The gang arrives in Sacramento. Mike is the most excited to see Eleven, as it's been almost 3 years. When they open the door, they see a dark, asbestos filled space. Some alcohol bottles litter the floors, some intact, some shattered. She didn't do the best job trying to clean up. Mike wonders if she is okay, or if she's still alive. Luckily, he sees El emerging from her room, her hair almost overgrown, and acne breaking out on her face, yet she's still beautiful. She lunges and embraces Mike tightly, thanking him profusely. She immediately forgets why she called them, hugging everyone tightly. Dustin notices the tied down man and asks, "Who the hell is he?" Eleven now remembers why she called them up and tells them about the man. When they attempt to talk with him, even with Lucas saying that he can trust them, the man doesn't even move an inch. They decide to leave him be, and try to talk with him in the morning.
The next morning arrives, and everyone is preparing their breakfast, when one of them notices the man is missing. They venture out to find him in the backyard. After a while, they find him by a tree tying a noose. Steve attempts to rescue the man from his attempted suicide. The man responds by pushing Steve back with his powers, screaming on the brink of tears, "Why can't you just let me die?" Eleven slowly approaches him, telling him, "It's okay, no one's going to hurt you. It's alright you see. You can come down now." The man slowly but surely comes down. He looks somehow frozen, despite the absence of snow. El asks, "Do you have a name?" He replies, "014 is the only name they ever gave me." Lucas responds, "How about… Joseph?" The man likes the name, saying, "Joseph. I like that." Joseph joins the gang back inside.
Meanwhile Hawkins is now a near ghost town because of previous tragedies. People still live there, but not as many as there used to be. Almost everyone left due to growing belief that the town was cursed, and the destruction caused by the "earthquake" had not been repaired or rebuilt. Most of the police force is gone too. The town is barely functioning. Crime is skyrocketing. People are being mugged, raped, or worse, and there is barely a police force to help them. Some call it 'The Gotham of Indiana' due to the high crime rate. It's almost like Lord of the Flies out there.
Jim Hopper has been reinstated as police chief, but even he can't keep the rising crime rate under control. He also ends up leaving the town, leaving most to fend for themselves. Hawkins is losing more and more money and more and more people and then, a mysterious investor emerges and offers the mayor a lucrative investment deal in building a brand new hotel, called Shake-O-Rama, to be built over the old Hawkins Laboratory. (The name is a satire on the insensitive nature of certain people, trying to make money off of horrible tragedies.) The mayor, desperate for cash to save the sinking town, immediately signs the contract without even checking where the money is coming from and who is building this hotel. This is left ambiguous as to who is building it, but it is implied to be the mafia. People in churches start developing new religions to worship the creatures, and hopefully appease them. People have started to turn on one another, which mainly started the rise in crime. A new sport appropriately dubbed, 'Demon Hunting', has plagued the town, and is the town's main employer. Town folks hunt these creatures for food and money. Demogorgon hide suits and other clothing is a popular trend here.
Back in Sacramento, Eleven is still skeptical of Joseph, and believes he may attempt suicide again. She goes to her bedroom, puts on a blindfold and travels into The Void to keep
an eye on Joseph. She can't let him run off again. Joseph is seen crying. She has never seen anything like this. However Joseph actually knows Eleven is looking right at him, and looks right in her direction. He says, "You don't need to hide. I can see you." Eleven has never seen
anyone able to talk with her in The Void before. A conversation between her and Joseph begins, with Joseph asking why Eleven is spying on him. Eleven replies that she just didn't know what else to do, and that she was worried that he would run off. Joseph replies, "Well is there privacy in this household?" Eleven replies, "Yes there is. What I'm trying to say is that I admit I was paranoid for you. I didn't want you to run off and make an attempt on your life again." Joseph sighs. "Alright I understand." Eleven asks him again why he attempted to end his life. Joseph, on the brink of tears says, "You wouldn't believe me. No one ever believes me." Eleven replies "Why would nobody believe you? Why do you want out of the world so bad? Please. Tell me. I can get you good help." Joseph responds hesitantly with this monologue, and all you see is him talking, and Eleven's reaction to the story, like Quint's Indianapolis Speech from Jaws. He starts in a psychotically calm tone, but slowly escalates to a mental breakdown.
