°🌟43🌟°

🌟CHAPTER 43🌟~°SHOCK JOCK°~

*🌟Third Person's POV🌟*

HAILEY HENDERSON - HAWKINS

Mike helped Hailey to her feet, his arm steady around her waist as they stumbled toward Will and Mrs. Byers, who were locked in a fierce embrace.

"Oh, baby." Mrs. Byers pulled back, her hands framing her son's face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't understand. How did you...?"

Mike answered before Will could. "He's a sorcerer. A real-life, honest-to-God sorcerer." He pulled Will into a hug, fierce and proud. "Mike."

Will returned the hug briefly, but his eyes were already searching. They found Hailey, limping toward them, and he pulled away immediately, crossing the distance in seconds.

"Hailey." His eyes dropped to her leg, where blood was seeping through her jeans. "You're bleeding."

"I'll be okay." She managed a smile—tired, pained, but real. "My little wizard. I'm so proud of you. You actually did it. You fought back."

Will's expression shifted. Sadness. Understanding. He'd heard what Vecna said to her. He'd seen her face when those words landed. And yet here she was, smiling at him like nothing was wrong.

Why won't you let me help you?

"The kids." He forced himself to focus. "Vecna... he's got the kids."

Mike's face fell. "I know. Derek, Mary, Glenn."

Will shook his head slowly.

Hailey's stomach dropped. "No.

"Not just them." Will's voice cracked. "The others. They didn't make it out of Hawkins. I could've helped them fight if I'd just acted sooner. But I was too late." His eyes glistened. "And now he's got all of them. All twelve. We failed. I failed."

"No—" Mrs. Byers started, but the sound of approaching helicopters cut her off.

They ran

The tunnels were dark and cramped, but they were escape. Mike led, half-carrying Hailey when her leg threatened to give out. Will helped his mother behind them. They moved as fast as they could, driven by the thrum of rotors overhead.

Halfway through the Radio Shack exit, they found Lucas.

He was on the ground, shirt soaked red, eyes fluttering open as they approached.

"Lucas?" Mike's voice was sharp with fear.

"Shit!" Will dropped beside him.

"Oh, no."

"Hey. Hey, guys." Lucas's voice was weak, but he was smiling. Alive.

Mrs. Byers's hands fluttered uselessly. "Oh, no."

Hailey pushed past the pain in her own body and dropped to her knees beside Lucas, ignoring the fire in her ribs, her back, her leg. "Hey."

"Oh, shit."

"It's just a scratch." Lucas's bravado was paper-thin.

"Mike, can I have the first aid?" Hailey's voice was calm, steady—the voice she used when everything was falling apart and someone needed to hold it together.

Mike pulled the kit from his pack and handed it over.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Will's whisper was a prayer.

"Let's see." Mike's voice was gentle.

Hailey met Lucas's eyes. "Sorry, Lucas, but can you lift your shirt so I can have a closer look?"

He nodded, lifting the fabric with a wince.

The wound was ugly—a deep gash across his side, still oozing, but not as catastrophic as the blood made it seem.

"Ugh!"

"That's not too bad." Will's assessment was hopeful.

"Oh, shit." Lucas groaned as Hailey began cleaning the wound, wiping away blood to see what they were dealing with.

"Yeah, it looks like just the right amount for a couple of badass scars." Mike's attempt at levity was shaky but welcome.

Lucas's face crumpled. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect the kids."

Will leaned closer, his voice firm and warm. "You did everything you could. You fought. You risked your life. Nice swing, by the way."

Lucas blinked. "You saw?"

Mike's grin was knowing. "He more than just saw."

Lucas looked between them, confused, as Hailey worked—cleaning, ointment, wrapping, her movements efficient and sure. While she worked, the others filled him in. Will's power. The floating Demos. The snapped limbs.

All of it.

But not Vecna's words to Hailey. Those stayed between her and Will.

