𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝟯. 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩

𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩

The Hargrove house was never quiet.

There was always something echoing through the walls, a television roaring from the living room, their father shouting at a game with a half-empty beer sweating on the table, the thud of Billy's weights hitting the floor, the sharp crack of guitar riffs shaking his doorframe.

Noise had a way of clinging to this place. It filled every empty space, leaving no room for thought, no room for stillness.

James had learned to live with it. 

Headphones were his refuge, his own kind of silence. He'd lie on his bed, music flooding his ears, pretending the rest of the world didn't exist. Maybe that's why the quiet unnerved him now, it reminded him too much of moments that were better left forgotten.

The Mayfields hadn't adapted as easily.

Susan, graceful and careful, always seemed to move through the house like she was afraid to make too much sound, her heels soft on the carpet, her voice always gentle, as if she didn't want to wake something sleeping just beneath the surface. She was kind, patient, almost painfully polite.

James didn't hate her. He couldn't.

But something in him pulled back all the same, a quiet resistance he couldn't explain or didn't want to. A motherly smile felt wrong in this house. It didn't belong here.

Max wasn't thrilled either. The feeling was mutual, though for different reasons. 

She was sharp-edged, quick to roll her eyes, and spoke in clipped sentences like every word cost her effort. Still, James had noticed the little things, the skateboard always near her bed, the Walkman constantly on her belt, the subtle overlap in their playlists. For all their distance, they shared a rhythm neither of them spoke aloud.

That evening, after everything that had happened, James needed air.

He needed to move, to see something beyond the same four walls vibrating with noise and resentment. Halloween gave him the excuse he was looking for and, maybe, it'd get Max out too.

After a few rounds of negotiation, calm explanations, promises, Susan's soft intervention, his father finally relented.

"Fine," he'd grumbled. "But not too late."

That was good enough.

James knocked gently on Max's door.

A muffled thud came from the other side, the sound of her turning down her music. The door cracked open, and she stared at him, hair a little messy, brow slightly furrowed.

"What?"

"You ready?" James asked, leaning casually on the doorframe.

"For what?"

"The Ghostbusters are probably waiting for us," he said, glancing at his watch. "If we leave in like... fifteen minutes, we'll be right on time. Maybe."

Max blinked. "You actually want to go?"

James just shrugged, a small smirk forming. "Yeah. Why not?"

"I don't have a costume," she said flatly.

"Well," James said, grinning as he brought his hands from behind his back, "that's why I came prepared." 

He revealed two masks, one orange-haired and maniacal, the other a cracked hockey mask. 

"Chucky or Jason Voorhees?"

Max stared, caught off guard, and for a moment the hard lines of her face softened.

"Okay," she said finally. "But I'm taking Jason."

"Deal." He handed her the mask, satisfaction tugging at his mouth.

Twenty minutes later, they were walking side by side down the quiet streets of Hawkins. Pumpkins glowed from porches, candy wrappers rustled underfoot, and laughter echoed faintly through the crisp October air.

For once, neither of them spoke and the silence wasn't heavy. It was comfortable.

"They like you, you know," James said eventually, breaking the quiet.

Max turned her head slightly, mask dangling from her fingers.

"Who likes me?"

James grinned. "Oh, come on. Those two, Dustin and Lucas. They've been orbiting around you since day one."

Max rolled her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched.

"Maybe they're just creeps. Stalkers."

"Yeah," James said, laughing. "Must be that."

As if summoned by their words, four silhouettes appeared up ahead under the flickering streetlight, Ghostbusters gear, proton packs, all of it.

"I wanna scare them," Max said suddenly, eyes lighting up.

James raised a brow but couldn't help smiling.

"Go on, then."

Before he could blink, she slipped on the mask and darted forward, letting out a bloodcurdling scream that split the quiet street.

"Holy shit!" Dustin yelped, nearly dropping his ghost trap.

Max burst out laughing. "You should've seen the look on your faces!"

James laughed too, the sound catching him off guard.

Max pointed at Lucas. "And you ? Who screams like that ? you sound like a little girl!"

The boys stood frozen, still recovering.

"Earth to Ghostbusters," James called, raising a hand.

They blinked, finally realizing what had happened. Dustin straightened his jumpsuit, cheeks flushed red, while the smallest of the group giggled behind his proton pack.

Max was already walking backward down the street.

"You guys coming or not? I heard we should hit up Lock Nora. that's where the rich people live, right "

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and kept walking.

Dustin and Lucas shared a grin.

"Let's go!" Dustin said, grabbing his gear.

James lingered for a moment, watching his half-sister stride ahead.

For the first time since moving to Hawkins, something about this town didn't feel so heavy.

