°🌟4🌟°

🌟CHAPTER 4🌟~°THE BODY°~

*🌟Third Person's POV🌟*

The next morning was gloomy and overcast, the sky a sheet of dull grey that perfectly matched their hollowed-out moods. The Henderson house was silent, the usual morning chaos replaced by a heavy, grieving quiet. Hailey was deeply worried about Dustin, who had moved through the morning like a ghost, pushing his cereal around his bowl, his eyes red-rimmed and distant. He hadn't spoken a word since last night.

Their mom, her own face etched with concern for the Byers family and the sombre mood of her children, told them they could stay home. But both Hailey and Dustin thought it was best to go to school, a futile attempt to cling to routine, to try and keep their minds busy with anything other than the image of that small body bag.

Hailey was in her room pulling on a sweater when her walkie-talkie crackled to life on her nightstand, shattering the silence. "Hailey, do you copy?" It was Mike. His voice was tight, strained. Her movements were slow, weighed down by a bone-deep exhaustion and grief. She picked up the receiver.

"Hey Mikey," she said, her voice soft. "You okay?"

"Yeah, listen. I'm about to tell you something, and please, you have to believe me. Over." A prickle of apprehension ran down her spine.

"What's up? It sounds kind of serious. Over."

"It's about Will. Over." Her heart clenched. "What about him? Is it about Will's funeral? Over."

"No, Hai, not his funeral. Screw his funeral!" The vehemence in his voice was shocking. "What? Mikey, what's going on?" she asked, her grip tightening on the walkie. "Can you just get over here, please? And bring Dustin with. Over and out."

The line went dead. Hailey stared at the walkie in confusion, her mind reeling. Screw his funeral? What did that mean? She debated whether she should go. He sounded unhinged with grief. She decided she would let him know she'd come over later, after she got questioned by the police at school about Barb's disappearance. One more awful task to get through.

Nothing felt the same as Hailey walked through the school halls. The world had ended last night, but here everyone was, laughing by lockers, worrying about tests. It felt like a cruel parody of normal life. She searched for a familiar face, for Barb, but of course, she wasn't there. The knot of worry in her stomach tightened.

She ended up outside, needing air, and saw Steve and Nancy talking in the cramped, private space between two buildings. Hailey wasn't usually one to eavesdrop, but this involved Nancy, and Hailey desperately wanted to know if there was any news, any clue about what had happened to their friend.

She leaned against the rough brick wall, just out of sight, to listen.

"So, wait a sec. I don't understand. You went back to my house?" Steve asked, sounding hurt and confused.

"To look for Barb," Nancy said, her voice defensive. Hailey rolled her eyes skyward. Now she was looking.

"Yeah, okay, but why didn't you just talk to me? That's crazy!" Steve said, his voice rising in frustration.

"I don't know. I... I was scared," Nancy admitted, her voice small. Steve looked at her, baffled.

"You seriously think you saw a guy in a mask just hanging in my yard?"

"I don't think it was a mask," Nancy stated, her voice trembling.

Hailey's breath caught. She peeked around the corner, her interest now fully, terrifyingly piqued. "But he had no face?" Steve asked, his confusion deepening into disbelief.

"I don't know! I don't know, I just have a terrible feeling about this," Nancy said, her voice breaking.

A cold, numbing dread washed over Hailey. The pieces, jagged and horrifying, were starting to click together in her mind-Will's disappearance, his "death," Barb vanishing, this... faceless man. It was all connected. The world wasn't just sad; it was actively dangerous. She was suddenly terrified for the boys' safety, and for Eleven's.

"Oh, this is bad. This is really bad," Steve said, leaning his head against the wall in frustration.

"What?"

"The cops...they're gonna want to talk to all of us now. Tommy, Carol, Hailey, everybody who was at the party," Steve said, his worry palpable and entirely focused on the wrong thing.

"So?" Nancy couldn't comprehend his priorities.

"My parents are gonna murder me!" Steve stated, genuinely panicked about the social repercussions.

