Stranger Things belongs to the Duffer Brothers.
OC belongs to me.
Flashback
September 8, 1979
Hawkins National Laboratories
All the children were in the Rainbow Room, minding their own business.
Some were playing chess.
Others used their minds to fidget with toys.
One kid in particular, Experiment Number Ten, was playing with a Magic Eight Ball.
The head scientist of the lab, Martin Brenner, approached Ten.
"That's your favorite, isn't it?" he said as he sat down. "How are you feeling today?"
"Okay," Ten replied.
"Are you up for some more lessons?"
Ten shook the ball. The answer that appeared read, "Signs point to yes."
Brenner led Ten out of the Rainbow Room and into another room.
In this room, Ten sat down and closed his eyes. Brenner connected Ten to a machine to watch his vitals. He then drew a small picture on a piece of paper.
"What do you see?" he asked. "Don't force it. Let it come to you, like we practiced."
"It's a yellow circle," Ten replied, his eyes still closed. "The sun?"
"Very good." Brenner drew another drawing. "Now what do you see?"
"A cow?"
Brenner looked back at his drawing. "It's supposed to be a dog."
"It looks like a cow."
"It does, doesn't it? I'm not really an artist. How about something a bit more challenging. I want you to find Doctor Ellis. Can you do that?" Brenner waited and saw the vital sign move faster. "Have you found her?"
"Yes."
"What is she doing?"
"Lessons with Six in his room. Six is trying to move a red block."
"Can you hear what they're saying?"
"Something's wrong."
"If you lost the vision, let it go. Try to reorient."
"They're screaming."
Brenner heard alarms blaring. He went to the speaker and tried to call his colleagues. Voices came out, but they were blurry.
"Six and Doctor Ellis, dead," Ten told Brenner. "They're both dead."
Brenner heard screaming and banging coming from outside. He went over to the door with a bit of caution. The door burst open and hit Brenner.
When Brenner woke up, the lights were flickering. There was blood on his face. Next to him, Ten was lying on the floor, dead. There was still screaming coming from outside.
He ran out of the room to find many people dead. It looked like all their bones were snapped, their eyeballs were pulled out of their sockets, and all fluids were drained from their bodies.
Brenner heard more screaming coming from the Rainbow Room. He walked inside. Everyone he saw in the room was dead.
All except two.
On the other side of the room, a little girl was staring at the broken glass. On the other side of that glass was a wall with a crack on it.
Nearby, a little boy was on the floor. Unlike the others, his bones weren't broken, and his eyes were still in their sockets. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and slowly stood up.
"What have you done?" Brenner asked the girl. "What have you done?"
The girl just turned around and stared angrily. She did not say a word.
End of Flashback
Stranger Things 4
Chapter 1
The Hellfire Club
Dear Mike,
Today is day 185. It feels more like ten years. Joyce says time is funny like that. Emotions can make it speed up or slow down. We are all time travelers if you think about it.
For example, this week is going very fast. I think it's because I'm so busy. I have to make something called a visual aid. I hope Mrs. Gracey will give me an A.
Some exciting news. Joyce got an amazing new job. She gets to work at home. She says she loves the 'freedom'.
Will is painting a lot. He's currently working on a 'commission'. I gave him some of the money in my 'allowance' so he can make a special painting. No spoilers.
Jonathan is acting weird. I think he is nervous about College. He's still waiting for his big letter. I hope he, Nancy, and Steve can go together. But I don't know how he'll get to College because his car is still broken.
His funny friend, Argyle, has been taking us to school. His hair is longer than mine, and he and Jonathan like to hang out a lot together.
Elvis has spent a lot of time with Will playing that 'DnD' game. They seem to really enjoy spending time together.
Me? I am twice as happy now. You were right, it just takes time. I think I finally adapted.
At first, I missed all the Spring flowers, but now I find it pretty here too.
I even like school now. I am still best at math, but my grammar is getting better now also.
It helps that everyone is so nice here. I have made a lot of friends. Even so, I am ready for Spring Break, mainly because I get to see you. I am so excited to see you that it is hard to breathe. Are you excited too? I think you will love it here. I think we will have the best Spring Break ever.
I hope my spelling is better this time. I miss you.
Love,
Elle.
Hawkins, Indiana
March 21, 1986
Mike Wheeler sat in his room reading the letter from his girlfriend, Elle. Suddenly, his sister, Nancy, burst into the room.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked "It's ten after. Thirty seconds, or I'm leaving without you."
Mike quickly got dressed for his last day before break. He then ran downstairs and started toasting pop-tarts for breakfast.
"Michael, I know you got your DnD club meeting tonight," said his mother, Karen. "But I need you to come home by 9:00."
"Alright, I'll try," Mike assured.
"No trying. Do it."
"It's a 6:30 flight, Michael," said the dad, Ted.
