golden - eleven hopper

ix. The Heathkit

( Stranger Things, Season one )

The Body

Chapter Nine: The Heathkit

"Will?"

The doors to the gymnasium slammed open and crashed on the inside walls. The noise echoed loudly across the room over their principal's voice giving them a speech. All of the students eyes snapped to the culprits and Mike, Lucas, Dustin and... a girl, stood awkwardly in front of Mr Clarke coming into the gym.

Dustin attempted to turn around and leave the room, feeling highly uncomfortable but Lucas shoved him around and pushed him inside. Eva narrowed her eyes slightly, Mike wasn't coming into school today and now he was here. It didn't take long for Eva to realise the girl was Eleven. She was wearing a blonde wig and Nancy's old pink dress, which she occasionally had wore before she outgrew it too. Eva was so confused, what were they thinking bringing El here? And what for?

They made their way to some seats and settled, listening to the principal's speech about Will's death. Most people were sat quietly and not saying much. Across the way a little though, the whispering voices of two boys could be heard.

"Who is interested in this? this is so stupid!" Troy remarked, a spiteful smile on his face "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Oh he was such a great student!"

James mockingly cried as Troy continued, his voice high pitched and mocking, "he's gonna leave a hole in the community!"

Eva frowned as she looked at him a little, including a few other students nearby. Via was a few rows down from her and hadn't appeared to notice which she thought may have been a good thing. She wouldn't have hesitated to cause a scene.

The assembly concluded after a grief counsellor spoke to all the students. A stream of footsteps began to spread across the gym. Eva instantly got up to trail behind Mike and ask him what the hell he was thinking but she couldn't quite get to him in time, before he started to go at Troy.

"Hey, hey! Troy! hey Troy!" Mike exclaimed over the indistinguishable chatter, making the older bullies turn around to face Mike, who didn't yet regret what he was doing. You could tell Mike was mad, "you- you think this is funny?"

"What'd you say Wheeler?" Troy glared, how dare someone like Mike try and question him? Eva didn't see this ending well, most students were scared of Troy.

"I-I saw you guys laughing over there! And i think that's a real messed up thing to do," Mike stammered, trying to keep face and stand, Troy had been an idiot for long enough.

"Didn't you listen to the counceller, Wheeler? Grief shows itself in funny ways!" James sneered, knowing full well that's not what she meant when she said that.

"Besides, what's there to be sad about anyways, Will's in fairy land now, flying around with all the other fairies, all happy and gay!" Troy scoffed, turning away and immiating a fairy, badly.

Eva inhales sharply. People mocked Will, calling him gay and derogatory terms and it was clear Mike had enough. Mike stormed forward and shoved Troy as hard as he could onto the floor. Troy grunted as he hit the floor, his eyes widening in shock and fury upon seeing Wheeler stood with a hard look on his face.

"You're dead, Wheeler! Dead!" Troy exclaimed loudly, backing up a little to run at Mike and evidently fight him. But he halted, stood fixed in place. For a moment it was quiet and Troy looked confused as to what was happening.
Then suddenly, "dude, Troy peed himself!"

Laughter broke out as Troy's trousers soaked from the middle down. Eva laughed and looked next to her. Eleven smiled slightly and wiped the little bit of blood that had dripped from her nose.

"Hey! What's going on here!" Came their principal's loud voice and it quickly ceased the laughing into running footsteps. Mike grabbed El and started to run towards the AV club room and the heathkit, though Eva had absolutely no idea so she resorted to chasing Mike aimlessly.

"M-M-Mike what are you d-d-doing?" Eva asked as she stood behind Mike unlocking the door to the AV club room.

"We need El on a bigger radio, to reach Will," he quickly explained, opening the door for the boys to rush inside. Mike took El's shoulder and sat her down on the chair in-front of the Heathkit.

"Now what?" Dustin speculated as Mike started pressing buttons, presumably to turn it on.

"She'll find him, right El?" Mike said enthusiastically, looking at her while she stared at the Heathkit.

Eleven didn't reply, but she closed her eyes and the room fell silent behind the cracking radio noise. Eva supposed this was her finding him? Mike exclaimed, "She's doing it! She's finding him!"

"This is crazy," Dutin stunned, in awe.

"Calm down, she just closed her eyes," Lucas dismissed, extremely pessimistic as usual.

Then the fuse in the light burst, each of them gasping in jump. It fell even quieter.

Not a minuet later, clanging came from the heathkit, like they were listening to it. their eyes shot back straight towards the Heathkit. Through the speakers came a whimpering, a whimpering which started quiet before getting louder and louder, then, "mom?"

"No way!" Lucas exasperated, finally actually believing what Mike had been saying.

"Mom... Please, mom!" Will continued, his voice desperate and begging for help.

"Will!" Mike shouted, grabbing the microphone and talking into it loudly.

"Will! Will it's us!" Lucas shouted desperately, leaning over too.

"Will! can you hear us?! we're here!" Dustin continued.

Will didn't respond to the groups' pleas, obviously unable to hear them, still whimpering, "Hello? Mom?"

"why can't he hear us!" Lucas complained desperately over Will.

"i don't know!" Mike exasperated, almost annoyed.

"Mom! Mom!"

"Mom, Mom it's coming!"

"It's like home! But it's so dark, it's so dark and empty! And it's so cold! Mom? Mom!"

"Mom, please!"

"Will?"

Eva inhaled sharply. She hadn't heard Tori's soft voice in so long and somehow it came out of the Heathkit too. However, it was like Tori's voice was a trigger because straight after, the Heathkit burst into flames. She desperately clinged onto Eleven in shock, as if she was afraid of her disappearing too.

The fire alarm rang harshly as Dustin tactically grabbed the fire extinguisher, spraying it onto what now remained of the Heathkit.

"El? E-E-El are you o-okay?" Eva turned to the front of her and held her shoulders worringly, "c-c-can you move?"

Eleven didn't reply and Eva attempted to lift her up, "help me, h-help her up, p-please!"

Neave laced her fingers with Eleven's as they quickly got her out of the school, desperate to get home where they could reminise the events they'd just went through and call Via to tell her what happened.

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