Chapter Seventy-Two: Memories And Morse Code

(The Mind Flayer, Pt. 4)

***

Rowan stuck her tongue out in concentration as she stretched her fingers out, reaching to place the corner of the tarp up on the wall of the shed. Beside her, Steve and Nancy worked alongside her to do the same with the tarp—and made sure it covered every inch of the now-empty shed to ensure Will didn't know where he was.

That was Mike's plan—put Will in the Byers' shed, after it was covered and empty to ensure he couldn't spy and know where they were, tie him up, and hope to break through the Mind Flayer's control and glean whatever weakness the motherfucker had and destroy it. Rowan hoped it would work, that Will was still in there.

And now, after helping haul out whatever was in the shed and dumping it in a pile, she was now working on covering up the walls with Steve and Nancy. And if she was being honest, Rowan liked the task. It helped distract her from what happened at the lab, the anger she felt toward the Mind Flayer possessing Will. Even if she felt uncomfortable being in the shed—this was the place where the Demogorgon had taken Will last year, and even though it had been an year, Rowan could feel a faint trace of decay and cold within the wooden walls of the shed, like the Upside Down had left some remnant behind that time and the elements wouldn't erase.

Rowan shook her head, refocusing on the task of reaching as far as her fingers could go with the tarp, to keep it in place until either she or Nancy could secure it with duct tape or with a stapler that Steve had. Now wasn't the time to ruminate on the horrors of the past, not when the horrors of the present were more important. She just had to put the tarp corner up on that section of wall...

Rowan gritted her teeth as she stretched, the tarp crinkling under her grip, trying to go further than her height allowed her. Come on, come on...

Just as she reached it, her fingers cramped and the tarp corner fluttered out of her hand, landing by her feet.

"Fuck!" Rowan cursed, glaring at the tarp now lying innocently on the ground.

"Need some help?" she heard behind her and Rowan looked to see Steve there, picking up the tarp.

Rowan rolled her eyes. "No thanks. I can do it myself, Harrington."

Steve arched a brow. "Really? 'Cause it looked like you were failing, short stack."

"Okay, mock my height all you want. I can still fucking do this by myself," Rowan shot back as she ripped the tarp from his grip and once again tried to place it in that corner, stretching as far as she could, fingers grazing the spot, but it slipped out of her reach again.

"Sure you don't need help?" Steve questioned, brow still raised, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Piss off," Rowan grumbled as she glared at the tarp and all but slammed it on the spot with her mind. Looking to Steve, she waved her hands. "See?"

Steve rolled his eyes before he went back to the ladder they'd dragged in and climbed up, pulling up his section of tarp to pin it to the wall with the stapler. Rowan glowered at him before she ripped a section of duct tape off and slapped it across the tarp corner telekinetically. Beside her, Nancy ripped more tape off before she stopped and looked at Steve. Rowan, catching the look, teleported to another corner of the shed, working on yanking up another tarp sheet up and giving them the illusion of privacy.

"Hey," Rowan heard. Risking a look back, she saw Steve had stopped putting the tarp up in place, looking at Nancy as she continued, "What you did, helping the kids, along with Rowan... that was really cool."

"Yeah, well, those little shits are real trouble, you know?" Steve grumbled, but Rowan thought she could detect some fondness in his tone.

"Yeah, and one of them happens to be my brother," she called over her shoulder. "I know very well, Harrington."

Nancy chuckled, hiding a smile as Steve glared at Rowan, the dark-haired girl turning to hide her own smirk. 

"Yeah, I know," Nancy murmured, before she turned to unrolling duct tape. Taking it as a sign, Rowan refocused on getting the tarp up, stretching up on her toes and stretching her arm as far as it possibly could, the rustle of the tarp filling her ears. Behind her, she could feel Nancy and Steve watching her, but Rowan wasn't going to ask for help—she could do this by her damned self. She could do this, at least.

As she pressed the corner of the tarp to the spot between wall and ceiling, Rowan glared at it as she kept reaching for that seemingly unreachable spot, taunting her.

"Come on, you fucking son of a bitch..." she muttered, grunting with exertion as she tried to reach farther than what her height gave her.

