The elevator descended faster and faster to the point where everyone and everything floated off the ground. Everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs. Barb and Robin were holding onto each other.
"We're going down! We're going down!" Steve shouted.
"NO SHIT, HARRINGTON!" Barb screamed.
"Why don't these buttons work?" Dustin asked as he tried pushing them.
Erica approached Dustin.
"Just press the damn button!" she shouted.
"What do you think I'm doing?" Dustin retorted.
After a while, they felt the elevator stop falling.
"Is everyone okay?" asked Barb.
"Yeah, I'm great now that I know that Russians can't design elevators!" Steve shouted as he tried to push the buttons.
"We've clearly established that those buttons don't work," said Robin.
"They're buttons, they have to do something!" Steve retorted.
"If we had a keycard," said Barb. "It's an electronic lock. It won't open unless we have a keycard. We're stuck in here."
"Just so you nerds are aware," said Erica. "I'm supposed to be at Tina's, and Tina always covers for me, but if I'm not at Uncle Jack's party tomorrow, and my mom finds out you four are responsible, she's gonna hunt you down and slit your throats."
"Well, she won't even find us if we're dead in a Russian elevator," Steve retorted.
Dustin noticed an opening on the elevator ceiling.
"What if we climbed out?" he suggested.
Dustin and Barb climbed through the opening. They realized that they were lower down than they thought.
"What was that about climbing?" Barb asked.
Hopper and Joyce arrived at the Hess Farm. They could tell someone was home by the trailer on the driveway.
The two got out of the car and entered the house. They noticed on a lamp that a single light was flickering. They heard a noise. Joyce realized the noise was coming from below.
The two found a secret door on the bed and went down the stairs. They heard voices.
"Hey dipshits!" Hopper called out, getting the attention of two men in the room. "Hawkins PD. Hands in the air. Don't make me say it again."
The one with the curly hair and the glasses spoke in a language Hopper could not understand.
"I can't understand you," Hopper told him.
"Quiet," Joyce told Hopper.
Everyone stopped talking and heard stomping coming from upstairs.
Hopper quickly tied up the men. He and Joyce then hid as the person came down the stairs. It was the same guy that attacked Hopper at the lab.
"Don't move!" Hopper demanded as he pointed his gun at the guy. "Drop the gun. You understand me, big guy? Drop the weapon."
"Or what?" asked the man. "You'll shoot?"
"So you do understand me," said Hopper. "And yeah. If you don't put that away, I'm gonna blow some daylight into your thick skull."
"No, you won't do that."
"Why?"
"Cause you're a policeman. Policemen have rules."
"Wanna test that theory?" Hopper prepared his gun for fire. "I'll count to three. One, two, three!"
Right as Hopper pulled the trigger, the man dodged the bullet. He then grabbed Hopper and shoved him against the wall, making him drop the gun.
Joyce grabbed the gun and prepared to shoot.
Hopper managed to grab the man and land a few punches. Grigori got the upper hand and started beating Hopper up. Hopper found a weapon and bashed the man in the leg. Hopper used this distraction to make a run for it. He uncuffed the man in white and then cuffed himself to him, keeping the man from being able to run. The man found Hopper's gun and fired the gun until it ran out of bullets. Hopper and Joyce managed to avoid every shot and make it out of the basement. They ran out of the house with their new hostage.
Once they got out, Hopper tossed the keys to Joyce. The trio got in the car. Joyce started the engine and drove away.
The man got out of the house and fired a massive gun at the car. The back window was destroyed, but thankfully, no one was shot.
Stranger Things 3
Chapter 5
The Flayed
Jonathan woke up to the sound of the house phone ringing. He tiredly got out of bed and answered. "Hello?"
"Jonathan, it's me," said Nancy's voice. "Listen to me."
"It's six in the morning," said Jonathan. "I had a late night with Fagin and the gang, so…"
"I'm at the hospital with Driscoll. She's been sedated and the doctors are still running tests."
"Tell me this is a joke."
"It's not. I know I'm insane and irrational, but save your lecture because I don't really give a shit right now and I need to talk to your brother. Jonathan, please."
