Break and Mend | "Lost and Found" Sequel

Chapter Eight: Gator Bait

Mike looked into her with gentle eyes. "No, Doc. This is non-negotiable." He softly and carefully spoke to her, afraid any hint of harshness would shatter her in the fragile and vulnerable state she was currently in.

"Come on, Mike." Dustin sighed.

"Non. Negotiable." He repeated to his friend, his tone sharpening. With that, he walked into the school. Dustin and Lucas gave Max their quiet apologies before following him inside. This left just her and Doc, the latter giving her a look of sympathy.

"I'm sorry my brother's an ass," She spoke softly, gently clearing her throat. "He was like this with me, too. I-I know how you feel. I-If it makes you feel any better... I really want you in the room with us."

Max pursed her lips into a thin smile and gave her a short nod. Doc returned the nod before going inside. When she reached the AV meet room, Mike was waiting, holding the door open for her. He waited for her to enter the room before he closed the door and locked it, walking over to the desk and sitting upon it. Dustin and Lucas were already sitting in chairs, so Doc decided to sit beside her brother.

"What's this about?" Lucas asked. Mike took a deep breath and scanned over his friends and sister.

"Will didn't want me to tell anyone, but on Halloween night, he saw a sort of shadow in the sky."

"A shadow? W-What kind of shadow?"

"I don't know, but it scared him," Mike turned to Doc, who was already staring at him. "Doc... do you wanna tell them what you saw?" He tilted his head. "Even if you think it's all in your head?"

Doc nervously looked at the three before rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants. "O-Okay... bear with me here... but I think my power is somehow linked to the Upside Down. It has to be. I felt it the night the gate was opened. I can sense the Demogorgon, I can sense Dart, who I'm sure is from the Upside Down."

"Have you seen it? Like Will has?" Lucas asked.

She nodded. "He had an episode at the arcade. I caught a glimpse of it then, but it was like a flash. I couldn't see it until I had touched his arm. I-I remember... seeing Will in the Upside Down when El and I went into that void-place. It was the exact same feeling. Like home, but darker and colder. Then on Halloween, I found him and I saw what he was seeing once I had touched his hands. It lasted longer this time. A-And I felt this... evil. It was looking for him."

It was Dustin's turn to voice his curiosity. "What about on the field?"

"T-That one's a little harder to explain... When I found him, he was screaming at something. Something that wasn't there. I held his hands a-and I was there with him. It was the exact same place, the exact same feeling. Only this time, the shadow was back. It..." Tears built up in her eyes as she recalled the horrific sight. "It entered him. Like it was possessing him."

Mike frowned. "Possessing?"

"Yeah. Neither of us could do anything. I-I felt so useless..." Doc sniffled and caught her tears before they could fall. "But when it was done, when that... thing was finally in him, it was just Will. But the way he was looking at me... it was like he didn't want me there."

"Why wouldn't he want you there?" Lucas asked.

"Because I was a threat."

The three boys stared at her with wide eyes and slacked jaws. She knew they had many questions, but so did she. The only thing she could provide them was information, if not answers. "He pushed me out. It was like... I had stumbled into the wrong room and saw something I wasn't supposed to. And he was pissed about it."