"I know, but…" Mike was about to say.
"No buts," Karen interrupted. "Nine, or no California. And no girlfriend."
"Mike, let's go!" Nancy called from the front door.
The pop-tarts popped out. Mike grabbed them and hurried to the door.
"How will I survive a week without you guys?" Mike said to himself as he ran out the door.
Meanwhile, Mike's friend, Dustin Henderson, was talking to his long-distance girlfriend, Suzie.
"That's a negative, Dusty-Bun," Suzie said through the walkie.
"Try Tigers86," Dustin suggested.
After a few seconds, Suzie spoke again. "I got it. Yikes, Dusty."
Dustin was enlisting Suzie's help to hack into the school computer and give Dustin a passing grade in Latin. There's no way his mom would accept a D-Minus.
"Dusty, what's taking so long?" his mother asked from outside his room. "You're gonna be late."
Dustin saw his mom was about to open the door. "Don't come in, Mom! I'm naked!"
His mom quickly shut the door.
At Hawkins High School, Max Mayfield got off the bus. She was about to walk to class when a counselor, Ms. Chen, called her.
"Where were you yesterday?" she asked.
"I forgot it was a Thursday," Max lied. "Sorry."
"Well, I'd like to see you today. Come straight after lunch, okay?"
Max didn't reply. She just put her headphones on and walked into the school.
Everyone was having a great time at the Pep Rally.
The cheerleaders danced an amazing dance.
The marching band were at their absolute best.
Once the music and dance were over, the school Basketball team, the Hawkins Tigers arrived.
One member of that team in particular was Lucas Sinclair, Mike and Dustin's friend, and Max's ex-boyfriend.
"Good morning, Hawkins High!" the team captain, Jason, announced. "First off, I'd like to thank each and every one of you. Without your support, we wouldn't be here. Give yourselves a big hand."
The crowd went wild.
Lucas waved at his friends. They simply frowned at him and looked away.
"And of course, I have to give a special shout-out to the best and prettiest fans of all time," Jason continued. "The Tiger Cheer Squad." He looked at one cheerleader in particular. The cheer captain. "Chrissy, I love you babe. You know, I think I can speak for everyone when I say it's been a tough year for Hawkins. So much loss, and sometimes I wonder, 'How much loss can one community take?' In dark days like this, we need something to believe in, so last night, when we were down ten points at Christian Academy, I looked at my team, and I said, 'Think of Jack. Melissa. Heather. Billy. Our heroic police chief, Jim Hopper. Think about each and every one of our friends who perished in that fire. What did they die for? For us to lose to some shit school? No. For us to return home with our heads hung low in defeat? No. Let's win this game. Let's win this for them.' And that's exactly what we did! We embarrassed those Christian assholes in their own house! And tonight, we're gonna bring home the championship trophy! Let's go!"
"Tonight?" said Dustin. "How is that possible?"
"It's called a tournament," Max replied. "You win the game, you go to the next one, until there's one team left."
Mike gave Lucas a dirty look. To think he would join the likes of the basketball team, the biggest assholes in the entire school.
After the pep rally, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin were walking to class.
"I don't see the big deal," said Lucas. "Just talk to Eddie. Get him to move the campaign to another night."
"Why don't you 'just talk' to your coach and get him to move the game?" Mike retorted.
"This is the championship game."
"And this is the end of Eddie's campaign. A semester of adventuring has led to this moment, and we need you."
"Yeah, and the Tigers don't," Dustin added. "You've been on the bench all year."
"That's not the point," said Lucas.
"Please, arrive at the point," said Mike.
"If I get in with these guys, I'll be in the popular crows, and then you guys will be too."
"Has it ever occurred to you that we don't want to be popular?"
"So you want to be stuck with the nerds and freaks for three more years?"
"We ARE nerds and freaks!"
"But maybe we don't have to be. I'm tired of being bullied. I'm tired of girls laughing at us. I'm tired of feeling like a loser. We came to High School wanting things to be different, right? Now we have that chance. I skip tonight, that's all out the window. So I'm asking you guys, as a friend, just talk to Eddie, get him to move Hellfire, come to my game. Please."
The bell rang, so Lucas went to class.
"Shit," Dustin muttered.
Meanwhile, Joyce was on the phone, trying to make a sale with someone named Carol.
That's when she heard the doorbell ring. She answered the door. She was handed a package. When she set the package down, she saw something she wasn't expecting.
The package had stamps with the Russian flag on them.
"Hey, can I call you back?" Joyce asked Carol.
"Sure," Carol replied.
Joyce quickly hung up. She then grabbed a knife to open the package. Inside the package was a doll.
At Lenora Hills High, Elle and Will had to do hero presentations for their History class.
It was currently Will's turn. He showed his display board to the class as he spoke.
