Hey guys. This is a new story that will be added into the rotation along with Blue Viper and the returning Puppeteer. I started this because I was unhappy will Will's character and unsatisfied with the ending of Season three. Season four is set to resume production this month, so we can be looking forward to seeing season four next year. Maybe. Damn CoVid. Other news: School started two days ago, the same day as my birthday. Oh well. Enjoy the introduction chapter. It was a bit rushed and short, but I want to get Puppeteer out and also start updating on Fiction Press. Have fun.

Their friend Will had just moved away. It hadn't been for long, only a few days, but the town and their hearts already felt empty without him. Though the party had made many new friends and had, admittedly, endured a lot with those new friends, losing a member of the original party was tough. Especially when that party had gone through what they had gone through. It didn't help that they had lost Hopper recently too.

Indeed, the group had been through more than an average man would ever experience in a lifetime. The terrors of the supernatural. The cold grip of death. The stuff of nightmares. The children would never regain their innocence, the adults would never regain their lost sanity, and it felt as if they had aged by many years after the entire ordeal was done.

The kids separated their adventure into three phases and named each phase in accordance with the geeks in their hearts. The Awakening when the Gate first opened and Will had been lost. It was when they first learned the horrors of the Upside Down. On the bright side, they had met Eleven, but their lives were never the same. It wasn't over when they found Will and stopped Brenner. Next was the Arrival, when the hidden boss, the Mind Flayer, took over Will. Their lives had flipped and they were facing something that threatened not only their lives but threatened the entire world's safety. Somehow, the kids and adults managed to stave off the threat and made it so that Eleven was able to close the gate. It wasn't over. During the Return, Mind Flayer 2 tried to exact revenge on Eleven for her actions during the Arrival. It had almost succeeded too, and Eleven even lost the usage of her powers. The destruction of the world was averted due to the sacrifice of Hopper.

And so, it was finally over. The group had stopped an evil Soviet plot. They had made sure that the Second Gate remained forever unopened. The Mind Flayer was gone from the face of the Earth and trapped in the Upside Down. The Beyers had planned the move a while ago, and the group had all said their goodbyes. It wasn't like they weren't coming back, they would come back to visit, but without El and Will actually living there and being able to see them constantly, the town still felt empty.

Thanksgiving was only two weeks away and the Beyers promised they would visit during that time. They didn't move too far away: their new house was in Charleston West Virginia, and both Eleven and Will went to the George Washington High School. Each of them brightened up at that, knowing that they would once again reunite with their friends. All was well.

Will had smiled throughout the day. No one at his new school noticed since they didn't pay him too much attention, but his eyes were tired. His smile was strained. All of what had happened to him in the past two years was weighing on him. Will, of course, hid the restless nights and nightmares. In fact, it seemed that after they had once again closed the Gate, the nightmares grew worse. Despite all of this, he still kept his grades at a reasonable and average level. He still participated. He smiled. He laughed. Only his mother knew. But she didn't say anything about it. She didn't know how to approach. The past few months, she supported him in the only way she knew how: to talk to him and let him be. Now she had run out of words, and so she could only leave him alone and hope for the best. Eleven was no help either. Not only was she more pressured with social life now that she was without close friends, but she was also very disappointed and even scared that she had lost her powers. It was still there, and she could feel it. She just lost the ability to draw upon the energy and use it.

Will, too, felt more alone than ever. At least Eleven had Mike that she could phone. Will only had himself. Slowly, he developed the habit of talking to himself. Most times, his eyes and face were empty as he stared off into the distance. He desperately wanted to seek company. Then, his conversations started to feel less and less like talking to himself, and more and more like talking to someone else. That other voice was comforting. It was inviting. It understood him. And he let it in.

Two days before they were set to go back to Hawkins, Will chose to walk home alone. It wasn't uncommon these days for him to do so. Longer talks required less human interactions. Just a little while from his school, he paused and stood beside a tree. His conversations with the Other Will had told him to come here. Five minutes. Then ten. He had no idea what he was waiting for, only that he was to wait. Then, from beside him, a crack. Then two. A red glow.

Every day Eleven went to the backyard to practice her powers. Every day she left to do her homework feeling more frustrated than ever. And every day at night, when she was in bed, Mike calmed her down and helped her feel like she was ready to try again. She blamed the bug. The bug theory was something that Dustin came up with. It must have been the bite. Once she was bitten, that bug must have done something to her and sealed off her powers. A check-up from the doctors revealed nothing out of the ordinary in her blood or body. The kids deduced that it must be something exclusive to the Upside Down. The headaches followed the nosebleeds. She continued to try.

Eight sighed as she crashed into a small mat they stole. It was another abandoned building, this time a garage. She wondered how her sister was doing. It must have been nice, she was thinking, to have people worth fighting for. All she had was a gang of misfits and outcasts. Same as her, sure, but not family. Maybe she would visit. Thanksgiving was coming up. Where did she say she lived? Ah yes. Hawkins. The same town. Maybe she would go back.

Suzi was off from school. Excitement filled her heart. Finally, after months of not being able to see her Dusty-Bun, and only able to view his face in her dreams, she would meet his face once again. A little giggle. Dustin said that he would introduce him to his friends, and maybe even tell her a secret. Suzi smiled. She liked stories and secrets almost as much as she liked Dustin. Her mother called her downstairs to eat.

It was unbearably cold, and yet he was somehow still sweating. His arms were fatigued. He was dizzy. His back hurt. In the dull light of the sun and fog, the snow seemed to glow with an ethereal gleam. Hopper paused his motions, resting his pick on the ground, to wipe his sweat. His hair was all but gone, but his spirit remained strong. A guard hut caught his eye two weeks ago. He would get out no matter what. Glancing at an approaching officer, Hopper replaced his hat and continued to hit the rail. He would get out. He swore it.

"Hello, William."

"It's... just Will."

"Of course. Let's go, shall we?"

Shadows are crushing me.

Darkness as far as I can see.

Rainbows in the sky are grey.

Sun hasn't even bothered to show today.

(Song)

And that was that. Hope you guys enjoyed it! I'll try for longer chapters on all of my stories. If you have suggestions, or you know the lore better than I do, please do tell me. And speaking of which, if you can help find a cover picture, that would be nice! And if you draw it yourself, I'll credit, of course.

Note: I will not use anything from the comics.

Next Update: Puppeteer