"He's not even here."
"Then where is he? Is he safe?"
"Nancy, why wouldn't he be safe?"
In Mike's basement, Elle was sitting blindfolded. She was using her powers to locate Hopper. Mike, Lucas, Max, and Elvis sat and waited. After a while, Elle removed the blindfold.
"Did you find them?" asked Max.
"Yes," Elle replied. "They're going to… Ill Annoy?"
"Illinois?" Mike asked. "Like the state?"
"That's what they said," Elle replied. "Ill Annoy."
Max took Elle to the bathroom so she could wipe the blood off her face.
"Does it still hurt?" Max asked, referring to a bruise on Elle's chin that she got during her fight with Billy.
"Only when I talk," Elle replied.
"Then it's a good thing you're not Mike. 'Blah blah blah'. And you'd be in constant pain."
The girls laughed.
Mike was pacing in the basement.
"This is weird," said Mike. "I spent all summer failing to get Hopper off my back, and now he's driving to Illinois with Will's mom? And Dustin's missing too? This can't be a coincidence."
"That doesn't matter," said Lucas. "They're not here, so it's up to us."
"To do what, exactly?" asked Elvis.
"Save Will and stop Billy," Lucas replied.
"That's a nice sentiment," said Mike. "But even if Elle could find them again, and that's a pretty big if, then what?"
"We burn the shit out of Billy," Lucas replied. "And we make sure that he doesn't escape this time. Keep the Mind Flayer in there long enough so it can tell us what it's done to Will. We win."
"No, we don't," Mike retorted. "We got the Mind Flayer out of Will before, and it just came right back. We don't just have to stop Billy, we have to stop the Mind Flayer."
Before anyone could say any more, Mike heard a knock on the door.
"Not now, Mom!" Mike shouted.
"Mike, it's Nancy!" came Nancy's voice. "It's an emergency! Open the door!"
Mike answered the door to see Nancy standing there with Jonathan.
"This is a code red, I repeat, a code red," Dustin called on his walkie, hoping he had any service from where he was at. "We are innocent children and we are trapped under Starcourt Mall. The Red Army has infiltrated Hawkins and if we are found, they will torture and kill us."
"Hey," said Barb. "Go easy on that thing. You're draining the battery."
"The mall is open," Dustin retorted. "Someone could be in range."
"What? You expect Petey the Mall Cop to come down here and save our asses?"
"Why are you being so cranky?" Dustin lowered his voice to a whisper. "You get to spend the night with Robin."
"Will you stop with that creepy dream, already?" asked Barb, starting to get annoyed.
"You two were talking all night," Dustin retorted. "And you were holding onto each other when the elevator was descending."
"We only held onto each other for protection, and we were talking because we were trying to open the door while you kids were asleep. After eight hours, we're still nowhere, which is probably a bit of the reason why I'm feeling just… a tad cranky."
Barb turned to face Dustin and squatted down, lowering her pants a little.
"What are you doing?" Dustin asked, really hoping it wasn't what he thought it would be.
"I'm gonna take a leak," Barb replied. "Look away, please."
Dustin did as he was told. He did not want to watch a woman take a piss right in front of him.
Robin saw the piss coming down from where she was at.
"Hey, can you redirect your stream somewhere else?" Robin asked.
Barb did as she was told.
Erica grabbed one of the containers of liquid and started hitting it on something, as if planning to break it open.
"Hey," Robin said, grabbing the container. "What are you doing? We don't know what this is."
"Exactly," Erica retorted. "It could be useful."
"Yeah," said Steve. "But it could also be dangerous."
"We can go days without food," said Erica. "But if we don't have water, we'll die."
"I hate to break it to you," said Robin. "But this isn't water."
"No, but if I had to choose between drinking it and dying of thirst, I'll choose to drink," Erica retorted.
That's when Robin heard a noise coming from the other side of the door. Someone was coming.
Steve, Robin, and Erica ran up to the top of the elevator. Thankfully, Barb was done with her business, so no one had to see anything traumatizing.
The pentet watched as two men entered the elevator. They sniffed the air. Clearly they could smell Barb's piss. Thankfully, the men didn't think much of it. They just grabbed the boxes and carried them away.
