---

      WHEN THEY ALL GOT BACK TO THE HOUSE, MILES HAD GONE STRAIGHT TO THE BATHROOM AND LOCKED HIMSELF INSIDE. He didn't want to be around anyone because he knew he couldn't be the person he wanted everyone to believe that he was. He wanted everyone to think he was this sweet, happy boy who always had a smile on his face and couldn't be angry or sad.

     He thought it was unfair that Bob of all people was the one that would be killed. Bob was everything Miles needed and the boy idolized him more than anyone else in the short few months that he'd known him. Bob didn't deserve the fate he was met with and if anyone were to ask, the boy wouldn't be able to deny the guilt he felt for the man's death.

     The thought of his own father lingered in the back of his mind and he wondered as he sat on the Byers' bathroom floor if his dad was thinking about him. Was he worried? Would he even care if he never came home if it meant that all his chores were still done?

     A knock came from the other side of the bathroom door. "Miles?" The voice of Jonathan called. The boy rubbed at his chest, looking to the door but not responding. "Miles, can I come in please?" Again the boy only sat there. The teen sighed, "Miles, please. Open the door."

     Jonathan waited a few moments and just as he thought he hadn't gotten through to the boy, the lock on the bathroom door clicked, Jonathan opened the door, stepping inside. Sat on the floor, his arms resting atop his knees was Miles, his eyes were red and puffy, making it clear he'd still been crying.

     The teen closed the door behind him, moving to sit beside the younger boy. He waited a moment before speaking, "Bob was a good guy."

     Tears welled in Miles' eyes. He nodded, "Yeah, he was." He said though a strained voice.

     "I can tell you cared a lot about him." He looked Miles in the eye and the boy looked back at him. He shook his head, "I'm not gonna make you talk about it but based on what I've seen, I think I have an idea as to why. I want you to know it's okay to feel upset but it's not okay to blame yourself, you know that, right?" He questioned and the younger boy looked away. Jonathan shook his head, "I wasn't there but you know something, Miles?" He laughed with little humor.

     He looked at the older boy, "What?" He asked quietly.

     "There is no way in hell that Miles Murphy could even hurt a fly. You are the kindest and most caring kid I know." He turned his body to face the boy a bit more. "I want you to know that no matter what happened in that building, it was not your fault, okay?"

     Miles nodded his head, a few tears trailing down his cheeks, "Okay."

     "Come here," Jonathan said pulling the boy into a hug. Moments like these always made Miles wish he had siblings, but then again, he kind of already did. After a few seconds, he pulled away, "Better?" Miles nodded his head. The teen smiled, "Alright then, cause we're gonna need your help."

---

     WHEN THEY WERE DONE LAYERING THE SHED IN CARDBOARD AND NEWSPAPER TO DISGUISE IT, THEY TIED WILL TO A CHAIR, FLIPPING ON A BRIGHT LIGHT BEFORE HOPPER UNSCREWED THE CAP ON THE BOTTLE OF AMMONIA, PUTTING SOME ON A TISSUE BEFORE STICKING IT UNDER THE BOY'S NOSE. Will sprung awake as the chemical invaded his senses. In the shed was Will, Hopper, Miles, Joyce, and Jonathan. The boy looked around and then at his restraints, he pulled against them, "What? What? What is this?" He began to panic, "What? What is this? Why am I tied up."

     Joyce walked calmly up to the boy, crouching to be at eye level before speaking, "Will, we just wanna talk to you. We're not gonna hurt you."

     He raised his voice, "Where am I?"

     Hopper moved to bend in front of him. He held up Will's drawing of the Mind Flayer, "You recognize this? Do you recognize this?"

     Will shook his head.

     "Hey," Joyce called. "We wanna help you. But to do that, we have to understand how to kill it."

     "Why am I tied up?" He screamed. Miles jumped slightly, looking at the floor sadly. "Why am I tied up? Why am I tied up? Why am I tied up?" He screamed over and over, trashing in his restraints. The lights began to flicker. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" He continued screaming over and over again, and Joyce began to cry. The boy's screams began to weaken, "Let me go. Let me go. Let me go... Let me go... Go..."

     The room fell silent for a few seconds as Will stared blankly forward. Joyce moved in front of him to meet his eyes, "Do you know what March 22nd is?" He showed no sign of recognition. "It's your birthday. Your. Birthday." Something in the look in Will's eyes seemed to shift, almost unnoticeable. "When you turned eight, I gave you that huge box of crayons. Do you remember that?" She asked. "It was 120 colors. And all your friends, they got Star Wars toys, but all you wanted to do was draw with all your new colors. And you drew this big spaceship, but it wasn't from a movie. It was your spaceship. A rainbow ship is what you called it and you must've used every color in the box. I took that with me to Melvald's and I put it up and I told everyone who came in, My son drew this. But I was so proud. I was so, so proud."