"This man may have been prosecuted for being 'different'," he said. "But that doesn't change all of his accomplishments that helped make the world what it is today. He proved that anyone can do anything, no matter their differences. That is why I chose Alan Turing as my hero."
A few kids in the class, including Elle, applauded. Most of the kids, including a certain blonde girl, looked like they were trying to hold in laughter.
"Wonderful story, Will," said Mrs. Gracey. "What an inspiring story. Now, let's see who has to follow that." She picked a random name out of the bowl. "Jane."
Elle got nervous. She turned to Will. He gave her a face that read, "You'll do great". This motivated Elle to stand up and walk in front of the class.
"Hi," she said. "For my hero, I… I chose my dad. And for my visual aid, I made a… 'direyama' of our cabin."
"More like 'diarrhea'," one kid teased.
"Let's be respectful," Mrs. Gracey scolded.
Elle picked up the figure of Hopper she made. "This is my dad. His name is Hopper. He made the best eggos, and we liked to watch Miami Vice on Fridays."
The blonde girl raised her hand.
"Angela, save your questions until after the presentation," Mrs. Gracey scolded.
"I'm sorry," said Angela. "I thought this was a presentation about a historical hero."
"My dad was in the newspaper," Elle mentioned.
"Your local paper?" Most of the class laughed. "I don't think that's what Mrs. Gracey meant by historical. This is supposed to be about famous people."
"My dad is historical. He saved lots of lives. He saved me and my brother. He took us in when we had nowhere to go. He sacrificed himself to save many lives in a mall fire. He was a hero for people. He was my hero, too."
"That's not what I'm saying, but it's okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted clarity on the rules of the assignment."
"Technically you are correct," said Mrs. Gracey. "But Jane has decided to do her father. So, please continue, Jane."
Elle couldn't muster the courage to continue. She chickened out and returned to her seat before she was done.
"Elle, it wasn't that bad," Will assured.
"Friends don't lie," Elle retorted.
"I'm not lying."
Play "Running up that Hill" by Kate Bush
Max walked down the halls of the High School. She was listening to a song on her walkman. A song her late brother, Billy, enjoyed listening to before he died.
It doesn't hurt me
Do you wanna feel how it feels?
Max passed by Lucas. She simply gave him a look before walking away.
If I only could
I'd make a deal with God
And I'd get him to swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building
Say if I only could
Max turned towards the Counselor's Office.
Tell me we both matter, don't we?
You
Max saw Chrissy walk past.
If I only could
I'd make a deal with God
And I'd get him to swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building
Max walked into the Counselor's office.
Say if I only could
End "Running up that Hill"
"Can you please remove your headphones?" asked Ms. Chen.
Max removed her headphones and paused the tape. "Sorry."
Ms. Chen read Max's record. "A C in English and C-Minus in Spanish."
"Yeah."
"That's not normal for you."
"If you say so."
"How's your mom holding up?"
"She's fine. I mean, she hates our new place. It's terrible, but she's fine."
"Is she still drinking?"
"A little, but she's working two jobs. It must not be easy."
"It must not be easy for you either, with your stepdad gone."
"It's kinda better, honestly. He was an asshole, so there's less assholery now."
"Are you sleeping better?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"So no more headaches or nightmares?"
Max thought back to the night before. She did, in fact, have a nightmare. She relived watching her brother getting murdered by that, monster. She woke up with a headache.
"Nope," she lied.
"Max?" said Ms. Chen. "What you've been through, and still going through, it's a lot for anyone, and it's okay to not be okay, but I can only be helpful if you open up to me."
"I know. I'm being open."
Ms. Chen knew Max was lying. She didn't pry, though. She needed Max to open up on her own, not by force.
When Max left the office, Lucas was waiting for him.
"Hey, Max…" he was about to say.
"Are you stalking me or something?" Max interrupted.
"No, I just wanted to give you this." Lucas handed Max a small card. "It's a ticket to the game. I know you never want to go to any of my games, but this one is a big deal."
"You really care about this, Lucas?"
"Yeah, I do. Maybe you should find something you care about too."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It's like you're not even here anymore. Like a ghost or something."
"Really? A ghost?"
"Max, I know something is wrong."
"You're only saying that because I broke up with you."
"That's not what I meant."
"Lucas, look, people change, okay? That's it. I changed. It's that simple." Max handed the ticket back. "Good luck."
Max went into the bathroom. She went into her backpack and grabbed some pills. She took a couple of the pills out and swallowed them. She took an empty cup and scooped some sink water. She scarfed it down to rinse.
Once she was done, she heard noises coming from the stall.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," the voice of Chrissy replied.
"You're sure?"
"Please just go away."
Max walked out of the bathroom.
Chrissy flushed the toilet. She was ready to leave. She heard banging on the stall door.
"I said go away!" Chrissy yelled. "Are you deaf?"
