"How and where did you find this girl?" Hopper asked, brow furrowed.

Mike and Will stepped forward to offer their account. Meanwhile, Steve's hazel gaze fell to Joanne, who was turned away and seemed to be stretching her neck from side-to-side. He gave his dry lips a quick lick, contemplating whether to check in with her, or to allow her the brief moment to herself. His brow raised sharply as he prepared to step toward her, when suddenly, Hopper's stern voice captured his attention once more.

"Can you take me to exactly where you found her?" he inquired.

Mike and Will looked to Steve, followed by the glares of the other teens. Mike's brow flinched. Steve could not discern whether he was trying to subtly nod his head yes or if the boy's neck was simply tense due to stress. On Will's features, he read a mixture of willingness and angst. Steve swallowed dryly and sighed, nodding his head.

"If it's going to help get her home," he said.

The sun was setting rapidly, and the air was much cooler, still dampened by the previous day's rain as the group pulled away from the barn, tires sloshing in the wet mud. Eddie, Eleven, Max, and Lucas rode in Joanna's yellow Ford Escort, while Steve, Dustin, Mike, and Will piled in with Hopper. The sky was dark by time they reached the Middle School parking lot, behind which where the woods where it all began. Steve, Joanna, Eddie, and Hopper all took flashlights and followed behind Will and Mike, retracing their steps to the DND lair. The hoots of owls and the snapping of twigs sounded far more frightening at night. Eleven walked close to Joanna, who gently laid a hand on her shoulder each time she heard her gasp.

"It's okay, dear," Joanna said softly. "Just the woods talking to us. If you feel frightened, take my hand, alright?"

Up toward the front, Will's breaths were becoming louder and more shaky with each step.

"Just think of this as one of our campaigns, Will," Mike said, reassuringly.

"Speaking of," Max chimed in, trying to sound as calm as she could, "can we get a sneak peak of what's planned for the next one?"

"I bet it's gonna be awesome," Dustin said.

"It's gonna have to be to beat the last," Lucas added. "I still can't believe we made it out."

"I'm telling you," Dustin chuckled, "if I hadn't been wearing my lucky underwear we would've gone down for sure."

Max rolled her eyes.

"They better not be the kind that you don't wash," she groaned.

"I'll never tell."

"You're disgusting sometimes."

"Anyway," Mike blurted.

"Well..." Will began quietly, his wide eyes darting across the path, "Max's thieving will come in handy, I think."

"For once," Dustin uttered, receiving a sharp punch in the arm from the fiery-head girl.

"And I don't want to give too much away," Will continued, "but we have to play it on a night when we can build a small bonfire."

A momentary silence washed over the group, as all pondered what this could possibly mean.

"Wait a minute..." Lucas drawled suspiciously, "we're not going to fight the..."

A small chuckle escaped from Will.

"We are!" Lucas exclaimed.

"The demogorgon?" Mike asked.

"I'm calling it," Dustin said, putting his hands halfway up in the air, "lucky underwear or not, we're gonna die."

"No way, we've totally got this," Lucas said, patting Dustin's shoulder.

"Demogorgon?"

The group looked toward the voice and found that Eleven had wandered up to them. She seemed intrigued by the discussion.

"It's a really powerful monster," Mike explained. "Very, very hard to kill."

"And you are... going to fight it?"

"It's just a game," Mike replied. "We aren't really fighting anything."

"Except maybe each other," Max laughed.

"It does get a little tense at times," Will added.

They rounded a corner and came to the opening where the lair had been set up. The light of the moon was beaming through the trees, casting its radiance on the large tree trunk and the seats surrounding it. Hopper wandered off a ways, carefully studying the area. Will checked on the state of the trunk and the seats. He flinched and gasped when suddenly he felt a hand come down on his shoulder.

"Hey kid," Eddie said, "the others say you set this up?"

Will swallowed dryly, trying to calm himself from the jump scare. He simply nodded. Eddie took another glance around, sticking out his lower lip as he took everything in.

"This is pretty badass," he said finally.

Will's face beamed.

"You really mean it?" he asked excitedly.

"I'm many things, young Byers," Eddie replied, "but I'm not a liar. I'm actually impressed."

"Is there anything that would make it better?"

"Better?" Eddie asked, taken aback. "Young Byers, a lair only needs to match its players. Take mine, for example. It's set in a dim barn that smells of beer and... grass... which is perfect for my crew."

He turned his head and faced the other teens who were standing nearby, quietly arguing about something. Lucas knocked Dustin's trucker hat from his curly head while Mike and Max bickered over each other. Eddie's dark brow rose as he slowly turned back to Will. His eyes squinted and he forced a rather uncomfortable, wide smile.