Will glanced at her as she worked. Her face was unreadable. He stayed quiet.

"So... Demos floating, limbs snapping, dying." Lucas's voice was wonderstruck. "That was all you?"

Will glanced at Hailey again—she was using the tunnel wall for support now, walking at the front of the group. "I mean... yeah."

"Holy shit." Lucas pushed himself up, using the wall like Hailey. "Holy shit. You know what this means, right? You're like Will the Wise, but for real."

Mike corrected immediately. "Not really. He's more like a sorcerer than a wizard."

"Okay, yeah. I mean, sure. But you get what I'm saying, though, right? Like, this totally changes the game." Lucas's excitement built. "We got our second El."

Will shook his head. "I'm not like a second El. I don't have powers. I'm just... siphoning. I'm stealing Vecna's. And to do that, I have to be near the hive mind, and Vecna's not coming back."

"But his Demos might," Lucas pointed out.

"I don't think so. They came for the kids, and he's got them all." Will's voice dropped. "And he has his vessels."

Lucas and Mike exchanged glances. "Vessels?"

"That's what he called them. He said, 'vessels for reshaping the world.'"

Mike's expression darkened. "I just hope your theory's wrong."

"What theory?" Mrs. Byers asked.

Lucas's voice was heavy. "November 6th. The day all this started... is the day it ends."

Hailey stopped walking.

Her body froze, ice in her veins, fear wrapping around her heart like vines.

I'll be coming for you soon.

Will saw it. The way she stopped. The way her shoulders tensed. The way she held herself like she was trying not to shatter.

He had to get her alone. Had to talk about what happened.

Mike reached Hailey first, a hand on her shoulder. "You good?"

She turned, and the smile she gave him was flawless. Fake, but flawless. "Yeah."

Will's heart ached.

They reached the exit. Mike climbed first, then Lucas, slow and careful.

"Okay, Lucas, take it slow. Take it slow. I got you. I got you. Come on, man. One more step."

Will moved toward the ladder, but his mother stopped him. "Hey, hey. Come here."

He stepped back down.

"I wonder if there's a way we can jack back into the hive mind and access his powers again."

Will frowned. "That's not possible. Not unless—"

"The hive is close, I know." Her voice was urgent, certain. "But what happened tonight, none of us thought that was possible either."

"Mom."

"Listen, I'm just saying, what if... what if this time, you don't use your powers against his army. You use them against him. Against Vecna." She leaned closer, willing him to understand. "Stab him with his own sword. You didn't fail tonight. What you did... was extraordinary. You said so yourself. Vecna chose you because he underestimated you. I think we all have. I know I did." Her voice cracked. "And that is a mistake I will never, ever make again. But I'm willing to bet everything that he does. And when he does, it'll be the last mistake that son of a bitch ever makes."

Will's eyes filled.

Hailey's hand found his shoulder, warm and steady. "Your mom's right. And you won't be alone. I'll always be there by your side. You won't ever be alone, Will."

She climbed the ladder, not waiting for a response.

Will stared after her.

She's always there for me. Always. But who's there for her?

Later that night, they gathered at The Squawk.

Mrs. Byers stood before them, transformed—fierce, determined, a warrior in mom jeans. "Okay, the goal is simple. We get Will close to the hive mind. Once he is, he jacks back in. Only this time, he doesn't go after a Demo. He goes after Vecna. One blow takes him out, ends him, ends his army, ends this nightmare." She looked around the room. "That's it. So... what do you think? What? Any ideas, thoughts?"

Silence.

"There's no bad ideas," she added.

Will smiled at his mother. He liked this version of her.

Robin raised an ice pack to her bruised eye. "I mean, I think it's, uh, a great plan." She glanced at Murray, who looked uncertain. "Uh, I mean, it's a... it's a great plan, right? Hey."

Murray chuckled nervously. "Yeah, no. Yes, it's a... it's a great plan. It's just... it's just..."