Hailey felt a sudden, bitter flash of envy for his simple, mundane worries. Oh, to only be afraid of getting grounded.

"Are you serious right now?" Nancy asked, her voice dripping with icy disbelief.

"You don't understand. My dad's a grade-A asshole," Steve told her, as if that explained everything. "Barb is missing, and you're worried about your dad?" she asked, horrified.

"Okay, just... Don't mention the beers. It's just gonna get us both in trouble, and Barbara's got nothing to do with it, okay?" Steve said, stepping closer to her, trying to logic his way out of the disaster.

"I can't believe you right now. I can't believe you," Nancy said, her words final. She turned to walk away, utterly disgusted.

"Nancy! Nancy, wait!" Steve yelled after her, but she was already gone, disappearing around the corner without a backward glance.

"Nancy!"

"Looks like the princess is upset."

Steve jumped, whirling around to face Hailey as she stepped out from her hiding spot. "How much did you hear?" he asked, his face a mixture of guilt and defiance. "Everything," Hailey said honestly, her arms crossed over her chest. She took a few steps toward him. "And don't worry, I won't bring up the alcohol. I'll get in trouble too, you know," she told him, her tone pragmatic.

Steve gave her a small, grateful, and utterly bewildered smile. "Why are you being so nice lately?" he asked, the question slipping out before he could stop it. Hailey let out a soft, surprised chuckle, a brief, bright sound in the grim morning.

"Let's just say I've seen past that mask you're always wearing, and the guy underneath isn't that bad," she said with a faint, knowing smirk.

Steve wasn't entirely sure what she meant-was he wearing a mask?-but the unexpected compliment and her unwavering calm in the face of chaos made him profoundly grateful to have someone, anyone, on his side. Unbeknownst to either of them, Hailey's straightforward, no-bullshit charm was already working its way under his skin, a tiny seed of something new taking root in the rubble of his bad day.

"See you later, Harrington," Hailey said over her shoulder as she walked away, leaving Steve staring after her, more confused, intrigued, and thoroughly disarmed than ever.

"Miss Henderson, can you follow me, please?"

The principal's voice stopped Hailey on her way to math class. With a resigned sigh, she followed him to the nearly empty cafeteria where two police officers were seated at a table, looking out of place amidst the cheerful murals.

"Miss Henderson, please take a seat," the older officer said, pointing to the chair across from them. She sat down, her posture straight but her hands nervously clasped in her lap.

"Is this about Barb?" she asked, cutting to the chase.

"Yes," the officer with glasses said, flipping open a notepad. "We'd like to know what happened that night at the Harrington household. Can you walk us through it? From when you arrived."

Hailey took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts. She would be a reliable witness. For Barb. "I can tell you what happened closer to the end of the night. I went to the bathroom with Barb at some point; she left first. I found her again later, and she and Nancy were having an argument by the staircase. Nancy went upstairs, I assume to Steve's room. Barb and I decided to wait for Nancy since we all came together. I took a swim in my undergarments, and Barb was sitting at the edge with her feet in the water. I went underwater for about five minutes-I'm very good at holding my breath-mostly just trying to block out the... noise... coming from the house." She didn't flinch, stating it as a simple, unpleasant fact. "When I came up for air, Barb was gone. I just assumed she'd decided to leave and didn't want to interrupt anything." Hailey relayed the events with blunt, unvarnished honesty.

"You're very honest," the other officer, a man with a kind but tired face, noted, sounding genuinely impressed.

"I see no point in lying. It wouldn't get any of us anywhere, least of all Barb," Hailey stated plainly.

"Is there anyone who could confirm you were by the pool?" the first officer asked.

"Steve Harrington. He's the one who woke me up; I'd fallen asleep on the steps in the pool," she answered without hesitation, meeting his gaze.

"The argument between Barb and Nancy-what was it about?"

"If I have to put it simply," Hailey said, her voice gaining a slight edge, "it was about Nancy having sex with Steve. Barb tried to tell her that Steve was only trying to get into her pants, but Nancy's in that stage where she's rebelling against her parents and their beliefs. She wasn't listening."

