LACUNA | WILL BYERS ¹ ✔

The Flea and the Acrobat - [Pt.1]

-Later, back at Mike's glorious basement-

"What was Will saying?" Mike said. "Like home... Like home... but dark?"

"And empty," Lucas added.

"Empty and cold. Wait, did he say cold?" Dustin said.

I was wiping my tears away.

"I don't know, the stupid radio kept going in and out."

"It's like riddles in the dark," Dustin referred.

"Like home... Like his house?" Mike said.

"Or maybe like Hawkins," Lucas pointed out.

"Upside down," El said, weakly.

"What'd she say?" Lucas said.

"Upside down." Mike said, as if he just had some sort of revelation.

"What?"

"Upside down," Mike said again, heading to the D&D board. "When El showed us where Will was, she flipped the board over, remember?" He flipped the board. "Upside down. Dark. Empty."

"Do you understand what he's talking about?" Lucas asked us. We were now at the table.

"No," Dustin replied.

"Guys, come on, think about it. When El took us to find Will, she took us to his house, right?"

"Yeah? And he wasn't there."

"But what if he was there? What if we just couldn't see him? What if he was on the other side? What if... this is Hawkins and.. this is where Will is? The Upside Down."

"Like the Vale of Shadows," Dustin said.

We all looked at each other, and my eyes were red and puffy.

Dustin grabbed the D&D Manual and flipped t the Vale of Shadows page.

"The Vale of Shadows," He began reading, "Is a dimension that is a dark reflection or echo of our world. It is a place of decay and death. A plane out of phase. A place of monsters. It is right next to you, and you don't even see it."

"An alternate dimension," Mike concluded.

"But... how... how do we get there?" Lucas said.

"You cast Shadow Walk,"

"In real life, dummy."

"We cant shadow walk, but... maybe she can." He said, all of us turning to El.

"Do you know how we get there? To the Upside Down?" Mike asked her.

She didn't rely. She was still too weak.

"Oh, my God!" Lucas groaned.

I sighed.

-Next morning-

It was time for Will's funeral.

For his fake body, I hope.

I got dressed into a plain black dress and some black heels. Just very formal, but informal, you know?

I had my hair wavy and loose.

My dad checked up on me.

"Hey, sweetie, how are you holding up?"

"Not good," I replied. "I need my pill," I said, getting out of that awkward situation.

I went to the kitchen and filled up a glass and chugged the pill down, it's retched taste slipping down my throat as I swallowed.