Mike, Lucas, and Dustin took the two homeless kids to the Wheeler house, and went into Mike's room.
"Is there a number we can call for your parents?" asked Mike.
"Did you two run away?" asked Lucas.
"Where's your hair?" asked Dustin. "Do you two have cancer?"
Mike elbowed Dustin before turning back to the homeless kids. "Are you in trouble?"
"Is that blood?" asked Lucas, pointing out the blood dripping down the kids' noses.
Lucas reached towards the kids but Mike slapped his hand. "Stop, you're freaking them out!"
"Well, they're freaking me out," Lucas retorted.
"Maybe they're deaf," Dustin theorized, as he clapped his hands loudly. This scared the kids, confirming they're not deaf.
"That's enough," Mike scolded. "They're just scared and cold."
Mike went to a basket of clean laundry and gave some to the kids. The kids were about to take off the clothes they were wearing, but Mike stopped them. Lucas and Dustin covered their eyes, as they didn't wanna see the kids get naked in front of them.
Mike gestured towards a nearby room. "That's the bathroom. Privacy, get it?" He turned towards the boy. "Go one at a time."
The boy grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom. Mike was about to close the door for him, but the boy stopped him.
"You don't want it closed?" asked Mike.
"No," the boy replied.
"So, you can speak?" asked Mike. "Uh, how about we just keep the door…" He moved the door so it was only three inches open. "Is that better?"
"Yes," the boy replied.
Mike left, leaving the boy to take in his surroundings.
While the boy was getting changed, the boys got a good distance away from the girl to talk privately.
"This is mental," said Dustin.
"At least the boy can talk," Mike retorted.
"He said 'yes' and 'no'," Lucas retorted back. "Your three year old sister says more."
"They both tried to get naked," Dustin added. "Something's wrong with them, like wrong in the head."
"I bet they escaped from that nuthouse in Kerley County, Pennhurst," Lucas theorized. "Seriously, think about it. That would explain their shaved hair and why they're so crazy. They're escapees, that's the point, possibly psychos, like Mike Myers. We should've never brought them here."
"So you're saying you want to leave them out in a storm to die?" asked Mike.
"Yes," Lucas replied. "We went out to find Will, not another problem."
"We should tell your mom," said Dustin.
"Who's crazy now?" asked Mike. "If we tell mom what we found, we'll have to tell them that we went out when we weren't supposed to. If I tell my mom, who will tell your moms,"
"Our houses become Alcatraz," Lucas finished. "And we'll never find Will."
"Here's the plan," said Mike. "They'll sneak to the front door and ring the doorbell. Mom will answer and send them back to wherever they came from. We'll be in the clear. And tomorrow night, we go back out, and we find Will."
A bit later, Lucas and Dustin walked upstairs to leave the house, while Mike set up a fort for the kids.
"You really think they're psycho?" Dustin asked Lucas.
"Wouldn't want them in my house," Lucas replied.
Lucas and Dustin finished walking upstairs.
"Hey, I never asked your names," Mike told the kids.
The kids showed their tattoos. The girl's "eleven" and the boy's "twelve".
"Are those real?" asked Mike, as he was about to touch their tattoos. They pulled their arms away. "Sorry, I've never seen a kid with a tattoo before. What do they mean?"
The kids pointed at themselves.
"Those are your names?" asked Mike. "Eleven and Twelve? Okay. I'm Mike, short for Michael. Maybe we could call you, Elle and Elvis, short for Eleven and Twelve respectively."
The girl nodded, and the boy smiled, signifying they like the nicknames.
"Okay," said Mike. "Goodnight, you two."
Mike went upstairs to his room, but on the way, he heard Elle say, "Goodnight, Mike."
Mike went upstairs, as Elle and Elvis fell asleep. They were both still scared of the storm, but they were both happy, because they knew they were safe here.
Stranger Things
Chapter 2
The Weirdo on Maple Street
The next morning, in the Byers household, Jonathan just finished cooking breakfast and set the plates on the table.
"The Xeron opens in 30 minutes," said Joyce. "I don't want you going alone, so I'm gonna have Karen take you, 'cause I should be here. We need to make 300 copies. How much is a copy? Ten cents?"
"Mom!" Jonathan raised his voice. "Don't get like this."
