Dr. Brenner moved briskly through the halls of Hawkins Lab.
"When was this?" he asked.
"Last night," Connie responded. "Less than two miles away."
"And the boy?"
"Still missing," said one of the technicians.
Brenner kept questioning them until they reached a secure communications room. Inside, several analysts were working with audio equipment, scanning for signals and tapping phone lines.
One of the workers called out, "Sir, I think you want to hear this."
Brenner stepped forward, slipped on the headset, and began listening to a recorded phone call. It was Joyce Byers.
> "It was my son. I know it. And I... I heard something else."
Flo's voice came next: > "What was it?"
> "It was like, uh, some kind of animal. There was some kind of strange growling. I don't know. Just please tell Hop to hurry."
Brenner removed the headset. That was all he needed to hear.
He stood silently for a moment, processing the implications. Then he made his decision—they would search the area around the Byers' residence and place agents nearby to watch discreetly. No one in town could see them. Not yet.
---
Out in the woods, Callahan and Powell, along with several volunteers, were combing the area with flashlights and dogs.
"Will!" they shouted, voices echoing through the trees.
Hopper approached them. "Any clues? Anything at all?"
Powell shook his head. "Nothing. You?"
Hopper let out a frustrated sigh. "Just a dead phone."
Callahan asked, "Joyce?"
Hopper said grimly, "One step from falling off the edge."
Powell muttered, "She's been a few steps from the edge for a while now, hasn't she?"
Hopper glared at him. "Kid's missing, man. Have some class." He walked off into the woods, leaving Powell and Callahan standing awkwardly.
Callahan nudged Powell. "The chief and her, they've screwed before, huh?"
Powell didn't answer. Instead, he turned and shouted, "Will!"
Callahan smirked. "Is that a yeah, or—?" He trailed off, realizing Powell wasn't going to reply. He followed after him and joined in the search.
---
Back at Hawkins High, John and April were making their way through the hallway between classes. They passed Nancy and Barb, stopping at April's locker nearby. Nancy was talking with Steve and his group, while Barb lingered off to the side like she didn't know where to stand.
John leaned against the lockers. Girls walking by couldn't help but glance at him—he was the kind of guy who drew attention without trying. He was one of the most popular boys in school: smart, athletic, and kind, as long as you didn't give him a reason not to be. Every sports team wanted him, but he never joined. It became a bit of a legend—coaches still talked about it.
Nearby, Nancy said to Steve, "What do you want? I'm trying to study before my test next period."
Steve grinned. "Come on, Nance. You're going to ace it. Relax a little. Anyway—my dad's at a conference, and my mom went with him. You know how she is."
Tommy chimed in, "Good call."
Steve continued, "So, are you in?"
Nancy blinked. "In for what?"
Carol added, "No parents. Big house..."
Nancy squinted. "A party?"
Steve nodded. Tommy chuckled.
Carol rang an imaginary bell. "Ding, ding, ding!"
Nancy frowned. "It's Tuesday."
Tommy and Carol burst into laughter.
Steve said, "Come on. It'll be chill. Just us. You in or not?"
"Uhm..." Nancy hesitated.
That's when Carol blurted, "Oh God. Look."
She said it loud enough for half the hallway to hear. Everyone, including John, turned to see what the fuss was about.
Jonathan was putting up a poster of Will.
Steve groaned, "Oh, God. That's depressing."
Nancy whispered, "Should we say something?"
Carol said, "I don't think he speaks."
Tommy sneered, "How much you wanna bet he killed his brother?"
Before he could laugh, John smacked him hard on the back of the head, knocking him to the floor.
Everyone went silent. John looked back at Nancy, disappointment etched across his face. Nancy looked down, ashamed.
Tommy sat up, glaring. But he stayed quiet. He remembered what happened to Andrew.
Andrew had tried to start something with John once. The damage was so severe, Hawkins Hospital couldn't treat him. They had to airlift him to a city hospital. He stayed there for two weeks. The bones in his legs were stomped beyond repair.
Andrew's parents tried to press charges, but even with witnesses, nothing stuck. The cops said the force needed to do that much damage was beyond human. They labeled it hearsay.
Now, even Tommy knew better.
John walked past him and approached Jonathan. He tapped him on the shoulder.
"How you doing, Nathan?"
Jonathan looked exhausted. "I'm okay. Just really tired."
"Sorry to hear about Will."
"Thanks. I heard you helped with the search?"
"Yeah. Couldn't find anything. The rain made it hard."
Jonathan squinted. "Rain? I thought everyone left when it started raining."
John shrugged. "I stayed behind a couple hours."
Jonathan looked surprised. "Really? Thank you."
"No problem, bro. I'm sure you'll find him. Anyway, I got class. Talk to you later."
"All right, John. See you. I gotta print more posters anyway."
As Jonathan turned, John grabbed his hand and stuffed something into it. Then he walked back to April, took her hand, and walked off.
Jonathan looked down.
Three hundred dollars.
He stared in disbelief. He'd barely interacted with John before. And yet, here he was—helping him more than anyone else.
Jonathan felt a lump rise in his throat. He knew John was rich, but this money could mean saving Will's life. It could buy ink, gas, supplies, whatever he needed. He vowed to repay John somehow, someday.
Jonathan was still processing when Nancy stepped in front of him.
"Hey, Jonathan."
"Oh. Hey."
"I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry. About Will."
Jonathan nodded, eyes low.
Nancy glanced at Steve and his friends, then said, "Me and Barb are thinking about you. You're not alone."
"Thanks."
"It sucks."
"Yeah."
"I'm sure he's okay. He's smart."
"I know. John said the same."
The school bell rang loudly.
"I have to go. Chemistry test."
"Yeah."
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
Jonathan watched her walk off. Then he checked his poster and headed out the door.
Over the intercom, a voice said, > "There will be an assembly at the football field at 8:00 p.m., in support of Will Byers and his family..."
Jonathan stepped outside and didn't hear the rest.
---
Meanwhile, second period had just begun for Lucas and Dustin. They slipped into their seats in the front row.
Dustin looked over at Mike's empty chair. "He's never been this late before."
Lucas said, "Told you. His stupid plan failed."
"I thought you liked his plan."
"Yeah, but if it worked, he'd be here."
"What if his mom found out a girl stayed over?"
Lucas nodded. "He's in deep shit."
Then Dustin's eyes widened. "What if she slept naked?"
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Oh my God, she didn't."
Dustin panicked. "Oh God. If Mrs. Wheeler tells my mom..."
"No way. Mike would never rat us out."
"I don't know, man."
Lucas folded his arms. "All that matters is, after school, the freak goes back to the looney bin, and we can finally focus on what matters—finding Will."
Dustin sighed, pulled out his binder, and started flipping pages—though his mind was clearly elsewhere.