A/N: Content Warnings: Fear, Language, Disturbing Content, Death.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things. All characters, settings, and events are the property of the Duffer Brothers. With the added exception of any original characters, of which there should only be one who isn't just minor background people in scenes.
I hope you enjoy the Autumn of '83!
The night air was fairly warm, a holdover of a dying season grasping to its last breath in the face of autumn. If one were to look up they would see a vast painting of stars littering the sky, titans of fire from another place far out of reach.
Between the weather, the stars, and the lack of any clouds that could obstruct the light of the moon, one could even go as far as to say it was an ideal evening. The sound of crickets singing a song of content, the flutter of moths and fireflies, the rustle of leaves as tree branches swayed in the wind.
Yes, to some it was perfect. Others, however, might have felt differently.
Hidden deep in the woods of Hawkins, Indiana. protected by an all-encompassing chain-linked fence that reached toward the heavens, was a dark and foreboding building. The kind of building that seemed unassuming enough to the untrained eye.
Posted on the fence near the gate leading to the building was a sign reading 'Hawkins National Laboratory - U.S. Department of Energy'. The laboratory appeared abandoned for the evening, the workers likely having headed home from the stresses that the nine-to-five brought.
This truth did not remain true for very long however, as the earth that surrounded the building was abruptly illuminated under the harsh glare of a search light and an alarm began to sound about the premises. From within the stone walls of the lab came a torrent of armed men, like ants from an anthill, followed by an official looking woman with blonde hair and a black overcoat.
"Scour the grounds," The woman said. "Find the child. We can't afford to lose any more subjects."
The men ran every direction, some headed to nearby military vans and others headed into the field. Beams from flashlights attached to the end of guns danced through the evening air from point to point, landing on any place that might serve as a hideaway from prying eyes.
"Over here!" A voice shouted from across the grounds.
The woman's heels squished on the damp earth as she made her way towards the voice, flanked by two armed escorts. She came to a stop about thirty yards away from the building near a large tree and a white pole with security cameras at the top.
The soldier who had called out turned toward her, gun still aimed at the ground where he stood. "I think I found something."
The woman trailed her gaze downward, passing over a large amount of rocks and resting on a tunnel inset in a concrete barrier. She nodded and the armed man adjusted his gun from the rocks to the entrance of the tunnel, light reflecting off of a splash of deep, red liquid just at the mouth of the metal pipe.
The woman went still, watching for any sign of movement and carefully listening for even the faintest of sounds. A scraping noise abruptly reverberated out of the pipe and the woman signaled to the men next to her. They quickly and immediately rushed to their assigned vehicles, intent on investigating the other side of the tunnel. The blonde agent's eyes lifted from the pipe and settled straight ahead, staring coldly into the trees.
Another forty yards or so directly in front of where the woman stood, though she could not see it, a body emerged from the pipe. Weak hands clung desperately to the metal lining of the tunnel as a young child, no older than twelve, dragged their limp body forward and over the edge.
With a thud the child fell to the forest floor, chest heaving as they attempted to sit up. The child pressed a hand to their abdomen, applying as much pressure as their fatigued muscles would allow to a wound that was leaking profusely from underneath their hospital gown. Weak, careful steps distanced the child from where they had exited the tunnel, creating a auditory trail of crunching leaves and twigs. The sound of yelling began to echo through the trees, a sign that the soldiers were gaining ground. But the child's injury proved too much, and after limping a few more yards they collapsed.
Their labored breathing grew more erratic as they rolled onto their back and fixed their eyes at the canopy above. Through the swaying branches they could see the night sky, and at its center the large glowing moon. The breeze nipped at their face, and for just a moment they imagined what it would be like to fly.
A sudden snapping noise alerted the child that they were no longer alone. They slowly turned their head to the right, their unoccupied hand flying up to shield their eyes when a bright beam of light shined directly onto their face.
"Don't move!' A male soldier kept his gun aimed at their chest. "Keep your hands where I can see them!"
The young child lowered there hands and leveled their gaze on the soldier. Blood began to trickle from the child's right nostril and soon a gunshot echoed through the woods.
A/N: I'm going to treat this like a story book; so instead of long chapters the episodes will be split into smaller chapters that form eight parts.
Next chapter will start off with part one; the contents of Episode 1.
This will be the first part of a multi story series that will cover the entire show itself and the moments that happen for the applicable main characters in between each season.
This work covers Season 1, and will be told from multiple perspectives. It is largely canon compliant, as most changes/additions are made in between scenes or result in added dialogue.
Fair warning, there is a heavy insertion of an Original Character, if you aren't into that then this might not be for you.
If you are reading this for the second time or more, you might notice a large difference in overall story content. I wrote the entire story originally with every scene of the show included, but I decided while working on the first sequel that I wasn't a fan of that. The story didn't feel like it cohesively had the same voice. So I will be rewriting the chapters one by one and updating them. Another major difference is one of the characters name, as it was changed to stay canon complaint. So if you are wonder where Trae is, that is what happened.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave feedback if desired.
Until our stars next align!