That's when they heard a knock on the door.
Joyce answered to see it was Hopper.
"We've been waiting six hours," she told him.
"I came as soon as I could," Hopper assured. "We searched all night, all the way to Carterville. Flo says you got a phone call?"
"Yeah," Joyce replied.
Hopper looked at the phone, and it looked fried.
"The storm got this pretty good," said Hopper.
"The storm?" Joyce asked in disbelief.
"What else would do this?" Hopper retorted.
"Can't we trace who made the call?" asked Jonathan.
"It doesn't work like that," Hopper replied. "Are you sure it was Will? Flo said you just heard breathing."
"It was him," Joyce assured. "It was Will. He was scared, and then something…"
"It was probably just a prank call or someone trying to scare you," said Hopper. "This thing's been on TV. It brings out all the crazies. False leads, prank calls…"
"It wasn't a prank, it was him," Joyce interrupted. "Do you think I'm making this up?"
"I don't think you're making it up," Hopper replied. "I think it's just your mind and emotions messing with you…"
"You think I don't know my son's breathing?!" Joyce shouted. "Wouldn't you know your own daughters?"
Hopper just stood there in silence. The reminder of his daughter's death really hurt him.
Eventually, Hopper got back on topic. "Have you heard from Lonnie yet?"
"No," Joyce replied.
"I've waited long enough," Hopper decided. "I'm having him checked out."
"You're wasting your time," said Joyce, but by then, it was too late. Hopper already left.
Jonathan went after Hopper and asked him, "Please, let me go with you, to Lonnie's. If Will's there, it means he ran away. If he sees the cops, he'll think he's in trouble. He'll hide. He's good at hiding."
"Well, cops are good at finding, okay?" Hopper assured. "Stay with your mom. She needs you."
Hopper got in the car and drove away.
Meanwhile, at the Wheelers', Mike toasted four waffles for breakfast. He stored two of them in his pocket, one for each of the homeless kids, and he kept the other two for himself. He quickly scarfed them both down.
"Smaller bites, Mike, yikes," said Nancy.
"Did you study at all last night?" Mike asked his sister before winking.
Nancy knew what Mike was really asking. She was unfazed. She simply said, "Yeah, actually. I did."
"What was your test on again?" asked Mike. "Human anatomy?"
Now Nancy was getting tired. She kicked Mike's chair as a warning. Mike kicked her chair back.
"Hey, what's going on?" asked Karen.
"Nothing," the two siblings replied in unison, before getting back to eating their breakfast.
In the basement, Elle was messing with Mike's walkie, while Elvis sat and watched.
Mike came in to check on the kids. He saw Elle playing with the walkie.
"You found my supercom," he said. "Cool, huh? I talk to my friends with it, mostly Lucas because he's the closest. The signal is weak." Mike handed the kids a waffle each. "Got you breakfast."
The kids took their waffles and started eating them. They instantly took a liking to them.
"So, I need you two to head out and towards the front door," said Mike. "Ring the doorbell. My mom will answer. Tell her that you're lost, but whatever you do, don't tell her, or anyone, about last night. Really, it's no big deal, we'll just pretend to meet each other again, and my mom, she'll know who to call."
The kids just stared in confusion.
"No," Elle simply said.
"You don't want my mom to get help?" asked Mike. Elle shook her head. Mike realized what that meant. "You're in trouble, aren't you? Who are you in trouble with?"
"Bad," was all Elvis said.
"Bad people?" Mike inferred. "That wanna hurt you?"
Elvis simply made a gun shape with his fingers and pointed it towards his head, before turning it towards Mike's.
"Understand?" he asked.
"Mike, where are you?" Karen called out. "We're gonna be late."
"I'll be back," Mike assured the kids. "Stay put. You'll be okay."
At Hawkins Lab, Brenner was talking to some other scientists, including Connie.
"When was this?" asked Brenner.
"Last night, two hours away," Connie replied.
"And the boy?" asked Brenner.
"Still missing," another scientist replied.
Brenner went into a room and listened in on a conversation between Joyce and someone else.
"I heard Will," said Joyce. "And there was something else. It was like some sort of animal. I dunno. Just tell Hop to hurry."
Meanwhile, Hopper regrouped with his fellow policemen, who were still out with the search party searching for Will.
