Chapter Text
“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”
The shaky, yet doubtful voice asked. The two teenagers stood in the opening to the garage of the sprawling house, a rickety, ancient yellow light bulb swinging softly in the gentle November breeze as it barely illuminated the large space, keeping the darkness of the night at bay.
“I’ll be fine. It’s not the first time I’ve walked home from your house.”
A slightly deeper, but softer voice replied. The brunette stood just outside of the garage, hands tucked in the pockets of his khaki’s. He had a soft, comforting smile on his face as he watched his darker-haired friend anxiously shift his weight.
“I know that, I just… it’s cold, and it’s late, and- and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“It’s not that cold, and it’s not that long of a walk if I don’t take forever. I promise, I’m fine.”
There was a bit of hesitancy, before the taller teen pulled his friend into a tight hug - holding on as he shut his eyes tightly.
A brief second passed before the shorter, yet stronger of the two returned the hug, pulling his friend tight. He wanted to comfort the taller male that he’d be okay, and he was sure of it.
“Be safe. Call me when you get home - or use your walkie, something. Just contact me, okay?”
“Of course.”
The two let go, with the shorter one stepping back into the darkness of the night. They stood and stared at each other for just a second, waving goodbye one last time, before the shorter brunette made his departure.
The dark streets of an empty Hawkins were… haunting. Much scarier than he could ever remember. As he left the radiating warmth of the house behind him, entering the open mouth of the night, a shiver traveled up his spine - moving up each individual disc as he stepped. It was like the universe knew that deep down, the boy was afraid.
As he walked, and the low, baritone whistle of the wind filled his ears, he turned down the street, heading towards the wooded path he had memorized, he stopped just at the opening to it.
There were eyes on his back. He could feel the hairs on his neck begin to stand, the way his body seemed so tense, it wasn’t because it was cold - it was because he was being watched.
Carefully, he stepped out from the dimly lit streets, into the rougher forested area, where he knew his father’s house was. He knew that the path had been walked hundreds of times before, by people long before his time - and people he didn’t know that still existed in his time. He was sure that there were people years from tonight that would walk this same path, but he just hoped that they wouldn’t feel the way he did.
The walk was long. It was a long, silent, and cold walk, sure, but a walk he had done countless times.It wasn’t like it was a new thing to him, just an ordinary stroll down the path to his father’s home.
Ever since the divorce it was… colder. Much colder. The path felt like he was walking a tightrope, leading straight to a grave. His grave.
He could hear the yelling and the arguments swirling around the back of his mind, the shouting, the screaming, the swearing… It was all too much to bear.
They were so young. Too young for it.
Shaking his head, he continued down the path, wanting to just get out of the biting cold. He walked with a bit of a quicker pace, feeling as if there were eyes on the back of his head. He knew that he could’ve just accepted the offer to get driven home, or just waited a little longer, but if he walked, he’d likely get home before his curfew.
He didn’t want to possibly make his dad angry again.
The rustling in the leaves behind him made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, as he quickly pressed his hand to the back of his neck, hoping to both calm his nerves, and dismiss the feeling as just the bitter, cold wind.
“Just keep going. Don’t let it get to you.” He repeated softly to himself, other hand gripping the strap to his backpack tightly.
God, did he wish he had his bike. Maybe he’d already be home, maybe it’d be faster. Or he could’ve just let someone take him home - but it was fine, he didn’t want to stress anyone out any more than they could’ve been.
It was fine. He was fine. Everything was fine.
SNAP.
He turned around, looking behind him. Did he just hear the snap of a twig? What else was on this path?
He looked down, checking if he had stepped on a twig, startled to discover that he had not. Maybe he was just going crazy, maybe he was just hearing things.
But he decided to quicken his strides, just in case he was wrong.
The low baritone whistle of the November wind gently shook the dying leaves on the trees, sending them shuffling down to the forest floor. He could feel the chilling bitterness of the evening breeze, as he moved his hands to hug his jacket tighter around his shoulders.
Softly, under his breath, he began humming. It was just a song that his brother had shown him, one that helped to calm them both.
It was a song by David Bowie - an artist who his brother loved. It was calming to have even a piece of him as a form of comfort, a way to know he was still there.
CRACK!
Again?!
The humming stopped, he froze in his tracks. Now he was sure, he was absolutely sure that someone was there. Someone was following him. Who the hell would follow a kid down a wooded trail in the middle of the night?
His pace picked up again, now a small sprint as he raced his way through the path. He was almost there, he was so close, it was just in his reach-
A root on the ground that in his blind panic, the brunette didn’t see had caught his foot, sending him tumbling down to the forest floor.
His face slams against the beds of dirt, the small stones and sticks, and the crunch of the leaves littering the dirt. The steps behind him are only getting closer, and now that he focuses, now that his senses are fully attuned to the world around him - they’re not the only ones.
There were multiple. At least four from what he could hear. And they were all coming his way.
Four. Four people out there searching for him. Who the hell could be out here this late at night, searching for him? Why?
He didn’t have time to think about it, didn’t have time to focus on that thought, or on any of the other disturbing thoughts that flooded his mind. He just had to get the hell out of there, and away from the steps. He had to get home, or at the very least, get to the shed where his father’s shotgun resided.
There wasn’t any time to delay, any longer, and those people might catch up to him. So very quickly, and very shakily, he shoved himself off the ground, stumbling over the root in the ground, and making a break for it.
For just a moment, he considered running off into the forest, off the trail to try and lose them, but he realized very quickly that he’d also get very lost - and that wasn’t what he needed.
So he just kept running, just kept going. He had to make it somewhere, and had to find that shed. It was so close, he knew it, he could just faintly see the light in the distance, he just had to make it, had to make it just a little further.
A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his focus, as it tightened its grip around his shoulder, two more reached out and grabbed ahold of him. The boy was roughly tugged back away from the shed, a cloth shoved harshly over his nose and mouth.
It was sweet - like disinfectant. He could’ve almost sworn that it was a laundry detergent type of smell, but it was cold, almost like it was soaked in the disinfectant scent.
His head suddenly felt light, eyes trying to flutter shut as everything in the distance began to blur. It was horrifying, what was happening?
He couldn’t recall it by name, couldn’t think of what it was, but the countless times he had witnessed this same thing in countless movies and television shows - as a way to get people to come quietly.
These people wanted to kidnap him. But for what reason?
“Don’t worry, Will.” The cold, controlled voice broke through the fuzzy ringing in his ears, cutting through the cold like a smooth knife cutting through butter. There was a bit of clinical detachment to his voice, a chilling detachment that sent shivers up his spine.
“Everything is under control, just go to sleep.”
As he spoke those simple words, the world began to fade, the intimidating and blurred face of a tall, imposing man slowly drifted out of Will’s view, as the whole world turned black.