The cops exchanged a glance, seemingly unused to such unfiltered candour from a teenager. "Since you're one of Barb's friends, we'll share this with you," the officer with glasses said, leaning forward.

"We believe Barbara may have come back to the house last night and then taken off, gone somewhere else."

"Has she ever talked to you about running away, leaving town, maybe?" the other asked.

Hailey tried to recall, but nothing came to mind. "No, she never mentioned anything like that. She was always closer to Nancy than to me." The words felt like a betrayal, but they were the truth. "Okay. Thank you for your honesty. You can go now."

Hailey stood up; her mind made up. She was skipping the rest of the school day. Rules felt meaningless now. She needed to get to Mike's house and find out what had him so desperately worked up.

Lucas and Dustin were already in the Wheeler basement when Hailey entered. The air was thick with tension. Eleven was hunched over a radio, her small body rigid with concentration. From the speaker, faint, staticky baby noises and garbled whispers emitted.

"We keep losing the signal, but you heard it, right?" Mike asked them, his eyes wide with a desperate, wild hope. Hailey strained to listen, but she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be hearing through the interference.

"Yeah, I heard a baby," Lucas said flatly, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"What?"

"Mike, you obviously tapped into a baby monitor. It's probably the Blackburn's' next door," Lucas stated, his voice heavy with scepticism and exhaustion.

Hailey listened closer, kneeling by the radio. "Mikey, are you sure you're on the right channel?" she asked, her voice calm but intent, giving him the benefit of the doubt, he so clearly needed.

"I don't think it's about that. I think somehow, she's channelling him," Mike told her, visibly relieved that she was at least listening and not immediately dismissing him.

"Like...like Professor X," Dustin said, his scientific curiosity cutting through his grief.

"Yeah!" Mike agreed, latching onto the theory.

"Are you guys actually believing this crap?" Lucas asked, looking between the two Henderson's in utter disbelief.

"I don't know, I mean... Do you remember when Will fell off his bike and broke his fingers? He sounded a lot like that," Dustin countered, trying to find logic in the impossible.

A tiny, dangerous spark of hope ignited in Hailey's chest, so fragile it was almost painful. Could it be? Could Will actually be alive? The alternative-that they were all losing their minds-was too much to bear.

"Did you guys not see what I saw?" Lucas's voice rose, fracturing. "They pulled Will's body out of the water. He's dead!"

"Well, maybe it's his ghost. Maybe he's haunting us," Dustin offered weakly, scrambling for any explanation. "It's not his ghost!"

"So how do you know that?"

"I just do!"

"Then what was in that water?"

"I don't know! All I know is Will's alive. Will is alive! He's out there somewhere. All we have to do is find him." Mike looked pleadingly at Hailey, his eyes begging for her to believe him, to help him.

Hailey made a decision. She would choose hope. "I don't think this is gonna work here," she said, gesturing to the small, staticky radio. "The signals too weak. Is there a way we can get Eleven to a stronger radio? A much more powerful receiver?"

"Mr. Clarke's Heathkit ham shack!" Dustin suggested instantly, a smile breaking through his worry.

"The one he built for the science fair! It's the most powerful radio in Hawkins!"

"Yeah!" Mike agreed immediately, his face lighting up. "The Heathkit's at school. There's no way we're gonna get the weirdo in there without anyone noticing. I mean... look at her," Lucas said, gesturing to Eleven's shaved head and the stark white hospital gown she still wore.

Hailey looked at Eleven, then at the desperate hope on Mike's face. A plan formed in her mind. "You guys can leave that to me. Just get her some of Nancy's old clothes. And a wig if you can find one," Hailey instructed, her voice taking on a new, determined energy.

An hour later, in the Wheeler bathroom, Hailey worked with a quiet focus. She applied a light dusting of makeup to Eleven's face-a little blush, some lip gloss-not to disguise her, but to make her look more conventional, less like she'd just escaped from a lab. She helped her into a pink dress and a jean jacket the boys had scavenged from Nancy's closet. Finally, she carefully placed a long, blonde wig on Eleven's head, tucking away the short, stark hairs.