"Chrissy?" a voice called.
"Mom?"
"Are you ready to try on the dress again? I loosened the back a little for you."
Chrissy saw the lights flicker. She looked down and saw feet. Not just any feet. These feet looked decayed. Nothing like her mother.
"Chrissy, open the goddamn door!" the voice yelled. "Open the door or I'm gonna gut you like the fat pig you are!"
"Go away!" Chrissy screamed. "Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away!"
After a while, the noise went away. Chrissy opened her eyes. The feet weren't there.
She walked out of the stall. No one was around.
"The devil has come to America," Eddie Munson, the head of the Hellfire Club, read in a mock voice. "Dungeons and Dragons, once viewed as a harmless game of make-believe, now has both parents and psychologists concerned. Studies have linked violent behavior to the game, saying it promotes Satanic worship, ritual sacrifices, sodomy, suicide, and even… murder."
The kids sitting with him at the lunch table laughed at the bullshit that was this slander.
Mike and Dustin just arrived at the table.
"That's just society for you," Dustin remarked. "They need to blame something. We're an easy target."
"Yeah," Mike added. "So they're quick to consider people freaks for wanting to play a fantasy game." He got onto the table and spoke loud enough for the whole cafeteria, including Lucas, to hear. "But you're all good as long as you're into band, or science, or parties, or A GAME WHERE YOU TOSS BALLS INTO LAUNDRY BASKETS!" Mike stared dead into Lucas' eyes and flipped him off.
Lucas just rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Dick."
Mike sat back down.
"I couldn't have said it better myself, kid," said Eddie. "It's forced conforming. It's what's KILLING THE KIDS! That's the real monster."
"Speaking of monsters," said Dustin. "Lucas has to do his 'balls-in-laundry-baskets' game. So, he's not gonna make it to Hellfire tonight. And I know there's no way we can beat your sadistic campaign without him. So, me and Mike, we were talking, shooting the shit, and we were thinking that maybe we might… postpone."
The club did not take kindly to what Dustin just said. They were quick to yell at him.
"Silence!" Eddie yelled. "You saying Sinclair's been taken in by the dark side?"
"Something like that," said Dustin.
"And rather than find a sub for him, you want to postpone 'The Cult of Vecna'?"
"We don't want to postpone it. It's just, most of the subs will be at the championship game."
"Oh, it's the game? Let me tell you. Jeff's graduating this year. Gareth's got, what? A year and a half? Me, I am army-crawling my way towards a D in Ms. O'Donnell's. If I don't blow her final, I'm gonna walk that stage, look the principal dead in the eye, I'm gonna flip him the bird, I'm gonna snatch that diploma, and I'm gonna run like hell out of here."
"You said that last year," Jeff reminded him.
"I was full of shit back then," Eddie retorted. "This year is my year. I can feel it. '86 baby. You know what that means? You boys are the future of Hellfire? I knew it the moment I saw you. You sat on that table right over there, looking like… two lost sheep." He turned to Dustin. "You were wearing a Weird Al T-shirt, which was brave." He turned to Mike. "You were wearing whatever shit your mommy bought you from goddamn Gap." The club chuckled. "And we showed you that High School didn't have to be the worst years of your lives. I'm here to tell you, there are other lost sheep out here, who need help. Who need you. All you gotta do is get your Bo-Peeps on and find one."
"Where the hell have you been?" Joyce asked her friend, Murray, on the phone.
"I have karate from one to three on Fridays," Murray reminded her. "Let me see if I have this right. You received a doll in the mail, it's creepy, and you think it's from Russia."
"I know it is. The stamps had that hammer with the hook."
"Sickle. It sounds like it came from Russia."
"I'm so glad I called you. Should I be worried?"
"I would be. It could be a threat. After all, you did sabotage their operation, and killed about two dozen comrades."
"How would they know my name?"
"It's the KGB. If they wanna find out who you are, they will. Wait, can you undress her?"
Joyce removed the doll's dress. "Jesus, she has nipples."
"Okay, do you see anything tied to her? Wires or a bug?"
Joyce removed the dress even more. She found a crack. "The porcelain's cracked and they tried to glue it back together."
"Do you have rope and something heavy for smashing?"
At LHH, Jonathan was in Woodshop class working on a bird feeder. His friend, Argyle showed him his bird feeder. It had a weed in front of it. The kind of weed used for smoking.
"Do you like it?" he asked. "I call it a weeder."
"Clever," Jonathan sarcastically remarked before walking off.
"Where are you going? I'm just trying to turn that frown upside-down. Come on, man. Are you gonna be moping around all break or what?"
"I'm not moping."
"Yes you are, Mopey Dick."
"Clever."
"Is this because your lovers are ditching you?"
"Nancy and Steve aren't ditching me."
"So they're coming now?"