The ladder creaked and Rowan turned to see Steve behind her and grabbing the tarp as he said, "Okay, you need some help."

"I don't need help, fuck off."

"You sure? Because it looks like you're too short for this."

"I'm only a few inches shorter than you!" Rowan spat back. "Now get out of my way, Harrington! I'd almost got it!"

"God, will you stop being stubborn, Graveswood?"

"No way in fucking hell."

Steve glared at her. Rowan glared back, but he still kept a grip on the tarp and lifted it, saying, "Were you even lifting this, Graveswood?"

"I was, you asshole!"

"Doesn't look like it."

"I totally was! Are you lifting it?"

"Am I—I am lifting it! What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I think you're just holding it."

"Yeah, well, let me show you. It's all in the arm strength."

"Wha—arm strength?"

"Yeah! Arm strength!"

"What do you think I was doing earlier?!"

"I don't know, just stretching?"

Rowan scowled at him, but Steve glared right back at her. They were locked in a glaring contest until, finally, Rowan muttered sourly, "Fine. You can help."

Taking the win, Steve lifted the tarp to the spot Rowan had been aiming at, while Rowan plastered a new piece of duct tape on with her telekinesis. They worked together to do the same for the other tarp corner, before they stapled the bottom corners to the floor and sealed the sides up with duct tape—nothing, no gaps, no chinks of light, should get through.

When done, Rowan said, "Thanks. But for the record, I almost had that corner."

"Yeah, yeah, I believe you, Graveswood," Steve said flatly. Rowan glared at him.

"But seriously, would asking for help kill you?" Steve questioned, leaning against the newly-tarped wall.

"Yes. Yes it would," Rowan deadpanned. They looked at each other before Rowan sighed and said, "Sorry, Steve. I appreciate the help—even if I did almost have that. Guess I'm just tense with everything and the lab..."

"I know," Steve replied, looking at her as he bumped her shoulder, before he smirked. "Not gonna lie, it was pretty funny to see you try to pin it, Graveswood. And you look pretty cute when you're being stubborn."

"Oh fuck off, you tall asshole," Rowan retorted, but she was smiling. "And I'm not cute. I'm intimidating."

"Never said you weren't."

"Good. You should be terrified of me."

"That's not hard to achieve. I live in fear every time I'm around you, Graveswood," Steve snarked, grinning.

"As you should be, Harrington," Rowan returned, also grinning.

Rowan and Steve shared another grin before Steve pointed with his stapler to the tarp and said, "I'll work on this."

"Okay. I'll go over there and help Nancy," Rowan replied as she walked over to Nancy, who'd watched the interaction with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought you guys stopped bickering like that a year ago?" the brunette questioned.

"We didn't," Rowan said, grabbing a piece of duct tape and slamming it against a section of tarp. "Just because we're friends doesn't mean we've stopped bickering. There's just less hate now when we do."

"Oh," Nancy murmured. "Sorry. I just thought you did."

"Yeah, no, we didn't—I don't think we could stop bickering even if we tried," Rowan admitted as Steve joined them, holding the stapler and motioning to the tarp wordlessly with it. Nothing else was said as together, the three worked together in sealing up the sides of the tarp sheet, and then repeating the process with the other tarps—taping or stapling in the corners, then sealing it all up with thick strips of tape. Rowan made use of her telekinesis, and while she mock-glared at Steve whenever he grabbed a corner of the tarp and put it in the place she couldn't reach and pretended she hated it, she couldn't help but feel grateful, as they kept working together, standing nearly shoulder to shoulder and working just like they had with the barricades for the bus, a partnership that, despite them bickering, she was silently grateful for it.

When the tarps were put up, the trio admired their handiwork—even though at some point, they'd run out of duct tape and relied entirely on the stapler.

"Hey, I'm gonna get some more duct tape. I'll be back in a minute," Steve said as he left.

"Yeah, sure. It's not like we're going anywhere," Rowan shouted after Steve with an eye roll. Behind her, she heard Nancy stifle a giggle.

"What?" Rowan questioned, looking at Nancy.