Barb and Robin were both scared that they would get caught. They held hands. Steve and Robin saw them and smiled. The girls realized they were holding hands and pulled away quickly.
Steve then noticed Erica holding the container of the strange liquid. He grabbed the container and climbed back into the elevator. He hurried and put the container in front of the door before it could close.
Erica jumped down and crawled under the opening. Dustin followed her. Barb and Robin crawled out at the same time. Steve was the last to crawl out. Once he did, the container broke under the pressure of the door closing and the liquid came out. It steamed and burned a hole in the floor.
"Still wanna drink that?" Steve asked Erica.
Dustin turned around and saw they were standing in front of a massive hallway.
"Holy shit," he muttered.
"Well, hope you're in good shape," said Barb before turning to Steve and Dustin. "Looking at you two, roast beefs."
Barb walked on, while the others stood in confusion.
"Why me?" Steve asked.
He brushed it off, and followed Barb. The others followed as well.
Back at the Wheelers', Nancy was explaining everything.
"It was the same thing that happened to Will," Nancy explained. She showed the body temperatures, which were really high.
"So this crazy shit-eater," said Mike, trying to get the story straight.
"Mrs. Driscoll," Nancy corrected.
"Driscoll, sorry," said Mike. "What time was the attack?"
"Last night."
"Yeah, but what time?"
"Around nine."
"You waited all night to call?" asked Jonathan.
"I was waiting for the doctors to run some tests," Nancy replied before turning back to the kids. "So, what time was the sauna test?"
"Around nine," Mike replied.
"This proves it. This proves my theory."
"Mrs. Driscoll is flayed, just like Billy," Mike realized.
"Flayed?" Jonathan asked, confused.
"Flayed is what we call it when the Mind Flayer possesses people," Mike explained. "It flays their minds, hence its title. Once it does that, they basically become him."
"If there are two flayed," Lucas realized. "We have to assume there are more. Will might be one of them."
"What about Will?" Jonathan asked, hoping he heard wrong.
Mike looked away guiltily and explained. "When I last saw Will, he and I had an argument. I said something very hurtful without intending to. He biked away from the house, crying. I went over to his house to apologize, but found he wasn't there. Elvis, Lucas, and I searched around the place for any sign of him. He was nowhere to be found. He wasn't in the house, or in Castle Byers. The fort was destroyed. I can only assume the Mind Flayer took him while he was hiding in the fort." Mike fell to his knees, crying, filled with guilt. "I'm sorry, Jonathan. It's my fault that he's missing. If I hadn't said those things…"
Jonathan approached Mike and hugged him, causing Mike to stop talking.
"It's not your fault," he assured. "You had no idea the Mind Flayer was out there, and you didn't mean those things you said."
Elle sat there and something really random came to mind.
"Heather," she said. "Billy was doing something to her. She was scared. She was screaming. Bad screams."
"Who?" asked Nancy.
"Heather," Max explained. "The lifeguard at the pool."
"Heather Holloway?" asked Nancy.
The kids nodded. Nancy and Jonathan realized what this could mean.
"Tom," they both said in unison.
The group left the house and got into Nancy's car. Nancy and Jonathan sat up front. Elle and Max sat in the back. This left Mike to sit in the middle with Lucas and Elvis. As much as he didn't want to think about it, he was a bit upset that he couldn't sit next to Elle.
Elvis saw this and said, "Welcome to my world."
The kids got buckled and Nancy started the engine. They all drove away from the house.
Meanwhile, Hopper, Joyce, and their new hostage, who Joyce learned was named Alexei, stopped for gas at a Seven-Eleven.
The three entered the store while the car was filling up on gas. Alexei had his hands cuffed so he couldn't do anything stupid. The trio simply bought a few food and drinks, Alexei falling in love with the strawberry slurpee.
Once they were done, they got back in the car and continued driving for their destination.
The Scoop Group continued walking down the hallway.
"You have to admit," said Dustin. "As a feat of engineering alone, this is impressive."
"What do you mean?" asked Barb. "It's super dangerous. There are no fire exits or stairs. Just an elevator that drops you halfway to Hell."