"No."
"So they are ditching you."
"They are not. They have to work."
"Who the hell works over Spring Break?"
"They do."
Meanwhile, Nancy was in her journalism class. Her classmate, Fred, was bugging her.
"Why can't Jonathan just come to you and Steve?" he asked.
"A lot of reasons," Nancy replied.
"What kind of reasons?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Call it journalistic instinct."
"Well, if that's what you're after, there's no story here. His mom works, so he has to watch over his brother. On top of that, he's not early decision like me, so he's waiting on his acceptance letter, and he wants to be there when it comes, which I totally get."
"I don't. It just…"
"Doesn't make any sense," Argyle rambled. "Let me sift through this mess. Nancy and Steve are supposed to be the loves of your life. In fact, you're so smitten that you have this grand plan to go to some fancy-schmancy college, AKA money pit, together?"
"And yet he's so nervous about his acceptance letter that he doesn't have time to visit the most desired girl in Hawkins?" said Fred.
"That doesn't pass the smell test," Argyle continued on. "It stinks to high heaven. You're a good boy. You've been a good boy, and I think it's well past time to get yourself a well-deserved hanky-panky."
"First of all, Fred," said Nancy. "I'm going to try to forget that you said any of that. It's…"
"Gross dude," said Jonathan. "You don't understand Nancy or Steve."
"He's not like you. He's caring, compassionate, and…"
"Incredibly ambitious. They've never done a single thing halfway in their lives."
"He's so protective over the people he loves."
"If Nancy takes on the school paper, she's gonna make it the best paper ever."
"And he'll never back down from what's right, what's moral. No matter the pressure, no matter the cost…"
"That's why I love them."
"That's why we both love him."
"Everything between us is…"
"Perfect."
"I'm still rooting for my alt," said Fred.
That's when they heard a knock on the door. Nancy rolled her eyes and walked to answer the door. Once she answered, Mike was there, as she expected.
"Do you wanna join Hellfire tonight?" he asked.
Nancy made a face that read, "Thanks for the offer, but no. I'm busy."
Elsewhere in the school, Dustin was calling his older friend, Barbara Holland.
"Can't you move your date this one time?" he asked.
"To hang out with you and that Eddie Munson?" said Barb. "I'll pass."
"You're just jealous because I have another older friend."
"Whatever. Besides, you know how I feel about Robin. I got some customers. Gotta go. Bye."
Dustin sighed and flipped off the phone as a way of flipping off Barb.
Dustin then found Max nearby.
"Hey Max," he called, getting her attention. "Wanna fill in for Lucas during Hellfire tonight?"
"Let me think," Max replied. "Will I get one of those cool T-shirts if I play?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yeah, everyone gets a T-shirt. We make them ourselves, and if you… Wait, you're being sarcastic aren't you?"
Max got on her skateboard and rode away. That was all Dustin needed to know she was being sarcastic.
"Mom says that game promotes Satanism," said a science geek.
"That's just slander!" Mike yelled.
"60 Minutes begs to differ."
"No."
"No."
"No."
"No."
That's all Mike and Dustin received from anyone they asked to join the club.
"It's official," Mike decided. "High School is Hell."
"Then screw it," Dustin suggested. "Screw High School."
Dustin ran away from the school. Mike ran after him.
"Dustin, where are you going?"
"Just trust me!"
Elsewhere, Chrissy was walking away from the school. She walked into the woods.
In the woods, she found a wooden picnic table. There was some stuff on the table. She feared someone was nearby.
"Hello?" she called out.
That's when she heard a chime. On one of the trees was a Grandfather's Clock. It chimed a creepy chime. Chrissy walked to get a closer look. Spiders crawled out of the glass.
That's when she felt someone bump into her.
"Sorry," said the someone. Chrissy turned around. It was just Eddie. "Didn't mean to scare you. You okay?"
Chrissy turned around. The clock wasn't there.
Chrissy sat down at the picnic table. Eddie sat across from her. He pulled out a trunk and opened it.
"No one knows we're here," he assured. "We're safe. I promise."
"So, how does this work, exactly?" asked Chrissy.
"Just like any other old sale, except cash only, and for obvious reasons, no receipts. I'll do a half ounce for, uh, twenty. What do you say? Plenty of bang for your buck."
Chrissy heard a noise. She turned around. It was just a squirrel.
Eddie saw the scared look on Chrissy's face. "Listen, we don't have to do this. Just give me the word, and I'll walk away."
"No, it's not that. It's just, do you ever feel like you're losing your mind?"
Eddie thought about it. "Uh, just, on a daily basis. I feel like I'm losing my mind right now, selling drugs to Chrissy Cunningham, the queen of Hawkins High. You know, this isn't the first time we met, remember?" Chrissy made a face. Eddie knew what he needed to know. "No? That's okay. I wouldn't remember me either, Chrissy. Remember the Middle School talent show? You were doing this cheer thing. It was cool, actually. And I was with my band."
