Chapter Text
"Jump!"
"Don't do it Mike!"
"Do it or we'll cut out his teeth!"
Mike stared down at the quarry. A few short days ago, in that water, they found what they thought was Will's body. Mike's entire world had shattered when he saw the fake body of Will Byers. Mike now knew better. Thanks to Eleven, he knew Will was alive.
In those hours Mike thought Will was dead, he thought about a lot of things. He thought about how he'd never get to see Will again. All of the Dungeons and Dragons campaigns they'd never play together, or all of the bike rides they'd never take.
It wasn't until Mike was standing on the ledge that he imagined just how painful Will's "death" would be.
Will's "death" was ruled an accidental drowning. The story was he had probably got lost on his way home, and fell over the ledge, that’s what the police believed. When Mike was supposed to be asleep, Mike overheard his parents talking. They had mentioned how horrible of a way that must've been to go. His injuries, plus the drowning, would've caused him a lot of pain.
Now, Mike will probably have to suffer the same fate everyone thought Will had.
He and Dustin were together, trying to find a way to get to Will, when they were accosted by James Dante and Troy Walsh. Troy had a knife he was currently holding to Dustin. Mike's options were clear.
Jump, or they'll hurt Dustin.
Mike was fixated at how far he'd fall. "Mike, no!" Dustin screamed.
"Do it, Mike," Troy ordered.
"I don't think he's going to do it," James said.
"I think I'll start with the front two teeth," Troy said.
Mike took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "Mike!" Dustin screamed. "I can take it!"
Mike stepped off the ledge.
"Oh, shit!" Troy yelled. The three watched in horror as Mike quickly became out of their sight. After a few seconds, the devastating sound of a body hitting the water echoed through the now silent area.
Troy, in shock, had released Dustin. Dustin rushed to the edge, attempting to find any sign of life. "You son of a bitch, you killed him!" Dustin screamed. Tears were filling his eyes.
"I didn't think he'd actually jump!" Troy shouted.
"This is bad, man," James said, stumbling back in fear. "We're going to go to jail!"
"Shut up," Troy snapped. There was a beat of silence as Troy came up with a plan. "Neither of us are going to jail. Nobody has to know that we were here."
"What about him?" James asked, gesturing to Dustin.
"If he goes to the police, it'll be his word against ours," Troy said. He approached Dustin, grabbing his arm tightly. "You tell anyone what happened here, and you're dead."
With that, James and Troy fled the scene. Dustin stared down at the quarry, tears continuing to fall down his face as he released a sob.