WILL POV-

---- Wednesday 9:32 PM ----

After a successful mission on Sunday, the group felt cocky, feeling as though they could conquer anything in the world.

They were happier than ever, hoping that today's target would be just as easy as it was on Sunday. Although sadly, today's plan wouldn't consist of any murder... Unless absolutely called for.

Today, they would simply teach someone a lesson that is less lethal... Hopefully. They didn't always kill, and they weren't barbarians. They were normal everyday people who just contribute to the betterment of society.

Today's target was a special case; it was something they never had to deal with before. There was a homeless person who lurks the town hall and surrounding areas: a young man; possibly in his twenties. He waits patiently on the floor begging, but oddly only in the warmer months; at first it had people wondering what is going on with the man, but after a few suspicious inconsistencies and some eyewitness testimonies, they learnt the truth.

The man was pretending to be poor to take advantage of people's sympathy. They couldn't let this continue any longer, he couldn't deceive people and get away with it. Determined to expose his lies, they decided to confront him.

They gathered in the drive of a fairly expensive looking house; a short drive away from Hawkins. The younger pair wanted to take on the task. Erica wanted to be the one to go with the brunette as she had a personal vendetta with the man; hearing that he would catcall women as they walked pass, shouting obscenities if they didn't reciprocate his advances.

"Are you sure this is it?" Steve looked sceptical. He wasn't so sure of this whole conspiracy, and neither was Robin.

"We're sure!" The youthful girl replied quickly, clearly very passionate about this scheme; unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Okay! Just make sure it's the same guy and not like his twin or something!" The funky boy continued.

"We're not idiots!" Will chuckled, "We can tell people apart!"

"If you say so..." The blue-eyed girl joked, stretching her words.

Erica, always an outspoken soul answered, "Of course, and if he's guilty, we'll teach him the consequences!" before swinging the car door open and slipping out through the back seat. Robin and Steve exchanged a glance; they weren't sure whether this was the same man as the one from town hall, but they trusted the younger pairs' judgment, watching them from afar encase anything happens.

As Erica and Will approached the grand house, they passed a large yard; their determination grew. The brunette glanced at the youthful girl, reassuring her with a nod. They knew confronting the man wouldn't be an easy task, but they knew it was necessary. Taking a deep breath, they stood ahead of the front door. The brunette raised a hand carefully ringing the doorbell, both of their postures straightened as they adjusted their tone to appear sincere and understanding; their plan to create a façade to allow entry into the house.

After a few short moments the door still remained closed. Erica rolled her eyes reaching over repeatedly pressing the doorbell until incoherent babbling was heard from inside accompanied by grumbles and a loud shout.

Suddenly the door swung open, revealing the same disgruntled man who would litter the town hall; it was clear he wasn't the most inviting, but they need to get in one way or another.

"Umm excuse me Sir... Can we use your bathroom please?" Will asked, placing the sweetest voice he could.

"No!" The man deadpanned, "Now leave!"

Will, not one to give up after a single try attempted again, "Can we pleas-"

"Listen here buddy!" Erica raised a hand to the air cutting off the small boy, "I have a very heavy period flow!" the youthful girl lied, "So I need to use the bathroom, or I will bleed all over your doorstep!"

The man disgusted by the simple notion of a woman having a period, scrunched his face speaking, "Uh, Um, fine!" he sighed moving out the way to allow entry, leading them to the living room. His gaze was sceptical passing suspicious glances at the pair. "The bathroom is down the hall to the left!"

"Okay thank you!" The youthful girl insincerely expressed gratitude proud of her plan for working. Discreetly excusing herself walking around the halls, observing her surroundings and collecting any information about the young man to confirm their suspicion. They needed at least one piece of substantial evidence to back up their claim.

Meanwhile, Will sat in the living room, his arms crossed. His approach to be friendly and causal copying the same polite demeanour he always has during these trips. The brunette decided to start with some small talk. "So... what's your name?"

"My name is Neil Smith, you can call me Neil!" the man grumbled, not even bothering for Will's name.

"Oh cool..." Will mumbled, "So how long have you lived in this neighbourhood? It seems very nice!" Attempting to get on Neil's good side.

The man responded with a smile, "Oh it's been quite a few years now. I've grown quite fond of this community!"

The brunette nodded, maintaining a continuous smile, "That's great to hear, it must be a tight knit community... all taking care of one another and stuff!"

