I've never done an OC story for stranger things before but I've had this idea for awhile. I hope you guys like it!
December 15th 1984
Steve Harrington sat at the kitchen table of his empty house staring at yet another rejection letter. He had three more tucked away in the bottom of the garbage can in his room. But this time there was no point in hiding it. He tossed the letter in the kitchen garbage and hardly bothered covering it up. His parents were out of town until after the new year down in Florida. Steve had been left alone for long periods of time for years. His parents had always had the decency to be home for Christmas or his birthday. Until now.
He brought his hands to his face in an attempt to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Dark circles had made a permanent home under his eyes ever since the events of Halloween week. Images of the Upside Down, the demodogs, and Will Byers passed out in his room in clothes drenched with sweat haunted him at night. Sleep had become his enemy. The only reason he had managed to keep up with his school work was because he was up until at least four AM every night. He had a lot of time on his hands and there was only so much of it he could fill with television and sports.
One of the only things keeping him sane was the kids. Every weekend after dinner he picked them all up and drove them into the woods and to Hopper's cabin so they could meet up with their telekinetic friend. Seeing them, so young yet so much better equipped to handle what they'd been through than he was, made him feel more motivated to keep his head above water. Dustin's mother had appointed him Dustin's official baby sitter so it wasn't uncommon for him to spend his weeknights at the Henderson house playing video games and ignoring homework.
But Claudia had taken off of work for Christmas break, leaving Steve alone in a big empty house. The soundtrack of his night being rain tapping on the roof.
He stood with his eyes glued on the rejection letter sitting atop a pile of takeout containers and microwavable food boxes. It seemed his plan to work for his father would end up playing out after all, only excluding the part that included Nancy. For a little while he had actually been hopeful that he could do something with his life after high school. That he could get out of Hawkins.
"Screw this." He muttered as he bent down to tie up the garbage bag. He didn't even bother getting a rain jacket as he headed for the back door.
Steve took two steps out the door and stopped dead in his tracks. The outside light was already on. Though that wasn't always uncommon, it was motion activated and the occasional squirrel set it off. What was uncommon was the shadow of a person cast from the side of the house and the sound of rusting a few feet away. As slowly and quietly as he could Steve set the garbage bag down on the ground and started towards the side of the house where the family kept the garbage cans.
The shadow on the ground was long and lanky in an eerie sort of way. Other than that he couldn't make out much. His heart started to pound. Had someone from the lab tracked him down? What would they want from him? Should he run up to his room and get his nail bat?
Every step he took threatened to give him away but he managed to peek his head around the corner. His eyes landed on someone bent over one of the garbage cans and digging around in it. The baggy jacket they wore with the hood pulled over their head made it impossible for him to make out any details of their appearance. Rain water from the gutter poured out next to them and splashed onto their boots. As he got closer he could see them shivering.
Only a few feet away from the stranger Steve stepped on a twig that cracked loudly under his foot. He watched their hooded head snap in his direction. Heavy shadows were cast across their face but he was easily able to make out piercing blue eyes that stopped him dead in his tracks. Though he couldn't see them well he could see fear written across their face as clear as day.
Steve held his hands up. "Hey, it's okay." He said as gently as he could. "I'm not going to hurt you, alright?" Blue eyes the size of saucers darted from his face to his hands at the speed of light. They looked like a scared animal in the direct line of a predator. "I'm going to come over there to we can talk, okay?"
He took a few steps towards them, close enough to make out their features easier. Enough to figure out they were a girl. He must have gotten too close to her liking because she stepped back. Her hands still gripped onto the garbage can tight enough for her knuckles to go white. His eyes drifted down to her wrist, where her jacket had pulled up enough to expose up to three inches of skin. Steve was pretty sure he could feel his heart stop at the sight of black ink numbers.
006.
