Wheeler House.
The bicycles were hastily hidden among the bushes beside the house, their tires still caked with mud from the forest. The rain had already eased, but the cold lingered in the air, clinging to the skin like a reminder that the night was far from over.
Lucas was the last to stop his bike. He crossed his arms, clearly irritated, and shot a suspicious look at Tanner—and then at the shaved-headed girl, huddled and silent at his side.
"Why did we bring him and the freak?"Lucas asked in a low but sharp voice, jerking his chin in Tanner's direction.
Mike sighed, already tired of the argument, and got off his bike.
"Because we need all the help we can get to find Will," he replied bluntly. "And if he wants to help, why refuse?"
He didn't wait for an answer. He carefully opened the back door, quickly glanced inside, and gestured for the others to enter. The house was quiet—his parents were clearly asleep.
One by one, they went down to the basement.
The familiar atmosphere of the Wheeler basement enveloped them: posters taped to the walls, the D&D table, stacked boxes, the faint smell of dust mixed with paper and glue.
But Lucas wasn't satisfied.
"Because he's a jerk!" he snapped, turning to Mike with obvious frustration. "You don't even know this guy!"
Before Mike could respond—
"You put a lot of effort into judging someone like that, Sinclair."
The voice came out of nowhere—calm, lightly ironic.
Lucas turned instantly.
Tanner had just come down the last few steps, the girl right behind him. He was holding an old towel he'd grabbed from a cabinet, which he'd carefully draped over her shoulders, trying to dry at least some of the rainwater. The girl remained quiet, watching everything with wary attention, her eyes moving from one face to another.
Tanner tilted his head slightly toward Lucas, a half-smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Especially coming from someone who decides who's trustworthy in five seconds."
Lucas opened his mouth to reply, but Mike stepped in quickly, realizing things were about to escalate.
"Okay, that's enough," Mike said, taking a deep breath.
Tanner glanced at the girl, then back at Mike.
"I trust you to take care of her, Mike." He adjusted the towel over the girl's shoulders one more time. "I'm going home to grab a few things."
Dustin blinked, confused.
"What if your parents find out?" he asked, genuinely worried.
Tanner was already halfway up the stairs when he answered, without even looking back:
"What are parents?"
Silence fell heavily over the basement.
Dustin frowned.
Lucas blinked, confused.
Mike stayed still for a second longer.
"What was that?" Lucas asked, breaking the heavy silence left behind by Tanner's departure.
Mike took a deep breath before answering, running a hand through his hair.
"His parents are never home. And when they are, it's for very little time," he explained. "His sister does the same thing. Basically… he lives alone."
As a neighbor—and as someone who had already heard shouting through walls that were far too thin—Mike knew more than he wanted to about the Keene family. He knew about the strange schedules. The muffled arguments. Doors slamming late at night.
Dustin grimaced.
"What a shitty life," he commented, without any filter.
Then he stopped.
The remark died in the air when Dustin noticed the girl sitting on the couch. She was curled in on herself, shoulders tense beneath the oversized towel, breathing far too fast. So fast it looked like the air wasn't properly reaching her lungs.
Hyperventilating.
"Hey, hey…" Mike approached carefully, crouching slightly so he wouldn't seem threatening. "Is there a phone number we can call for your parents?"
Eleven didn't answer. She only clutched the towel tighter around her body, eyes wide, darting from face to face as if searching for an invisible escape.
Dustin tilted his head, far too curious for his own good.
"Where's your hair?" he asked, leaning closer. "Do you have cancer?"
Mike slowly turned to him, incredulous.
"Dustin—"
"Did you run away?" Lucas jumped in right after, his voice suspicious as he took a step forward.
Eleven immediately recoiled, pressing herself even harder against the back of the couch.
"Are you hurt or something?" Mike tried again, his voice firmer now, but still careful.
Lucas frowned and stepped a little closer, his eyes fixed on her face.
"Is that blood?"
He reached out his hand.
Snap!
Mike knocked Lucas's hand away in a quick reflex.
"You're scaring her!" Mike exclaimed, irritated.
The shout made the girl flinch hard, letting out a small, sharp sound of fright.
Lucas took a step back, defensive.
"She's the one freaking me out!"
Dustin crossed his arms, watching the girl in silence for a few seconds before blurting out:
"I bet she's deaf."
The comment dropped into the room like dead weight.
Eleven remained silent, breathing far too fast, her eyes shining — not with tears, but with fear.
Before Dustin could do anything — something very stupid, most likely — the basement door opened again.
The steps creaked.
Tanner came down calmly, now wearing dry clothes, his hair still damp, carrying a small bundle of folded clothes in his arms. His mere presence seemed to reorganize the room, as if someone had finally taken control of the situation.
