Chapter Text
You know in the apocalypse you’d think the group would be more prepared for weird and wacky things to happen. Spoiler alert they weren’t. The party wound up getting separated from the others.
“Jesus. How do we manage this shit..” Dustin groaned as they made their way to the nearest gate hoping to exit the alternate dimension and meet back up with the others.
“I have no clue Dust. Starting to think we’ve been cursed by some higher being.” Max spoke, patting the curly-haired boy as she passed him.
“Hey, keep it down. We don’t know when some Demo creature could decide to ambush us.” Mike hissed, they were still decently far away from the gate and he’d rather not get turned into monster food.
It seems that thought had jinxed the party as a demo creature they hadn’t recognized ambushed them. “Shit!” Someone yelled out, none of them were entirely sure, as they were blinded by a bright red light.
Just as it had appeared the light dissipates. No creature in sight. “Everyone ok..?” Mike asked cautiously to his companions.
“I don't feel like monster food,” Max says in a lighthearted tone. She honestly thought they had been dead meat.
“We're all here,” Will tells the group after a quick head count, “I don't see any new blood so I'm gonna say we're all good.”
“Ok good. Let's continue heading toward the gate. The sooner we get out of here the better.” Mike orders quickly, leading them back toward the gate.
Everyone gets out, turns out the other group got hit with the blinding light, the adults warn them to keep an eye out for symptoms in case that light actually did do something and they all head home.
Mike is sitting quietly in the basement. Nancy had gone to Byers house, but he was writing out his thoughts. It was calming for him. When his super-comm started emitting the quiet crackling of someone trying to get in contact with him. “Mike, Code Red. I repeat Code Red!” El’s voice yells in a panic through the device.
“Come on, don't let us be the only normal ones.” Will prayed quietly when they didn’t get an immediate response.
Mike rushes over to grab the communicator, “What happened? Why is there Code Red?” He asks quickly, his breath getting caught in his throat slightly.
“Oh thank god! Mike turns out that light did more than we thought. We need your help fast! Please be careful on your way over though.” Will speaks quickly, panic evident in his tone.
“I'll be right there.” Mike declared before turning it off. He grabs his emergency bag, thank you Steve for pushing them to have bags so they could just pick up and go.
It takes him only fifteen minutes to get there. He ditches his bike quickly, knocking on the Byers/Hopper’s cabin. Will bust open the door. “Mike! Help quickly.” Will drags him by the sleeve into the building.
The sight that greets him is not something he was expecting. A bunch of fucking children of various ages. “Why... Why are there so many children... Where are the adults?” Mike asked bewildered.
“We have no clue. We all ended up here last night and in the morning when we woke up we were greeted with many many children.” Will explains quickly.
El nods along from her place on the couch with the youngest in her lap. “We think they are the party just from before..”
“Alright. Could I get proper introductions and how old everyone is?” Mike asks carefully, moving to stand by the couch.
“Ya. Seems like everyone got sent back ten years, El’s holding Erica. Lucas keeps pestering her,” Will pauses to gesture at a young four-year-old boy with dark skin pouting near El’s legs, “Redhead is Max obviously, Dustin is over there hiding from the older kids… and us.” The small curly-haired boy, Dsutin, was hiding behind the opposite side of the couch hiding from all the other kids, Max was sitting next to some of the older kids deciding if they were safe or not. The older kids however were arguing over the game they should play deciding that their temporary caretakers were harmless.
“I recognize Nancy from her baby pictures,” Mike says. Nancy does overhear him and looks over to the admittedly intimidatingly tall boy. She glares at him slightly before telling the others she’d be right back. She walked over to him staring up at him.
“Hi there..?” Mike speaks hesitantly. Worried he had done something to upset her in some way.
“You look familiar.” The small girl stated.
“Uh I’m your brother..” Mike said with uncertainty.
“My brother is tiny though. He’s four right now.”
“Ya kinda. I’m your brother when he’s fourteen.”
“How? That’s not possible.”
“I assure you it is. I'm Mike Wheeler, alright.”
The girl huffed thinking it over before deciding he was telling the truth. Making grabby hands at him. He chuckled while picking up his 8-year-old sister. He looked over to the other two normal teenagers before speaking. “Ok so, at least Nancy was sent back 10ish years.”
“Seems like it,” Will says, El nodding along with him.
“How does that even happen..” Mike asks mostly to himself. Nancy taps his shoulder. “Yes, Nance?”
“Can you put me down? I want to go play with the others now.”
“Sure.” Mike nods, putting her down and letting her go back to the others. Nancy presumably relays the information she learned to the others. Jonathan thinks for a moment before deciding to check if one of them was his brother.
The tiny photographer comes up to them. Looking at Mike, “Is it true you are Nancy’s brother from 10 years in the future?”
“Yup. Sure am Jonny.”
“Ok. Then where’s Will?”
Will chuckles before answering, “I’m right here buddy.”
Jonathan looked over to the brunette, “Really? You got so much taller! Also, you still have your bowl cut?”
“Ya… Uh…” Will looks over to El, wondering how to introduce their other siblings.
“Oh, who’s that?” The currently younger boy honestly hadn't noticed the other of the older trio.
“Uh Well, they’re our other siblings..” Will spoke slowly, trying not to startle him.
“Another sibling..? Cool! What’s your name?” Jonathan spoke excitedly.
“My name is El... Nice to meet you, again, Jonathan.”
“So cool! Alright, I’m gonna hang out with the other kids now. I just wanted to see if my thought was right.” Jonathan nods along to his words running back over to the other kids.
“This is so odd..” Mike says to the other two older teens.
“Very odd,” El says.