"Corroded Coffin," Chrissy realized. "How could I forget?"
"I don't know, Chrissy," Eddie replied. "You're a freak."
"No, you just looked so different."
"Yeah, my hair was buzzed and I didn't have these sweet tattoos."
"You played guitar, right?"
"Still do. Come see us. We play at the Hideout on Tuesdays. We actually get a crowd of about five drunks. It's not a garden, but you gotta start somewhere."
"You know, you're not what I thought you'd be like."
"Mean and scary? Yeah, I actually thought you'd be that way too. In other good news, flattery works for me. So, how about a twenty-five percent discount for the half?"
"Do you have anything, maybe, stronger?"
At LHH, Elle and Will were walking across the courtyard. They both tripped and dropped their respective visual aids.
"Oh my God," Angela teased. "I am so sorry. I hope Daddy's okay."
Angela and her friends walked off. Angela slid the diorama over to one of her friends. He stomped on it. He then took the display board and tore it up.
Elle's brother, Elvis, walked out to see what was happening. He was horrified.
Elle had enough. She stood up.
"Angela!" she yelled.
Angela turned around. Elle walked over to Angela and reached her hand out. She let out a loud scream. Nothing happened.
"Holy shit," said Angela. "What the hell was that?"
Everyone in the courtyard laughed at Elle and Will, except for Elvis.
Elvis snuck up behind Angela and punched her in the back of the head. Angela turned around.
"You are so dead," she said. She was about to attack Elvis.
"Hey, what's going on here?" a voice yelled. Mrs. Gracey showed up and saw what happened. "Jane, Will? Did someone do this?"
"We tripped," Elle lied. "It was an accident."
Mrs. Gracey turned towards Angela. Angela turned away from Elvis as if she wasn't about to beat him to a pulp. Mrs. Gracey wasn't buying her act, though.
"Alright, Angela," she said. "You're coming with me."
Mrs. Gracey grabbed Angela's hand and carried her over to the principal's office.
"Guys," Elvis called out as he approached his sister and crush. "I'm sorry. It's gonna be okay. It's not that bad. We'll fix them together, okay?"
Elle wasn't listening. She was too heartbroken seeing her hard work gone to waste.
Joyce tied a rope to a paint can, then tossed the other end of the rope over a tree. She pulled the rope, lifting the can over the doll.
The next-door neighbors saw what was happening. The mother was quick to lead her kids away.
"Was this really necessary?" Joyce asked Murray over the phone.
"If that porcelain belly is pregnant with an explosive device," Murray replied. "You will be thanking me. Remember, you aren't lowering the bucket, you are releasing it. You want to destroy that doll with as much force as possible. One more thing…"
Joyce let go of the rope, dropping the phone in the process. The can crushed the doll. Joyce ran to the doll to check for bugs or bombs. There were neither. There was a sheet of paper. Joyce read the sheet. For the first time in forever, she felt a sense of relief.
The championship had begun. Barb and her girlfriend, Robin, were performing in the band like always. Nancy was there for her Journalism class. Her first boyfriend, Steve Harrington, was a spectator in the audience.
"Please rise for our National Anthem," the principal announced. "Performing tonight, we have a very special guest. Please welcome, all the way from Nashville, our very own, Tammy Thompson."
Tammy walked over to the microphone. She sang so off-key.
"I told you," Barb told Robin. "She sounds like a muppet."
"Yeah, she does," Robin admitted. "She sounded so much better back when I was crushing on her."
"Seriously? She sounds like Kermit the Frog."
"She sounds more like Miss Piggy."
Meanwhile, Mike and Dustin reached the Hellfire Hideout with Lucas' substitute. His own sister, Erica.
Eddie gave it some thought. In the end, he decided, "Absolutely not."
"You asked for a sub," Dustin reminded him. "We delivered."
"This is a DnD club," Eddie retorted. "Not a babysitting club."
"I'm eleven, Mullet Munson!" Erica yelled.
"My, my. The child speaks. So, what's your name?"
"Erica Sinclair."
"So this is Sinclair's infamous sister. What's your class and level? Level one dwarf?"
"My name is Lady Applejack. I'm a chaotic good half-elf rogue, level fourteen. I will sneak behind any monster you throw my way and stab them in the back with my poison-soaked kukri, and I'll smile as I watch them die a slow, agonizing death. Are we gonna do this or are we gonna keep chitchatting like this is your mommy's book club?"
Everyone in the room was shocked at Erica's awesome comeback. Even Eddie was impressed. He offered his hand.
"Welcome to Hellfire."
The Basketball final began.
Jason was lucky enough to score the first goal within the first two seconds. He then winked at Chrissy before continuing on.