Robin turned to Will, impressed despite everything. "Will, you took out that Demo with your mind?"

"I mean..."

"Three to be exact," Mike supplied.

"Simultaneously," Lucas added.

Murray's face lit up. "Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!"

Robin grinned. "A real-life wizard."

Hailey patted Will's leg as he looked down, embarrassed by the attention.

"A sorcerer, actually," Erica corrected. "His powers are—"

"Innate. Yes, thank you." Mike finished her sentence.

Mike shot her a grateful look. Finally, someone who understood.

Lucas was lost. "What does that matter?"

"It matters!" Mike and Erica said in unison.

"Come on, guys." Hailey's voice cut through. "We need to focus."

Mrs. Byers nodded gratefully. "Okay, I'll start." She took a breath. "We could build another telemetry thingy. And then we could find El and Jonathan and the others, and hope they have a track on Vecna."

Hailey shook her head. "There's just one problem. Dustin hand-built the tracker himself."

"We have no idea how it works," Mike admitted.

"Maybe we could put our heads together and try to figure it out, but it'll probably take..." Lucas trailed off.

"Days. Days that we don't have."

Robin raised her hand. "What if we put Will in the back of the van and drive him around like a human antenna?"

Will turned to stare at her. "What?"

"She said no bad ideas!" Robin pointed at Mrs. Byers.

Mrs. Byers pressed on. "Okay, what else? Come on, guys, what else? Anything. Anything."

Murray's stomach growled audibly. "Is anyone else starving?"

Robin's hand shot up. Others nodded.

Lucas went to grab snacks, and the tension broke—just for a moment.

Hailey moved to the couches first. Will followed immediately, dropping onto the cushion beside her.

"Hai." His voice was low, urgent. "We need to talk about what Vecna said to you."

She turned, and her expression was stone. "Does anyone else know?"

"No."

"Let's keep it that way." Her voice was flat. "I don't need everyone treating me differently."

"But Hailey—"

"Will." She met his eyes, and he saw it—the fear underneath the ice. "I'm trusting you to keep this quiet. About Vecna wanting to glue me to his side like some puppet once he succeeds." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Please."

He wanted to argue. Wanted to tell her she didn't have to carry this alone. But the look in her eyes—desperate, pleading, terrified—stopped him.

He nodded.

She closed her eyes. Just for a moment.

Then everyone returned, and the masks went back up.

"I got it! I got it! I got it! I got it. I got it."

Lucas and Erica burst into the room, both talking at once, waving papers and grinning.

"Okay, I'll go first." Erica held up a newspaper article. "Dustin is MIA, but his mentor... is not."

Mike's eyes widened. "Mr. Clarke?"

"He's the biggest nerd in Hawkins. He taught Dustin everything he knows." Erica's grin was sharp. "If anyone can build a new tracker, and build one fast, it's him."

Mike nodded slowly. "That could work."

"Yeah, but that'll just take time." Lucas stepped forward, puffing up. "My plan is faster, bolder, better."

"Let's hear it then, Sinclair." Hailey's voice was tired, but curious.

Lucas launched into his explanation. "As I was heating up my popcorn, I thought about Billy in the sauna. We heated him up to activate the particles, right? They were dormant, just like these kernels, just like the particles inside the Demos Will killed. To bring 'em back to life, we have to heat 'em up." He gestured excitedly. "There are 50,000 watts flowing through that tower. We pump the dead Demos with electricity, shock those particles back to life, and voilà—we've got ourselves an instant hive mind."

Silence.

Then Erica: "You want to Dr. Frankenstein a dead Demo? That's your big idea?"

"Your plan is slow as shit."

"Your plan is stupid as shit."

"Hey, hey, children, stop it!" Murray's voice cut through. "Let's be clear. They each have flaws. Many, many, many flaws."

Mrs. Byers stood; decision made. "So, we try both. We throw two darts and pray for a bullseye."