"They're Commies," Erica retorted. "You don't pay people, they cut corners."
"To be fair, I don't think this tunnel was designed for walking," Robin added. "Think about it, they developed the perfect system for transporting that cargo. It all comes into the mall like any old delivery, and then they load it up onto those trucks, and nobody's the wiser."
"You think they built this whole mall just to transport green acid?" asked Steve.
"I doubt it's something as boring as acid," said Dustin. "It's gotta be much more valuable. A rare periodic element or something. Like the stuff Victor Stone's dad used to turn him into the Cyborg."
"You all are so nerdy, it makes me physically sick," said Erica.
"Don't lump me with them," said Steve. "I'm not a nerd, all right?"
"Why so sensitive, Harrington?" Barb teased. "Afraid of losing cool points to a ten-year-old girl?"
"No," Steve replied. "I just don't know jack shit about periodic elements."
"All in all," said Dustin. "That stuff is probably being used to make or power something. Like a nuclear weapon."
"Great, we're walking towards a nuclear weapon," Steve sarcastically remarked.
"But if they're building something, why here?" asked Barb. "Hawkins of all places. At the very best, we're a toilet stop on your way to Disneyland, but maybe that's it."
As Steve, Robin, and Erica walked forward, Dustin and Barb stopped to talk to each other.
"You think the Russians know?" asked Dustin.
"About the…" Steve was about to say.
"They could."
"So it's all connected."
"Maybe."
"How?"
"I don't know, but it's…"
"Possible," the two finished in unison.
"I'm sorry, is there something either of you would like to share with the class?" Robin asked.
Before either could answer, a Russian voice went off. It was coming from Dustin's walkie.
Robin got the walkie out of the bag. They listened. Robin recognized the Russian as the same Russian from the message she decrypted.
"It's the message," she told them. "Wherever that broadcast is coming from, it's close. And if we know one thing about that signal, it's that it can reach the surface. Let's go."
The pentet carried on.
Nancy, Jonathan, and the kids made it to the Holloway household. Nancy rang the doorbell. No answer.
Elle used her powers to burst the door open.
"Tom?" Nancy called out. "Heather? Jesus, it's freezing."
That's when they all started to smell something. They followed the smell to the kitchen. There were cleaning containers stored open. It looked like someone ingested whatever was in those containers.
"You think they're guzzling this shit?" asked Jonathan.
"But last year, Will didn't eat chemicals, right?" asked Max.
"No," Mike replied. "This is new." He then realized something and turned to Lucas. "Remember fifth grade science? What happens when you mix chemicals?"
"You create a new substance," Lucas replied.
"What if they're making something?" asked Mike.
"Out of themselves?" asked Max. "If you drink this, it will kill you."
"If you're human," Lucas retorted.
That's when they noticed a blood stain on the carpet. They then saw a bottle on the ground with a blood stain on it. They saw the blood stain spread to a nearby room. They saw ropes in this room.
The kids pieced together everything. That Tom was hit in the head and tied up.
That's when Nancy realized, "Mrs. Driscoll kept saying, 'I have to go back'. What if the flaying is happening somewhere else? There must be a place where it all started, right? A source."
"Somewhere he didn't want me to see," Elle realized.
"If we can find the source, then maybe we can stop it, or at least stop it from spreading," Nancy continued.
"How do we find it?" asked Elle.
"Mrs. Driscoll," Mike replied. "If she wants to go back so badly, then why don't we let her?"
Hopper, Joyce, and Alexei made it to their destination and got out of the car.
"I thought you said this guy was a journalist," Joyce told Hopper.
"He WAS a journalist," Hopper corrected.
Hopper grabbed Alexei and carried him to the front door.
Hopper rang the doorbell.
"Look at the camera," came the voice of Murray Bauman. "To your right."
The three turned to the camera.
"Identify yourselves," said Murray.
"Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, and Alexei, I don't know his last name," Hopper identified. "Open the door."
"Hopper," Joyce scolded.
"Don't worry," said Hopper. "He's eccentric, but not harmless."
Murray opened the door and pointed a gun at Alexei.
