[𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗫: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗣𝗬]

WILL BYERS STARES AT THE POLAROID pictures that were spread out on the table. sage and mike were seated on each side of the teen.

"sam, this is ludicrous," a doctor comments. "just give him a moment, okay?" owens says.

"we don't have time —"

"hey, jackass, why don't you do us all a favor and shut up, okay?" hopper cuts in.

will stands up from his chair and begins to walk around the table, pointing at a specific spot.

"that's it," will declared. "that's what? what . . . what's there, will?" owens asks the teen. "i don't know. i just know he doesn't want me to see there. i think it's important." will replies.

will, sage, mike, joyce, and bob were back in will's room, awaiting to hear the news.

"mike," sage whispers to her brother. "i need to tell you something,"

"what? what is it?" mike asks. "come on," the wheeler girl says then takes him out of the room.

"something's not right with will," sage begins. "i know that, but —"

"let me finish!"

"sorry,"

"have you noticed will's eyes?" sage asks her brother. "what about his eyes?" mike questioned, getting confused. "they're brown, mike. brown! his eyes are green." sage said.

"he's not our will. i can sense it."

mike stares at his twin sister in shock when he comes to realization that will's eyes are in fact brown.

"holy shit,"

"SO YOU REALLY FOUGHT ONE OF these things before?" max asks steve as he plays with his lighter, waiting for lucas's call.

steve looks over at the red-head and nods.

"and you're, like, totally, 100% sure it wasn't a bear?" max questions for conformation. "shit. don't be an idiot. okay? it wasn't a bear." dustin spoke up in a annoyed tone. "why are you even here if you don't believe us? just go home."

max scoffs and gets up from her seat. "geesh. someone's cranky. past your bedtime?" max walks over to the ladder she installed, and climbs up to where lucas is.

"that's good. just show her you don't care." steve told dustin, impressed. "i don't," dustin simply told the older teen. steve winks over at dustin, not buying what he said. "why are you winking, steve? stop." dustin says.

steve looks away from the henderson boy and continues to play with his lighter.

max climbs up to where lucas is and sits down on the opposite side of him.

"it's kinda awesome." max told the sinclair teen with a small smile. "huh?" lucas looked at the red-head girl, moving the binoculars away from his eyes. "the fog, i mean." max clarified.

"looks like the ocean," she added. "you miss it?" lucas asked the mayfield teen. "what?" max asked in confusion. "the ocean. the waves? california?" lucas said and sat up.

max didn't answer him.

"hawkins seems pretty lame, i bet." lucas said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"no, no, no, it's not that. it's just . . . my dad's still there. so . . ." max slowly said. "why?" lucas questioned. "it's this legal term called "divorce." see, when two married people don't love each other anymore —"

"yeah," lucas says, understanding what she's saying. "my mom and my stepdad, they wanted a fresh start away from him. as if . . . as if he was the problem, which is total bull. and things . . . are just worse now. my stepbrother's always been a dick but now he's just angry . . . all the time and . . . well, he can't take it out on my mom, so . . ." max vented to lucas.

"so he takes it out on you?" the sinclair teen asks sadly. " . . . i don't even know why i'm telling you this. i already told sage about it but i don't know why i'm telling someone else. it's just . . . i know that i can be a jerk like him sometimes, and i do not want to be like him. ever." max says.

lucas stares at the red-head, taking in her words.

"i guess i'm angry, too, and . . . i'm sorry."

there was a moment of silence until max broke it, "jesus, what's wrong with me," max wipes a tear from her cheek that fell.

"hey. you're nothing like your brother, okay?" lucas said and sat up more. "you're cool and different. and you're super smart. and you're, like, totally tubular."

max chuckles at lucas. "nobody actually says that, you know?" max tells the sinclair teen. "well, i do now." lucas said with a grin.

"and it makes you seem really cool." max said, grinning back at him.

lucas smiled at her. "i like talking with you, mad max."

the red-head smiles a little, having a small gut feeling in her stomach when she replies, "and i like talking with you, stalker."

a sudden growling was heard in the distance causing all of the teens to react.

"you see him?" dustin asks steve as they peek through the bus windows. "no," steve replies.

"lucas, what's going on?" the henderson boy asks the sinclair boy. "hold on!" lucas shouts from the top, looking through his binoculars.

lucas keeps looking through the binoculars and sees a demogorgon. "i've got eyes! ten o'clock! ten o'clock!" lucas shouts, getting a small voice crack.

"there," steve says while pointing when he sees the creature. "what's he doing?" dustin asks.

