28| IT'S A MAP?

[ Chapter Twenty-Eight ]

❝How are the kids getting literally worse with age?❞

[S2:E5: Dig Dug]

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"Mom. Why didn't you tell me what was really going on?" Beth asks as she sits up in the living room with her mom the next day.

She hadn't gotten much sleep that night as her mom had finally explained the situation with Will.

"I didn't want to worry you honey." Joyce answered, "You have so much going on already. Jonathan told me about the Halloween Party."

"Of course he did." Beth groaned, picking at her nail polish nervously.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Joyce asked.

"I mean there's nothing we could have done and I didn't want to worry you." Beth answered.

Joyce pulled her daughter in and gave her a hug as they sat in the middle of the living room on the floor. Beth wiped back a few tears that stained her cheeks.

A hand shaking their shoulders brought the mother and daughter back to reality and they looked up to see Will and Mike looking down at them.

"Mom? Beth?" Will asked.

"What?" Joyce asked.

"I saw him." Will answered.

"Saw who, baby?" Joyce asked.

"Hopper. I think he's in trouble. I think he's going to die." Will answered.

Joyce and Beth looked at each other in confusion.

"What do you mean you saw him?" Beth asked, standing up, "Where is he?"

Will went into his room to grab paper and crayons, Mike, Joyce and Beth following behind him. He sat down at his desk and drew something on a paper before handing it to Joyce.

"Hey, is this where you saw him? Is this where you saw Hopper?" Joyce asked.

"I think so, yeah." Will answered.

Joyce, Mike and Beth looked around the house trying to find out where the picture that he had drawn fit onto the map of drawings that already scattered the walls of the Byers' house.

Beth wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to be looking for but she wanted to help and had felt too out of it with what was going on with her own family lately and that didn't sit well with her.

"Found it!" Mike's voice sounded from the kitchen and Joyce and Beth walked over to him.

"Okay, so Hopper is here?" Joyce asked.

"Yeah. Now we just need to find out where here is, right?" Mike asked.

"Right." Beth said.

"Did he say anything? I mean, before he left?" Mike asked.

"Uh, something about vines?" Joyce asked.

The three of them suddenly hear a car approaching.

"Is that Hopper? Is he back?" Beth asks as the three of them rush over to the window.

However, it's not Hopper's police car that is approaching and is instead Bob's car.

"Did you tell him what's going on?" Beth asked her mom.

"No." Joyce shook her head.

"Okay, so are you?" Beth asked.

"I don't-" Joyce shook her head, "Okay I'll be back."

Joyce disappeared outside while Mike and Beth stayed in the kitchen.

Beth leaned against the counter, "Um Mike. Have you seen your sister in the last day?"

"Nancy?" Mike asked.

Beth nodded at him.

"No. Why?" Mike asked.

"Just wondering. She didn't show up to school yesterday." Beth said, "It's fine it doesn't matter."

Joyce came back in with Bob in tow and he looked confused as he walked in, looking at the walls.

"You drew all these yourself?" Bob asked, staring at Will.

"Yeah." Will nodded.

"Why exactly?" Bob asked.

"I told you the rules. No questions, okay? We just need you to help us figure out-" Joyce led Bob over to the kitchen where the most recent drawing was located and she marked it with a red 'X' in crayon, "Where this is."

"That's the objective. Find the X." Mike stated.

"Yeah? What's at the X? Pirate treasure?" Bob joked.

"Bob. No questions." Joyce repeated.

Beth stood there tapping her foot nervously looking around the apartment as Bob pulled Joyce aside again.

"To be fair to Bob, I also would be very confused if I walked in and saw this." Beth murmured to Mike and Will.

Bob and Joyce came out a second later with Bob naming various water sources by pointing at the pictures on the wall.

"Don't you get it? It's not a puzzle. It's a map. It's a map of Hawkins." Bob stated.

Joyce, Beth, Will and Mike stared in awe, as they noticed what he was saying.

"Right Will?" Bob asked.

Bob went over and grabbed a map as Joyce ran to get the tape measure and handed one end to Mike and Beth.

"Okay I'm at 3.5 inches. What do you got?" Bob called.

Mike and Beth who were holding the tape measure at lover's lake looked at each other.

"I'm not sure. Mom?" Beth called.

"Hold on. Twenty-one feet, four inches." Joyce answered.

"Okay and what about Tippecanoe to Danford Creek?" Bob asked.

"Where's Danford Creek?" Joyce asked.

"Dining room." Will called.

"Sixteen feet, ten inches." Joyce answered.

"What about Danford to Jordan?" Bob asked.

"Oh, come on. This has gotta be enough." Joyce sounded exasperated.

"It's really not." Bob answered.

"Okay. Can't you figure it out?" Joyce asked, going over to him at the kitchen table.

"Come on." Beth motioned to Will and Mike and they followed.

"Well, it's hard. The ratio isn't exactly one-to-one." Bob answered, "I mean if you are twisting my arm and you are twisting my arm then I would say that the X is maybe a half mile southeast of Danford."

"Thank you. Thank you." Joyce thanked him.

The phone suddenly rang.

"Beth darling can you get that? We have to go." Joyce asked.

"Fine. Be careful, please." Beth said as she picked up the phone, "Byers residence."

"Beth?" Dustin's voice sounded from the other end.

"Dustin?" Beth asked, twisting around right as the door shut behind her family.

"Can you put Will on the phone?" Dustin asked.

"Um sorry my brother just left. I can take a message?" Beth asked, leaning against the wall.

"Shit." Dustin cursed, "Where did he go?"

"Um he's with my mom and Mike and Bob right now. They had to go do something." Beth answered, "Dustin what is going on?"

"Sorry it's for Will's ears only." Dustin answered.

"Are you serious?" Beth asked, "Fine. But I don't know when they'll be home."

"Fine. Just tell him I need to talk to him, okay?" Dustin said and hung up the phone.

"Wow. How are the kids getting literally worse with age?" Beth asked into the air as she put the phone back on the wall.

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Word Count: 1124

Hey everyone! We are finally at the good stuff. I am so excited for the next chapter!

(The gif at the top was made by me. Please do not steal it.)

What did you think? I missed writing Byers' family scenes (and Mike is an honorary Byers okay?)

I love you all and will see you soon for chapter 29!

POSTED ON:

6. 29. 22