WILL POV-

Hearing the door gently close behind him, he sighed, the frown returning as he muttered, "What did I do wrong?"

The brunette slumped outside the apartment building making his way to the car park. In an instant he noticed the familiar maroon car approaching it. The warmth of the sunlight provided a small glimmer of hope. Will and Mike fell in love in October; that's why he loves Fall (Okay I'll stop), but right now the leaves that fell from the trees were the only thing from falling apart.

The brunette always found solace in the company of his friends; it was truly the only constant he's ever had since he moved to this estranged town for college. When he was young, he would have never dreamed of leaving for college... but after the things Billy had done, he couldn't bear to be in the same town as his past; passing the same grey uninviting walls, like a harrowing prison for him.

The group greeted the small boy as he slipped into the car. They could sense a heaviness that lingered in his usual upbeat spirit. They all tried to make him feel better; they shared laughter, stories and silly anecdotes about one another, their light-heartedness filling the brunette with courage for his next task... dealing with Billy's Lawyer; Troy Walsh.

In the aftermath of what happened to Richie, Will was given court mandated therapy sessions due to him being a witness to the crime committed, and it was a gruesome one to be sure. The courts never seemed to incarcerate Billy as there was a 'lack of evidence'. The brunette hated the whole policing and judiciary system since then; all his details were revealed to the public... everyone knew the whole details of the crime in their small town.

He was outed to whoever viewed the trial; it was absolutely mortifying. A barely 18-year-old boy in a small town being gay was seen as barbaric to the residents. The worst thing was... That was the first time even his mother was hearing about his coming out. He wanted that to be an intimate and close experience he wanted to share with his mother when he was ready, and it was stripped away from him; he could never get another chance to retell her. But luckily, she was accepting; she never saw him any differently and neither did Johnathan who had known since Will was about 14. And yet neither were aware of his relationship with Billy as the muscular man threatened the brunette to keep it a secret.

Suddenly the car stopped outside a house; had they already reached? Will shook his head, opening the car door as he and Erica slipped out the back, both taking a collective sigh. Quickly Robin spoke, "We will be here, trying to steal any information from him!" The blue-eyed girl smiled, pulling out a laptop from his briefcase. "Remember to stall long enough, but don't raise any suspicion!"

"We know that!" The youthful girl chuckled rolling her eyes, walking away from the car with a prep in her step.

But before the brunette could turn, Robin tugged on his jumper, her eyes filled with concern. "Hey Will, are you doing okay? She asked, her voice gentle.

"Yeah! You seem kinda distant today Byers?" Steve added, his voice matching Robin's concern; at this point they were basically the same person. "You know you could stay in the car and I could go in your place!" the funky boy offered, although detesting murder.

"I bet you can't even shoot a gun!" Will's smile wavered for a moment from the words, "I'm fine guys! I just had a little bit of a rough patch with Mike... that's all!"

The pair nodded satisfied with the answer, "You know we are here for you right? We can give you advice and stuff" Steve offered, understanding washing his face.

"Yeah! And if you want, I could scare him for you!" Robin joked; a silly smiled on her face. "That'll really make him listen!"

"I don't think that will be necessary!" the brunette giggled before he took a step back, "Thanks though! It means a lot!"

"Any time Byers... Any time!" the blue-eyed girl smiled.

"We'll see you back here in a while!" Steve added, waving the small boy to leave before their mission and hiding spot becomes obvious. The brunette jogged to where Erica was stood waiting, tapping her foot to the ground.

"Jeez you're such a slow walker!" The youthful girl mocked.

"Or maybe it's because you left us?" Will joked with the same amount of sass.

"Whatever!" she rolled her eyes.

The brunette sighed, raising his fist to knock on the door; considering this was a lawyer that worked out of his own home, It was lucky he lived so close by; the man was known as one of the best in the business; able to get anyone off with a charge... and it just so happened that Billy was his first major case; the one that got him put on the map. It's honestly disgusting how the man is able to prosper from the pain of others; did he have no shame? No sympathy? Are victims merely a stepping-stone to advance his career?

The door opened revealing a middle-aged man, a supposabley friendly smile on his face. "Hey there Folks!"

"Hello Mr Walsh!" Will spoke; his voice monotone, scanning the features of the man; the exact same as the day of the trial. A grey hair or two settling in but other than that, the misdeeds he committed bear no strain on his physique; It obviously didn't bother him.

"Oh, why so glum, chum?" Troy attempted to lighten the mood, but his joke falling on deaf ears as Erica spat, "Can we just come in?" her eyebrows slightly raising.

"Oh sure!" the lawyer cleared his throat as he let the pair pass, closing the door behind them. As Will and Erica walked through the halls, the mundane rooms and drab colours lacked personality and touch of human life. The living room had generic furniture; the kitchen as though no one had ever cooked within. It seemed unremarkable and uninteresting; overall, just underwhelming and dull.

