𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄, 𝐬𝐭𝟐

ELEVEN. the map

NATALIE D'ANGELO

—

the next morning i wake up to will gasping loudly and sitting up for air. it wakes mike up too.

"will?! are you okay?!" mike and i question at the same time. will looks back and forth at mike and i, his eyes look like they could pop right out of his head.

will gets up and mike and i follow him. we walk to the living room where joyce sits in the center. tunnel-like drawings cover the entire house, floor to ceiling.

will grabs joyce's shoulder. "mom."

she doesn't answer she's in her own little world as she stares at all the drawings. "mom"

"mom" he tries again. "mom!" he shakes her shoulder and she turns around looking at all three of us.

"yeah?" she asks.

"i saw him" will says. mike and i share a glance before looking back down at will. "you saw who, baby?"

"hopper" will says.

hopper? like chief hopper?

"i think he's in trouble" will says, he looked more seriously at his mother. "i think he's going to die"

"where is he?" joyce asks him.

we walk to will's and joyce gives will more papers and crayons. he sketches quickly. there is a rumble of thunder and will stops.

"hey is this where you saw him? w-where you saw hopper?" joyce questions him. will stares down at the paper. "i think so, yeah."

"okay" she says softly picking up the paper. it makes a crinkling like sound and we walk around the entire house searching for where the new drawing would fit in.

it feels like it just didn't go. we can't find the perfect place. we search and search. "hey look!" i point to the fridge. mike looks and shouts at joyce.

"here!" he says

she runs over, placing the paper on the fridge. "okay... so... so hopper is here?"

"yeah, now we just need to find out where here is right?" i ask joyce.

"right" she confirms my suspicions.

"did he say anything? i mean, before he left?" mike asks. she sighs. "some... something about vines?"

we hear a car approach and we run out to the front praying it would be hopper. this is a matter of his life or his death.