[This is a novelization of Netflix's original series Stranger Things. I do not own any of the characters or settings or plots.]
November 6, 1983 - Hawkins, Indiana
The night was clear and crisp. A perfect autumn evening, with the stars shining, not a single cloud in the night sky. Crickets creaked and wings fluttered, their symphony added to the soft rustling of the leaves. Some might have said it was quiet, others that it was too quiet.
Centered among the perimeter of a high chain-linked fence was a dark, official-looking building. On the fence a sign read Hawkins National Laboratory - U.S. Department of Energy. The building appeared deserted for the night, most people having gone home to their families and dinners. However, in one dark hallway the lights flickered as if the building was experiencing electrical issues. A door at the end of the short hall stood closed. It was a heavy looking door, one surely not easy to force open. But open it did as a middle-aged man, wearing a white lab coat, burst through. As he did the sound of an alarm could be heard, steady and loud.
The man ran down the hall and turned the corner, making a beeline for the only thing worth reaching. An elevator. Sweat drenched his face, and the man took great panicked gulps of air. Several times the man looked frightfully over his shoulder, clearly he was running from something. Reaching the elevator, the man pummeled the button many times as if he could summon the carriage more quickly. Waiting for the lift that could not come fast enough, the man searched the hall behind him but it remained empty.
The elevator doors opened and he hurried inside quickly pressing the buttons for the upper levels. Waiting for the doors to enclose him he watched the hall for any sign of movement, as he did his ears registered a strange and terrible sound. A sound like growling but it did not come from down the hall. No. It sounded far closer. Gripped in sheer terror the man tilted his head back to glance above him. Suddenly the man was lifted up by some unknown force and the elevator doors closed upon the horrified screams of a man clearly meeting a gruesome death.
Several miles off, the quiet of the night was broken, along the neat lawns of a suburban neighborhood, by the start of a sprinkler. Families all along the street prepared themselves for bed, having jobs and schools to go to in the morning. But in one basement sat four boys not tired in the slightest and far from preparations of the coming morning.
"Something is coming. Something hungry for blood," said Mike Wheeler, a young boy with long dark hair and a thin face. His voice was soft as he regaled his friends with an announcement of impending doom. "A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness. It is almost here."
The others boys stared in awe and crushing anxiety.
"What is it?" asked Will.
"What if it's the Demogorgon?" piped up Dustin. "Oh Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon."
Lucas quipped, "It's not the Demogorgon."
"An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber," exclaimed Mike.
Dustin almost sighed in relief and amusement. "Troglodytes?"
"Told ya," Lucas jibed.
The boys chuckled, amused, one even snorted.
"Wait a minute," Mike suddenly grew serious. "Do you hear that? That...that sound." The boys stared around at one another, the basement once again flooded with nervous anticipation.
Their leader continued, "Boom...boom. Boom!" He slammed his hands on the table.
His three friends all gave a startled jump.
"That didn't come from the troglodytes. No, that...that came from something else." He slammed a game piece onto the table proclaiming loudly, "The Demogorgon!"
The boys groaned in unison.
"We're in deep shit!"
Mike implored the boy across from him, "Will, your action!"
"I don't know!" Will said hopelessly.
"Fireball him!" Lucas asserted.
"I'd have to roll a thirteen or higher!" Will protested.
"Too risky," said Dustin. "Cast a protection spell."
"Don't be a pussy. Fireball him!"
"Cast protection."
Mike cut across his friends, "The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering. It stomps toward you. Boom!"
"Fireball him, Will!"
"Another stomp, boom!"
"Cast protection!"
"It roars in anger!" shouted Mike, clearly enjoying himself as Will struggled to come to a decision. Throwing caution to the wind Will cried out, "Fireball!" and threw the dice across the table which scattered across the surface and onto the floor.
"Oh shit!" Will yelled.
Mike hurried to search the basement floor, "Where'd it go? Where is it?"
"I don't know!" Will scrambled across the floor as his friends frantically looked about them for any sign of the dice.
