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Vines

It was night time, Joyce was calling Hopper but to no avail. She sighed as she hung up. A drawing close by caught her eye. Picking it up and inspecting it, looking for where it goes.

The woman walked around the house searching for where that picture belongs. Taping it to the other drawings once she found it.

Teresa slept in Rae's room. She met Will, not weirded out by the drawings or that the house seemed freezing and that he was shirtless, she was actually very curious on what was going on. Rae, on the other hand, seemed very concerned so she stayed with Will and Mike.

"It's like... It's like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling. See what he's seeing." He tried to make his voice a bit low since his sister was dead asleep from the day she had and was right next to him.

"Like in the Upside Down?" Mike asked as he walked around Will's room.

The boy nodded. "Some of him is there. But some of him is here, too."

"Here, like, in this house?"

"In this house and..." Will had a broken expression. "In me. It's like he's reaching into Hawkins more and more." Mike sat beside the boy who was sweating non stop. "And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel."

"And the more you see these now-memories." The Wheeler boy added.

"At first I just felt it in the back of my head. I didn't even know it was there." Will touched the back of head. Turning the conversation into both him and his green eyed sister. "It's like when you have a dream and you can't remember it unless you think really hard. The other day, I mentioned it to Rene and Mom. And Rae looked sick and exhausted because, I think it passed on to her. These memories, dreams, also let her see what I see and at the same time. And now I remember. I remember it all the time. All of that."

It was silent for a bit.

"Maybe.." Mike started, "Maybe it's good."

"Good?"

"Just think about it, Will. You're like a spy now. A superspy. Spying on the shadow monster. Rae can see what might happen next, you know? If you know what he's seeing and feeling, maybe that's how we can stop him." Gesturing to the sleeping teen then to the drawings. "Maybe all of this is happening for a reason."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I really do." He reassures his friend. Will looks over at the drawing he did of the monster infront of his home with black shady clouds. Mike's gaze following Will's.

"What if he figures out we're spying on him?" Will asked. The boys felt the bed shift, they looked over to see the Byers sister squirm a bit. They turned back to the conversation. Will sniffled as he asked, "What if he spies back?"

"He won't."

"How do you know?"

Mike placed his hand on Will's.

"We won't let him." Mike promised. Will harshly swallowed as tears brimmed, staring at that drawing.

Hopper explored what seem to be tunnels under the pumpkin field. Slugs surprising him and, darting his revolver and flashlight all around. Another of those damn things screeched into his face making him cough, possibly being contaminated, and much more stressed. Struggling on his feet and vision blurring.

Soon, he collapsed. The hole that lead down there was being sealed by the vines.

Jonathan and Nancy pulled up at a motel. In an awkward silence, ringing the bell where a woman sat by the desk. The woman kept her eyes elsewhere not responding.