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At first, Will thought he went blind– or worse, been hallucinating without any real warning. He was lying on his stomach in between the coffee table and the couch in Mike’s basement, sketching out a character for their new campaign. Mike was on the couch, feet stretched over Will and resting on the coffee table. Their day of hanging out turned into a sleepover when a sudden storm began drenching the town and making the roads unsafe. Will didn’t mind; Mike always gave the best descriptions to draw from. They made a great creative team. Will put down his pencil to reach for an eraser when the basement disappeared from view. Everything went to complete darkness.
“Mike!” Will cried, suddenly pushing himself up onto his arms. “Mike?”
“I’m right here.” Mike answered, his fumbling hand reaching out and grabbing Will’s shoulder. “A powerline went down. You’re okay.”
“Okay. Sorry.” Will swallowed the screams in his throat. The darkness still scared him; he had to have at least one light on in his room constantly to convince himself he was in the real world. It was helpful he at least had Mike if nothing else.
“Mom has flashlights upstairs. She’ll probably come down soon to find us.” Mike said, reaching to place his second hand on Will’s shoulders. “If not I think there is one around here. We’ll feel around to find it.”
“Okay. I can wait.” Will found maneuvering in the darkness even worse than sitting still. Even in the darkness, he could see shapes of furniture, the thought of moving and changing his landscape to a vast blanket of confusion was like being in the Upside Down all over again.
“Are you sure?” Mike asked. “Don’t be scared. I’m here.”
“I’m not scared.” Will retorted, half confident he was telling the truth. “I’m not.” Will turned to press up against the couch, his legs pulling up to his chest, constricting the space he knew was safe. It was only a small ring around him, like the rest of the floor fell through beside him.
“Boys, are you okay down there?” Mrs. Wheeler called, a beam of light coming down the stairs, accompanying her footsteps. “I have some flashlights and extra batteries.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Mike answered, pressing on Will’s shoulder to keep him still as he slowly stood from the couch to walk toward the stairs. “The dark was starting to freak me out.”
“Michael, I didn’t know you were afraid of the dark…” She said, slowly handing the flashlight over to her son who was eagerly trying to take it from her.
“Yeah, it’s kind of new. I don’t know. But I’ve got Will here, so I’ll be okay.” Of course Mike would cover for Will– or at least project his fears elsewhere, making him seem like the issue rather than Will’s traumatic fears. “I’m okay.”
“Okay, you boys be safe. It’s getting blustery out there.” She motioned her second flashlight at the windows giving a glimpse to the outside. The shadows of trees were bending and swaying as the winds whistled against the window frames. “It’s going to get drafty down here.”
“We’ll be okay.” Mike promised, walking back to Will and signalling for his mother to leave them. “We don’t mind a little cold.”
“Cold?” Will echoed, already feeling a stray breeze spiral and curl around his arm, chills straightening his posture and making him rigid. Will couldn’t stand the cold; after it was the absolute freezing temperatures that kept Will submerged in his own mind and body, the minute he felt a cool breeze he felt unanchored. He thought he was going to be let go and allowed to sink all the way into the depths of his mind where no one would be able to pull him back out– beloved memories or not.
“Will?” Mike placed the flashlight down on the table, the light shining on the ceiling, illuminating a bubble around them. The rest of the basement dropped off into the abyss. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t be cold.” Will whispered. “He’ll find me again.”
“Who will?” Mike asked, dropping his voice down to a whisper to mirror Will’s.
“He will. If I’m a host… He can get me– he’ll find me.” Will breathed, reaching out and grabbing Mike’s shirt. “I can’t let it. I don’t want to hurt anyone again–”
“You won’t be hurt.” Mike insisted. “Nothing will happen.” He pulled Will onto the couch next to him.
“I can’t be cold.” Will said again. “I can’t.”
“Okay, then we’ll figure something out.” Mike promised, picking up the flashlight and scanning the room. The basement extended in every direction, Will suddenly feeling like he was in the woods, lost and taken all over again. Mike shined his light on the table across the room, full laundry basket resting on top. “Here! Here, how about some blankets!” He climbed over Will to walk to the basket, hoisting it onto his hip and carrying it back.
“We don’t need that many.”
“They aren’t all to put on us.” Mike handed Will the flashlight with a smile. “They’ll go around us.”
“What?” Will tried to follow Mike with the light, but he wasn’t sure what Mike was doing as he began walking around the couch, pushing it closer to the stairs. “Mike, what are you doing?”
“Building.” He laughed. “Come on, we’ve done this before. I’m sure we have.”
“I have no idea what you’re doing.” Will muttered as Mike stood on the couch next to him, tying an end of a blanket to the stair banister. He tarped the blanket over Will’s head before placing the opposite end on the coffee table. It was weighed down by one of the many various tools his dad never used lying around the basement.
“We’ll keep you insulated until the heat comes back on.” Mike explained, poking his head under the blanket. “He can’t get you in here.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Will pushed the blanket up, pushing the fabric out of his view of Mike’s proud grin.
“But it’s not just for you– you gotta move over.” Mike laughed, pulling another blanket under with him as he climbed in. “Let me in here.”
The couch didn’t have enough space to fit the two of them, but if they sat on the floor, the draft would cut directly through their fort. The couch was the only safe place; the light didn’t extend much past the heavy fleece surrounding them. Mike wedged himself up against the back of the couch, facing Will. He grabbed the flashlight and stuffed it between the two cushions under them, freeing their hands.
“Are you still cold?” Mike asked, pulling the blanket over Will’s legs. “I can get you another blanket.”
“I think I’m okay.” Will nodded, pulling the pilled cotton blanket up to his chest. “Are you sure you’re comfortable? I can move or– Here. Is that better?” Will lifted his arm and placed it along the couch behind Mike’s back. It freed a few inches for Mike, allowing his head to rest against Will’s side.
“That’s better.” Mike spoke softly, pulling Will’s blanket over himself as well. “Warm enough?”
“Yeah. This is.. It’s perfect.” The heat radiating from Mike’s body was enough to fend off every chill bubbling just under Will’s skin. Will had tried sweatshirts layered with winter coats, bathing in nearly boiling water, wearing long sleeves in one hundred degree heat– he tried everything to make himself uninhabitable, and the whole time all he needed was touch. The touch of another person, of Mike, was enough to keep Will hidden from the lingering chill. “You’re really warm.” He muttered, unsure if it was an appropriate thing to say.
“Well, that’s good right?” Mike chuckled, throwing his arm over Will’s body and lacing his fingers with his other hand slipping under Will’s back. “You’ve got your own living, breathing heater.”
“You don’t have to–”
“I’m fine.” Mike insisted, his eyes already drooping as he leaned into Will’s side. “I’m fine if you are.”
“I-I’m great.” Will said, easing his hand onto Mike’s back– just to hold him for balance, Will insisted to no one other than his own conscience. Mike smiled in one last burst of energy before his breathing leveled out and he drifted a bit farther from Will and into sleep. “’night, Mike.” Will muttered, reaching for the flashlight and switching the bulb off.
He didn’t need the light to conceal him from the cold attempting to surround him. He had Mike. He had a head resting against his chest and a hand resting over his waist. Even the darkness, he’d be guarded. He was being protected by the warmth and slow heartbeat of his best friend.