"Any luck on your end?" asked Hopper.
The other cops didn't reply. One of them, Callahan, only asked his own question. "You?"
"Just a dead phone," Hopper replied.
"And Joyce?" asked Callahan.
"About a step away from falling off the edge," Hopper replied.
"She's been that way for a while, has she?" asked Callahan.
"She's missing her child," Hopper retorted. "Show her some class."
Hopper walked off and the other cops followed.
Meanwhile, at Hawkins High, Nancy and Barb were walking down the halls, continuing their studying, when Steve barged in and took one of the flashcards.
"Steve," Nancy scolded.
"You've studied enough, Nance," Steve retorted. "Don't worry, you got this. Now, on to more important matters. My parents have left town, my dad is going to a conference and my mom's going with him because she doesn't trust him. Are you in?"
"For what?" asked Nancy.
"No parents, big house," one of Steve's friends, Carol, hinted.
"A party?" Nancy guessed.
"Ding ding ding," said Carol.
"It's Tuesday," said Nancy.
"Come on," Steve assured. "It'll be low key, just the five of us, are you in or out?"
Before Nancy can answer, Carol gestured towards something else. "Oh, God, look."
Everyone turned to see Jonathan hanging up missing posters of Will.
"Should we say something?" asked Barb.
"I don't think he speaks," Carol replied.
"How much you wanna bet he killed his own brother?" Steve's other friend, Tommy, asked.
"Shut up," Steve retorted.
Nancy looked at Jonathan with guilt. She decided to approach him.
"Hey," she said. "I just wanted to say, you know, I'm sorry about everything. Everyone's thinking about you. It sucks. I'm sure he's fine. He's smart."
That's when the bell rang, so Nancy left for class, but not before wishing Jon luck for finding his brother.
The intercom activated, as the principal announced an assembly on the football field in support of Will and his family. Jonathan simply walked out of the school.
Meanwhile, in Hawkins Middle, Lucas and Dustin took their usual seats in science, when they saw Mike not in his seat.
"His dumb plan failed," Lucas assumed.
"I thought you liked it," Dustin retorted.
"Yeah, but it was still stupid," Lucas retorted back. "Or else he'd be here."
"Yeah, Mike's in deep shit right now," said Dustin. "If my mom finds out…"
"No, Mike wouldn't rat us out," Lucas assured. "All that matters is, after school, those freaks will be back in the loony bin, and we can focus on what really matters, finding Will."
Some random ginger nearby stared at the kids in annoyance. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Meanwhile, Mike walked back to his house.
After he went in, he approached Elle and Elvis, and led them out of the basement. He started showing them around. He showed them the TV, but they got distracted by the photos on the wall.
"Pretty," Elvis remarked while looking at a picture of Nancy.
"I guess," said Mike, as he gestured to a photo of the whole family. "That's my sister, Nancy. That's baby Holly, and those are my parents."
Elle then turned to the green armchair.
"That's our lazyboy," Mike explained. "It's where my dad sleeps. You can try it if you want. It's fun. Trust me."
Elle sat on the chair, and Mike pulled a lever, causing the legs to be lifted up. It shocked Elle at first, but she enjoyed it. Mike pulled the lever back, causing the legs to go down. Elle pulled the lever herself, lifting her legs up again. She enjoyed it just as much. The three kids laughed.
Jonathan drove down a not-so-busy highway right as the song started playing on the radio. He got emotional over it, 'cause it was Will's favorite song.
Flashback
Play "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" by The Clash
A few years back, Jonathan and Will were hanging out in Jon's room when this song started playing on the radio.
Darling you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
"You like it?" asked Jon.
"Yeah, it's cool," Will replied.
If you say that you are mine
I'll be here til the end of time
"Alright, you can keep the mix if you want," said Jon. "All the best stuff is on here. It'll change your life."
"Yeah, totally," said Will.
Unbeknownst to both of them, Joyce and Lonnie were arguing. Neither of them cared to listen because they were too busy enjoying the song.
So you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
"Do you even like baseball?" asked Jon.
"No," Will replied. "I don't know. It's fun going with him sometimes."
It's always tease, tease, tease
You're happy when I'm on my knees
One day it's fine, the next it's black
"But has he done anything with you that you like?" asked Jon. "Like the arcade or something? He hasn't. He's trying to force you to like 'normal' things. You shouldn't like things 'cause you're told you're supposed to. Especially not him. But you like the Clash, for real?"
