— CHAPTER 24 —
THE EXORCISM

( trigger warning: descriptions of exorcism )

MONDAY 5th NOVEMBER,
1984

"LOOK, Jonathan, there's the oak tree; take a right here..." Thomas points out from the passenger seat of the Ford Pinto. Behind the wheel, a wary Jonathan obeys his instructions and swings the car right down a narrow road. It's another piece of the instructions left by Hopper, leading the way to his remote cabin in the woods.

Meanwhile, Cath is sat in the back between Joyce and Nancy, the sedated Will laid across them. His mother smooths her fingertips through his hair, whispering sweet and loving things in case he might hear them — except there is a coldness in her voice. After what she has seen tonight, Joyce Byers has clearly had enough. As for Cath, she gingerly holds onto Will's hand, pale and like ice to touch.

The atmosphere in the car is like one big, collectively-held breath. No one quite knows what lies ahead, and whether the plan will work. They are one piece in a partnership of actions with Eleven and Hopper. Cath simply prays that it has to work. She can't have El run into danger and be lost again; and she definitely cannot let Will slip away from them like this. Thinking about this, the girl squeezes his hand a little tighter as the trees start to constrict them more, turning thicker into forest at the dead-end road. As everyone gets out of the car, an owl coos from one of the trees, staring down at the scene. It's one of the only welcoming things here.

     Jonathan offers to carry Will, trailing just behind Thomas as he leads the way to the cabin. Cath, Joyce and Nancy all stick together, trudging through the light-starved dirt path in the woods with boxes of heaters and matches. After five minutes, the moonlight draws an outline of a small, housed-shaped wooden structure. Cath stares at it curiously, bewildered by its discovery — so this is where Hopper and El have been living for the last year, without any of the others knowing. They were right here this whole time. Incredulous, she retraces all the times she cycled near this spot on her bike, so many instances where her old friend was right under her nose... and she never knew.

     Cath doesn't have the time or energy to be angry about it. As long as El was safe, that's all that matters.

     Using the keys Hopper gave them, Thomas unlocks the front door. It's a little too dark to see the details, but Cath is struck by how much it looks and feels like a home. There's a stove, a living room, a TV, left-over trays from microwaved meals still on the table. A painted mint-green door towards the end of the house makes her wonder if it's El's bedroom. She secretly hopes it's nice in there, the kind of safe space every growing girl needs.

     "It's... kinda nice," she can't help whisper.

     Re-focusing their minds on the task, Joyce scurries over to the un-lit fireplace. "We'll do it here," she says.

     The group get to work arranging the space. First, they set up a camping bed in front of the fireplace, laying Will's floppy body down onto it. Then comes the worst part — the soul-wrenching task of tying him up, by his wrists and ankles to the bed, so he can't possibly escape the heat when it comes. Cath is responsible for one of the wrists, and feels horrible for every minute of it. She actually hopes for a split second that Will isn't in there anymore... if he was, she would hate him to remember this moment. Finally, they plug in various heaters and fans around the cabin, all facing towards the unconscious boy in a circle.

When the set-up is complete, they all stand around and absorb the scene before them. Cath isn't sure it will ever vanish from her memory, whether this works or not.

"Well, I guess we're really doing this..." Thomas sighs grimly, staring at the boy.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jonathan murmurs.

"This thing has had Will long enough..." Joyce's voice trembles angrily. "Let's kill the son of a bitch."

No further words need to be said. Nancy lights a match and tosses it onto the fireplace — it instantly ignites into flames, crackling away and churning warmth out into the room. The others turn on the heaters, cranking the dials up to full power so that they glow in magma-coloured lines inside.

"What now?" asks Thomas.

"I guess... we wait," says Cath quietly.

     So, with nothing else to do, the agonising wait begins. Joyce sits the closest to Will's bedside, with Jonathan a little way off as Nancy holds his hand. Meanwhile, Cath takes her seat with her father on the floor in front of the couch — for as the heat increases, the wooden floorboards with their draft are one of the cooler places to sit. After a while, Cath removes her cardigan and rolls up her sleeves. The blonde baby hairs around her hairline cling to her sweating skin. Thomas also removes his sweater and undoes a button or two at the top, his hair growing a little unrulier as time passes.