"Is it a thirteen?" asked Dustin.
"I don't know!" he said, yet again.
Lucas grew exasperated, "Where is it?"
Dustin felt this was too much for him to handle as he kept up a string of "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my Gods."
Shouting over each other and crawling across the basement floor in search of the elusive dice, the leader of the little gang failed to notice the distant sound of a woman's voice calling out.
"Mike! Mike!" The door to the basement opened and a lovely woman stood at the top of the steps. "Mike!"
Mike, still on his knees stared up at his mother, annoyed. "Mom, we're in the middle of a campaign."
"You mean the end? Fifteen after, " With a stern look his mother retreated into the house. Mike bolted up the steps, his friends' voices fading as he entered the kitchen to bargain with his mother.
"Mom, wait, just twenty more minutes."
Karen shook her head, "It's a school night, Michael. I just put Holly to bed. You can finish next weekend."
"But that'll ruin the flow."
"Michael-" she started, but he cut across her. Evidently, she didn't understand the importance of this night.
"I'm serious, Mom. The campaign took two weeks to plan," He hated the pleading sound in his voice, but this was far more important than his pride. He added in a low mumble. "How was I supposed to know it was going to take ten hours?"
"You've been playing for ten hours?" she asked, sounding most displeased.
Exasperated, Mike turned to his dad, who stood before the television, fiddling with the antennas.
"Dad, don't you think that twenty more-"
Not looking up, Ted interrupted his son, "I think you should listen to your mother."
Static issued from the television and Ted slammed his palm on the top with frustration. "Dang dumb piece of junk," and he continued fiddling with the antennas.
Mike rolled his eyes and gave his parents up as a lost cause. Down in the basement Will snatched something small out from under the stairwell.
"Oh, I got it! Does the seven count?"
Lucas cast a glance at Will. "It was a seven? Did Mike see it?" Will shook his head no and Lucas retorted as if speaking to someone dense, "Then it doesn't count."
Putting their jackets on they cleaned up the space, knowing their next campaign would be jeopardized if they didn't.
Lifting up a pizza box Dustin peered inside then asked, "Oh hey guys. Does anyone want this?"
"No," replied Lucas and Will before they climbed the steps out of the basement.
On the second landing of the house Dustin heard a soft voice speaking in a broken up conversation of one who speaks to someone on a phone.
"Oh yeah...No I don't think...Yeah, he's cute...Barb, no, I don't think so."
Dustin stood at the entrance of a girl's room and waved to catch Nancy's attention, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Barb, you're not-"
Dustin quickly interrupted, "Hey, Nancy." She glanced up. "There's a slice left if you want it. Sausage and pepperoni."
"Hold on." She set the phone upon the mattress, got up, and crossed the room. Dustin grinned at her and she smirked back sarcastically before slamming the door in his face.
Outside, where Lucas and Will prepared to mount their bikes Dustin informed Mike, "There's something wrong with your sister."
"What are you talking about?" Mike asked.
"She's got a stick up her butt," he replied.
"Yeah," Lucas piped up. "It's because she's been dating that douche-bag, Steve Harrington."
"Yep, she's turning into a real jerk," Dustin complained.
Mike rolled his eyes. "She's always been a real jerk."
Beginning to peddle away, Dustin said, "Nuh-uh, she used to be cool. Like that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign."
"Four years ago!" Mike reminded him.
"Just sayin'," he called back.
"Later," said Lucas as he too peddled away.
Will stood with one leg on either side of his bike but had not mounted the seat. Looking up at Mike, who was slightly taller than him, he said, "It was a seven."
"Huh?"
"The roll," Will explained. "It was a seven. The Demogorgon, it got me." He got on his bike too. "Welp, see you tomorrow."
Will peddled away. As Mike watched his friend bike away the lights over their garage flickered, and he looked around momentarily puzzled. Then, with a tired shrug, he turned the outside lights off and headed back in.
