never felt quite alive, now I'm living.
[ will byers x original character ]
[ book one in the lights up duology ]
[ stranger things three ]
STATUS: COMPLETED
[ STARTED: may 2nd, 2020 ]
[ FINISHED: august 22nd, 2020 ]
[ 100k reads - 4/29/22 ]
cover b...
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𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓰𝓾𝓮: "𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑."
╚═════ ∘◦ ミ ☾ ◦∘ ══════╝
hawkins, indiana. circa 1984.
ANXIETY COURSED THROUGH the veins of Mackenzie Tate as she watched Will Byers lay strapped to the bed inside Hopper's cabin in the woods. Sweat dripped down her entire body from the multiple heating elements that surrounded him. Will's mind had been taken over by the Mind Flayer and one thing that it didn't like was heat. Joyce Byers was convinced that this plan of putting Will close to fire could help get rid of it. However, Mackenzie was worried. If they hurt the Mind Flayer, could that also mean that they would hurt Will in the process? The poor boy had already been trapped in the Upside Down, he didn't need to go through this as well.
Next to her stood Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler. Mackenzie knew that Nancy's little brother, Mike, along with the rest of Mackenzie's friend group, were staying back at the Byers household. They had wanted her to stay with them, and she wanted to, especially after the return of Eleven (that's a long story), but Mackenzie had to stay with Will. She had felt compelled to. Maybe it was because they were best friends, or maybe it was because of the deep crush she'd had on him since they were little. She didn't know. All she knew is that she would stick by his side no matter what.
Will awoke with a start. He looked around, obviously confused, before locking eyes with Mackenzie. The girl's breath hitched as she stared at him.
"What's happening?" he asked, beginning to thrash to try and free himself. "It hurts! It hurts!"
She tugged on the collar of her orange sweater to try and incorporate more air on her as Will screamed for them to let him go. She felt Nancy's hand intertwine with her own. Mackenzie squeezed it a minimal amount and tried to stop the breaking of her heart.
Something seemed to have snapped inside of Joyce. She walked over to each of the heating elements and turned them to the highest they could possibly go.
"Mom," Jonathan protested.
"No!" Joyce yelled back.
Will screamed even louder. Jonathan turned away and buried his head into Nancy's shoulder, no longer wanting to watch. Tears began to fall down Mackenzie's cheeks as she stared at the boy thrashing on the bed. She hoped the stupid Mind Flayer was making its way out of his body, but there was no signs of that happening at the moment.