"Nothing. It's just... weird. Seeing you guys be friends, even if it's been a year," Nancy confessed. 

"Well, you were right, I guess. Steve's not an asshole. Not anymore," Rowan said as she leaned against the wall, the tarp rustling under her. "And what he did, protecting the kids and Al... I guess it showed me he really has changed."

"Yeah, he has," Nancy murmured quietly, fiddling with the empty duct tape roll in her hands.

Rowan looked at the brunette, brows creased together. "Hey, you okay? I know Steve was on the harsher end of the breakup, but are you okay?"

Nancy looked at her, shock on her face before it fell and she sighed. "I don't know. I thought I loved Steve, and maybe I did, but... I don't think I do. Not anymore. I don't think we work anymore, and I... I don't know if we really did in the first place."

Rowan looked at Nancy, mouth twisted before she sighed and said, "If you want my honest opinion... I think it was a good thing you guys broke up. I mean, you hurt Steve, but he also hurt you, too. And if you guys didn't even fit in the first place, it was a good thing you guys broke up instead of continuing to fix something that couldn't be fixed."

Nancy was quiet, looking down. 

Rowan bumped Nancy's shoulder and added, "But hey, just because you and Steve weren't meant to be doesn't mean you still can't be friends. And that there is someone who's the one, like there's someone who's the one for Steve."

That had Nancy look up, a smile on her face. "Thanks, Rowan."

"Any time, Nance," Rowan replied with a grin. "And hey, when this is all over, you wanna hang out sometime with me, Robs and Chrissy and possibly Val? I don't think we've hung out for a little bit, and I kinda want to have a stupid hang out together when all this Upside Down shit is done with."

Nancy stared at Rowan, before she nodded and said, "Yeah, I would love to! Thanks."

Rowan smiled, and Nancy returned it. The two girls were quiet before Nancy said, "We did it."

"Did what?" Rowan questioned, a frown creasing her brows.

"We took down those assholes at Hawkins Lab. We finally got justice for Barb. Me and Jonathan. Your aunt and this private investigator Murray Bauman helped, but we did it," Nancy revealed, a grin on her face, one of the satisfied triumph that the lies and secrets would be revealed and Barb would finally get her justice, that her parents would finally get closure.

Rowan gaped, surprise coursing through her, before she grinned her own satisfied grin.

"About fucking time," Rowan said, still grinning. "About fucking time those assholes got exposed and her parents got closure and she can rest in fucking peace. About fucking time."

The two girls shared a grin, feeling the justice settle in, after a year of pain, lies and cover-ups, of grieving a girl who couldn't get the rest and peace she deserved until now.

About fucking time indeed.

***

Alistair fished out a roll of duct tape—Steve Harrington had come in demanding more earlier—and handed it to Cami, who put it among the others they found on the table. At the cabinet, Mike and Max were getting some bleach to wake Will up when they began Mike's plan. Alistair tried not to look at Will in the living room, his stomach still twisted up with guilt and anger. Hugin, feeling it, cawed comfortingly and rubbed his face against Alistair's cheek.

Down at the cabinet, Max said, "I get why El was your mage now."

Alistair watched as Mike turned, shock and suspicion on his face. "What? How do you know?"

"Lucas and Al," Max revealed, Cami nodding as the curly-haired girl added in, "They told us all about her."

"Well, they shouldn't have," Mike muttered darkly, shooting Alistair a glare as he turned back. Cami frowned, but Alistair shook his head, as the surly boy continued, "And just because you and Cami know the truth, it doesn't mean you're in our Party. You do know that, right?"

Max looked taken aback and Cami glared at Mike even as tears glinted in her eyes. Alistair frowned, placing a hand on Cami's shoulder as he glared at Mike.

"Dude, lay off," he hissed, as Max found her voice again, saying, "Yeah, I know. I mean, why would you want a stupid Zoomer in your party, anyway?"

As Mike looked back, Alistair thought he saw something like regret—good, he should feel regret—in his eyes as Max continued, "I'm just saying, El? She sounds like she was really awesome."

Cami nodded. "Yeah, she really did. Al... I know he was angry about what her life was like, but he made it sound like she was a real-life superhero or something."