The three boys biked side-by-side down the middle of the dark road, headlights lighting the path before them. They passed a young couple walking opposite them on an evening date. Lucas swerved across the road, riding up to his house, calling out as he did so, "Good night ladies."
"Kiss your mom 'night for me," Dustin responded slyly. He turned toward Will. "Race you back to my place? Winner gets a comic."
"Any comic?" Will asked, interested.
"Yeah," he answered. Immediately, Will lowered himself closer to his handlebars and sped off.
Dustin called out, "Hey. Hey! I didn't say go! Get back here!" But Will continued to speed down the road until a few minutes later he raced passed a small neat home.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Dustin yelled.
"I'll take your X-men 134!" replied Will.
Dustin coasted to a stop using his feet to brake before his mailbox, panting from their race. "Son of a bitch," he said.
Turning down Mirkwood, Will reveled in the fill of the night air against his face. It had grown colder and a fog had begun to settle over the ground but Will didn't mind after the long hours spent in Mike's basement for the campaign. The area grew darker as street lamps had not been placed this far out into the woods. The light from his bike passed over the fence of Hawkins Lab and Will knew he would be home in minutes. He suddenly realized how tired he was after all and looked forward to bed. To Will, the night felt like any other night.
Suddenly the headlight of his bike dimmed before completely blacking out. Will looked down at it, puzzled, but before he could begin to form ideas of what caused it, the light popped back on. He looked back up to watch where he was going and that's when he saw it.
He gasped in fright and instinct caused him to jerk his handlebars to the right. He felt the wheels roll off the road and he was thrown from his bike. Groaning in pain Will pulled himself onto all fours. He could feel a burning sting in his knees and he knew he had scraped them pretty bad. A terrible snarling noise sounded from several paces away. Like some rabid animal. Gasping again in fear, Will jumped to his feet, pain and bike forgotten. He fled through the trees in the direction where he knew home, and safety, waited.
He ran fast. Faster than he had ever run in his life. He felt the pounding of the his feet upon the ground, his backpack slamming on his back with every terrified step. What was that thing he had seen? It had looked like a tall, skinny man but strangely distorted. Yet what man made snarling sounds like that? Coming to the driveway of his home, he pushed himself harder. Every breath drawn becoming more ragged and panicked. He didn't dare look behind him.
Finally, Will reached his home and he darted inside grateful to find the front door unlocked. He quickly locked the door, half-afraid that the chain lock wasn't strong enough to keep the stranger out. The family dog barked loudly at the front door.
Running throughout the house Will called out, "Mom? Jonathan?" No one answered.
Panicked Will checked his mother's bedroom, "Mom?" Finding no one Will wondered if the thing had followed him all the way here, or maybe, just maybe it never gave chase. He ran to the living room and lifted the blinds to the front window. He peered into the foggy night. At first he saw nothing but then the horrifying sight of an approaching silhouette could be seen just beyond the clothes hanging from the clothes line in the yard.
Absolutely shivering in horror Will ran to the phone on the wall and dialed the emergency number.
The line rang a couple of times before someone picked up, but no one spoke.
"Hello?! Hello?!" Will shouted into the receiver but the line turned to static. As he desperately listened for someone to come across the line a shadow passed over the window of the front door. Will froze in terror and as he stood there he saw the chain lock slide easily from the holder of its own accord, as if someone invisible had just unlocked the door.
Dropping the phone Will turned and fled out the back door. All thought vanished from mind now except that of survival. He burst into the shed out back turning the light on, and shutting the door behind him. Grabbing the shotgun off the wall he poured a box of bullets over the table, and with trembling fingers, he quickly loaded the gun. With the cartridge loaded and safety off, Will held the gun aimed at the door, waiting as he shook with fright. He heard growling but it did not come from outside the shed. It came from within. Will turned to peer behind him as something seemed to grow taller, and the light in the shed grew brighter. In fact the light grew so bright it was a shock it didn't burst with the force of its power. The light became blinding until, quite suddenly, the light dimmed back to its normal level of brightness and all was quiet. The strange silhouette, and Will, nowhere to be seen.