However, as they approached the door to the lawyer's office, their curiosity piqued. The room a complete contrast to the rest of the house; all the personality was contained to this one room; it was probably lucky it was contained, filled with oddities and eccentricities. Animal totem heads and taxidermy pets littered the office, peering over their shoulders with glassy eyes. Trophies displayed proudly, showcasing accomplishments that seemed out of context.

But somehow that wasn't the worst of it as Erica nudged the brunette's side, pointing to the wall; a pristine collection of knives; creating an eerie yet captivating sight. It was unexpected and somewhat unsettling, adding to the mysteries. The glimmer of lights reflected into the sharp blades, and on the other side mirroring the knives, were guns plastered onto the walls...

Upon sitting down on the couch in the office, the small boy immediately spoke, "Let's not beat around the bush... I came here to talk about something that happened over four years ago!" Will couldn't stop his anger from bubbling to the surface, "Do you remember a client named William Hargrove, or 'Billy-boy' as you used to call him!"

"Oh Billy-Boy! I remember him! He was a good lad!" Troy shuffled in his seat, "And what about him?"

"You helped a lot of boys like him in your career!" The brunette added.

"So what? It's called a job!" the lawyer threw his arms in the air

"Sure... but can you remember his victim? Or shall I say victims considering Billy was being put on for trial for attempted murder and multiple counts of harassment!" The small boy sarcastically questioned, a sharp tone lacing his voice.

"I can't remember everyone..." The man looked the other way

"But you remembered Billy?" Will spotted

"Because he was my client! Of course I'm going to remember him!" Troy defended, feigning his innocence "Oh come on now kids, I always play by the rules, what are you trying to say?"

"Is that so? So that means you certainly don't remember threatening and bullying the victims into dropping their case." Will questioned, his voice firm and steady; recounting his own experiences. Erica merely casted her eyes between the two; she didn't know what to say in this situation; it honestly wasn't her ground to speak.

"Listen here bowlcut!" The raggedy lawyer threateningly spat, his words became venomous filled with obscenities and cursing. His face contorted with rage as his voice boomed through the room. Will and Erica jumped but stood their ground, refusing to move as determination fuelled them.

Troy dug through his desk, jumping from his seat; his movement becoming more aggressive and erratic pulling out a knife. He lunged forward with menacing intent, ready to unleash his anger physically, reaching for Erica first. But before he could reach them Will grabbed one of the guns, holding it to the air...

"STOP!" The small boy shot the gun, the sound echoed through the house. He didn't mean to do that! He thought the barrel was empty! He shot Troy straight in the head... he didn't feel any sympathy and it didn't affect him. In that moment his only mission was to protect Erica; who knows what he could have done with that knife?

He looked down at the body; it was laying on the floor in a puddle of red. No expression casted the brunette's face but concern washed over as he lowered the gun, turning to Erica. "Are you okay?" he questioned watching her shaken arm.

"Yeah!" she nodded, taking a deep breath before standing up, "Let's go before someone finds us!" swiftly jogging out the room with Will by her side. The small boy keeping the gun in his bag just for safekeeping, along with ammo.

As they stepped pass the front door, unease washed over. They scanned their surroundings, searching for Steve and Robin; their car nowhere to be found. Frustration crept in as the pair exchanged concerned glances. The youthful girl huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where could they have gone? You don't just lose two adults like that!"

The brunette, feeling worry and annoyance took out his phone dialling Robin's number, but to his dismay it went straight to voicemail. He tried Steve's next, but the number reached the same results; it seemed as though his friends were unresponsive. "They aren't picking up!" he groaned.

"I'm getting goosebumps!" Erica scratched her arms.

But just as confusion started, Will's phone buzzed. He expected it to be Steve or Robin, but instead it was Dustin... the brunette hesitated, never once had the curly haired boy called him; this was strange, strange indeed. With urgency he gripped the phone bringing it to his ear!

"Hello, Dustin?" The small boy whispered.

"Will! Is Mike with you?" The curly haired boy asked from the other side, his voice laced with concern and panic.

"No... It's just me and Erica!" The brunette answered confused,

"Will! You need to come home now! Something happened! Your apartment is a mess and we can't find Mike anywhere!" Dustin explained as well as he could over the phone.

The small boy's heart raced in his chest as he processed the information. Adrenaline rushed through him, urging him to take Immediate action. "We're on our way!" he replied, his voice steady despite the situation.

Erica looked at Will, her eyes wide with concern, "What's going on?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

The brunette relayed the information, his words rushed, finally ending with, "Mike's missing..." 

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1967 Words

Stay Safe <3