No one argued.

Hailey, Robin, and Will stayed behind to set up the Frankenstein experiment. Metal poles. Cables. A pumpkin for testing.

"So, um, I realize, and I know that I've waited just long enough to make this super awkward, but I never thanked you for saving my life." Robin's voice was light, but her eyes were sincere. "Which is, you know, kind of, sort of a big deal. Especially to me."

Will smiled softly. "You're welcome. I... I mean, I should be thanking you two."

Hailey blinked, confused. "I don't remember doing much of anything."

"Thanking me? Why?" Robin asked.

"For talking to me about Tammy and... and your life." Will's voice was shy. "It was so helpful."

Robin hammered a rod into the pumpkin Hailey held. "Me? Talking? Helpful? Someone should really tell my mother."

Hailey grinned.

Will's voice softened. "And Hailey. For always believing in me. For taking my side."

Hailey's grin widened, but Will saw the shadow behind it. He changed the subject.

"So... after this Tammy and this whole tape epiphany, is that when you and Vickie started to..." He hammered his own rod.

"No, no, no." Robin shook her head. "I mean, I never would have had the guts to talk to Vic back then. I was finally cool with myself, but sharing that part of myself with someone else, that was a whole other thing." She smiled at Hailey. "But eventually, I did it. I told someone. Two people, to be exact."

"Looks like we're all set." Robin headed for the ladder.

Will called after her. "But wait. Who did you tell?"

Robin's voice floated back. "Oh. The obvious. Hailey and Steve."

Will froze. "Wait, what?" He looked at Hailey, who was chuckling. "Robin, I... I mean, I don't understand. I mean, not the same... As in your Steve, like Steve, Hailey's boyfriend Steve?"

Robin's grin was brilliant. "Steve 'The Hair' Harrington, my once sworn enemy, and the beautiful Hailey Henderson."

She ran inside to turn on the voltage. "All right, watch out!"

The electricity crackled. The pumpkin glowed.

"That's perfect!" Hailey shouted over the hum.

"But wait, Robin." Will was still stuck. "I mean, I understand why you told Hailey, and I like Steve. I just... I don't understand. He seems..."

Hailey's laugh rang out, bright and genuine. "Like a bonkers choice?"

Robin emerged, still talking. "Yeah. Believe me, I know. To be fair, we had just been injected with truth serum by evil Russians, which is kind of like liquid courage on steroids." She climbed back up. "Really, drug or not, just saying it out loud to someone and hearing them be cool with it, you know? It's like this weight lifted. And if I hadn't told Hailey and Steve, then I probably wouldn't have had the courage to open up to Vickie about it, and probably wouldn't be talking to you about it either." She smiled at Will. "You're only audience member number four. I'm hoping to double my audience by the end of this year, but that's only if you out-sorcerer the sorcerer, and we don't all die."

Hailey's voice was quiet. "Technically, I already knew. You telling us that day only confirmed it. I always knew about Will as well." She met Will's eyes. "He also confirmed it. By that letter you wrote me."

Will stared. "But how?"

Hailey's smile was gentle. "I knew because I paid attention."

They laughed—all three of them, the sound bright against the darkness.

Will's voice was shy. "You don't by any chance have any of that truth serum left, do you?"

Robin laughed.

Hailey reached out, squeezing his hand. "My dearest Will the Wise. You don't need truth serum. But if you ever decide to tell people the truth, I'll be by your side. If you want me to be."

Will's eyes filled.

The pumpkin exploded.

"Holy shit! Step back!" Robin grabbed the fire extinguisher, putting out the flames.

They talked for hours after that. About everything. About nothing. About the weight of secrets and the relief of sharing them.

When the others finally returned—with a dead Demogorgon wrapped in tarp—they were waiting.

"Hey!" Robin shouted from the roof.

Mike stared up at them. "What are you doing?"

"Cables won't reach the ground," Will explained.

