Hello everyone! I first watched the Stranger Things series about a month ago, and I really enjoyed it! I think it definitely (as the seasons go by) has the potential to end up as one of my top shows of all time! I love the characters, the plot, the 80's feel... it's all very well done. I'm going to be writing a series of little "episodes" taking place directly after the original series, so I hope everyone enjoys it! I'm certainly looking forward to it!
Without further ado, please enjoy the first chapters of my new series, The Others!
Truthfully, it had never been quiet for the town of Hawkins since the bizarre incident just a few weeks back. Christmas was approaching, but still, even with the upcoming holiday, the city as well as all surrounding cities could not stop buzzing about the mystery. Upon the discovery of brain-crushed corpses in the middle school, the chatter had been nonstop; but it's easy to see why. For such a quiet town, it was the biggest news story and the biggest garner of national attention in it's entire lifespan.
The date, December 15th, was a sweet sound to Mike's ears, however. With the combined weight of school and the crushing disappearance of Eleven, he had began to feel a bit lost. As if the discovery of another dimension wasn't enough, now he had to deal with the knowledge that El may be stuck there; cold, miserable, alone. It bothered him greatly; no, even more than that. It killed him to know that someone as sweet and innocent as her had to be taken away from the world. But December 15th marked the beginning of Christmas break, which Mike accepted with cordial hands.
This specific day; a Saturday, he slept in. During weekends as of late, he has formed a habit of doing so. His parents associated it with depression, which he couldn't really deny. The events of November had chipped away at his psyche to the point that falling asleep and dreaming were the highlights of his life.
Mike sat up in his bed, rubbing his eye drowsily. A quick glance at the clock revealed the time: 12:06 PM.
He jumped out of his bed, remembering his mother's request for him not to sleep past eleven o' clock, quickly changing clothes to make it appear as though he's been up for a while. He picked up his walkie talkie, lifting it to his ear quickly.
"Lucas" he spoke into the microphone, "Lucas? Do you copy?"
There was a touch of static before he released his finger from the button, and then a brief moment of silence before Lucas promptly responded.
"Yeah" Lucas bluntly replied.
"You're supposed to say "over" when you're done talking" Mike retorted, "remember? Over."
"Whatever. Somethin' wrong? Over".
Mike pressed the button to reply once more.
"No, nothing's wrong. We still up for the arcade at two? Over".
"Yeah. Dustin and Will up for it too? Over".
Mike continued pressing the walkie talkie against his ear as he exited his room, a thoughtful look on his face as he opened the door, slowly closing it behind him.
"They're meeting us there at two. Over".
"Sounds good. See ya' there. Over".
Mike remembered he had the walkie talkie and cracked his door once again, tossing it on to his bed before turning to head downstairs. He began walking, but stopped at the mirror outside of his bedroom, remembering that this was the exact mirror Eleven once looked into. He remembered the exact context too: they had dressed Eleven up in traditionally feminine clothing in order to disguise her, which proved to be efficient. He smiled as he recalled Eleven causing Troy to wet his pants; a memory that will forever remain amusing to him. However, subsequently, his mind wandered back to the disappearance of El, turning his smile upside down instantaneously.
Stop it, Mike he scolded himself as he looked away from the mirror, it's like mom says; I need to think about other things. You can't change the past...
He sighed before proceeding down the stairs, running his hand down the railing.
Snow was one of Mike's many fascinations. Something about the chilly air combined with hot chocolate, the adrenaline of sledding, the madness of snowball fight and the feeling of the snow crunching beneath his boots; it was just all too magical. So, naturally, everyday he'd come downstairs, he'd wish upon a star to see snow masking his front lawn; even during summer days. Now, in December, it was something he constantly expected to happen.
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, he peered out the front door; the reflection of green on the grass meeting his eye. He looked on in slight disappointment, proceeding to the kitchen to fix himself a bowl of cereal.
Mike wasn't the only one severely affected by the experience; not even close. Will Byers was perhaps took the biggest hit mentally after being trapped in the Upside-Down for a prolonged amount of time. The nightmares were nonstop for him, and even in class, his friends would spot him drawing pictures of disturbing nature; dead bodies, strange worm-like creatures, the face of the demogorgon, as well as a drawing of the four of them being devoured by a dark, shadowy figure.