"I really just wanted it all to end. I mean, why do I exist? Just to suffer? Just to be ignored? Just to be forgotten? Just to live the rest of my life as a goddamn lab rat?! What they did in that hellhole of a lab, I will never forgive, or forget. That wasn't a lab. It was a horror show. I always heard these blood curdling screams as if someone was being butchered alive. I didn't pray for them for long, it seemed pointless. What god would ever allow this? I remember this one morning, night, whatever the hell time it was, I was staring at a wall, I heard the screams again, which at the time I had gotten used to, but these screams were louder, longer, and really horrified me. I peeked through a crack in the door, trying to see what was going on outside. I finally mustered the courage to leave my room during a time like this and what I saw, no amount of alcohol or drugs will ever get rid of. The walls were painted red, with the blood of children all over the place, they were in their rooms, in the hallways, their eyes were gouged out. I had to play dead, but even then I didn't feel safe, and I waited for a couple of minutes, waiting for my turn to see the light, and hoping it would be quick. I finally got the courage to stand up and find out what was going on. I ran up to the play place in an attempt to find help, or at least I think it was a play place, anyway I saw from afar, you, with blood covering you and your eyes literally bloodshot all over, and the thing that scared me most wasn't the blood, but the lifelessness that lay in those eyes. It was like I was looking right at the daughter of Lucifer. I immediately knew you were the one who did all this. I felt sorry for you and thought you just couldn't take it anymore, so I forgave you despite what you did. I escaped the lab after seeing that, because my sanity wouldn't last another day in that place. It was easier than I thought it would be to escape. After that I've wanted to live a normal life, but it all just seems pointless. But most of all, I wanna find out who I am, by finding my parents, learning my true name. Simple stuff that the good people of Hawkins take for granted. But everything and everyone seems to be against me and I guess it's because they think I'm crazy. I started seeing these horrible tragedies before they actually took place, and I tried to warn everyone there, but no-one ever believed me. I felt alone. So that's why I tried to jump off that bridge and quite frankly El, you should have just left me there to die."
Eleven knows what he is talking about, but she can't help but feel sorry for him. She attempts to reply, but Mike yanks the blindfold off her face to tell her that they found something really bad outside. She immediately goes out into the backyard with the rest of the gang. They find the remains of a family of three. The bodies have been stripped of their skin, and they have been gutted like deer. It's a disturbing sight. One of the gang members literally vomited off camera. They immediately call the police, who search the entire property.
After an extensive search, no evidence was found. Throughout the next few hours, multiple people turn up in a similar state. They were always groups of people instead of just one person at a time. The gang is now starting to think the worst. They aren't taking ANY chances this time around and immediately start packing their bags, getting ready to get the hell out of Sacramento.
During the drive, we see Joseph is seen sitting in the far back all by himself. Mike notices this and switches seats so Joseph doesn't sit by himself. Joseph is shaking. Mike asks what's wrong. Joseph says, "At Noon, Something Wicked This Way Will Come." Will, realizing what he means, turns the vehicle around and starts speeding toward Hawkins.
We cut to a shot of the car, with a dead body in the foreground being dragged away by an unseen lanky creature. After a long drive the gang finally make it to Hawkins. But the creature actually follows them there, and is the hype man of an almost inconceivable Lovecraftian entity, called Mortifier, (Latin for bringer of death) which is a creation of Vecna's.
We cut to a man at a payphone calling someone. His face is unseen. The shot is continuous. Eventually, the camera rises to see the man's face. This is ROBERT IVES, a retired WW2 and Vietnam veteran. He seems to be looking for someone, but whom?
End of Chapter 2