"Oh man, oh man, oh man. Okay, this is so messed up. This is so messed up! This is so messed up!" Argyle paced around in a panicked state, similar to Locke.

"I think i'm dreaming." Locke agreed as he held his head and took deep breaths. "I was thrown into the middle of death just to be burying a body right now!"

"Mike, a little help?" Jonathan gave him an odd look. "This was your idea."

"My idea wasn't to bring them with us. We were suppose to drop them at the airport." he argued with wide eyes. "Locke, can you just-"

"No, I don't trust a word you say." he shook his head quickly with a harsh point. "All you do is lie. You lie about papers, about not knowing Theo, and now you've got me burying a body. A body! I should have trusted Theo when she said you were the next Jim Jones."

"I'm m- she said what about me?" Mikes eyes widened in disbelief. "Since when?"

"Since eighth grade." he hunched over. "Oh my god, i'm gonna puke."

"This was a horrible idea." Will looked over at Mike.

"Dudes probably got, like, a family, kids, you know." Argyle panicked down at Harmons half way covered body. "All that shit. I mean, we gotta go to the cops with this one, man. We gotta lay it all on em. The whole shabang about your superpowered ex-girlfriend, bad government dudes, the Upside Down dimension planet thing-"

"Mike..." Will trialed off, his eyes focused on the van right now.

"But..but listen!" Argyle tossed his body around, grabbing Mike. "The bad government dudes are after the superpower girlfriend, right? Right?"

"Mike?" Will cut in again. "I think you're gonna wanna see this."

"So maybe the cops can help us find out where she is." Argyle continued his panic with his hands clasped over Mikes shoulders. "They're gonna kill her man. If they kill her-"

"Mike, Theos on the roof!" Will grabbed his arm.

"What?" Mike spun to see Theo standing ontop of the van with a radio pushed high in the air. "Oh my god."

"Here it comes!" Locke yelled, gagging loudly.

"Can one of you please do something about this?" Jonathan shouted at the teens as he motioned toward Locke and then to Theo.

Will patted Lockes back. "It'll be okay. Just- just let it out."

"Actually, they might kill us before they kill her." Argyle shook his head.

"Argyle!" Jonathan yelled at him.

"Actually, I don't really wanna know if they are gonna kill us-" Argyle began to pace again, Mike looked to the van again as Theo continued to hoist the radio high into the air.

"Listen! Hey!" Jonathan yelled at Argyle once again.

"Eany meeny miny moe, shoot a minor in the throat!" Argyle yelled.

"Oh my god!" Locke shouted as Will looked to Jonathan in fear.

"Hey! Listen!" Jonathan yelled at him again.

"What!" Argyle shouted back.

"Look, I think we can figure this out, okay? We just gotta open our minds." Jonathan tried to make his friend feel better with a large shrug.

"Open our minds? There's an open grave in front of me, man!" Argyle shouted at him. "Want me to open my mind? What are you talking about?"

"Hey, dude! Hey!" Jonathan walked to him and grasped his shoulder. "Just, relax. Why don't you just go to the van...and do your thing, huh?"

"Purple Palm Tree Delight." Argyle nodded, calming down.

"Right." Jonathan reassured him.

"It's all worn off." Argyle laughed slightly.

"It's just worn off." Jonathan agreed with a gentle voice.

"I'm all emotional." he held his face.

Locke sat on the ground suddenly in a deep inhale, Will decided to sit next to him.

"I'm sorry." Argyle shook his head as he walked toward the van.

"Jonathan." Will called to his brother in annoyance.

"Yeah?" he spun around to look at him.

"More weed? Is that really a good idea now?" Will asked in disbelief.

"Got a better idea to keep him calm?" Jonathan snapped at his younger brother. "Let's just get this done."

Mike ran after Argyle, passing him as he stopped at the back of the van when Theo climbed down. She turned to face him with the radio in hand. They were concealed behind the van together. "You looked pretty focused up there."

"There isn't any signal." she admitted, hugging the radio closer to her. "So, now i'm stuck with dead people and some really complicated news about Jane being El and El having superpowers so the government wants to kill me because they saw us together."

"Yeah." Mike exhaled slightly. "I know it's.... a lot."

Theo inhaled as she looked out into the sandy desert more with squinted eyes. "I mean, i'm more pissed off that you didn't let me in on Hawkins biggest mysterious."

Mike fought a smile. "So, you're not mad about the dead man, the government coming after you and Locke, or anything?"

"Well, rest in peace to the man that saved you." she reached forward and gave the right side of his face a harsh pinch. "But, Mike, seriously. I'm actually involved in a murder mystery right now. Like, I can submit his name to Buzzfeed and his story, that I was involved in, could go on the air."