Everyone sits in silence for most of the time. Nothing is heard except for the crackle of the fireplace and the hum of the heaters. Will lies completely still on the bed, the only visible affect of their experiment being the sweat dampening his hospital gown. Dark circles have formed under his eyes and around his nostrils, while his lips have a grey and lifeless look to them. She has never seen him so rough.

Now that they have a moment between the chaos, Cath starts reflecting on Will and her friendship with him. Even if they have started hanging out more recently, there's still the nagging regret that they didn't do it sooner. More, more, more. It's no exaggeration that Will Byers is one of the best things to ever happen to her. He is someone who's never judged her, never neglected her, never doubted her. There is a shining but humble kindness in him that she doesn't think is easy to come by. She may be young, but Cath definitely understands that much.

She wants more adventures with him. Whether they quietly read in the library, play fantasy games with their friends or simply enjoy each other's company, Cath doesn't care.

And he has been through enough. At last, she wants him to be safe and sound. Then everyone can get on with their lives again, for real this time.

"You alright?"

Her father's voice, although quiet, disrupts the silence and makes her jump. Cath nods with her head low. Apart from bittersweet memories, the air is getting stuffy and uncomfortable to breathe on. It's laced with sweat and fear. "I guess I'm just thinking about Will," she says, "and what happens after this."

"You two have always been good friends," says Thomas.

"Not always. We stopped hanging out for years."

"But I always knew you'd stay friends. Joyce did, too. Maybe it's because you met so early on."

Cath shifts in her seat, tiredly glancing up at her father. Through the haze of heat and exhaustion, Thomas starts recounting a take of long ago. "Not long after you were both born, I was kind of a mess figuring out which way to look, after your mom died. Joyce helped me out a lot, whether it was babysitting, or... just a shoulder to lean on, I guess. And she didn't have to. She had her own problems to deal with, from Lonnie being useless to two sons to take care of."

At that moment, Thomas peers over at Joyce, to see if she's listening at all. But she is too absorbed in watching Will carefully to notice. Of course. Why wouldn't she?

He turns back to Cath, and she listens to the story as it continues: "Anyway, one time she visited us to talk some things through. You know, like a second opinion for some of the legal stuff. She brought the boys over too. It was the summer of '71, so you and Will were both, uh... six or five months old each. While we talked, we put you two down on a little blanket on the carpet so we could see you, and I think we just let Jonathan and Daphne run around in the back yard—" Thomas jumps, as does his daughter, at a large pang from one of the metal heaters, before going on. "... You both just lay there for a while, gurgling at each other in whatever language you guys spoke then."

Cath manages a weak laugh at this, and so does Thomas as he glances fondly at Will.

"Then Will started crying. Or, kind of, as if he might burst into tears any minute. Joyce was ready to pick him up and rock him and everything, but... but then there was you. You just... reached out your little hand, and touched his arm. And he stopped instantly. I don't know if you meant to do that, but Joyce has always said to me since then about this feeling she had. That you two, even if times got hard, you'd always look out for each other..." Thomas nudges her lightly with a sad smile. "Now here you are. Sticking with him 'til the very end."

Sinking back into her seat, Cath considers this while casting a nervous look over at Will on the bed. The memory of his fills her with warmth, more comforting than the blast of the heaters. "I don't think you've ever told that story before," she says.

"... No, I don't think I have. I guess there's a lot I haven't told you, huh?"

She looks up at him, watching his expression strain as he finds the words to confess something.

"Cath, I know I—"

Thomas cuts himself off at the sound of a small grunt from the bed. Everyone's stare is drawn to it like a magnet — Will is suddenly wide awake, eyes open and searching fiercely for an answer, as he examines his ties and the flame that flicker. It's a stark contrast to how he was completely knocked out cold before. Cath stands up and straightens her back as her eyes settle on him in an alarmed, moonlit blue hue.

     "What's happening?" asks Will urgently, already writhing and rattling in his binds. Suddenly he cries out: "AH! It hurts! Oh, it hurts!"

     Cath can't believe how violently the situation has escalated in a little under twenty seconds. Her father and Jonathan look completely horrified at the boy's pain unfolding in front of their eyes — even if it is the Shadow Monster who is suffering the most, seeing the torture it puts Will through is enough nightmare fuel to last for years. His eyes have grown wide and frantic as his back arches like a spooked cat, using every effort to break free. "IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" he keeps shrieking at the top of his lungs.