     Jonathan breathed out, a tear slipping down his face, "Do you remember the day Dad left?" Will looked at him. The teen moved, crouching in front of Will and beside his mother, "We stayed up all night building Castle Byers... just the way you drew it. And it took so long because you were so bad at hammering." He laughed. "You'd miss the nail every time. And then it started raining, but we stayed out there anyway. We were both sick for like a week after that. But we just had to finish it, didn't we? We just had to."

     "Do you remember..." Miles began quietly, a few tears falling from his eyes before he continued, "Do you remember when my mom got sick?" Will looked at him. "She-she had that thing... frontotemporal dementia." He wiped at his face. "She started forgetting things, she couldn't remember who I was anymore." He shook his head, "But you- you helped. Half the time you didn't even realize you were helping but you were always there. When my dad would leave me at home while he went to the hospital you would always come to get me and we'd sit and I'd watch you draw. Sure, I drew a little but I mostly just watched you." He smiled a little at the next memory, "You'd make up these scenarios and draw them out for me; ones where we'd be on some other planet, or ones where we were on some tropical island, deserted like we were on Gilligan's Island or something." He laughed. "Will... you're my- you're my best friend." He stopped looking to the floor as a few tears fell.

     "Will, baby..." The boy looked at his mother when she spoke. "If you're in there, just please... please talk to us." Miles looked up and at the boy again, waiting for something to happen. "Please, honey, please, can you do that for me?" Will began to shake, looking like he was going to cry. "Please. I love you so much."

     He whimpered softly, trying to say something before his expression hardened, returning to its blank state, "Let me go." The group sighed disappointed. 

     Hopper suddenly stood straighter as if he'd gotten an idea. They all left the shed. Hopper grabbed a paper and pen as they entered the house. He sat at the kitchen table.

     "What happened?" Dustin asked.

     Hopper sighed, "I think he's talking, just not with words." He drew a series of lines and dots.

     "What is that?" Steve questioned.

     "Morse code." The boys replied all at the same time.

     "H-E-R-E." Hopper spelled out.

     "Here."

     "Will's still in there. He's talking to us."

---

     MILES, JOYCE, HOPPER, JONATHAN, AND MIKE ALL WENT BACK OUT INTO THE SHED. They all began recounting different memories they had with Will, from the time Will saved the party in a game of Dungeons and Dragons to the time when he was just a little kid and gave some little girl his toy truck because she was sad.

     Hopper watched the boy's fingers carefully, pressing the button on the walkie to transmit the code to the others who were inside translating the code.

     They'd made progress and everything was running smoothly... until it wasn't. From where they all stood in the shed with Will, the sound of the Byers' phone ringing could be heard. They all looked at each other and back to Will. The boy's eyes rolled to the back of his head, his eyelids fell closed and they watched as his eyes moved furiously back and forth, his breathing becoming rapid and panicked.

     "Hey, hey. Can you hear me?" Joyce called out.

     "It knows." Said Hopper. "It knows where we are."

     "Oh shit." Joyce moved, grabbing the syringe of morphine and injecting it into the boy's arm.

     Hopper, Jonathan, Mike, and Miles went outside, looking all around. Miles tensed as they heard the sound of screeching far in the distance, they looked at one another worriedly before rushing back inside the shed. They rushed to untie Will, bringing him inside.

     "Hey, hey, get away from the windows!" Hopper shouted at the kids and they moved away from the window. He looked to Jonathan, holding out a gun, "Can you use this?"

     "What?"

     "Can you use this?" Hopper repeated.

     Nancy stepped forward, "I can."

     He tossed her the gun and they all stood, preparing themselves for the coming attack. Miles shook, holding a metal fire poker with clenched knuckles. "When are they coming?" Max questioned. It was silent for a few moments until they were startled by loud screeching, the group quickly turned towards the sound. 

     "What are they doing?" Asked Nancy. Moments later they were startled by loud snarling, causing them to run back towards the front window. They listened to the monsters screech outside the house, all tense and on edge. The snarling came to abrupt stop and one of the demo-dogs was thrown through the window, everyone moved away.

     The room was quiet, and Miles' palms sweat as he looked in all different directions. Each of them jumped when they heard a click coming from the deadbolt on the front door. The door chain slid, falling out of place with the faintest of sounds.

     The door eased open and when they could see outside, each of them slowly lowered their weapons, all with awe-stricken expressions. Miles' jaw dropped almost comedically at the sight in front of him.

     It was Eleven.

---

the next chapter will most likely be the last for the season, "most likely" because i haven't finished writing it.

on that note, once season 2 is over i might miss an update or two while i try to pre write a few episodes into season 3 but I'm very excited because i have more planned for miles in season 3 yay :)

vote and comment please :p

~lee

06/23/2022