—

The hallways were filled with Will's painful wails and Joyce's distraught sobs.

Bob, Mike, and Sam followed behind the stretcher pulling Will along.

Sam couldn't find it in herself to be afraid at the fact that she was in the lab again. The fear of losing Will was far more large, and the shadow monster feeling was increasing by the second.

The doctors finally pulled Will into a hospital room, setting him down as he screamed in pain.

Bob held a crazed Joyce back from consoling her son.

Mike and Sam locked eyes, the intense feelings felt very overwhelming for two thirteen year olds'.

Mike accidentally interlocked his hand with hers. The young boy apologized, blushing as he pulled his hand away but Sam gripped onto it tightly with a pleading expression.

Mike realized that she wanted to hold his hand. She probably felt very afraid right now, he thought.

This was practically the place where she was raised.

He returned the warm hand holding feeling and rubbed his thumb against her soft skin as the doctors injected Will with something.

—

Will was put to sleep shortly after, and Mike also went to bed on a chair by Will's bed.

Bob and Joyce were up all night, talking to the lab officials and doctors about what had happened all while Sam was completely dazed, her thoughts on the shadow monster.

She felt internally weakened from how strong the shadow monster was now.

Her eyes traveled over to Bob who was having a chat with Joyce, and then her eyes went over to Mike who was still fast asleep.

Sam sighed, sitting up and walking out into the hallways to use the landline.

She hadn't talked to Steve in days now. He had to be worried right? It's not like he's busy dealing with dangerous Upside Down creatures...

The phone rung and rung.

"Hey this is Steve, I'm probably doing something totally cool right now. So, leave a message."

Sam groaned, setting the phone back in a harsh way.

"Samantha Harrington, right?" A deep voice from behind her asked.

She turned around to be faced with the tall man she helped save the night before.

"Yep. That's me."

Hopper nodded, "Joyce told me about your time here at the lab. I'm glad that you're able to live a normal civilized life now."

Yeah, normal.

The girl thanked him.

"No, thank you. Without you I'd still be stuck down in that shit hole." Hopper chuckles, "And... you know, Brenner is gone now. But, I'm not to sure about these new people. So just lay low, kay? Stay by Joyce and I, we'll keep you safe."

Sam nodded, watching as Hopper began to walk into Will's hospital room.

"Wait!" She called.

Hopper turned back around, titling his head in confusion.

"Um... do you know anything about El? Did she really die or is she okay?"

He was a police officers... he must have some idea where the last test subject was.

Hopper came closer to her, his tone becoming low, "Between you and me, kid. She's okay.. but she's under radar right now. She hasn't adapted to normal life yet so I'm keeping her safe and hidden. I'm only telling you this 'cause I know you understand. This is to keep her safe, alright? Don't tell anyone."

Sam fully understood.

It was like how her mom moved her over to Oregon. Away and hidden.

The only thing that hurt was that she wouldn't be able to tell poor Mike.

—

After a long talk with the doctors and Will, all about checking on Will's memory, they decided to do some testing on him.

Will was becoming less like Will.

Sam could sense it... the young boy was barely in his own mind anymore.

They rolled in a tiny creature from the Upside Down, a doctor with a miniature flame machine started burning it.

"Do you feel anything?" Doctor Owens asked.

"Little sting." Will stammered.

"It stings? Where?"

Will grunted, "My chest!"

Owens gave a nod to the other doctor and the flame went further into the creature.

"It burns! Ah!"

Blood started trickling down Sam's nose, she looked down in confusion. She slowly scooted away from the small creature's bin and wiped her nose, a stinging sensation was felt in the back of her brain.

"That's enough!" Joyce cried with anger.

Will started moving around screaming.

Sam slightly winced at his pain, "Stop! Please, stop!"

"Stop! You heard them! That's enough! That's it! We're done!" Hopper's loud forceful voice was finally the one to do the trick and make the doctors stop burning the creature.

The monitor beeped rapidly as Will slumped in his bed and calmed down, looking paler than ever.

Owens looked over at Sam who's blood was all over her fingers as she tried to hide it. The girl's scrunchy pulled up her wrist and showed a glimpse of her tattoo.

Owens starts, "Hey... she seems to be connected to this thing as well. How about we give her a tr—"

"No! No!" Hopper refused as Joyce and Mike rapidly shook their heads.

"You leave her out of this! This isn't about her, this is about Will!" Hopper fumed as Owens begged for him to settle down.

Sam's heart was beating fast. Even if Papa was gone, she still didn't fully trust these people.

They had just hurt Will, they could possibly do the same to her.

—

Mike and Sam were found slumped in their seats, the two huddled close to each other as they mindlessly chatted.