Cami squeezed his hand and Alistair nodded, as Mike said gruffly, "Yeah, she was. Until that thing took her. Just like it took Bob."

Alistair frowned as his friend stood up and rushed out of the kitchen, bleach sloshing inside the bottle. Before he realised it, he was moving and grabbing Mike's shoulder, making the other boy whirl around to face him.

"Hey," Alistair said, frowning, "That's not cool, Mike. When are you going to stop being such an asshole to Max and Cami? They know the truth now and they are part of the Party, whether you like it or not, and I know El—"

"Will you stop, Al?" Mike interrupted, glaring at Alistair. "We don't have time for this."

"Yeah, I know, but it's still happening and should have happened a while ago," Alistair snapped. He paused to breathe in  and out before saying in a slightly calmer voice, "Mike, I'm sorry. I know things have been hard, and that I... I hurt you, when I said I couldn't see El. It's been hard for me, too, and we've both been bottling it up and avoiding each other when we should just talk. So, can we do that?"

Mike gave Alistair a hard glare before he replied hotly, "Yeah, you did, and you just... accepted she was gone, that she couldn't have survived! Everyone thinks she's gone, that she couldn't be here, but I know she's still here, and I feel like I'm going crazy still thinking she is when you're probably right and she's gone but I still want to believe she's out there, I want to believe I could feel El watching on Halloween when I tried to call her and it's insane, but I still want to believe even though she's dead, and I'm going crazy thinking otherwise!"

Alistair stared at Mike as his friend finished speaking, breathing in and out harsh breaths. His eyes glinted and Mike angrily rubbed at them, turning away from Alistair.

"I... I'm sorry, Mike," Alistair whispered. "I didn't know... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

Mike's shoulders relaxed a fraction and he turned back, mumbling, "I'm sorry, too. I was a jerk."

"You kinda were," Alistair said pointedly, but he couldn't stay angry at Mike, especially when he knew why Mike had been such a jerk. 

Mike stuck out his hand out, and asked in a hopeful voice, "Are we good?"

"Maybe apologise to Max and Cami, after this is all over. But yeah, we're good," Alistair replied, grabbing Mike's hand. They shook, and Alistair felt like the tension and uneasiness of last year finally ease.

When they let go, Alistair looked over to Will, his heart squeezing at the sight of his best friend.

"Do you think it would work?" he whispered, resisting the urge to go over and hold Will's hand, to let his best friend know he was here—if Will was still in there and the Mind Flayer hadn't choked out Will like weeds choked out flowers.

"It will," Mike said, voice full of determination, like his plan could work. "Will has to be in there. I know he is."

Alistair didn't say anything. He agreed, because Will still had to be in there. He had to be.

Alistair wasn't accepting anything else.

A chill scraped past Alistair and he glanced over his shoulder to see the drowned ghost hovering in the corner, the edges of her body distorted, looking at him with empty, hollow eyes.

Bad, he heard whispered in his head. Don't trust. Little left. Bad.

Alistair glared at the ghost and looked the other way. He knew she was trying to help, but what she said only furthered his conviction. Even a little left of Will was enough for Alistair to save his friend.

It would have to be enough.

***

Rowan swung a fist at empty air, sparks crackling over her knuckles. She ducked, then jumped, blinking out of one corner of the room to the other, then back in a split-second, cells whirring and body singing with the use of her powers that were slowly but steadily recovering, even as a trickle of blood leaked down from her nose.

Earlier, the kids had joined her, Steve and Nancy in covering up the shed with more tarp, cardboard, newspaper and duct tape, proofing it further against light and familiarity, and covering the pole they would tie Will against and setting up some lamplights to shine in Will's face, Hugin helping by carrying a roll of duct tape to whoever needed it, working together like they'd always done this—Cami and Max had especially slotted in well, like they weren't new to all of this and had been doing this as long as they had.

But now, they except for Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, Mike and Alistair had been relegated to the Byers house to wait whatever would happen in that shed. Steve chose to practice swinging his bat in the living room while they waited, and Rowan decided to do the same, practicing her punches and teleportation. Just in case.

