.

I ride along the streets in the dark. As I watch my bike light illuminate the road, I get a rush of determination. I convince myself that I'll find Y/N tonight. She's strong, but she won't last long alone. I have to help her.

When we get to Y/N's house, I start taking the same route I did this afternoon. I remember it perfectly. When we get to the road where I found her bike, I get off.

"Okay, this is where I found her things." I tell them, taking a deep breath.

"Y/N!" I start calling, again.

The boys add to my yell, and we keep calling for her.

"Y/L/N come out!" Dustin shouts into the night.

"Y/N? Hello?" Lucas screams into the nearby forest.

"Y/N we're here for you!" Will says loudly.

We all scream and scream into the night down the old rocky road. When my watch reads 10:00, I start to get desperate.

"Y/N!" I keep shouting her name.

"Y/N?" Dustin yells again.

We all search the woods, careful not to venture to far from each other. Our flashlights shine upon the trees and forest floor as we walk determinedly through the woods.

"What time is it?" Lucas asks me.

I read my watch. "10:47."

"Guys, I want to keep looking, but after what happened today our parents will be worried if we stay out this late. We should head back now." Lucas says sadly.

"Yeah...you're right." Dustin reluctantly agrees.

The three boys walk back toward their bikes. I remain among the trees.

"Mike, are you coming?" Will asks me.

I sniffle. "You guys head on home. I'll keep looking for a bit longer."

Will puts a hand on my shoulder and takes a deep breath. "Mike, I know you want to find her. So do we. But we can't risk you getting lost too. You need rest. We'll find her. We will."

"But she's all alone out here, Will. I can't just leave her." I say.

"And you won't. We won't. But it's too dangerous to be out here now. I promise we'll keep looking until we find her. And we will find her." He says. "Come on."

Will leads me back to the others as I nod my head in defeat. We ride home in silence. I thank them for helping me look for Y/N and they promise the same things Will did. When I'm all alone in the road, I allow a single tear to roll down my cheek.

The wind blows against my now wet face making me colder than before. I ride home in despair. When I arrive at my house I put my bike down on the front lawn and walk inside.

"Mike is that you?" comes my mom's voice from the kitchen.

"Yeah."

"I was worried sick. Where in God's name were you?" She asks, rubbing my shoulder.

"Looking for Y/N with the boys." I mumble, my head down.

"Oh, sweetie." She says, pulling me into a hug. "I'm sure she's okay."

I hold back my tears for the sake of my dignity. After wishing my mom a good night I dial Y/N's number on the kitchen phone. It rings four times until I hear someone pick up.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mrs. Y/L/N?" I ask.

"Yes, Mike is that you?" She replies.

"Yeah, did Y/N come home?" I ask.

I hear her take a deep breath. "No honey, I filed a missing child report at the police station today."

I sigh in defeat. "Okay, thank you. Sorry it's so late."

"Michael, don't beat yourself up over this, okay? I'll find her. I won't stop until I do." She says to me.

"Okay, bye Mrs. Y/L/N."

"Bye."

I hang up the phone and head back to my room, my backpack dragging across the floor. Locking the door, I throw my backpack onto my chair and flop face-first onto my bed.

I cry softly into my pillow. I expected my sobs to be loud wails of despair, not quiet little tears. I can't believe this is real. Sniffling softly, one thought comes to my mind.

What if I never see her again?

I wake up the next day with a dry feeling in my mouth. Today I'm spending the whole day looking for Y/N, no matter what.