Although it creeped the three of them out, Will insisted that it was just a form of "psychiatric therapy". Still, the images engraved in his notebook managed to shake them emotionally every time he'd pull them out in class.
He gently poured himself a bowl of cereal, adding a touch of milk as well as adding a spoon to top it off. He set the bowl gently on the table, careful not to spill any of the milk on to their recently cleaned dinner table. As of recently, due to the events of November, Mike had felt continuously isolated from the friends and family around him. He hoped that today would change that, but also warned himself that things can still go wrong. Things could always go wrong.
He suddenly heard noise from behind him and turned to face the source, but turned back around in disinterest upon realizing it was simply his teenage sister, Nancy.
"Mike" she spoke to him, which he was hoping she wouldn't do. He now considered it to be a burden to respond to his sister at all; especially in trivial conversation. It just wasn't worth it, as many time, their talks ended in petty arguments.
"What?" he asked, trying his best not to sound too hostile.
She sat down in the chair diagonal to him, looking at him with an unusual expression of concern.
"You aren't alright" she simply stated. "I can tell".
"Why do you care?" Mike retorted, dropping his spoon into his cereal. "I thought that Steve guy bought every single piece of your worry. I mean, you never stop talk-"
"This isn't about Steve" she muttered, cutting him off. "This is about you. Mom obviously isn't concerned, so I mean..."
Mike looked at her with an empty face, trying to decipher if she had concealed intentions.
"She isn't?"
Nancy shrugged briskly, trying her hardest to maintain a proper exchange of words.
"Well, you know what I mean. She's busy with work and all... she just doesn't get that you lost a good friend. Well, maybe she does, but she's not handling it like a mother should. I mean, isn't she supposed to be offering emotional support or whatever? All she ever does is say "it'll be okay". But seriously; I want to make sure that you're okay, because... it's not easy".
Mike glanced at her incredulously, eating his cereal at a rapid pace; noting the slight awkwardness, but respecting her concerns all the same. It just wasn't something he expected to hear from his sister.
"Define okay" he responded, not knowing exactly how to answer.
She sighed quietly, scratching the back of her neck.
"Umm... I mean, are you like... stable? I mean, of course you feel sad, but are you..."
"I don't want to die, if that's what you're asking me".
Nancy recoiled with subtleness, caught off guard by her young brother's blunt answer. However, his answer was quite striking. She had heard of teens, even kids committing suicide during harsh times in the past, and she feared that perhaps Mike would consider such a drastic decision.
"Well, that's good" she impulsively spoke. "It's just that, when I lost Barb... it felt awful. I just wanted to make sure..."
"I know, I know" he said. "I'm glad you actually care... at least a little bit, but I'm fine. It's Will you should be worried about".
She squinted her eyes in confusion, standing up from the table.
"Well, I mean... he was stuck in hell..."
"Not hell; the upside down" he corrected her.
"Whatever" she replied, "I've been there. It's hell to me. I saw the thing that tried to... I don't know... suck his soul out, or something. I just hope he can actually recover from being stuck there".
Mike continued eating his cereal, paying close attention to Nancy's words at the same time.
"So, you suddenly care about Will now too?" he questioned with a mouth full of food, beginning to finish his afternoon breakfast.
Nancy began to walk away, assured that her brother is fine for now.
"I'd say I empathize more now... why?" she asked with a cynical grin. "I guess traveling across dimensions can change you".
Mike nodded in affirmation, remembering his sister's words. She hadn't been the same after crossing to the Upside-Down, after all. Just as she had noticed her brother's change in behavior, he had noticed hers. They had both experienced the death or disappearance of a friend; Will, Barb and now Eleven, and were familiar with the devastation of loss.
Perhaps it's true that isolating himself from family wasn't the smartest thing to do, and he knew that now. As Nancy exited the room and headed back upstairs, he noted that bitterness towards the closest people in his life was not longer acceptable. He couldn't continue to live in loneliness and expect to make it out unscathed. After all...
He feared that it was far from over.
Meanwhile...
The Hawkins National Laboratory was a very peculiar place indeed. Little had such a small town gained such a huge amount of attention due to such a crucial slip-up. The lab had made an immeasurable mistake by opening the portal, using Eleven as a tool to do so. Not only did it cause the demise of innocents, but also resulted in the fine line between worlds being broken.