Wiping the blood from her nose, Rowan teleported out of the room she'd been practicing in and out into the hallway, where she saw Max and Lucas sitting opposite each other.

Something like fear twisted Max's face as she said, "If he finds out where we are... will he send those dogs after us?"

"He won't find out," Lucas insisted firmly.

"Yeah, but if he does..."

A heavy silence came before Lucas muttered, "Judgement Day."

Rowan's lips twisted but she cleared her throat, alerting the two kids to her presence as she crouched down and said, "Hey, whether he does or doesn't, those things aren't getting any of you, okay? I'm not gonna let that happen, and neither are Steve, Nancy, Hopper, Mrs. Byers or my aunt."

Lucas and Max looked at Rowan, and while that unfamiliar fear and worry didn't leave Max's face, her shoulders did ease a bit, and so did Lucas'.

Glad to see they were somewhat calmed, Rowan stood up and headed into the kitchen to wait with Nancy, seeing Dustin and Cami at the kitchen table, Hugin standing on it and looking as worried as an undead bird could. It was too much of a risk for Alistair to bring Hugin in, so he had to stay behind. And at the back door, Rowan saw her aunt looking out the window, face twisted in concern. Her crossbow was in her arms, still loaded.

Rowan leaned against the door frame, sighing heavily. Footsteps came and she looked to see Steve there, nail bat resting on his shoulder.

"He's fine," Steve murmured, as if he could sense her worry, could see Rowan's fear for Alistair, as tangible as it felt. "He's got his spooky zombie powers, and the Chief's there. He'll be okay."

"I know. I just..." Rowan sighed and whispered, "I hope he doesn't find out where we are."

Steve didn't reply. Instead, he lifted his free arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. Rowan accepted it, feeling the knot of worry and fear wound tight in her chest that Will would somehow figure out where he was and the Mind Flayer would know and send those Demodogs, that Alistair and her aunt and Steve and the kids and Nancy and Jonathan and Hopper and Mrs. Byers would end up torn apart like Bob had been, that Mike's plan wouldn't work and Will was lost forever and they couldn't figure out how to defeat the Mind Flayer, loosen almost.

Almost.

God, I hope this works. 

***

Alistair looked at his possessed friend, as he blinked in the harsh light, the grogginess of the sleeping drug lifting slowly. His eyes were so dark, they were almost black, and Alistair hated it, hated seeing Will's warm, hazel-brown eyes be swallowed by darkness, his personality and warmth and everything that was Will smothered until nothing was left but empty, cold voids. Guilt and anger churned within Alistair, twisting through him. He bit back the urge to pick at the skin around his nails as he stood beside Mike, trying to find the strength he needed to do what he had to do, the words he needed to say.

But as he stared at Will, at the face that was so familiar that had become so foreign, the words seemed to slip away, fading from his brain as all he could think about was how he failed Will again, and that he wanted to destroy the Mind Flayer for what it had done to Will.

A hand grazed his and Alistair looked to see Mike looking at him, empathy radiating from him as he offered silent support, steadying Alistair. The brunette gulped shakily before he turned back to Will, who was now fully awake.

"What? What is this?" he questioned and Alistair found himself nearly collapsing because it sounded so much like Will when he knew it wasn't and it was tearing at his heart and it made him want to scream in anger, in pain. "What is this? Why am I tied up?"

Joyce crouched down in front of Will and murmured, "Will, we just wanna talk to you. We're not gonna hurt you."

"Where am I?" Will demanded, his voice firmer, angrier, angrier than it ever had been.

A rustle of paper and Alistair saw Hopper showing the drawing of the Mind Flayer to Will. "You recognise this?"

When Will shook his head, Hopper rustled the sheet of paper aggressively and demanded, "Do you recognise this?"

"Hey," Joyce said and Will whirled to her, so fast it didn't seem human. Cold curled in Alistair's veins and a wind whistled outside before Alistair shoved it away, as Joyce kept speaking in a soft voice that sounded almost on the verge of breaking—whether out of despair or anger, Alistair didn't know.