Eleven was, underneath the strangeness of her situation, a strikingly beautiful girl. They emerged from the bathroom, and the boys stared, especially Mike, whose mouth fell slightly open.

"Wow! She looks..."

"Pretty!" Mike finished. Everyone looked at Mike, who flushed a deep red.

"Good. You look pretty good," the Wheeler boy corrected himself, stumbling over his words.

Eleven walked to a full-length mirror, staring at the reflection of the girl in the pink dress and long blonde hair. She touched the hair gently, a foreign expression of wonder and confusion on her face. "Pretty...good," she repeated softly, testing the words, a ghost of a smile touching her lips.

They had their weapon. Now they just had to get her into the belly of the beast.

*~*🌟*~*

Hailey never thought she'd be walking the halls of Hawkins Middle School again, the smell of chalk dust and adolescent anxiety instantly transporting her back in time. But here she was, trailing behind the boys like a reluctant, deeply worried guardian angel.

"Okay, remember, if anyone sees us, look sad," Mike instructed in a low voice, his own face a perfect mask of grief. "Attention, students: there will be an assembly to honour Will Byers in the gymnasium now. Do not go to fourth period," a sombre voice announced over the intercom, the words hanging heavy in the air.

The timing was a small miracle. They reached the AV Club room only to find the door locked, a major hurdle in their desperate plan. "It's locked," Mike said, jiggling the handle uselessly.

"What?" Lucas asked, trying it himself with more force, as if that would help. Dustin looked at Eleven, an idea sparking in his eyes.

"Hey, do you think you can open it? With your powers?" he whispered, miming a pushing motion with his hands.

Just then, Mr. Clarke rounded the corner, his kind face etched with sympathy. "Boys? Assembly's about to start."

"We know. We're just, you know..." Mike started.

"Upset," Lucas finished.

"Yeah. Definitely upset."

"We need some alone time."

"To cry."

"Yeah, listen, I get it. I do. I know how hard this is, but let's be there for Will, huh? And then..." Mr. Clarke's voice was gentle. He seemed to make a decision, taking out his keyring. He found a specific key and tossed it to Mike. "The Heathkit is all yours for the rest of the day. What do you say?"

The teacher then noticed Eleven, who was trying to hide behind Dustin. "I don't believe we've met. What's your name?" he asked kindly.

"Eleve-" Dustin began.

"Eleanor!" Mike cut in; his voice too loud. "She's my, uh..."

"Cousin," Lucas supplied.

"Second cousin."

Hailey mentally face-palmed; she really needed to teach these boys how to lie convincingly. "She's here for Will's funeral," Mike added lamely.

"Ah, well, welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor. I wish you were here under better circumstances," Mr. Clarke said, his tone genuinely warm. Eleven looked uncertainly at the boys, way out of her depth. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"Where are you from, exactly?" Mr. Clarke asked curiously.

"Bad place..."Eleven whispered, just as Mike and Dustin blurted out, "Sweden!" in panicked unison.

Sensing the impending disaster, Hailey smoothly stepped forward, extending her hand. "Hailey Henderson, the boys' guardian angel for the day."

"Hailey? What are you doing at the middle school?" Mr. Clarke asked, shaking her hand, clearly surprised to see a high schooler here.

"I was dragged here. The boys said they needed me, so I followed immediately," she said with a convincingly sad smile, her eyes glistening with manufactured tears. Mike subtly handed her the AV club keys behind Mr. Clarke's back.

"Wait for us here," he whispered.

"Sure, Mikey," she whispered back.

"Shall we?" Mr. Clarke asked his students, gesturing down the hall toward the gym. "Yep," Lucas said, herding the others as they followed their teacher. Hailey slipped into the dark club room alone to wait, the key feeling like a lead weight in her hand.

Hailey jumped when the boys eventually stormed back into the club room, the assembly clearly over. Their faces were pale, a mix of grief from the memorial and a new, frantic energy. "Come on," Mike said, breathless with urgency, snatching the keys from her and unlocking the inner door to the Heathkit.