Mikes eyebrows shut up. "W-yeah, yeah. That's definitely one way to think about it."

She smiled, unbothered by his faint judgement. Mike nodded his head toward the radio. "So, was that what you were doing? Trying to get ahold of Buzzfeed."

"Yeah, they always do special guest calls on Sundays." Theo shrugged slightly. "Not that we're anywhere near a phone."

Mike inhaled deeply as he looked behind the van. "Sorry for....yeah, just sorry for it."

"Sorry is for losers." Theo shrugged in return, pointing at him. "And I don't associate with losers, Michael."

"Got it." he gave her a tight lipped smile, the faint blush on his cheeks mistaken for the heat of the desert. "No apologies."

Theo hesitated, reaching forward and punching his shoulder. Mike gave an odd look at her encourager, clearing his throat with a nod. Theo began to walk off as he followed, her head turning back to gap at him. "Are you looking at my butt?"

"Theo!" he scolded her.

"Yeah, Theo." Locke cut in as they circled the van to see him sat in one of the seats with a water bottle. "We need to get home ASAP."

"Hate to break the bad news, Locke. But we were just nearly murdered." she exhaled, pulling her flannel off from the heat. "I don't think there's much of a home to go back to."

"So, what? We just stick it out with Jim Jones and..." he trialed off, looking at Will. "Give me a name."

"David Berkowitz." Theo suggested.

"Really?" Will rose his eyebrows. "I remind you of David Berkowitz?"

"Wait, why am I Jim Jones?" Mike shook his head as he looked over at her.

"Okay!" Theo rose her hands in surrender. "If the four of us are going to be spending plenty of time together, maybe we need to lay down some ground rules. Since we're all so....different."

"There's a word." Mike cleared his throat.

"I'll go first." Locke braced himself with an exhale. "I need ten minutes to myself every night and I will not be handling any dead bodies."

Theo cleared her throats. "That's a start. Um, Will, would you like to go?"

"Oh." he looked at Mike for help with a panicked adjustment of his stance. "Maybe no name calling?"

Mike laughed, his shoulder pushed Theos. "Good luck with that."

"No name calling, got it." Locke confirmed for Will as Theo reached over and smacked Mine upside the head. "I'd also like to add no abuse."

Theo rolled her eyes. "I'd like to say my ground rules."

"Floors yours." Locke waved her on.

She cleared her throat and held her hand out. "One, I need my space. I don't wanna be smooshed between two sweaty boys every single second of the day. Two, I want to choose the radio station the second we get signal. Three-"

"Wait, we can do more then two rules?" Mike blinked.

"Three, I don't want to be interrupted." Theo went on with a hard side glare. "And four, don't fuck with my fishnets. They tear easily."

"Okay." Locke inhaled. "I think that settles things pretty-"

"Mike didn't say his rules." Theo cut him off as Locke gave a questionable look. Her face flushed some, looking to her secret lover. "Mike...anything you want to add?"

"Uh..." he trailed off, searching his brain. "Maybe....not getting accociate with Jim Jones? You know, if it's possible."

Theo fought a smile at the way he tilted his head in her direction, nodding her own. "I think I might be able to handle that one, Frog Face."

"Theo, don't forget Wills rules." Locke gave a point.

"Right. Sorry, Will." she gave him a tight lipped smile. "I think I might be able to handle that one, Michael Wheeler."

"God." Mike cringed with a shake of his head. "I might like Frogface more."

It made Theo smile, which made him smile back.

"I want to add something." Locke stated at the two. "From here on out there shouldn't be any more li-"

"The pen." Mike cut him off.

"What?" all three of them asked on sync.

"The pen. Harmons pen." Mike ran past Theo, heading for Argyle.

Theo looked over her shoulder as he went, sighing. "I think that's are que to follow him, boys."

So, they did, going down the small hill as Mike stole the pen from Argyle and pulled it in two, a small paper falling from inside. "Something fell out of that pen, man."

The four crowded together after Locke leaned down and lifted the paper off the ground. Mike smiled as he unrolled it. "It's the number. We've had it this whole time."

"The number?" Theo frowned her eyebrows. "Who's number?"

"New rule." Locke inhaled deeply. "Maybe try to inform us about everything prior to dragging us into the desert."

"Egh." Theo shrugged with a half grin. "I'm digging the mystery."

•

kylie speaks

hey babies, sorry for the
long wait for this update.
it's been a hectic past few
weeks but i've got everything
back on track and ready to
update my baby again!