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     THE KIDS QUICKLY FOUND THEMSELVES RUNNING UPSTAIRS TO FIND JONATHAN AND NANCY. They quickly found Jonathan who managed to tell them there was a giant flesh monster and led them in the direction it had chased Nancy. They rounded a corner and heard a roar, they ran into an open hospital room where they found the horrific fleshy monster hovering over Nancy. It turned around as it took notice of the kids behind it.

"Oh my god." Miles gasped in terror.

"Jesus," Mike exclaimed.

"What the f-" Max began but was cut off as the monster let our shriek, taking one step towards them before El yelled, using her powers to throw it into one wall causing it to let out a pain roar.

She threw it into the other wall, into the ceiling, then back and out of the hospital window to send it plummeting to the ground below.

While Jonathan stayed to make sure Nancy was okay the rest of the kids ran downstairs and out of the building to see the monster. Where it should've laid lifeless after a fall that high it slowly pulsated, melting through the storm drain to escape.

The group said nothing until Nancy and Jonathan got down, still trying to process what just happened. The older teens led them back to Nancy's car where they then went back to Hopper's cabin.

El sat in her room blindfolded in front of a television displaying nothing but static with photos of everyone flayed sitting on the floor below it, a half-full box of tissues and a large pile of bloody tissues laid beside her. The rest of the kids sat scattered around Hopper's cabin.

Nancy, Jonathan, and Will were in the kitchen trying to call businesses to see if any products have gone missing in hopes to figure out what Billy was plotting with Miles, Mike, Lucas, and Max in the living room.

Miles lay across the couch asleep with his feet resting on Lucas' lap while Max and Mike argued over El and her powers. The boy awoke as Lucas moved his feet off his lap to get up. Lucas followed a still-arguing Max and Mike to the kitchen. Miles wasn't completely conscious so without understanding a word of the others' conversation he got up and made his way over to the rest of them to stand beside Max.

"Your girlfriend used El's powers to spy on us." Miles could finally understand Mike explain to Lucas angrily.

Max quickly shook her head, "No, no, no. I did not make her. It was her idea. And why are we even talking about this, seriously?"

"Yeah, who cares?" Will agreed.

"I care." Lucas said.

"Yeah, I guess girlfriend's don't lie, they spy." Said Mike with annoyance.

"We were just joking around." Max explained with equal annoyance.

"Did El see me do anything embarrassing?" Miles ask worriedly.

Max huffed, "No, she didn't see anything."

Miles let out a breath of relief.

Mike wouldn't let up, "Wouldn't it have been so funny if I was taking a massive shit or something?"

"You weren't."

"But what if I was?"

"Then gross."

Nancy rolled her eyes at her brother, "Seriously, Mike?"

"I'm just trying to demonstrate how careless Max is with Eleven's powers." Mike defended. "In fact, how careless all of you are. You're treating her like some kind of machine when she's not a machine, and I don't want her to die looking for the flayed when they've obviously vanished off the face of the earth. So can we please just come up with a new plan because I love her and I can't lose her again!"

After that final statement, the room fell silent with a wave of shock to which Miles was completely oblivious to. Miles looked at everyone with a confused expression, everyone but him quickly turned to El's bedroom door as she came out.

"What's going on?" He and El asked simultaneously.

"Nothing," Mike told El quickly. He turned to Miles, "Nothing."

"Just a family discussion," Lucas explained to El struggling to hold back a smirk.

"Oh." Said El.

Miles quietly moved over to Will, his confused expression still resting on his face as he looked at the other boy, "I-"

Will sighed, "I'll explain later." he promised before they both looked back to El.

"I found him," She said.

"Found who?" Nancy questioned.

"Billy."

A few minutes later, the group sat gathered around a blindfolded El as she breathed heavily in front of the TV searching through the void to find Billy.

Her breathing increased in pace until she suddenly reached up, ripping off her blindfold.

"What's he doing now?" Max questioned nervously.

El explained what she had seen before getting up to grab a glass of water from the kitchen.

Miles suddenly sprung from his seat as a thought hit him, causing the group to look at him.