"What now?" Hailey asked, her heart beginning to race as Eleven took a seat in front of the large, formidable radio, looking small and fragile against the massive machine.

"She'll find him, right, El?" Mike said, his eyes fixed on the girl, pouring all his desperate hope into her.

Mike switched on the radio. The dials glowed a soft orange. Eleven closed her eyes, her face tightening in intense concentration. The speakers emitted a low hum.

"She's doing it! She's finding him!" Mike said, his excitement mounting.

"This is crazy," Dustin breathed, his scientific mind warring with the sheer impossibility of what was happening.

"Calm down. She just closed her eyes," Lucas stated, ever the sceptic, though he couldn't look away.

Suddenly, the fluorescent light above them flickered violently and died with a fizzle, plunging them into an eerie half-light from the radio's glow. Hailey instinctively moved closer to the boys, putting a protective arm out, her every sense on high alert. The air felt charged, thick with unseen energy.

"Holy..."Dustin whispered, his scepticism evaporating.

A noise, faint and distorted at first, then clearer, began to emanate from the Heathkit's speakers. It was a voice, choked with static and fear.

Mom? Mom?

"No way!" Lucas gasped, his hands flying to his head. Hailey's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. She knew that voice. It was seared into her memory from countless campaigns and afternoons spent in her basement.

Mom... Please... Mom!

"Will!" Mike cried out, surging toward the radio as if he could climb through it.

"Will, it's us! Are you there?"

"Can you hear us? We're here!" the boys screamed into the void, their voices layered over the crackling static, desperate and pleading. Hailey stood frozen a few steps back, her heart hammering against her ribs so hard it felt like it might burst. She was utterly paralyzed, caught between hope and horror.

Hello? Mom?

"Why can't he hear us?" Lucas asked, his voice rising in frantic confusion, turning to Eleven.

"Why is it only one way?"

"I don't know!" Mike replied, his voice thick with frustration and a dawning, terrifying fear.

Mom, it's coming! It's like home, but it's so dark... it's so dark and empty and it's cold! Mom? Mom!

Tears welled in Hailey's eyes and streamed down her cheeks, unchecked. The sheer, unadulterated terror and profound loneliness in Will's voice were unbearable. To imagine her little wizard, the sweet, quiet boy she'd promised to protect, trapped in such a lightless, cold hell, and to feel so completely helpless to save him, made her heart clench with a painful, visceral ache. She wrapped her arms around herself, a sob catching in her throat.

A sudden, loud POP and an acrid smell of burning plastic and ozone snapped her back to reality. The Heathkit was smoking, a small, angry flame licking up from its console.

"Fire!" Dustin yelled, stumbling backward. Hailey's training kicked in. Her eyes scanned the room, landing on a red fire extinguisher mounted on the wall. She lunged for it, pulled the pin, and efficiently aimed the nozzle, smothering the small blaze in a cloud of white chemical powder.

In the sudden, shocking silence that followed, the only sound was the faint hiss of the hot metal and their ragged breathing. "El, are you okay? Can you move?" Mike asked, his voice panicked as he knelt beside her chair. Eleven was slumped forward, unconscious, a fresh, vivid trickle of blood dripping from her nose onto the pink fabric of Nancy's dress. Hailey moved to them; her own fear shoved aside by a surge of protective urgency.

"Help me get her on my back," she instructed Mike, her voice surprisingly steady. Together, they maneuverer the limp girl onto Hailey's back, her arms looped around Hailey's neck. "I've got you," Hailey murmured, adjusting the girl's weight, feeling the frightening lightness of her body.

They moved quickly out of the smoke-filled room and into the empty hall, then out of the school entirely. The bright, normal afternoon sunlight felt alien and wrong. The image of the burning radio and the haunting, terrified sound of Will's voice were seared into their minds, a shared nightmare they now carried out into the day. The quest to find their friend was no longer a game. It was a rescue mission into the unknown.

*~🌟~*