"We wanna help you. But to do that, we have to understand how to kill it," she murmured, staring at Will, as if begging for some sort of sign that her son had heard her from deep within the Mind Flayer's iron control.

"Why am I tied up?" Will demanded, his voice loud and angry and nothing like Will's and something in Alistair shattered at that. "Why am I tied up!?"

He began struggling, cords straining, and the light flickered harshly as Will thrashed in the restraints, screaming, "Why am I tied up!? Why am I tied up!?"

"Hey!" Hopper yelled as he grabbed Will, restraining him as he kept writhing and struggling in both the restraints and Hopper's firm hold and screaming in that loud, awful voice, that had Alistair's heart shatter even more and had the boy turn away, biting his lip to keep back the sobs, the crackling noise of lights flickering not helping Alistair forget the screams—in fact, it made him even more aware of how his friend wasn't in there anymore.

"Why am I tied up?! WHY AM I TIED UP!? Let me go! Let me go! Let me GO!"

Alistair choked back tears as the screaming continued and he held onto Mike who gripped Alistair's shoulders in comfort, everything in him breaking at hearing Will scream, at how his voice had become distorted and gravelly, more growl than voice, so non-human Alistair believed Will's vocal chords were shredding apart to speak those words in that horrible, monstrous voice of the Mind Flayer.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO! Let me go..."

The words petered out of Will now as his body lost the fight, voice fading as he breathed heavily, until the fight was out of him and all that is left is exhaustion, the lights steadying. Alistair turned back, leaning against Mike; subconsciously, he felt his powers back down, the cold in his veins draining away, the need to use his powers against Will if he escaped and attacked them—as much as it broke Alistair to have to do so—not required anymore.

When Will, or the thing controlling Will, had calmed down, Joyce seemed to recover new strength as she looked back at Will, steadily meeting his eyes as she said, "Do you know what March 22nd is?"

Will doesn't give a response, but Joyce continued on, saying, "It's your birthday. Your birthday. When you turned eight, I gave you that huge box of crayons. Do you remember that?"

Will didn't give any hint he did, but Alistair did. He remembered that birthday, the crayons, how excited his best friend had been. Even when they were younger than they are now, Will had always been an artist, and Alistair had always been eager to see the things his best friend could create out of paper and crayons.

"It was one hundred and twenty colours," Joyce went on, a fond smile on her face. "And all your friends, they got you Star Wars toys, but all you wanted to do was draw with all your new colours. 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 have used every colour in the box."

Joyce's smile widened a fraction as she finished, "I took that with me to Melvald's, and I put it up and I told everyone who came in, 'My son drew this.' And you were so embarrassed. But I was so proud. I was so, so proud."

Joyce chuckled even as tears glinted in her eyes, the memory bringing both joy and pain. Will stared at Joyce, and Alistair thought he saw something in Will's eyes, something that could be an emotion the unfeeling Mind Flayer refused to let Will feel except anger, something that could be Will, still fighting inside.

"Do you remember the day Dad left?" Jonathan questioned and Will turned to his brother as he leaned down, a smile on his face as he went on, "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."

Jonathan and Joyce chuckled as Jonathan continued, "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."

Will didn't say anything, but something flickered in those void-dark eyes, something like Will, and Alistair could only think, It's working.

"Do you remember the day we first met?"

Will whirled to Mike, who swallowed as he went on, "It was... it was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends and..."

Mike sniffled, face contorted with pain, the broken kind that Alistair only saw when El sacrificed herself, that he could lose Will as well, and Alistair leaned against his friend, offering silent comfort as Mike found the strength to keep going, pushing on with recounting the memory. "I just felt so alone and so scared, but... I saw you on the swings and you were alone, too. You were just swinging by yourself, and I just walked up to you and... I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done."

Will's face twisted, showing more emotion than Alistair knew the Mind Flayer would ever dare let him show, at the memory. It gave Alistair strength as he inhaled shakily and he whispered, "Do you remember when I stole your crayons?"