"What's wrong?" Will asked.

"I need to call my dad. I forgot so I haven't talked to him in a few days." Miles explained. "If he's noticed I'm gone he's probably worried so I should probably tell him I'm at Mike's." He said with a finger raised.

Will nodded, "Yeah if you tell him you're at my house then he will probably go over, good idea."

"Yeah, okay, I'll be right back," Miles said before going to the kitchen and picking the phone up off the wall. He stood a moment with the phone resting in his hand. He'd be lying if he said his dad didn't scare him a bit. He loved his dad but the man got angry sometimes, especially when he's had a beer or two. It was never too bad, usually just a lot of screaming and a slap to the face every once in a while but it wasn't that bad.

He took a deep breath before dialing his home phone. He listened to it ring, his hand twitching at his side as he waited for his dad to pick up. It rang... and rang... and rang until he was sent to voicemail. "Fred Murphy," his father's voice echoed through the phone and the boy let out a disappointed sigh, "not able to make it to the phone right now, leave a message and I'll get back to ya when I can."

Beep.

"Hey, dad. It's me, Miles. I just wanted to call and let you know everyone is hanging out at Mike's and I was going to stay another night." He almost hung up the phone before adding, "I love you, I'll see you when I get home."

He set the phone back on the receiver and hung his head. He knew his dad probably would've been angry if he had picked up, but he still wishes he had, anything to prove that he cares.

His dad has stopped getting mad and yelling at him as often, which should be a good thing but honestly Miles preferred the yelling. He thinks his dad has started to suspect stuff about him, based on the fact that he literally said he did.

The last time Miles got yelled at was just a couple weeks ago when he'd tried to put up a Karate Kid poster. It was probably his favorite movie right now and it was Max's too. He put the poster up on his wall of Ralph Macchio and a few days later he came home and found it tore to shreds and his dad beyond pissed.

The man questioned the boy's sexuality with vulgar and explicit words and that was the last time his dad had said more than a few words to him at one time. His dad had always made it clear how he felt about queer people but it didn't make it any easier to hear.

When Miles made it back to the living room it was silent save for the TV static and El had her blindfold tied tightly around her head, everyone sat att the edge of their seats.

The boy squeezed onto the couch beside Will and waited like everyone else. A few minutes passed before El's breathing started to pick up and everyone started to grow more concerned.

"El, are you okay?" Mike questioned.

The girl let out a breath, "I'm okay." She assured.

"What's going on?"

"I'm... on a beach," she replied.

"Okay..." Lucas began with a confused expression, "I may be dense, but the last I checked, there weren't any beaches in Hawkins."

"What else do you see?" Max asked.

"A woman." Said El. "She's... pretty. I... I think she's looking at me." A few moments passed and the group just waited for her to continue. "There's... a boy. It's Billy."

"It's California." Max realized. "It's a memory."

"I think I see it." The group all looked at each other in confusion at El's words. She continued, "The source."

The group didn't say another word as they waited for the girl, fearing if they did it may disrupt her concentration. Another few minutes passed and El's breathing rate slowly increased.

Finally, she spoke, "I think I found it. The source."

"Where, El?" Max questioned, "Where are you?"

"Brimborn... Steelworks."

Jonathan immediately jumped up from the armchair he had been sitting on to grab the address book, Nancy followed close behind. He began flipping through it's pages, "Here. Okay, Steelworks, Steelworks..." He stopped on a page, "Here, Steel. Uh... Found it! 6522 Cherry Oak Drive."

"That's close." Nancy realized.

"El!" Mike shouted frantically, "El, we found it. Get out of there."

She just sat panting heavily and Mike only continued to call out to her. Everyone grew more concerned the longer she stayed in there.

"NOOO!" El suddenly screamed, tearing the blindfold off her head, and collapsing into Mike's arms as she cried.

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a glimpse at what fred and miles' relationship is like this season. i love miles sm he deserves so much better. president of the fred murphy hate club fr.

vote and comment pls or you guys will all fail your exams :)

~lee

12/06/2022