"Uberi eto ot moyego litsa, lysaya amerikanskaya svin'ya," Alexei demanded. (Translation: Get that out of my face, you bald American pig.)
Murray chuckled. "Khot' ya i lysyy, no eto ty v naruchnikakh, sovetskaya mraz'." (Translation: "I may be bald, but you're the one in handcuffs, Soviet scum.") He turned to Hopper. "Hi, Jim."
Murray led the trio inside. He grabbed a device and scanned Alexei.
"How long is this gonna take?" asked Hopper.
"You don't get to question me, Hopper!" Murray yelled. "You dragged in an enemy of the state as carelessly as a child carries shit on his shoe! I will search him until I'm satisfied!"
Joyce led Hopper away.
"This is not gonna work," she said. "He is uncertifiable."
"Glass houses, Joyce," said Hopper. "Pot calling the kettle black."
"Excuse me," said Murray. "Do me a favor and move your lovers' quarrel elsewhere."
"This is not a lovers' quarrel," said Hopper.
"I don't want to hear it," said Murray.
"What is your problem?" Joyce snapped as she walked over to Murray.
"Please stop talking!" Murray demanded.
"No!" Joyce screamed. "We had a very long day, were almost shot at, had to drive hundreds of miles in thousand degree heat, all while being chased by a gigantic psychopath, all so we could bring him to you! Because somehow, you're the closest person who speaks Russian, which I can't believe, but that doesn't matter, because unfortunately, we're here! So, if you don't mind, put that thing away, stop being a jerkass, and ask him what he's doing that's making my magnets fall off my damn fridge, please!"
The Scoop Group walked on until they found an area filled with soldiers. The five hid to make sure none of them could see them.
"The Red Dawn," Dustin whispered, having seen it.
"I saw it," said Erica. "In the Comms room."
"Are you sure?" asked Steve.
"Positive," Erica replied. "The door was open for a second, and I saw a bunch of lights and machines and shit in there."
"That could be a hundred different things," Dustin retorted.
"I'll take those odds," said Robin.
"Alright," said Barb. "We'll move fast, but stay low, okay?"
Robin nodded. The five snuck forward, fast to make sure they wouldn't be seen. They saw a man come out of a room. The five hurried to the door and walked inside. However, another man was there.
Robin tried speaking Russian to calm the man down. However, the man ignored her and pulled out his gun.
Steve quickly shoved the man, causing him to hit his head on the desk and fall unconscious.
"Dude, you did it!" Dustin shouted. "You won a fight!"
Steve chuckled and reveled in his victory.
Dustin approached the unconscious man and grabbed his keycard.
"What are you doing?" asked Erica.
"Getting our ticket out of here," Dustin replied.
"But we came for the radio."
"Okay. Maybe we can stay and have a picnic."
Robin then approached the kids.
"Hey, there's something up there," she told them.
The pentet walked up the nearby set of stairs, and walked into the next room. They saw something they never thought they'd ever see.
"Holy shit," Dustin muttered.
Russians in special suits were inserting containers of the strange chemical into a machine. The machine was firing a beam into the wall, tearing a hole. It didn't look like any hole. It looked like a portal to another dimension.
Nancy and her crew drove over to the hospital. They walked past the front desk towards Driscoll's room.
"Excuse me," said the receptionist. "Where are you going?"
"Oh, I was gonna visit Mrs. Driscoll again," Nancy said. "These are my boyfriend, my brother, and his friends."
"I don't care who they are," said the receptionist. "You know the rules. Two at a time."
Nancy and Jonathan went by themselves. They got on the elevator up to the fourth floor.
"You know those things I said yesterday?" Nancy asked Jonathan. "I didn't mean them."
"I know," Jonathan replied.
"I don't think you're like those assholes at all. I never have. I was just angry."
"I still don't get it. I was just completely, utterly, mortifyingly, wrong. Don't let that go to your head."
"I won't. I just look forward to you never doubting me again."
Down in the lobby, Mike tried to get a snack from the vending machine. It got stuck. However, a force shook the machine, causing multiple snacks to come down. Mike turned and saw Elle wiping blood off her nose.