Neil nodded in agreement, but a flicker of unease flashed across his eyes. Perhaps it was the tone Will said it in, or the fact he let two strangers into his house at night, "Yeah, I guess you can say that!" he mumbled.

On the other side of the house however, Erica had found what she was looking for. In the corner of the man's bedroom, she saw cardboard with words written all over, a bowl and some ragged, ripped clothes; it was clear this was the same man. The youthful girl took a picture sending it to Will with a slight smirk on her face, commending herself for her great detective work.

The brunette, feeling the buzz of his phone, saw the picture out the corner of his eye and so with clear evidence, spoke, "You know Mr Smith..." Will began, his tone slightly shifting, "There's something I can't pinpoint. I couldn't help but notice you look strikingly similar to a man I know!" toying with him.

"Really? I've never been told that before!" Neil's eyes widened surprised.

"There's this man I know... In Hawkins. He's homeless and you bear a striking resemblance!" Will asked; to any normal person this would possibly come off as rude, "Yeah... do you have a twin by any chance?" Will continued

All the colour from the man's face drained; his eyes darted around the room nervously, his voice filled with defensiveness. "I can assure you; we are not the same person!"

"Are you sure?" the brunette questioned curious as he put on an act.

"I'm very sure!" Neil grit through his teeth; his face a mix of anger and frustration. His eyes narrowed and his voice became strained as he retorted, "You stupid bitch! You have no right to make baseless accusations. How dare you come into my house and ask me questions like that!"

Tensions grew as the atmosphere became increasingly hostile. Will remained undeterred, continuing his pursuit for justice asking more questions; it wasn't clear what the plan was... he just wanted the man to own up to what he has done, and then they will leave. As a last resort, the brunette showed the photographical proof he had, "What's this then? It was in your bedroom!"

Neil flushed with anger, his voice growing stern and defensive. "How fucking dare you?! Get out of my house!" standing up from his seat ready to physically throw the boy out.

But Will wasn't affected, he wouldn't leave until he got what he wanted; a confession for the wrong he had done. "No!" The brunette sternly crossed his arms, not moving from the couch like a stubborn child; the disrespect carried so far, as to place his feet on the glass coffee table. "Just admit that you pretend to be poor for money!"

"I. Don't!" Neil seethed, clenching his fists.

The brunette mocked, shuffling on the couch, "Well then... I guess I'll just sit here un-"

Suddenly the breath was knocked out of his lungs as Neil lunged at Will, his face twisted with blind fury, consumed by pure rage. The brunette screamed, attempting to push the man off: for being a skinny guy, Neil sure was strong. He pinned Will to the couch sitting atop of him, wrapping his hands around the brunette's throat, tightening it with every second.

Will could feel his heart rate skyrocket; the adrenaline pumping through him clawing at the man's hands, but he was too weak. He choked, "E-Eri-a!"

But Neil continued. His face unchanging, showing no remorse or thought behind his dead eyes as he watched the colour drain from Will's face.

Suddenly, Neil loosened his grip, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he fell, crashing into his coffee table, causing it to shatter everywhere. Will breathed deep, struggling to maintain a constant airflow.

The brunette looked ahead; their standing before him, was Erica: a bloody dumbbell in hand. She ran into the room a few seconds ago whacking the man over the head. Her gaze softened as she saw Will, rushing over with her eyes widened, "Will, are you okay?" she gasped, holding his injured neck, "What did he do... did he hurt you?"

The brunette winced in pain, his hand trembling as he gingerly touched his neck, "I'm fine!" He managed to utter but his voice remained strained, "He just got me by surprise this time..."

The youthful girl, filled with worry examined the injury; it was really bad looking, his neck was discoloured, filled with strangulation marks. She covered her mouth, placing a hand on his back to slowly allow him to get up at his own pace.

Gently, she helped him to his feet offering support the whole way, "We should get you an icepack!" she smiled, running to the freezer to pull out a pack of peas before rushing back to carefully manoeuvre it to Will's neck. At first, he shivered; the change of temperature causing him to flinch.

Erica turned her attention to Neil, lying unconscious in a pool of his own blood; it was unclear if he was still alive or not, "What are we going to do... about him?" she motioned.

The brunette pondered, passing a stone-cold expression, "Let's burn this place to the ground!" 

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1774 Words

DW after this we will have alot of Mike and Will

Stay Safe <3