Will whipped around to Alistair, eyes locked on him, as Alistair breathed in shakily and continued, "I... It was in the first week of kindergarten for me, and it... it was a year after my parents sacrificed themselves to keep me and Rowan safe, when Aunt Aco thought it was safe for us to go to school. I was so scared, because I knew no one and I had to keep my powers secret and I was terrified Brenner—the Man—would show up and take me away. I didn't have any friends outside of Rowan, and I was so scared to talk to anyone, because I was scared they would not like me or find me crazy if I screamed at the air, and I... I never felt so alone and wanting my parents more. I saw your crayons, and I... I-I thought I could use them for my drawing until I realised they were yours... and I never felt so bad, for accidentally stealing them. Even though my aunt would probably be proud."

Alistair chuckled and Will did the same. Alistair rubbed at his eyes as tears burned his vision before he inhaled shakily and continued, "And then you let me borrow them still and... and you asked me to play with you after. I'd never felt so happy, and I said yes. Then we became friends with Mike, then Lucas and Dustin, but you've always been my first friend, Will. Always. My best friend. You never found me weird, or treated me differently because of my aunt, or because I live in a trailer park, or even with my powers. You always saw me, and you were never scared of me, even when I was scared of myself, of my powers, of what I can do. And when you got lost in the Upside Down, I never felt so scared, not even in that first week or of Brenner or even of the ghosts or what I can do, because I thought I would lose you or if I saw you again, it would be your ghost, and I couldn't lose you. I couldn't lose my best friend because I... I think I would lose a part of me, too. Because whenever I feel alone, or lost, or scared, or just in the dark... you're there, bringing me back and making me feel less alone and not scared. You're always there."

This time, Alistair couldn't keep the tears from falling as he whispered hoarsely, "So Will, if you're in there, I'm not leaving you in the dark, not again. I'm gonna bring you back out of it, because I'm here. I'm right here. I'm always here. Zombie Boy and Ghost Boy. Remember?"

Something wet shone in Will's eyes, making them glimmer darkly in the bright light as Alistair looked at Will, hoping it was enough, that the shine in Will's eyes and the way his eyebrows were drawn together, the way he was looking back at Alistair, was that he was still in there, fighting against the dark, because Alistair wasn't lying.

Will always brought him out of the dark, and Alistair would fight and claw against the dark ensnaring Will, reach a hand out for Will if he was drowning in it, and bring him back into the light.

"Will, baby," Joyce murmured and Will turned to look at her, Joyce's voice cracking slightly as she begged, "If you're in there, just please... please talk to us. Please, honey, please, can you do that for me? Please. I love you so much."

Will breathed in and out shakily, face twisted in that expression, before his face smoothed out of any emotion and he said flatly, "Let me go."

Something cracked in Alistair as Joyce crumpled and Jonathan gave a broken, defeated sigh and Mike's face crumbled and he turned, sniffling as he fought back tears. It hadn't worked. Even when they gave the memories they remembered, the memories that meant the most—even when it felt like Alistair had poured out what felt like his heart, what felt like all of the emotions he felt about Will and their friendship—it hadn't worked. The Mind Flayer had complete control over Will.

He was gone. Will was gone.

Alistair couldn't save him from the darkness.

However, Hopper seemed to be focused on something, eyes drawn to the chair leg and Alistair found himself drawn to it, too. The brunette's eyes widened at seeing Will's fingers tap frantically against the chair leg, in some sort of pattern he couldn't exactly read.

But Hopper could, and in a minute he was bringing them all back into the house and right into the kitchen, where the others are waiting in anxious energy and immediately turned to them for news. Hugin flew toward Alistair, cawing in concern and Alistair absentmindedly stroked Hugin's head as his aunt and Rowan sidled up to him, faces creased in worry, but Alistair only focused on Hopper.

"What happened?" Dustin demanded as the police chief grabbed an opened envelope and a pen and sat down and began scribbling onto it, saying, "I think he's talking, just not with words."

Alistair peered over Hopper's shoulder, squinting at the lines and dots the police chief was writing—until he remembered the time he and Lucas talked about his dad's service in Vietnam, and how he used something called morse code.

Something that looked very similar to what Hopper was scribbling down.