"Definitely," Will replied.
So you want me off my back
Well come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
End of Flashback
By the time the song stopped playing on the radio, Jon already left Hawkins.
Meanwhile, Joyce drove over to the general store. She went to buy a new phone. Since Joyce already gave her money to Jon for the posters, she asked for a two-week advance.
Meanwhile, at the Byers', someone knocked on the door. When no one answered, the guy gave an all clear.
Hawkins Lab scientists, including Brenner, got out of a small van. They searched the house and everything around it for any sign of, something they were looking for. Once they entered the shed, they came across this strange substance.
"Incredible," he said.
Meanwhile, at Mike's, he was showing Elle and Elvis around his room and showed off his toys. They both got distracted when they saw some golden statues on a shelf.
"Those are my science fair trophies," Mike explained. "I got first place every year, except last year, I only got third."
Elle looked at a photo of Mike and his friends holding a trophy. She stared at it with intrigue, and eventually pointed at Will.
"You know Will?" asked Mike. "Did you see him?"
Elle didn't answer. The three heard a vehicle pulling up. They looked out the window to see a car pulling up, meaning Karen's already home.
Mike quickly grabbed Elle and Elvis's hands and they made a run for the basement. Once they saw Karen coming in with Holly, they ran back up.
Karen heard their footsteps. "Ted, is that you?"
"Just me, Mom!" Mike shouted.
"Mike, what are you doing at home?" asked Karen.
"I'll explain everything in a second!" Mike answered.
Mike led the kids back to his room and opened the closet door.
"Hide in here," he told them. "I won't let my mom find out about you, I promise."
"Promise?" the kids asked, unaware of the term.
"It means something you can't break," Mike explained.
Elle and Elvis got into the closet. The door shut on them, and the cramped space brought back a lot of traumatic memories for them.
Flashback
Elle and Elvis were carried down the hall by two scientists. The kids called out to their "papa", Brenner.
Brenner ignored them.
The kids were thrown into a small room. The scientists closed the door and locked it tight. The kids continued calling for their "papa", but no one came.
After a while, they stopped calling. They huddled into the corners of the room and cried.
End of Flashback
Mike spoke to his mom in the Living Room.
"I woke up and my head hurt real bad," Mike lied. "My throat was scratchy and I wanted to tell you, but the last time I said that, you made me go to school anyway, and…"
"Mike," Karen interrupted. "I'm not mad at you. All this that's been going on, I can't imagine how you're feeling. I want you to feel like you can talk to me and not feel like you have to hide anything."
That's when they heard a thud.
"What was that?" asked Karen.
"Nothing," Mike repLIED. (A.N. Get it?)
Meanwhile, Joyce returned home with the new phone. She quickly took it out of the box and plugged it into the wall. She waited for the phone to ring.
Meanwhile, the search party's search carried towards a cliff. One of the cops looked tempted to jump.
"Don't jump, I still need you," Hopper ordered.
"George survived the jump and he was drunk as a skunk," Powell retorted.
"George is a liar," Hopper retorted back. "You jump from this height, the water turns into cement. Hits you like a ton of stones, breaks every bone in your body."
That's when Flo called Hopper through his walkie. "Chief, you copy?"
Hopper answered. "I copy."
"We got a call from over at Benny's," Flo explained. "I think you need to get there."
Hopper and the cops went over to Benny's. They searched the diner and found Benny dead, surrounded by flies. It looked as if he committed suicide.
"Missing kid, suicide," said Callahan. "You must feel like a big city cop again, huh chief?"
"I mostly dealt with strangers back then," Hopper replied, a few tears falling down his face. "Benny was my friend."
Meanwhile, Jonathan drove through Indianapolis until he found a certain house. He approached the front door and knocked.
A woman answered. "Can I help you?"
"Is Lonnie home?" asked Jon.
"He's out back," the woman replied. "What do you want?"
"To look around," Jon replied.
Jon walked past the woman and quickly started searching the house for Will. After looking in a few rooms, someone shoved him against the wall.
"Get off me!" Jon yelled as he shoved the man off of him. That man was his dad, Lonnie.