"The hooded cultists chant, 'Hail Lord Vecna'," Eddie narrated. "They turn to you, remove their hoods. You recognize most of them from Makbar. But there is one you do not recognize, his skin shriveled, desiccated, and something else. He is not only missing his left arm, but his left eye."
Everyone in the club was shot. They started yelling things like, "But Venca's dead" and "He was killed by Kas".
"So it was thought, my friends," said Eddie. "So it was thought. But Vecna lives."
Eddie placed a figure of Vecna on the board.
The Hawkins Tigers weren't doing good. The away team was six points ahead, and they were fifty seconds away from halftime.
"You are scared," Eddie narrated. "You are tired. You are injured. Do you flee Vecna and his cult, or do you stand your ground and fight? Come on."
"Sinclair, you're in," said the coach. "Let's go, son."
Lucas got excited. He threw off his jacket and ran onto the court.
"I say we fight," said Dustin. "To the death."
"To the death," said Mike.
"To the death," Erica also said.
"To the death! To the death!" the whole club chanted.
The Hawkins Tigers gave it their all. They were still a few points behind. Jason called a timeout.
The Hellfire Club put up their best fight against Vecna. Vecna was still too powerful. Gareth called a timeout.
The Hellfire Club huddled up.
"Guys, I hate to say this," said Gareth. "But we have to flee."
"Didn't we just agree 'to the death'?" asked Erica.
"That wasn't literal," said Jeff. "Vecna just decimated us. We can't kill him with two players."
"He only has fifteen points left," Dustin retorted. "Don't be pussies."
"Hey, if I may interject, gentlemen, Lady Applejack," said Eddie. "While I respect the passion, you should take Gareth the Great's words to heart. There is no shame in running. Don't try to be heroes. Not today, okay?"
"One second," said Mike before the club got back into the huddle. He turned to Dustin. "How many hit points do you and Applejack have left?"
"Twelve," Dustin and Erica replied in unison.
The Tigers huddled.
"They're gonna try and take away Jason and double-team him," said the coach. "That is gonna free up Patrick."
"No, you gotta let me take the shot," said Jason.
"It's risky as hell," said Mike. "But you're the ones on the battlefield. It's your call."
"What do you say, Lady Applejack?" Dustin asked Erica.
"You really gotta ask?" Erica shot back.
"Screw it. Let's kill that son of a bitch."
"Winners gonna win," said Jason. "It's gotta be me."
"The chances of success are twenty to one," said Jeff.
"Never tell me the odds," Dustin scolded.
"Just get me the ball," said Jason.
"Give me the D-20," said Dustin.
Eddie gave Dustin the D-20 dice.
Jason grabbed the ball, ready to score the final goal.
Dustin rolled the dice.
The ball missed the goal.
Dustin landed on eleven.
"That's a miss," Eddie dramatized.
"Shit!" Dustin shouted.
Lucas caught the ball. He dribbled for a bit.
Erica shook the dice in her hand.
Lucas jumped.
"Please, come on."
Lucas tossed the ball.
Erica tossed the dice.
Everyone in the audience braced themselves.
Everyone in the club was nervous.
The ball landed in the goal at the very last second. Hawkins won their first game in twenty-two years. One happy moment for the town after three years of nothing but tragedy. The crowd went wild.
Erica's dice landed one a nat-twenty. It was a critical hit.
"What?" Eddie shouted. He did not expect to be beaten by a child. He calmed himself. "That's why we play."
The whole team cheered for Lucas.
Lucas walked out with the basketball team. Lucas saw his friends leave the school with Erica. They were all cheering for her. Mike saw Lucas and gave him a cold glare.
Max laid on her bed listening to Billy's song. She heard barking coming from outside. She left her room and went into the fridge. She grabbed a treat and walked outside. She gave the treat to her dog.
She then heard a car engine. She turned to see a car pull up to the trailer across the street. She saw Eddie get out of the car with Chrissy. This made her feel suspicious.
"This is my castle," Eddie told Chrissy as she led her inside.
Max didn't think much of it. She gave her dog one last treat and walked back inside.
"Sorry for the mess," said Eddie. "The maid took the weak off."
"You live alone?" asked Chrissy.
"I live with my uncle, but he works at the plant. Bringing home the big bucks."
"How long does it take? The special K?"
"It depends if you snort it or not. If you do, then yeah. It'll kick in pretty quickly."
"Are you sure you have it?"
"I got it somewhere."
Eddie walked into his room.
Chrissy felt nervous. She heard the chime again. She looked out the window. She just saw the trailer park. She still felt scared. She closed the curtains.
"Eddie, did you find it?" she called. Eddie didn't answer. "Eddie? Eddie?"
Chrissy walked into Eddie's room. She didn't see Eddie. She saw her mother.