     "What do we do?" Cath asks, coming out more like a whimper.

     Her expression hardening, Joyce storms over to the heaters and cranks up the temperature even more. The sound heightens to an insect-like buzz and aggravates Will's pain even further. Jonathan, tormented at the sight of his brother in this way, tries to protest. "Mom—"

     "NO!" Joyce cuts him off stubbornly, while at another heater.

"LET ME GO!! IT HURTS!! AAAHHHH!!"

     Will continues to scream and writhe on the bed, bathing in his own sweat as it runs off his pale body in rivers. His screams get into every crack and splinter of the wooden cabin — and they go on forever. In the end, it's like a never-ending cacophony, and it never tips over the breaking point. Jonathan turns to Nancy and buries his face in her shoulder, unable to bear it, while she stares over his in horror. It's driving everyone insane. "Why isn't anything happening?!" Cath finally cries, her eyes throbbing with frustrated tears.

"Because it's not working!" Jonathan interjects desperately. "It's not working, see?! Mom, are you listening to me?"

"Just wait!" Joyce demands.

"How much longer?" the brother almost sobs, gesturing wildly at Will. "Look– look at him!"

"Joyce, I don't think the kid can take much more of this!" Thomas hollers above the screaming.

"LET ME GO!!" Will continues to shriek, "LET ME GO!! HELP!!"

It is clearly the last straw for Jonathan. He runs desperately over to one of the heaters, hand fiddling with the dials. Joyce instantly tries to block his way.

"Jonathan, wait!"

"You're killing him!"

"Just wait! No– leave it!"

Between the struggle, Cath catches glimpses of Will's face behind the Byers' limbs. His head suddenly lurches back onto the pillow, appearing to choke on the air. Tendrils of grey that melt into black shoot up his veins in the neck. Frantically, she pulls on Nancy's shirt sleeve. "Nancy! Nancy, look!"

"Jonathan! Jonathan, wait!" Nancy immediately acts on the observation. "Look at his neck!"

The room tremors with the rumbling growls that emit from the boy as he convulses, fused to his back as the shadowy veins consume him. All the lights and heaters in the room fizz and blink furiously — the force is almost as if a train were to come roaring straight through the house. Everyone watches, jaws dropped. How can they know what happens next? For all they know, the Shadow Monster could be taking over Will completely, or kill them. Those screams aren't his anymore. It sounds like the shrieks Cath heard from the demogorgon last year, only a swarm of them caught in the eye of a storm.

Will's right arm suddenly rips away from his ties, and his body jerks over to the side as he curls up — some invisible dark force is wringing him out like a wet cloth. Joyce springs into action to try and tie him back down. But it's him who acts first. His hand flies to her throat and squeezes tight, choking her.

"No!" Thomas cries, rushing to the side and trying to pull away the boy's arm, but it's like steel. Jonathan also goes and tries to pry his brother's fingers from their mother's throat.

Cath watches helplessly from the side-lines, scrambling for something to do. Will's face is overtaken with the ebony black veins like thorns.

Nancy takes the initiative. She grabs a hot poker from the fireplace, the end glowing with a red ember. Then she mercilessly prods it at Will's stomach. He screams at the impact and lets go — Joyce falls back and catches her breath, knocking over everyone else like dominoes. Jonathan staggers back, then Thomas with a hard thud onto the wooden floor. Cath kneels to help her father before they both look up at Will.

     His jaw is cranked wide open, so far Cath almost think it's been broken, and he lets out a never-ending scream while convulsing.

     That's when it finally happens.

     A torrent of dark shadow shoots up from his mouth like a geyser, roaring with the ferocity of a tornado ripping through the place. Cath feels her father pull her close on the floor and cover her head with his hand — but she doesn't miss a single frame of the scene. She watches, shell-shocked as it goes on, and on, and on. Never-ending darkness. The more dark matter that escapes the boy, the more she can't believe it was all stored inside one little body. No wonder he was so tortured by the heat — it must have felt like hell clawing at him to get out.

     "Holy sh—" Thomas's voice is barely audible under all the roaring, but soon gets cut off anyway. The shadow escapes forcefully through the front door, bursting through the timber to leave shards of glass and splintered wood behind. Cath wriggles out from her father's grip and runs out onto the porch, followed closely by Nancy and then Thomas.