"Man, you got stronger," Lonnie complimented.
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" asked the woman.
"Jonathan, Cynthia," said Lonnie. "Cynthia, Jonathan, my oldest."
Lonnie was about to hug Jonathan when he shoved him off.
"Get off me, man," said Jonathan.
Meanwhile, Lucas and Dustin were with Mike and the others in his room. Mike just explained his new plan to his friends. Get Elle and Elvis to help them find Will.
"You're out of your mind!" Lucas shouted.
"The girl knows about Will," Mike retorted. "That means the boy must know too."
"What do you mean?" asked Dustin.
Mike grabbed the photo Elle pointed at earlier.
"She pointed at him, at his picture," Mike explained. "She knew he was missing, I can tell. Just think about it. Do you really think it was a coincidence that we found them in Mirkwood, the same place where Will disappeared? And they said bad people were after them. I think these bad people are the ones who took Will. They might know what happened to them."
"Then why don't they tell us?" asked Lucas, before turning to the kids. "Do you know where he is?" He shook them violently. "Do you know where Will is? If you know where he is, tell us!" He then turned back to Mike. "This is nuts! We have to tell your mom!"
"No," Mike retorted. "They said telling anyone will put us all in danger."
"What kind of danger?" asked Dustin.
"Danger danger," Mike replied.
Mike made the same gesture Elvis made earlier. Lucas just slapped Mike's hand.
"No, no, no!" he shouted. "We're going back to plan A! We're telling your mom!"
Lucas opened the door, but right as he opened it, the door seemed to close itself. Lucas tried again, but the door shut itself again, and this time, it locked itself.
The boys turned and saw Elle's nose bleeding.
"No," was all she said.
Meanwhile, Jonathan went to the back of Lonnie's house and found a car. He quickly checked its trunk.
"What, you wanna stick your face up my ass too?" asked Lonnie. "I'm telling you what I told the cops, Will's not here."
"Then why didn't you call mom back?" asked Jonathan.
"I don't know, I just…" Lonnie was about to say. "I assumed she just forgot where he was. He was lost or something. He never knew how to take care of himself."
"This isn't a joke!" Jon yelled. "There are reports, search parties, and cases!"
"Hopper isn't still chief, is he?" asked Lonnie. "Tell your mom she gotta get you out of that hellhole, come out here to the city. People are more real here, and I could see you more. You think I don't wanna see you?"
"I know you don't," Jon corrected.
"That's your mom talking," said Lonnie. "Does she know you're here?"
Jon didn't answer, so Lonnie took that as a no.
"One kid goes missing, the other runs wild," he remarked. "All I'm saying is, maybe I'm not the asshole here, all right?"
Jonathan just walked away in frustration, and gave Lonnie one of the posters saying, "In case you forgot what he looks like."
Meanwhile, Hopper was interrogating an elderly man, who just so happened to be one of the last people at Benny's before he died.
At some point of explaining, he pointed out, "There were kids. No kids did this. At lunch, there were these boys, who tried to steal food out of the kitchen."
"What did they look like?" asked Hopper.
"I didn't get a good look at them," the man replied. "They were back in the kitchen."
One of the cops gave the man a photo of Will and asked, "Did either of them look like this?"
"No, that's Lonnie's missing kid," the man replied. "These were different kids. They had shorter hair. They were buzzed nearly down to the scalp."
"Forget the haircut," said Hopper. "Even if they got a buzzcut, one of them could've been Lonnie's kid."
"Again, I didn't get a good look at either of them," the man explained. "They're about the right height, that could be the case."
Meanwhile, Nancy was talking to Barb on the phone.
"You can tell your parents you'll stay at my place afterwards," Nancy assured. "You could tell them we're studying."
That's when Karen called Nancy down to dinner.
"Coming!" Nancy replied to her mom before turning back to Barb. "I gotta go, I'll see you in an hour."
The Wheelers ate their dinner, and Lucas and Dustin were eating with them. Lucas and Dustin didn't eat much, though.
Karen noticed this. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Dustin assured. "I just ate two bologna sandwiches for lunch. I don't know why."
"Me too," Lucas added.
"It's delicious, Mom," Nancy assured. "Thank you. So, there's a special assembly tonight for Will at the school field. Barb's driving."
"Why am I just hearing about this?" asked Karen.