He smiled and followed.

They spent the next hours wandering from house to house, their small group growing louder and more energetic with each stop. Max and the boys were practically buzzing, their buckets getting heavier and their smiles growing wider with every full-size candy bar they scored.

Max had been right, Lock Nora was absolutely the place to be on Halloween night. The rich families didn't do anything halfway, and the kids took full advantage of it.

James mostly hung back, hands in his jacket pockets, content to watch the chaos unfold. He wasn't much of a talker, but Dustin and Lucas pulled him into a few conversations now and then.

 They were good kids, nerdy for sure, but not in an annoying way. And their painfully obvious crush on Max was more endearing than anything else.

Will was quiet, clearly the shyest of the four, so James didn't press him with too many questions. He didn't want to make the kid uncomfortable. 

The dark-haired boy, Mike, talked even less, barely responding when James tried to make small talk. Eventually, James let it go.

Still, it was a good night. Better than he had expected. Max would probably agree.

They were just leaving another massive house when Dustin let out a triumphant squeal.

"Another full-size! Like seriously, rich people are such suckers."

James let out a small laugh.

"Wait—you guys aren't rich, right?" Dustin asked suddenly, panic flashing across his face like he thought he'd just insulted royalty.

"Don't worry about that," James said, amused.

"No, we live up Old Cherry Road," Max added.

Old Cherry Road, one of the cheapest parts of Hawkins. Everyone knew that.

"Oh." Dustin's face fell.

"No, it's fine. I mean, the street's good for skating," Max said with a half-smile.

James glanced at her, a faint warmth rising in his chest at seeing her open up even a little.

"Yeah, totally tubular," Dustin said, cheeks stuffed with candy. "What? Did I say that right? Or is it, like, tubular?" he asked, putting way too much emphasis on the final syllable.

Lucas stared at him, slowly raising a hand in a dramatic gesture.

"No, no, no. It's like—" he slipped into a surfer voice—"toootally tubular."

Dustin repeated it in an exaggerated surfer accent, making Max snort.

Lucas doubled down. "What a gnarly wave, dude."

"Totally brodacious, bro!" Dustin chimed in with the same ridiculous tone.

Max laughed. "Stop, my ears are hurting."

James rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his lips. Going out had definitely been the right call.

After a while, James looked back to check on the two quiet boys. But instead of Will and Mike trailing behind them, only Mike was there, stomping forward with a permanent scowl.

James slowed down. Mike didn't look thrilled about it.

"Did Will go home?" James asked.

"What?" Mike snapped, cold and sharp.

"Will. He's not with you."

Mike spun around so fast his proton pack squeaked. Annoyance vanished instantly, replaced by sudden fear.

"Oh shit—Will? Will?" His voice cracked as he started shouting, running back up the street.

The others looked at James, alarmed.

"I think we lost Will on the way," James said, confused about why Mike was reacting like the kid had vanished off the planet.

But Dustin and Lucas exchanged a terrified look, a look that told James this wasn't just a kid wandering off.

"Shit," Lucas muttered before the two of them took off after Mike.

James and Max followed quickly, confusion growing with each step.

They caught up to them a minute later in a small side alley. Mike was already there, crouched in front of Will, who sat on the ground, breathing hard and shaking like he'd just lived through something awful.

"I couldn't find you—are you hurt? Will?" Mike asked, hands gripping Will's shoulders.

Will didn't answer. His eyes were wide, unfocused, as if he'd seen something no one else could.

"Holy shit," Dustin whispered.

"Is he okay?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know," Mike said, panic rising. He turned back to his friend. "I'm getting you home, okay? I'm gonna get you home. Hold on."

Will still couldn't speak. Just breathed fast, shallow, terrified.

James and Max stayed a little behind, watching. James had never seen someone look so scared from simply being alone for a couple of minutes. Something wasn't right.

"Take it easy," Dustin said gently, trying to help Mike get Will to his feet.

"I got him," Mike snapped, almost defensive.

"Mike?" Dustin asked, confused by his attitude.

"Keep trick-or-treating. I'm bored anyway." Mike turned and started leading Will away, one hand tight on his friend's arm.

The group stood there frozen, the alley suddenly much darker and colder.

Max broke the silence. 

"What was wrong with him?"

Lucas and Dustin exchanged another uneasy look, neither knowing what to say or maybe not knowing how much to say.

But James could tell. This wasn't normal fear. This wasn't a kid spooked by the dark.

Something was wrong with Will Byers.

Very wrong.

And for the first time that night, the fun of Halloween faded, replaced by an uneasy chill crawling up James's spine.

Thank you so much for reading this far! 🎡

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