The Hopkins crew were at Dustin's house. They trying to play D&D, but no one could really get into it. Everyone, except for Will. "Lucas, it's your turn to roll the dice," Will ordered.
"I can't," Lucas exclaimed. "My girlfriend is traveling to some foreign country. She's going somewhere dangerous. I should be with her to make sure nothing bad happens to her. I love her too much."
"Is that your first time saying you love her?" Erica asked.
"No, I'm sure I've said it before," Lucas said. Now that he thought of it, he never said those words to her. He thought it, but the words never left his mouth. Max had never said the words either. They weren't a super affectionate couple. Max and Lucas have been dating for almost three years, so everyone assumed they had already confessed their love.
"Dang Sinclair, I didn't think you had it in you," Steve said. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders.
"Even Suzie and I have already said the words, and we live states away," Dustin said. "What's your and Max's excuse?"
"She's intimidating," Lucas shouted.
"Wow, Lucas is whipped," Robin said. Before Lucas could respond, the ground began to shake. Everyone fell to the ground. The D&D board fell off the table, landing upside down.
Once the shaking was done, everyone slowly stood up. Robin rubbed her hand on her head. "This is almost as bad as when we were drugged by the Russians last summer," Robin murmured.
"And you weren't the one who was beaten," Steve said.
"Guys, earthquakes never happen in Hopkins," Lucas said.
"Yeah," Erica said. Will grabbed his neck. He hadn't sensed anything from the Upside-Down since the Battle of Starcourt. He didn't even get that feeling when Eleven's powers returned.
"It's time to call El's friend," Will said.
The plane landed in the evening. They wouldn't be able to go to the prison until the morning. They went to an inn for the evening. They paid for two nights. They'd pay for more if needed.
Eleven sat criss-cross on one of the beds. "I'm going to try and get the address," Eleven said. "Blinde fold me?"
Joyce fastened the blindfold around Eleven's head. Eleven cleared her mine, and she was soon in the Upside-Down. She saw someone strapped to the chair. The person in the chair had a bag over their head. Two older gentlemen appeared behind him. There was a short, chubby bold man and a tall slender one.
"Is this a good idea?" the shorter one asked. "He's just a kid. Not much older than my granddaughter."
"Yes," the taller men shouted. "Do you not understand what we have on our hands here? He's connected to the Upside-Down. One of the Upside-Down creatures used him. The creature hasn't fully left him. This might be our best way to understand the second dimension."
The boy in the chair began to wake up. He started to fidget with his straps. "Looks like our little spy is awake," the tall men said. He pressed a button, and the boy let out a pain-filled scream. The scream sounded awfully familiar.
She was back at the prison. She made her way to the fence and walked it until she was at the entrance. That's where she found the plate that had the address on it. She took off the mask, and they started to form a plan.