"Your little Dr. Frankenstein experiment is gonna have to be done up here," Hailey added.

Robin threw down ropes. The others tied them to the Demogorgon, running them over the building and securing them to the van.

Mike climbed up. Will joined the others.

"Ready? Ready?" Robin called.

"Yeah!" Lucas's voice from below.

"Ready!" Robin shouted.

Mrs. Byers drove forward. The Demogorgon rose, slowly, awkwardly, bumping against the building until it reached the roof.

They hammered rods into its leg. Its shoulder.

"Okay, we're all set." Robin stepped back.

Mrs. Byers's voice was tight with worry. "If anything happens, you just get out of there."

Will sat cross-legged on the roof. Hailey stood behind him. Lucas crouched at his side. Mike stood with the Demogorgon. Robin waited by the voltage controls.

"I will. I promise."

"And if shit really hits the fan, we just crank up the voltage, burn out the particles, unplug him from the hive." Lucas's voice was steady.

"Mom?" Will looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for trusting me."

Mrs. Byers's voice was fierce. "Kill the bastard."

Hailey squeezed Will's shoulders, then stepped back.

"You got this." Lucas slapped his shoulder and stood beside Hailey.

"Light her up, Frankenstein!" Mike shouted.

"It's pronounced Fronkensteen!" Robin corrected, disappearing into the voltage room.

The hum began. Low at first, then building.

"It's working! It's working!" Mike scrambled down to join the others.

"We're at 50%!" Robin emerged, taking her place beside Hailey.

They watched. Waited. Held their breath.

"Come on. Come on." Lucas's whisper was a prayer.

Will's breathing changed. Deepened. His hair lifted, static electricity crackling around him.

"I think I'm Derek." His voice was distant, not his own.

Lucas leaned forward. "Derek?"

"He's with the others. The other lost children." Will's eyes were somewhere else entirely.

Mike's voice cracked. "What about Holly? Do you see Holly?"

"No." Will's head tilted, listening to something they couldn't hear. "Henry is searching for her."

Silence. Torturous, endless silence.

Then: "Max."

Lucas went rigid. "Wait. What about Max?"

Will's voice was urgent, strained. "She's with Holly. But Vecna... Vecna's hunting them."

Lucas's breathing turned ragged. Hailey was at his side instantly, her hands on his arms, grounding him.

"It's a good thing, Lucas." Her voice was calm, certain. "It means she's actually alive."

Lucas nodded, sucking in air, steadying himself.

More silence. More waiting.

Then Will rose.

His eyes were white, glowing, other. He rose to his feet like he was being lifted, arms outstretched, power radiating from him.

"It is working." Mike's whisper was awed.

"Sorcerer." Lucas breathed.

Will's hands moved like he was gripping something. He snapped it in half.

"Max! If you... can hear me, you... need... to run! Run!" His voice boomed, echoing with something ancient and terrible.

Then he screamed.

"Will!" Hailey lurched forward.

He flew backward, slammed into the ground, and didn't move.

Robin ran for the voltage. The others ran to Will.

"Will, can you hear me?" Mrs. Byers was there, touching his face, begging.

"Come on!" Mike's voice cracked.

"I'm right here." Mrs. Byers held him.

"Come on, Will." Hailey's hand found his, clutched it like a lifeline.

"Crank it! Crank it!" Lucas shouted.

Robin cranked the voltage higher. The Demogorgon burned, particles rising, dissolving into the sky.

And still Will didn't move.

"Will, come back to us."

"Come back to us, Will. Will!"

"Will, come back to me!"

"Come back!"

"Will! Will!"

Hailey pressed his hand to her forehead, tears streaming down her face, silent pleas pouring from her heart.

Not him. Please, not him. I can't lose anyone else. I can't. Please.

She already felt like she'd lost Dustin. Like she'd lost Steve.

If she lost Will too—

"Will."

His name was a prayer on her lips.

*~🌟~*