A/N: I know its been a while, but my muse has been cooperating recently. I hope your enjoy this set of Stranger Drabbles!

Raid

After sending his mother to look for a cat he new was already dead, he ran to the supply closed and tore through looking the gear that would most protect him when he went to face his former pet and friend, Dart. Dart was no longer the little tadpole, or even the scrappy reptile, that Dustin loved. He was not a mini Demogorgon, flower face full of teeth an all. In raiding the closet Dustin found an assortment of protection from hockey goalie leg pads to a baseball catcher's chest padding and a catcher's mask. As he marched toward the door to his bedroom, he looked like a cross between a Samurai warrior and sumo wrestler.

Smuggle

Steven Harrington heard the door chime and looked up from his perch behind the counter at Family Video. What he saw was...not possible. Nor was it pleasant. It was Hopper, but it wasn't. His head was shaved and he looked emaciated. Like he had eaten, or eaten well in some time. His head was shaved and he was scowling though a film of dirt covering his face. He wore a blue coat and tattered gray pants.

"You're d-dead!" Steve stammered.

"Maybe," Skinny Hopper answered. "But I still wound up in this lousy video store."

"Why do you look like that?" Steve ventured.

"I don't know, Kid," Hopper groused. "Probably has something to do with Stalag 13. Your friend Robin had you watch it right? William Holden, right?"

That was a German prisoner of war camp," Steve said. "You look more like a Holocaust survivor."

"Not as bad as that but not much better. You need to come get me. Smuggle me out. I've already got something going."

"I need to what?"

School

Erica Sinclair had a secret. She was the only one at Hawkins Elementary that knew it. There was another damn dimension out there and she was part of the team that evil toilet bowel from leaking into ours. All the these fools, even her friends, had no idea the role she had played in saving the damn world. And, as much as she wanted to tell them, she was smart enough to keep her sassy mouth shut. The last people she wanted to talk to were those nerds, but as she gathered more information from Dustin, and sadly her own brother, she began to realize that these nerds had already done it twice before she even got involved.

Gifted

Dustin Henderson could not believe his eyes when he watched Mike take the final step backward and disappear over the cliff. James' knife immediately fell from his throat as he and troy stood frozen in shock. Dustin fell to his knees, his jaw slack with shock. This couldn't be real! Son of a Bitch! Why would Mike do that? Why would he die? Did he really think that James and Troy would hurt him. Dustin's life was not more important than Mike's. Why would he...Dustin's head was bowed and his hands were open before him when he heard new steps on the rock path. He looked up to see the beautiful site of El coming up the path. He suddenly heard Mike's pleas to be back on solid ground. The slack jaw morphed into a toothless grin and again into a fierce battle face. He railed on the bullies as James screamed in pain, holding his arm, before he took off running.

Karma

After looking through the Dungeons and Dragons manuals that Dustin had given her, Erica decided she needed some of her questions answered.

"Dustin, do you read me?" her voice dripped into the radio. "This is a code red. As in Code Dead if you don't get on the line right now."

Silence.

Erica huffed in agitation as she reread the section on the demogorgon.

"Did you here me, Nerd? I need know about the demogorgon and how the hell a 24 sided die is going to kill it."

A burst of static came over her handset.

"You better not be avoiding me, Dustin Henderson. I know where you live and I will hunt-"

"I see your threat level is already at Defcon 4, Erica," Dustin interrupted. "If you want to talk, ask nicely."

"I don't ask nicely, Curly-cue," Erica shot back.

"Then you have every thing to lose. Try again tomorrow, Nerd. Dusting signing off."

Gambit

Erica's relationship with her brother what much like the stalemate of the Cold War. If either pushed too hard or lost their heads, it was a mutually assured destruction. Keeping that in mind, she wanted to know more about the Upside Down, demogorgons, and the Mind Flayer. She had talked to Dustin, and some of the others, but as pathetic as she found herself, she wanted to hear it from Lucas. She knew the events would be the same, for the most part, but his perspective was important. He had something she wanted and she was willing to broker a peace to get it.

She found him on the living room couch reading some book about the temperature of burning stuff. Nerd.