"Just loosening this for you, sweetheart," she said in a distorted voice. "You're going to look absolutely beautiful."
Chrissy's mom turned around to reveal a dark, wrinkly face with blank white eyes.
Chrissy quickly shut the door. She wasn't in Eddie's trailer anymore. She was back in her house.
The door opened. Chrissy tried to keep it shut.
"Chrissy, open the door!" her mom demanded, her voice slowly getting more and more distorted over time. "Chrissy! Chrissy!"
"Fine, I'll open it!" Chrissy screamed.
Chrissy opened the door hard. It hit someone hard enough to knock them to the floor. The person she saw wasn't her mother though.
It was a man with shriveled, desiccated skin. He looked more like a corpse than anything else. Whatever it was, Chrissy was able to knock it down. It was slowly getting up though.
Chrissy took the time to run. She saw her dad sitting on the couch. His eyes and mouth were stitched shut. Chrissy screamed at the site.
Eddie finally found what he was looking for. He walked back to Chrissy.
"Peaceful bliss, just moments away," he said.
He looked up to see Chrissy standing there frozen. Her eyes were completely gray.
"Chrissy, hello?" he said. "Chrissy, wake up. Hey, hello?" He saw the lights begin to flicker.
Chrissy saw the lights flicker. She saw the gangly figure coming down the stairs.
"Chrissy," he called out.
Chrissy made a run for it. She saw a dinner table swarmed with bugs. She heard the figure approaching. She continued running.
She found the doorway out. She swung it open. The way out was blocked by wooden boards.
"Help! Help!" she screamed in an attempt to break herself free.
Eddie clapped his hands. "Time to wake up. Time to wake up. Can you hear me? Wake up, Chrissy. Chrissy, wake up! I don't like this! Chrissy, wake up!"
"Chrissy."
Chrissy turned around. The figure was almost there. She wanted to run, but she was too scared. Tears were falling down her face.
"Don't cry, Chrissy," the figure said, as he wiped the tears off her face. "It's time for your suffering to end."
The figure put his hand to Chrissy's face.
Eddie saw Chrissy slowly float up off the floor. He was terrified.
After a second, Chrissy was quickly pinned to the ceiling by an invisible force. Eddie fell to the floor, scared
Chrissy's arm shattered. Her legs broke afterwards. Then her other arm. Then her jaw. Blood streamed out of her eyes until they exploded. The blood flowed out of her eye sockets and landed all over Eddie's body.
He screamed at everything he just witnessed.
A.N.
Now that was a scary ending.
So, first thing. I decided to make Vecna's Curse a bit more graphic. I remember being terrified witnessing Chrissy die for the first time. I was still terrified rewatching the episode even though I knew what was coming. The kill in the end was so graphic, yet not graphic enough at the same time. I decided to make it a bit more graphic by having the blood pour out of the eye sockets after the eyes explode, leaving the bodies completely dry of fluids. Hopefully that satisfies anyone who wants an even darker version of Stranger Things.
Another smaller change I decided to make is that we actually get to see Will do his presentation. I learned through TV Tropes that Will's hero was Alan Turing, a scientist who was prosecuted for being gay. That would've been nice to see. It sucks the Duffers didn't show us that.
Since Robin is dating Barb in this universe, Vicki does not exist. I'm not completely on board the "Ricki" ship. Maybe Season 5 will do Vicki justice, make her a character to root for, but until then, I'm on the "Bobin" ship.
In the actual show, they do make it clear that Mike and Dustin are upset at Lucas for joining the basketball team. I decided to make it even more personal for Mike. One of his best friends left him to be with the popular crowd. Mike flipping off Lucas in the cafeteria is completely understandable.
Chrissy was a very well-written character. It sucks she died so soon, but it needed to happen to move the story along. I still decided to give her one small hurrah, so she does manage to land a hit on Vecna by hitting him with the door.
I was initially gonna have Chrissy's nightmare play out very differently. Originally, it was supposed to be Jason haunting her, not her own mother. Initially, Jason was supposed to be a rapist who raped Chrissy on a daily basis. Jason was also supposed to be a deranged person overall. It would have gotten to the point where when Patrick falls victim to Vecna's Curse, he would have realized Eddie's innocence, but would've accused Eddie anyway because he would've figured that Chrissy and Eddie were having an affair before Chrissy died, so Jason would have accused Eddie to let him take the fall for the real killer, under the classic villain cliche, "If I can't have it, then no one can." In this case, it would be love. I genuinely believed Jason was that kind of person because of the Season 4 finale where he said, "If she was really hurting, she would have gone to me for help. Not that freak, Eddie." Thus proving he's nothing but a deranged, selfish, slanderer. After putting some thought into it, I decided Jason deserves more than that. No spoilers.
Anyway, that's all I have to say. Thanks for reading. Please favorite, follow, and review.