"I thought you knew," Nancy replied.
"Again, I don't want you going out after dark until Will's found," Karen reminded her daughter.
"I know," Nancy replied. "I just don't wanna be seen as an oddball. Everyone's going."
Karen sighed and relented. "Just be home by 10, and take the boys with you too."
"No!" they all shouted in unison.
"Why not?" asked Karen. "Don't you wanna be there for Will?"
Mike was sipping his milk when he saw Elle and Elvis coming down the stairs. The milk squirted out of his nose.
"Sorry," he quickly apologized. "Spasm."
Thankfully, no one else noticed Elle or Elvis passing by.
Meanwhile, Hopper and the search party searched around Benny's for any sign of Will.
"Do you think he really saw Will?" asked one of the cops. "What's he doing stealing food with a shaved head?"
"Once we find him, we'll ask him," Hopper answered.
That's when they heard a whistle blown.
"You got something?" asked Hopper.
Hopper went to where he heard the whistle. Mr. Clarke reported finding something near a hole. It was a torn piece of clothing.
"No way a kid crawls through there," Powell commented.
"A scared enough one might," Hopper retorted. "His brother said he was good at hiding."
Hopper and his fellow cops followed where the hole led, and it led them to Hawkins Lab.
Meanwhile, in the basement, Elle was messing with the walkie again when the boys came in and offered some meatloaf.
"Don't worry, they won't tell anyone about either of you, okay?" said Mike.
"We never would've upset you if we knew you had powers," said Dustin.
Mike hit Dustin on the knee before turning back to Elle and Elvis, assuring them, "What he's trying to say is that they were just scared earlier. That's all."
"We just wanted to find our friend," Lucas added.
"What is 'friend'?" asked Elle.
"A friend is someone you'd do anything for," Lucas explained. "Like making promises, especially when there's spit. A spit swear means you never break your word."
"That's super important," said Mike. "Because friends tell each other things their parents don't know."
Meanwhile, Nancy and Barb were driving over to Steve's house. Once they reached a certain spot, Nancy told Barb to pull over.
"What's the deal?" asked Barb. "Steve's house is another three blocks away."
"We can't park in his driveway," Nancy retorted.
"Are you serious?" asked Barb.
"Yeah, the neighbors might see," Nancy replied.
"This is stupid," said Barb. "I'm just gonna drop you off."
"Barb, you said you're gonna go, so you're coming," said Nancy.
"He just wanna get in your pants," Barb retorted. "Seriously, he invited you to his house. He's home alone. You aren't this stupid."
"Tommy and Carol will be there too," Nancy retorted back.
"Tommy and Carol have had sex with each other since seventh grade," Barb double retorted. "It'll probably be a big orgy."
"All right," said Nancy. "You could be my guardian. Make sure I do nothing stupid."
The two girls reached Steve's house, and Nancy rang the doorbell.
Steve answered and said, "Hello ladies."
Back at the Wheelers', the kids were just hanging out in the basement. Elle sat down at the table and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she grabbed a wizard figure and said, "Will."
"Did you see him?" asked Mike. "Do you know where he is?"
Elle quickly removed the figures from the table and flipped the board upside down. She grabbed the Will figure and said, "Hiding."
"Will is hiding?" asked Mike.
Elle nodded.
"From the bad men?"
Elle shook her head, before showing the demogorgon figure.
Meanwhile, Jonathan drove towards the woods, and started taking pictures of the area. That's when he heard screaming and ran to investigate. He ended up at Steve's house, where he witnessed Tommy almost throwing Carol into the pool and stopping at the last second.
Steve cut open and chugged a can of soda.
"Was that supposed to impress me?" asked Nancy.
"Were you not?" Steve asked back.
"You are cliche, you realize that?" said Nancy.
"'You are cliche'," Steve mocked. "You're the cliche with your grades and band practice. Why don't you show us how it's done?"
Nancy accepted the challenge and cut open her own can. The others except Barb cheered as Nancy chugged the can.
Nancy asked if Barb wanted to give it a try.
"No," was Barb's answer.
"Come on, it'll be fun," Nancy assured.
Barb relented and tried to cut the can open. She cut her hand by accident.
Steve led Barb to the bathroom so she could clean the cut.
Jon started taking pictures of the scene.
