We cut to Mike, who while unpacking his suitcase, reveals a DIAMOND RING. He has been waiting for a while to propose to Eleven, but didn't know the right time to do so. He closes up the suitcase, with the ring still inside. We see Joseph standing on the balcony, which has a fantastic view of the sunset. Mike walks out. They engage in a friendly conversation in the background. "Beyond The Sea - Bobby Darin." plays over a radio.
We see Robert Ives driving, looking at a pocket watch with a picture of TWO babies. He says, "Jane, where are you?" He looks through stolen records and birth certificates.
Meanwhile Eleven goes to bed, and almost immediately starts to have a nightmare. It shows all her friends being killed in grotesque ways by an unseen entity. Eleven wakes up in a state of panic, and starts to become paranoid once again. We cut to her boarding up the windows and drinking heavily. Mike sees this and through a lengthy conversation is able to talk her out of it. Eleven starts to question herself, thinking she might be going insane.
Back in Hawkins, everyone is going about their day, when a massive fissure opens in the middle of town. The time is 12:00 PM. A red mist erupts from it, lasting about 10 seconds. For another 15 seconds, everyone present looks at the fissure. No music is playing. Then a hand bursts from the fissure, the music kicks in, and it triggers man's natural fight or flight instinct. They obviously run. Another hand emerges, and then a head. It's MORTIFIER, in its first of three forms. It is 50 ft tall. It has the body of a scorpion and the head of a great white shark. It has blood constantly oozing out of its mouth, and has Demogorgen-like mouths on its belly and back, constantly opening and closing. Dozens of Demogorgens, demodogs and other disturbing creatures emerge from the fissure. Chaos explodes across the street. Everyone runs away, trampling each other. Some are eaten by the Demogorgens, some by Mortifier, most people are trampled by their own friends and family, and suffocated to death. The creature seems to have a limp, and it sounds like it's whimpering and not wanting to do what it is doing.
After a few moments, Mortifier starts to change rapidly, screaming a disturbingly humanlike scream, which sounds like millions of voices crying out at once. The creature is now bipedal, 70 ft tall, and is a darker shade of red. The scorpion tail is gone, giving the creature a much more Godzilla-like appearance.
Back at the house, the gang is watching Tv, with Eleven sitting at the dinner table all by herself, starting to drink away her sorrows, thinking she is going insane. Mike goes to comfort her. The show she is watching is interrupted by a news bulletin that shows the attack on Hawkins downtown. The gang is shocked. The day of reckoning is upon them. They see smoke rising from downtown. Mike asks El, "Why are we here? We could stop that!" Eleven replies, "I don't know if we can. We would surely die if we tried to." Mike responds, "You don't know that! There is still time!" Meanwhile, the demons in her head are ridiculing her relentlessly. She eventually agrees to assist them. Joseph says to this, "Oh forget it, she's a loose cannon, especially when she drinks." Eleven snaps, "What did you say?" Joseph replies, "I didn't stutter. You are a loose cannon. She's too dangerous! What if she turns?" Eleven spit, "You mother…" She tackles him. The gang Steve and Mike break up the two. Joseph yells to her, "You seem to have it all don't you? People who are there for you, trust you, you have a good life and what happened to me? I was cast aside like garbage, left to rot in confinement alone, trapped with the voices in my head! Where were people like you for me? Huh? Why do I get the people who do sick, disgusting things to children, and touch them wherever and whenever?" He breaks down crying. Dustin utters, "Jesus Christ." Joseph apologizes profusely until he nearly falls asleep.
Meanwhile, Robert Ives has made it to Hawkins, where he is greeted by Hopper. The conversation is casual. Robert eventually says, "I'm looking for a woman named Jane Ives." Hopper reacts with shock, "You're one of them, aren't you? You stay away from my daughter." Robert asks, "One of whom?" Jim replies, "I see. Well, why are you trying to find her?" Robert responds, "She's… she's my biological daughter." Jim takes a while to respond, before finally saying, "What? How should I believe you?" Robert says, "I know about Martin Brenner, about the lab, and its secrets. I was once a spy during World War 2, and I used the skills I learned in the field to uncover this information. I've tried to save her on numerous occasions, but all attempts were unsuccessful." Hopper asks, "Are you here to take her back?" Robert replies, "No. I just want to make sure she is okay."
We cut to Eleven, who's having another nightmare. This one is like the one before, or her friends turning into grotesque abominations, but it cuts to the Void. There are two versions of her present. No one else. The False Eleven taunts her, belittling her with hateful slurs and insults, and even laughing at her. She wakes up from this nightmare, sweating profusely.
She starts looking out the windows in a panic. Mike takes notice and goes to comfort her. She tells him, "Stay back!" Mike says, "Easy El. There's something you are not telling me. I can see that. What's wrong?" Eleven replies, "I can't get it out of my head. The nightmares just keep coming." Mike asks, "What are these nightmares? It's okay, I won't tell anyone else." Eleven replies, "They are… they're of everyone around me melting into… these monsters. Everyone turns against me and tries to kill me. Even you turned into one of these… things." Mike turns her gaze to his eyes and says, "These dreams are not reality. We'll make sure of that. We will never hurt you." Eleven tearfully says, "Thank you."
End of Chapter 3