𝐈'𝐌 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 ( mike wheeler )

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄
spying on the shadow monster

"YOU SURE YOU OKAY?" mike asked makenzie as they walked up to the byers house.

"yes mike. i'm okay." makenzie smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. then mike knocked on the door a few times, but no one answered.

"hello? will?" mike yelled knocking on the door again.

"oh hey." joyce said opening the door.

"hi." makenzie smiled.

"is will here?" mike asked.

"you know what? now is not really a good time." joyce said.

"is he okay?" mike asked again.

"yeah. you know he's..." joyce started and stepped outside with mike and makenzie. "he's just not feeling very well, he's laying down right now. but i'll tell him you both stopped by okay?" joyce said waking mike and makenzie down off the porch.

"it's about the shadow monster isn't it." makenzie spoke up just before joyce was about to go back inside. joyce turned around and looked at makenzie and mike before letting them come inside.

"will, hunny! you've got some visitors!" joyce says walking down the hall with mike and makenzie following.

"hi byers." makenzie smiled walking into wills room.

"hey will." mike said right behind her.

"h-hi." will said stilling on the edge of his bed.

"so will, do you wanna explain to mike and makenzie how your feeling?" joyce said and will nodded. joyce left the room, leaving the three kids alone.

"it's like... it's like i feel what the shadow monsters feeling. see what he's seeing. it's like a memory, but it's happening all at once. right now. like now-memories." will explained.

"like in the upside down?" mike said walking around his room looking at his drawings, while makenzie sat next to him on his bed.

"some of him's there. but some of him is in here too." will said.

"here like in this house?" mike asked.

"or like in you?" makenzie added.

"it's in this house and... in me." will said. "it's like he's reaching into hawkins more and more.  and the more he spreads, the more i feel connected to him." he added.

"and the more you see these now-memories." mike said.

"at first i just felt it in the back of my head. i didn't really know it was there. it's like a dream when you wake up in the morning and you can't remember it unless you think really hard. it was like that. but now it's like... now i remember. i remember all the time." will said shakily.

"maybe... maybe that's good." mike said causing will and makenzie to look over at him a little confused on how that could be a good thing.

"good?"

"just think about it. you're like a spy now. a superspy. spying on the shadow monster. if you know what he's seeing and feeling... maybe that's how we can stop him." mike said sitting down beside will, so he was now in the middle of him and makenzie.

"maybe all this is happening for a reason." makenzie added.

"you really think so?" will said.

"yeah. yeah, i do." makenzie smiled and wrapped her arm around the the side of wills body and pulled him into a side hug, then mike copies her actions and wraps his arm around will. the three kids just sat there for a little bit, feeing relaxed for once.

"sorry to cut your little moment off but, mike and makenzie, do you guys wanna spend the night? it's getting pretty late, and i can call your moms for you." joyce smiled walking into wills bedroom.

"yeah i'll stay." makenzie said. her and will have had a few sleepovers before, so this wasn't anything new to her.

"me too." mike smiled at joyce byers, then back at makenzie and will.

"okay i'll grab some blankets for you two." joyce said before leaving the room.

mike and makenzie stood up from wills bed, and cleared a little space on his bedroom floor for them to sleep, before joyce came back in the room with blankets and pillows.

"here you go." joyce said while handing everything to mike and makenzie.

"thank you." the two of them said in unison. will crawled into his bed, while makenzie and mike made their bed on the floor.

"night guys." makenzie said, laying down.

"good night.

"night."

will ended up falling asleep just fine, but makenzie on the other hand, was having trouble just closing her eyes. she was too busy being lost in her thoughts about how the shadow monster only got to will, and not her. it made no sense to her.

"mike?" she whispered to see if he was still awake.

"mhm?" mike said rolling over to face her.

"i can't sleep." makenzie whispered.

"me either. i'm worried." mike frowned.

"me too." makenzie sighed.

"well i guess we can be worried together." mike smiled referencing their conversation on halloween night, which made makenzie quietly chuckle. mike then rolled closer to makenzie and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. makenzie rested her head on mike's chest, causing him to blush like crazy. the two of them felt safer together, and eventually fell asleep in each other's arms.

makenzie and mike woke up in the morning from hearing will sit up in his bed catching his breath like he had a bad dream.

"will, what's wrong?" mike asked sitting up as well.

"hopper... he's in trouble." will mumbled, and mike and makenzie looked at each other, before getting up to go tell joyce.

"mom? mom?" will said tapping his mom on the shoulder.

"what's wrong?" joyce asked.

"i saw him." will said.

"you saw who baby?" joyce said.

"hopper. i think he's in trouble... i think he's going to die."

🤍🤍🤍