Little did they know, it was broken permanently.
The Upside-Down was also a very peculiar concept in itself, being completely contrary to everyday reality. Coldness, darkness and emptiness were the words most commonly echoed by those who witness it. They assumed that these words were all that described it, and that the Demogorgon was the lone villain to emerge from the laboratory portal.
However, like most of the multiverse, the scientists only knew one percent (or less) of the dimension. There were things beyond what the scientists could ever contain or comprehend, but what they did not know could not bother them. They assumed that the Demogorgon was the lone creature of the empty space, and thought nothing more...
They stationed guards at the entrance to the portal for more than a month in case anything were to emerge (which nothing did) until they could conjure up some sort of solution. However, since November, they had come up with nothing short of hypothetical thinking. There was seemingly no solution to closing the threatening portal; except one foreign idea. They feared that their only solution may be the young experiment known as Eleven. They hypothesized using her inter-dimensional knowledge to form a solution, as well as utilizing her telepathic abilities. She opened the portal, so was it possible that she could somehow close it?
"You ready to go, Rogers?" Doctor Price, the new lead scientist spoke to his assistant upon receiving the cue to begin their treacherous mission back into the portal. Their reasoning? To attempt to retrieve the mysterious experiment Eleven.
"Ready?!" he answered swiftly, "when the last guy who went in there came out as nothin' but a buncha' blood and mush?"
The determined Price laughed in response.
"Well, sir Rogers" he spoke jokingly to his fellow scientist, "I didn't sign up for inter-dimensional travel, now did I?"
Some would describe Dr. Price as stoic, composed, driven and clever. However, the more casual term for his mannerism would be: "intelligent, but still a douchebag". His amber eyes and long shaggy brown hair created a look, along with his beyond six foot five frame, that said: "I am of importance".
Dr. Rogers, however, was quite the contrary. During his years as a highway patrolman, he was constantly berated for being short and a bit sheepish in nature; although quite stern when needed. He insisted on not taking the great leaps that Price had planned; some of which he feared would cause harm to innocent lives. It reminded him of Dr. Brenner's former inhumane experiments, and the lengths he would go to reach success...
However, Dr. Rogers desired to value life and innocence over success. He despised Price's mentality of: "you gotta do what you gotta do". One could look in his deep blue eyes and underneath his trimmed blonde hair and see the reserved gentleman underneath. Although he disagreed with the lead scientist, he had to abide by his rulings. If they wished to recover Eleven, who was he to say no? In fact, he wished to prove himself by entering the world itself.
"I did" Rogers responded to Dr. Price. "So long as there ain't any more of those monstrosities lurkin'".
Dr. Price chuckled.
"That thing has been gone for a month now. You shouldn't encounter any real problems, but if you do... you have my condolences".
Dr. Rogers rolled his eyes as he glared at the foreign portal once again; feeling an overwhelming anxiety, but attempting to knock it aside. This would be his chance to prove that he belongs among the elite scientists and doctors. It was now or never...
"Well then" Price spoke with authority. "Since you don't seem to be nervous at all... let's get on with it".
Rogers nodded, concealing his uncertainty as he stepped towards the opening, the other scientists looking on stiffly as he shuffled closer and closer. He tightened his mask as snuggly as he could, prepared for the assault of noxious air and oppressing cold.
Rogers took one last look backwards, the thought of the lack of a harness or other missing precautions crossing his mind more than once. Price confidently motioned for him to venture forth, which he did reluctantly.
As he pressed through the thick, bizarre consistency, he found himself growing more and more worried with each passing second. With another glance backwards, all that envelops his sight is unsightly slimy walls and condensed light, pressing him to turn back around to face his objective head-on. He was too far now to turn back...
As he found himself staring a new reality head on, he listened to the strange, distant echoes of sounds he couldn't quite decipher. The sounds were audible, but beyond questionable. They somewhat reminded him of far-off screams; too distant to make out one from the other. It seemed as though they merged together to form one continuous echo of misery, invoking a feeling of discomfort deep in his stomach.
"Weird sounds" he spoke, holding down the button of his communications system. "Sounds like... a scream. It's endless... never seems to stop" he added, continuing to observe his surroundings.