"She's just scared," he said, glancing briefly at the group before resting his gaze on the girl. "And she's cold."
As if the world wanted to reinforce the point—
RUMBLE!
The thunder boomed above the house, making the walls vibrate. The girl shrank into the couch, her whole body trembling, fingers clutching the towel tightly.
Tanner didn't waste time.
"Here," he said in a low voice, approaching slowly. "Clean clothes."
He held the bundle out to her — simple, too big, but dry. The girl hesitated for a second… two… before accepting them. Tanner then gave a gentle nod, guiding her toward the small basement bathroom.
When they reached the door, he didn't close it all the way.
He left it slightly ajar.
"You can change," he said simply, without any pressure.
He took a few steps back, respecting her space, before turning again to the others.
'I'm not letting that scene happen,' he thought flatly. 'No way in hell.'
In the middle of the basement, the argument had already started.
"I'm telling you," Lucas said, pointing at his own head for emphasis, "there's something seriously wrong with her. Like… messed up in the head."
"She doesn't even talk!" Dustin exclaimed, gesturing with his hands as if that were definitive proof.
Lucas crossed his arms, thinking for half a second before blurting out:
"I bet she escaped from Pennhurst."
Mike frowned.
"From where?"
"The asylum in Kerley County," Lucas explained, as if that settled everything.
They were speaking quietly, but Tanner had skills in body language analysis. That allowed him to read the three of their lips as they talked.
"Do you have relatives there?" Tanner asked with far too casual a tone as he sat down on one of the old basement chairs. He crossed his arms, his gaze calmly sweeping over the three of them as if he were assessing pieces on a board.
Lucas was the first to react.
"Don't butt in where you're not invited."
Tanner let out a light nasal chuckle, leaning forward slightly.
"Says the guy who thinks he's a soldier." He flashed a short, sharp, mocking smile. "Seriously. You're not that different from me."
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
"Oh yeah?" His tone was provocative. "Do you also happen to have friends who actually care about each other?"
He knew exactly where to poke. Tanner was the quietest one there. The most distant. The one who always seemed to be… alone.
But Tanner didn't look away.
"No," he replied simply. Then he tilted his head slightly. "But going back to the point where you called me a jerk… what does that make you?"
He stood up from the chair calmly and began to walk slowly around the basement, watching each of them with clinical attention, reading gestures, posture, microexpressions.
"I can define each of you in one word."
He stopped in front of Lucas first.
"Idiot." He pointed straight at him, direct, emotionless.
Lucas immediately tightened his jaw, his shoulders lifting slightly — a classic defensive reaction.
Tanner then turned to Dustin.
"Know-it-all."
Dustin blinked, surprised. His body reacted the most: he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, uncrossed his arms, his face showing genuine discomfort.
Finally, Tanner stopped in front of Mike.
There was a deliberate pause.
"And above all…" He tilted his head slightly. "The asshole."
Mike didn't respond. But his shoulders stiffened, the muscles in his neck tensing, his stare too fixed. He wasn't used to being called that — much less to hearing it without being able to snap back right away.
Tanner sat back down.
"I knew you were going after Will," he continued, more serious now. "And now we're in deep together."
Lucas let out a short, mocking laugh.
"So what were you doing out there, then?"
Tanner slowly lifted his gaze, meeting Lucas's eyes without blinking.
"I don't have parents," he said simply. "And I can take care of myself."
A pause.
"What's your excuse?"
The silence that followed was heavy.
"You went looking for Will. I went to do the same thing," Tanner said as he stood up from the chair, stretching his back. "And now… here we are."
He took a few steps across the basement, hands in his pockets, speaking with far too much ease.
"And don't even think about opening your mouths," he continued, casting a calculated glance at each of them. "Because if any of you spill a word, your houses turn into prisons. Goodbye bikes. Goodbye forest. And goodbye any chance of finding Will."
The silence fell heavy.
Tanner let out a small smile—not mocking, but the kind of smile that says the argument is already won.
"So the only option you have is to keep your mouths shut… and think about the next move."He tilted his head toward the bathroom. "Because we're not sending the girl away."
Lucas crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.
"Why not?"
Tanner let out a long sigh.
"Do you have a pinecone for a brain?" he asked, without raising his voice. "It's just adding one plus one."
Mike followed the reasoning silently… until his eyes widened.
"Does she know something about Will?" he asked, his voice coming out a bit faster than intended.
"Most likely," Tanner replied immediately. "If Will disappeared in the forest… and we find a strange girl who came from the forest…"
He paused dramatically, letting the conclusion hang in the air—
"—then we have—"
"A clue!" Dustin blurted, excited, eyes shining as if he had just discovered a rare card.
Tanner closed his eyes for half a second, took a deep breath… and nodded.
"Exactly. Now we know where to start."