"What is that?" Steve questioned, confused over what Hopper was doing, Rowan nodding in agreement from where she still stood by Alistair's side.

"Morse code," Alistair, Mike, Lucas and Dustin said in unison. 

At hearing that, Rowan's eyes widened. "Holy shit."

"Smart kid," Aunt Aco muttered, impressed.

Alistair agreed. He knew Will was smart and resourceful, and wondered if the morse code was a way for him to communicate. In case he got lost in the Upside Down again.

When Hopper was done, all that was left was a bunch of dots and lines on the page. And underneath were four letters, spelling out one single word.

"'H-E-R-E'," Hopper read out. 

"Here," Alistair's friends read out a second later, and Alistair felt like his bones had turned to water from relief, from hope. Here. Will was in there, still fighting against the Mind Flayer, not completely lost to its cold and darkness. There was still a chance.

"Will's still in there," Hopper revealed, saying exactly what Alistair was thinking. "He's talking to us."

That meant Mike's plan was working. That meant Will was fighting back, telling them he was still there, what they needed to do to stop the Mind Flayer. That they could save Will.

That Alistair could still save his best friend from the darkness, pull him up before he could be drowned in it.

And he wasn't going to lose him again to it.

***

Rowan turned the walkie on with a spark from her fingers as everyone crowded around it, a sheet of notepad paper, and a morse code guideline. From the shed Rowan could hear the faint strains of Should I Stay Or Should I Go as the new plan was put into motion.

It came true a moment later as a series of beeps came—carried over by the walkie Hopper had, hidden from the Mind Flayer as Will communicated with them, telling them what to do to stop the bastard controlling his body like a puppet. 

"Dash, dot, dash dot," Dustin mumbled as he and Lucas craned their heads over the morse code guideline. "Yeah, got it!"

He pointed at the letter as Lucas said, "C."

Nancy scratched it down on the notepad before another series of beeps came. The boys studied the letters before Lucas said, "L." 

More beeps gave them their third letter. "O."

Another chorus of beeps. "S."

The final letter of "E" gave them their first word—CLOSE. Rowan frowned at it, not understanding, until the next beeps come and Lucas translated it as, "G."

It didn't take long to write out their second word, and the minute it was done, Rowan stared at it, at what Will had given them from beyond the Mind Flayer's control, the key to stopping it and the rest of the Upside Down and monsters infecting Hawkins.

"'Close gate'," they all read out. Only Cami and Max looked confused, but no one else was. And honestly, Rowan had been suspecting that this must be the real measure to stopping the Upside Down—close the gate that El had unwittingly opened, and the tunnels would stop growing, the Demodogs would be dead, Will would be free...

And the Mind Flayer would not take over the world.

Rowan let out a shaky laugh, a smile daring to come over her lips. Holy shit. This could work, they could put an end to this once and for all. There was hope.

The shrill ring of a telephone shattered it.

Rowan's eyes widened as they all whirled to it, all of them thinking one thing:

Shit!

***

AHHH THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT!!!

I loved writing Stowan's bickering! It's their love language, and I loved it so, so much (even though Rowan did apologise for being snappish against Steve helping due to her also being still slightly tense from the lab). I also loved Rowan finding out what Nancy and Jonathan did and feeling satisfaction that Barb's gotten justice (and maybe that she, Alistair, Aunt Aco, their parents, their whole entire family, have gotten justice too with the fall of the lab) And yes, Aco's friend was Murray! 

I enjoyed writing the talk between Mike and Alistair! It was a long time coming, especially when Mike's been bottling up all those feelings. But, they're friends again—with the exception that Alistair won't quit until Mike properly apologises to Cami and Max.

The memory scene. GAH, I love this scene so much!!! I hope I did it justice as much as I enjoyed writing it, especially Alistair's part! It made my heart go 🥺 even as it was basically Alistair giving Will a love confession while he's possessed and doesn't yet know he's crushing on Will (I love my bisexual disaster of a son)

And yes, the morse code! I truly think Will learned that for the sole reason that if he ever got stuck in the Upside Down again, he could use it to communicate with the real world

And now, we're getting to the end of the episode... brace yourselves 😈

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!