"i don't know,"

low chittering was heard as max holds the binoculars to her eyes. "wait. you sure that's not a dog?" max asks lucas.

"what?" lucas scoffs in disbelief at her.

the chittering sounds continue.

"he's not taking the bait. why is he not taking the bait?" steve asks dustin. "maybe he's not hungry," dustin suggests. "maybe he's sick of cow." steve mentions before backing up.

dustin looks over at the older teen just to see him grab the bat with nails.

"steve? steve, what are you doing?" dustin asks the older teen. "steve?"

steve turns around to face the henderson teen, breathing heavily as he shows him the lighter.

"just get ready,"

the harrington teen tosses the lighter at dustin, the henderson teen catching it. steve opens up the door to the bus and slowly steps out of it, gripping the bat with his hands tightly.

dustin closes the door behind steve, watching him closely. steve walks around with the bat, hearing the chittering sounds get closer. steve whistles to dart as if he were calling to him.

"come on, buddy." steve says and continues to whistle.

max climbs down the latter to where dustin is and looks out the window with him.

"what's he doing?" max asks. "expanding the menu." dustin answers, not taking his eyes off the older teen.

"come on, buddy," steve repeats. "come on, buddy. come on. dinner time. human tastes better than cat, i promise."

"he's insane," max comments. dustin smiles as he stares at steve. "he's awesome."

steve swings the bat side to side then slowly sees dart when the fog goes away. steve steadies himself — prepared to attack until lucas speaks.

"steve, watch out!"

"a little busy here!"

"three o'clock! three o'clock!"

steve looks over to his right and sees another demogorgon that looks exactly like dart — except it doesn't have the yellow pattern on its behind.

"steve!" dustin shouts and runs to the bus doors, opening them. "steve! abort! abort!"

dart growls and lunges himself at steve, but the harrington teen moves himself out of the way and swings his bat at a demogorgon.

"steve, run!"

"steve, hurry!"

"steve, run!"

the harrington teen runs towards the bus and throws himself into the vehicle. dustin quickly slams the door shut and backs away.

"shit!"

the creature slams itself onto the door, trying to figure out a way to get in.

"are they rabid or something?" max asks. steve ignores her and puts a piece of metal on the door so the creatures can't get in. "they can't get in! they can't!" lucas shouts.

steve uses his feet to hold down the metal as the monsters growl. suddenly, the bus moves causing all of the teens to scream in panic. one of the creatures manage to get their head through the wall. steve grabs his bat and begins to hit the demogorgon with it.

dustin reaches for his walkie to try and get ahold of someone. "is anyone there? mike? will? sage? god! anyone!"

a loud banging was then heard as one of the creatures jumped on the bus roof.

"shit! we're at the old junkyard, and we are going to die!" dustin continues to shout into the walkie.

everything calms down slightly as the banging on the roof gets louder. max slowly looks up to see the face of the demogorgon and screams.

"out of the way! out of the way! you went some? come get this!" steve yells at the creature, holding his bat tightly ready to strike.

the creature screeches at steve, it's face opening up, but it didn't do anything. the creature growls and runs off, leaving the teens in the bus.

max looks down and hers and lucas's hands, quickly pulling away. everyone stayed quiet and looked around before walking out of the bus.

"what happened?" lucas asked. "i don't know," max answered him. "steve scared 'em off?" dustin suggested with a small smile.

"no," steve said. "no way. they're going somewhere."

BACK AT THE HOSPITAL MIKE IS STILL trying to process what is sister had said. will speaks up, snapping mike out of his trance.

"i'm sorry," the byers boy stammers. "what? what do you mean. sweetie?" joyce asked her son.

will looks over at his mom, shuddering. "he made me do it."

sage glances over at mike as mike looks at his twin sister.

"who? who made you do what?" joyce asked her son again. "i told you. they upset him. they shouldn't have done that." will told his mom. "they shouldn't have upset him."

"the spy," mike speaks up. "the spy!"

the wheeler boy jumps up from his chair and runs out of the room, sage following him.

"woah, woah, woah!" the guards said and hold the twins back. "we need to get through! it's a trap!" sage and mike shout.

"it's a trap! we need to warn them. it's a trap!" mike shouts and bob holds the twins back. "it's a trap! it's a trap!" sage shouts.

"will, sweets, talk to me. you got to help me understand." joyce cooes at will. "it's too late," will sobs. "you should go now." he adds in.

"they're almost here."

AUTHORS NOTE //

double updates :o

bee <3