     Up between the trees, the torrents of shadow fly up, up, up and escape into the night... but where? None of them know.

     But it leaves deafening silence behind.

     Until one, weak voice from inside the cabin: "Will, baby..."

     Cath whirls around, her hands still trembling as she places one on the doorway. Will is lying completely still on the bed. Not moving, not breathing. Remnants of shadow lying in the dark circles under his eyes. Joyce is crouched at one side holding his sweaty hand, while Jonathan weeps silently at the other.

     "Please, Will, come on... come on, buddy..." adds Jonathan.

     "Please... can you hear me?" Joyce says, crying. "Come on, please... Will..."

     Standing at the side, Cath feels everything within her crumble for a moment. No... no, please no... she prays. After all of that, he can't be gone. But he lies so still, too still, and it would be no wonder anyway. She has lost Will Byers again.

     ... Then, a gasp. Barely audible, but it's there. Will stirs on the bed. Eyes moving softly beneath his eyelids, he opens them and blinks tiredly at his surroundings. In the smallest of croaks, he calls out: "... Mom?"

"Oh, honey... oh God!"

     Joyce and Jonathan collapse into an embrace with him, the three Byers instantly breaking down into tears. They hug and squeeze each other, finally the unit they were always meant to be again. Cath shudders as she breathes a sigh of relief; yet a part of her still doesn't quite believe it is true yet. Even when her father rustles her hair in rejoice, she can't share in the celebration. Not yet. There have been one too many times where she thought she was speaking to Will, but it was the Shadow Monster.

     When the Byers finish hugging, Jonathan jogs over to the walkie to tell Hopper to close the gate. That's when Cath takes her chance. Will is sat up on the bed, propped up next to Joyce's shoulder. Cath walks slowly and cautiously towards him, kneeling before him. She squints into his hazel eyes — they shimmer back despite the dark circles.

     "... Will?" she asks, hopefully.

     "Yeah," he whispers back with bated breath.

     It's somehow all Cath needs. The floodgates of emotion crash open — she pulls him forward by the fabric of his gown and wraps him tightly in her arms, and to feel him hugging her back makes her sob just as much as him. To feel his heart beating however frenetically against her own, to remember the way he's always been a gentle hugger even in tighter embraces like this one. Will Byers is back, and Cath is never letting him go again if she can help it.

     When they pull away, still clinging to each other's arms, Will has a lot to say. "I heard you," he manages between hiccups of sobs. "I– I heard everything you said to me... all the time, every word... I– I knew it was you—"

     Cath can't handle the sentimentality, so she pulls him back into the hug again. The two friends rock back and forth in each other's arms, sticking to each other with sweat and crying tears that soon turn into weak laughter.

Once the pair have calmed down a little, Will is offered some water to drink. He weakly gulps down small sips while nestled under Joyce's arm and next to Jonathan. Cath sits opposite him, even offering him Silver the rabbit to hold — "Returning to its original owner," she manages to joke — while Thomas and Nancy wait for word from the Chief on whether the gate was closed...

But it turns out they don't need it.

All the lamps in the room suddenly glow brightly, humming with radiance and burning into their eyes. They all squint weakly at the sight. Silently, Cath remembers all the times when Eleven was using her powers at full strength, and how it interfered with the electricity. Everything must hopefully be coming together. Once the bright lights subside, they are all left in a calmer quietness than before.

"Welcome back, Will..." says Cath with a sigh, "... again."

To the joy of her heart, the boy smiles weakly back at her. She missed that. "It's good to be back," Will croaks out.

━━━━━━

A/N;

i know i used this meme last chapter too, but this is 100% joyce with the heaters:

another rather intense chapter! and also rather short, so i feel like it was kind of "meh" at times, but i really hope it felt like a good conclusion to the action. either way WILL IS BACK!! the poor boy can finally have a little vacation from being tortured by an alternate dimension. the remaining four chapters are basically the aftermath, because there is a lot of ground to cover there... hope you enjoy the calmer end to this story!

also happy new year!! hope 2023 brings you all love and happiness ❤️ thank you for all the support in 2022, it means the world.

— Imogen

[ Published: January 1st, 2023 ]