"Sound like a little girl?" Dr. Price asked intently.
"No, no" he responded. "It's not the experiment. I can't for sure say it's not the wind or somethin', but it's pretty spooky..."
"Don't use that word. You're a prestigious scientist. Remember?".
"Whatever, Price".
"Any signs of life?" Price went on to ask, curious about what his fellow scientist is currently witnessing.
He scanned his surroundings as he ventured further and further away from the ominous portal, staring blankly at the dark trees and the gloomy sky.
"No. The opposite, actually... this whole place seems completely void of any life..."
He spoke with truth. His surroundings seemed to echo exactly what Dr. Price told him: that no life would exist in this world; aside from the experiment, of course.
"As expected. Find the experiment, would ya'?"
"Be patient" Rogers suggested. "I just got here. It's... it's incredible. But, I have a question".
"Which is?"
"If the experiment could be here, couldn't that thing be also?" he asked nervously. "They both disappeared, so..."
"We've been over this, Rogers. She killed that thing with her mind, accordin' to those kids. She just teleported or something. Don't worry about it".
Dr. Rogers silently decided to dismiss his concerns, deeming them as a threat to the mission. He had to complete his assignment... it was the only way to prove that he belonged.
"Hello?!" he called into the open air after releasing the button on his communications device, not bothering to consider the possibility of something being nearby aside from him. "Experiment 011! Do you hear my voice?!"
He received no answer aside from the lingering sound of the wind, or what he envisioned as a scream. He turned from left to right, scanning the formations of rocks and trees ahead with wide eyes. Although cautious, he remained open to venturing forth, the fear of a hostile presence no longer nagging at him.
"Don't think there's anything here. Permission to proceed... say... twenty yards?" Rogers asked into the device.
"Permission granted. Move fast" he heard Price's voice tell him in response.
However, the second he took a step, he heard a leaf crush underneath a considerable amount of weight from his right side, and he whirled around to face it, his flashlight beaming in the direction of the rustling.
"Foreign presence detected" he whispered into the radio, fear causing his voice no noticeably shake.
"Do you see it?" Price questioned aggressively.
"N-no" he responded, shining his light at the array of trees from which the noise originated from. "No visibility. Permission to turn back?"
"Yes, if threat is imminent".
Rogers began to back away from the trees and towards the portal about ten yards behind him, the screams of the air beginning to take a toll on his psyche. Then, he detects movement from behind him, and turns around with a weak gasp, coming face to face with none other than the experiment.
"Y-you!" he coughed, grasping his stomach in attempt to recover. "You damn near scared me to death!"
Eleven looked on blankly, blinking as she stared ahead at him.
"H-how are you still alive? What'd you eat!? Aren't you cold?!" he questioned frantically, backing away from her slowly once again, recalling the gruesome specifics of what she did to Brenner.
Once again, Eleven just stared ahead as if Rogers were speaking a foreign language; which was partially true. Her knowledge of the English language was quite limited.
"You... you need to come with me" he spoke, enunciating each word and pointing to the portal.
Eleven knew what the doctor was trying to get across, and also knew that Brenner was dead. She recognized his uniform, and knew the only way back was the portal in the laboratory. She knew that she had to go with him, but she also knew her abilities were sufficient enough to allow escape if needed.
Eleven slowly nodded, turning to the portal with a half-smile.
"Let's go" she spoke clearly.
To Dr. Roger's shock, Eleven led the way back to the portal. He noted the stains of blood on her sleeve, which hinted that she had been forced to use her abilities on a vigorous measure somewhat recently.
As they came face-to-face with the passage, Rogers turned to the strange child with a curious expression, taking one last glance at the cold, dark world behind them.
"Were you alone?" he slowly asked her before they pressed on.
Eleven looked at him innocently.
"Alone?" she questions, not understanding the word.
"Was it just you in here, or were there... other people... or things?"
Rogers sees her eyes grow a touch wider before she takes an unsteady breath, turning back to the portal.
"Were you?" he pressed on again.
She took one last solemn look at him before quickly turning back to the opening, pressing on through the portal with somewhat of an urgency.
Rogers sighed as he two entered the portal once more, pressing down the button to notify Price of their returning.
"Returning with objective in stable condition" he spoke. "We'll be there in a moment".