Sam loudly exhaled, "I just can't believe... like— Steve must be dealing with some shit now or he'd be worried.... my dad, however, doesn't care.... I know this, but it's still disappointing that he's not concerned about his daughter."

"He must be a dick." Mike comments with a smirk.

"He is. It's like... he's jealous over me, or was... Like when my mom packed up and moved to Oregon it was as if I had stole her away. God, could he be any more immature? I just wish he'd realize that his daughter was stuck in this hell for nine years."

Sam glanced around the room, eyeing the 'hell'.

Nobody else had seen the downstairs yet... that was real hell.

Mike's coarse fingers travel over her bare arm, tracing over the tattoo that was now fully exposed to the world.

"Y'know... I understand. My dad, too... he just doesn't give a crap. He sits in his lay-z-boy all day and lets mom deal with us. And mom, she's lost. She's still so young... she wants to have freedom and fun but then she looses track over her children."

Mike trails off, his soothing touches on Sam still continuing, "I just wish... someone would—"

"Support you? Yeah, I get it." Sam finishes his sentence, "It's funny how you're kinda that person for me now."

Mike gave a skeptical look, "What do you mean?"

"Well, lately, you've been really supportive towards me... and I just didn't except it."

"Why not?"

"Maybe 'cause you were an absolute asshole to me when I first met you... and now it's like, who even are you?"

Mike grins, offering her a hand shake, "Mike Wheeler. Pleasure to meet you."

Sam shakes his hand, chuckling, "I think you mean Venkman."

"Nope, nope, nope."

"Yes, yes, yes."

The two get into a fit of giggles, Mike falling serious first before declaring, "I'm really sorry... about the whole asshole thing."

"It's okay, I understand." Sam assured.

"No, no, it's not okay. It's like I can't react in a normal human way and instead I have to protect myself and get all defensive."

"Protect yourself from what?"

"From getting hurt again."

"Why?"

Mike shrugs, "Well... there's this girl. And she makes me feel... things. But she's super annoying, and nosy."

Sam playfully scoffs, gently slapping him.

Mike raises his arms in a defensive way, "But... I like it. I like her. I like the annoying girl from Hawkins, Indiana."

Sam purses her lips together, her brown eyes locking with his, "And... you felt the need to be rude to this girl? To... put up walls? To guard yourself?"

"Yeah..." He sighed, "I'm realizing now that I don't have to... this feeling I have... it's good. I know that now. It makes my stomach fill with butterflies and—"

"Makes you want to kiss the annoying girl?" Sam boldly interrupted.

She had never kissed anyone, but she knew what the gesture meant. And if Mike really liked this girl then he should simply kiss her.

Mike's lips are parted, his face pink as he replies, "Yeah..."

The two young teens lean closer to each other, their lips almost meeting like a puzzle piece before their heads accidentally bonk each others'.

Both groan and chuckle, "Ow..."

Sam rubbed her head, "Ouch!"

The two started hysterically laughing before Samantha's eyes landed on a phased out Will.

"Whoa. Is he okay?" Sam nudges Mike, urging him to look at Will who was dead panning the wall.

"Will? Will. Will!" Mike gently shook the boy, "What's wrong? Are you hurting again?"

Will pulled his eyes away from the wall, shuddering, "Uh... I saw something."

Sam leaned closer, "In your now-memories?"

Will's pupils were large and dark as he slowly nodded, "The shadow monster. I think I know how to stop him."

—

Will found a specific spot on the map he had drawn. The lab soldiers were now gearing up to go take a look.

In the Upside Down....

Sam felt her anxiety build up as she waited in the hospital room with everyone else.

This felt wrong... Like how before she could tell if Will was telling the truth or not, but... this wasn't Will.

She couldn't sense him at all.

It's better to be safe than sorry. Sam told herself.

She nudged Mike, "Venkman... I can't—"

"What? What is it Sam?"

"I can't feel Will." Sam says whilst wincing, she tried her hardest to focus on him, "He's not... he's not telling the truth."

Mike's face lifted with a terrified expression, "The spy..." He whispers and Sam gulps while nodding.

Joyce looks over to the side, confused while she comforts Will from his chilling confession.

"The spy!" Mike yells, standing up and running out of the room.

Sam and Bob shared a glance, the two instantly going after Wheeler.

Mike tried to run through the main doors, two soldiers held him back.

"I need to get through! It's a trap!" Mike shouted.

Bob held him back as well, Mike continued to repeat the same thing.

"It's a trap! It's a trap!"

Sam walked over to the soldier, politely pleading.

"Sir... please. He's right.. They're all in danger."

"Miss, we cannot let you in."

Sam sighs, her voice saddened, "It's too late.."

—