"Thanks," was all he said to her.
As Mike and Lucas went down to get the snacks, Lucas turned to Mike.
"That's the olive branch," he said.
"The what?" Mike asked.
"God, you're hopeless," said Lucas. "Okay, I'll distract Max. You talk to Elle."
Nancy and Jonathan made it to Driscoll's room. They entered the room and didn't see Driscoll on her bed.
"Are you sure we're in the right room?" asked Jonathan.
"I am," Nancy replied. "Where is she?"
The lights flickered as a voice from behind said, "She's gone home."
The two turned around to see Tom standing behind them. He was fatter than before.
"We were hoping you two would come back," said Tom with an evil grin.
Tom walked closer to the teenagers. He stretched out his arms, ready to attack. Jonathan grabbed a nearby flower pot and smashed it on Tom's head, knocking him against the wall.
Nancy and Jonathan ran out of the room. They saw Bruce standing in front of them.
"Owie," he said. Veins formed around his head, the side where Jon hit Tom.
Nancy and Jonathan ran into the stair room and ran down the stairs.
In the lobby, Lucas was tossing gummies into Max's mouth. Mike sat next to Elle.
"Hey," Mike said, offering Elle some M&Ms. "Do you like M&Ms?"
Elle never had M&Ms before. She was willing to try them. She offered her hand. Mike poured some of the candy out of the bag and onto her hand. Elle ate a piece and loved it.
"I like your new look," Mike complimented.
"Thanks," Elle replied.
"Hey, I completely respect that you don't wanna be my girlfriend anymore," said Mike. "But can we at least be friends?"
Elle took Mike's hand and shook it. "Yes. Friends."
Nancy and Jonathan continued to run. They found a surgical room with a phone in it. They tried calling the front desk, but the receptionist wouldn't answer.
Bruce destroyed the glass on the door. He reached for the lock and unlocked the door.
"I'm here for you, Nancy Drew," he said as he walked inside.
Jonathan tried to attack, but Bruce grabbed him by the throat. Nancy tried to save her boyfriend, but Bruce shoved her against the wall. Bruce threw Jonathan against the cupboard. He then grabbed a stool and hit Jonathan in the head before he could get up.
Nancy found a couple of surgical knives and grabbed them. She stabbed Bruce through the back of the head. Bruce survived the attack, though.
"You bitch," he said.
Bruce ran towards Nancy. Nancy ran outside and down the hall. Bruce ran after her.
Jonathan tried to get up and go after Bruce, but someone stopped him. It was Tom.
"Where are you going?" he said.
Tom grabbed Jonathan and threw him against the lockers.
Jonathan found a pair of scissors on the ground. Tom beat him to it.
Elsewhere, Bruce entered a room to search for Nancy. He didn't find her.
"Marco," he called out.
"Polo!" Nancy yelled.
Nancy snuck up behind Bruce and whacked his head with a fire extinguisher.
Tom felt the impact. Jonathan got up and grabbed the scissors.
"Go to hell, dickhead!" Nancy screamed as she wacked Bruce one last time, killing him.
Jonathan grabbed the scissors and stabbed Tom repeatedly in the neck. After a while, Tom collapsed and died.
The lights started to flicker. Tom then started to twitch. Tom's body turned into a strange goo.
Bruce also turned into a gooey monster. It slithered away.
The too gooey monsters met each other and merged into one.
The lights stopped flickering as the monster let out a roar.
A.N.
So, not much has changed here. I simply didn't see the need.
The most noteworthy change is that Hopper's car doesn't break down. I changed that so Hopper wouldn't steal that random person's car. I know it's possible for cops to "commandeer" other people's vehicles during emergencies, but I also know it does NOT work the way Hopper did it.
Another thing to make clear is that Mike and Elle's interaction in the hospital is NOT them getting back together. Mike still has some lingering feelings for Elle, but now is not the time to be thinking about that. For now, Mike and Elle are JUST FRIENDS! They won't officially get back together until AFTER the Mind Flayer is defeated, and Will is saved.
Anyway, that's all I have to say. Thanks for reading. Please favorite, follow and review.
