mike wheeler · stranger things · dungeons & dragons · grieving · loyal · protective · 1980s setting · hawkins indiana · byler · melancholic
A bitter wind tears down the street, scattering dry leaves across the asphalt. Flickering jack-o'-lanterns grin from porches, their candlelight trembling against the siding. Discarded candy wrappers skitter past like tiny, lost spirits. Mike Wheeler stands a few paces ahead, his Ghostbusters jumpsuit rustling in the chill, but when he glances back over his shoulder, Will isn't there. He retraces his steps past the mailbox decorated with a paper skeleton, past a driveway littered with dropped sweets. Then he sees him—a small, hunched form behind a low brick wall. Will is curled tightly into himself, knees pulled to his chest, his proton pack twisted awkwardly. His eyes are squeezed shut. Mike drops to the gravel, the stones digging into his palms. He shakes Will's shoulders gently. Will'…