Tommy pushed Carol into the pool and shortly jumped in after.
Steve came out and pushed Nancy into the pool and shortly jumped in after.
Jonathan continued taking pictures.
Meanwhile, at the Byers', Joyce fell asleep…
Until the phone rang.
Joyce answered. "Hello? Who is this?" Static. "Will? Will, it's me." Static. "I'm here. Talk to me. Tell me where you are. I can hear you."
"Mom?" Joyce heard her son say.
The lights flickered around her but she didn't notice. She was just too happy to hear his voice.
"Will, tell me, where are you?" said Joyce.
Before she could get an answer, she felt the phone overheat, and it stopped working.
Joyce started crying and threw the phone to the ground hard, breaking it.
"NO!" she screamed.
That's when she finally noticed the lights flickering and followed them. The flickering lights led Joyce to Will's room, where the radio just turned on, playing "Should I Stay or Should I Go". This scared Joyce.
Joyce opened the door just to see the radio playing itself and the desk lamp on. The window lamp started flickering. It glowed brighter. Joyce didn't know why, but she felt her son's presence right there.
Eventually, the radio stopped and the lights went out. That's when she saw the wall tearing open. She got scared and made a run for it.
She ran out of the house and got in the car. She started the engine and was about to drive away. That's when she saw the lights turn back on and the song continued to play. She walked back into the house to investigate. Unbeknownst to her, the lights on the porch glowed brighter.
Back at Steve's, the kids just got out of the pool, and were drying up.
Steve turned to Nancy and asked, "You alright?"
"I'm fine," Nancy replied.
"Let me get you some clean clothes," said Steve as he went to get some.
Nancy followed Steve upstairs but was caught by Barb.
"Nance, where are you going?" asked Barb.
"Upstairs… to change," Nancy replied. "Why don't you go ahead and go home? I'll get a ride or something."
Barb got worried for her friend and tried to speak up. "Nance…"
"I'm fine," Nancy assured.
"This isn't you," said Barb.
"I'm fine," Nancy assured once more. "Just go home."
Nancy ran upstairs and into Steve's room.
Jonathan took a photo of Nancy through the window.
Nancy turned to Steve.
"Steve?" she said, getting his attention.
Nancy took off her shirt, revealing her… private parts.
Steve approached his girlfriend and they shared a kiss.
Jonathan saw the kiss through the window and took another photo.
Jonathan then saw Barb sitting with her feet in the pool and he took a photo of her.
Barb sat silently with a lot on her mind. Her best friend was changing and she didn't like it. She wanted to respect her friend's decisions, but she was worried that her friend was going down a dark path.
That's when some of Barb's blood dripped out of her bandage and into the water. The lights in the pool went out.
Barb felt something was standing behind her. She looked behind her. She didn't see what it was, but it clearly wasn't human. It grabbed Barb and disappeared into the darkness.
Jonathan saw Barb vanish, but he didn't see what grabbed her because of the darkness. When the lights went back on, it was clear that Barb was gone.
Jonathan walked away with confusion as to what he might've seen.
Play "Hazy Shade of Winter" by the Bangles
Steve and Nancy kissed each other softly and gently while softly holding each other's… certain areas. It lasted a good while.
Time, time, time
See what's become of me
Time, time, time
See what's become of me
While I looked around for my possibilities.
I was so hard to please
Look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter
End "Hazy Shade of Winter"
A.N.
So, this was chapter 2.
Again, not much changed, simply because I didn't feel there's much that needs to be changed.
Yes, Number Twelve's nickname is Elvis. "How'd you get that nickname?" I hear you asking. Well, I simply took the end of the word "twelve", replaced the e in the end with "is" and thus I got, "Elvis."
There was a ginger in the boys' class that rolled her eyes in annoyance. I know what you're thinking. No, it's not Max. Believe me, I wanted to introduce her early as much as the next person, but it would just open up a lot of plot holes, so I went against it. I just included that scene as a joke.
I won't give away too much, but let's just say, this is not the last we see of Barb in this version of events. She has so much potential and I feel like she shouldn't have been killed off so quickly.
That doesn't mean that there won't be deaths at all in this version. It's a horror story for a reason. A lot of canon deaths will remain the same, but there will be some original deaths as well. No spoilers.