"I think this suits your team perfectly."

"Wow, thanks," Will said breathlessly. "Hey, Eddie?"

His brow rose once more to show Will he had his attention.

"You don't think you would ever want to do a campaign with us... do you? I mean, I'm sure there's so much I could learn from you."

"Never say never," he replied, much to Will's amazement. "I could probably learn a thing or two from you too."

Will smiled, but was abruptly stunned when Hopper shined his flashlight toward him, giving him an immediate ache behind his eyes.

"Where did you run into her?" the Chief asked.

"Right over there," Will responded, pointing to a nearby cluster of trees. Underneath them were the wrappers and the banged up cooler.

"We... we were planning to get that cleaned up," Mike stammered, trudging over.

Hopper stroked his beard in thought, then turned to Eleven, who was already glaring at him.

"How did you get to this spot?" he inquired. "Can you show me?"

With no response, she began walking further into the woods, snapping twigs and tussling vines as she went. Everyone followed, with Hopper closest by, followed by the teens, and Steve, Eddie, and Joanna in the rear. She led them several yards away, which seemed like a long and grueling walk over uneven ground, holes dug by animals, and tree roots jutting out in the worst places. Joanna lost her footing and instinctually grabbed onto Steve, who quickly stopped and steadied her.

"Let's not have any twisted ankles now," he chuckled.

"That'd be the least of my worries," she said tiredly, trying to force her own giggle.

Steve's lips pursed in thought.

"How are you holding up with everything?" he inquired gently.

"Everything just feels so surreal," she responded, running her fingers through her dark mahogany hair. "Like, I don't even fully believe that we're walking in the woods with Chief Hopper and all of these kids right now."

"Yeah," Steve sighed, "I don't fully believe it either. This is perhaps the weirdest shit these twerps have put me through."

"I can tell they look up to you a lot," Joanna said, smiling. "Especially Dustin."

"Meh," Steve replied, "I'm no one to be looked up to."

Eleven suddenly paused near a tree. It was noticeable larger than those around it, though nothing else worthy of note could be found.

"Okay..." Hopper drawled. "How did you get here?"

Eleven turned toward the tree and stared at it. Hopper drew in a long, loud breath in.

"How did you get here?" he repeated through gritted teeth.

She continued to look at the tree.

"Doorway," she uttered most quietly.

Hopper covered his face with his hand, though everyone could see the frustration welling in his features. A wave of disappointment swept over the whole group. Everyone exchanged glances, as no one knew what to do next. With a sigh, Hopper looked down at the ground, nudging a small rock with his boot.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," he said. "We're going to get everyone home, and I'm going to take her down to the station, like I should have in the first place."

Suddenly, some branches above them ruffled and creaked, loud enough for everyone to flinch. Eleven stepped away from the tree and took Joanna's hand, who was ready to receive her frightened grip. The teens stepped closer to Steve, while Eddie inched closer to Hopper. The air felt colder and heavier. The previous smell of the foliage and mud seemed to vanish. Everything grew louder and yet eerily quieter at once. Hopper swept over each person with his light.

"Let's get everyone home," he said.

A loud thud nearby, so strong that they could feel the impact in the ground, rang out. All flashlights were turned in its direction. Steve, Joanna, Eddie, and Hopper, without word, surrounded the teens, who were now all on the verge of panic. Hopper drew his gun, and all felt sick to their stomachs.

"Who's out there?" he commanded.

There were no responses beyond the heaving breaths of the group.

"Who's out there?" Hopper commanded once more.

Steve thought he was seeing things, perhaps due to moving his own flashlight. He blinked his eyes, swallowed dryly, and then squinted, trying to make certain that what he was seeing was real. The hairs on his neck started to rise. Others began to see it too. A shadow in the distance was growing up from the ground. Despite multiple lights shining in its direction, it remained dark and continued to lift until it was taller than even Hopper. Two long, thin arms lowered to the figure's side.

"Identify yourself!" Hopper shouted.

Eleven stepped forward, her eyes wide and her breaths short.

"Demogorgon," she uttered.

"What?" Mike gasped.

"Demogorgon!" she shouted.

Just as her voice was fading, the shadow lurched forward. Steve's breath caught in his throat. The monstrosity's skin was pale gray, as though it had died long ago. Its limbs were thin and lengthy, and its fingers dangly and sharp. It let out a ferocious roar. Its face split into five parts, revealing a mouth filled with layers of jagged teeth dripping with some kind of sludge. The only thing louder than its roar was Eddie screaming, "Oh shit!"

Hopper's gun popped off. The teens shrieked and covered their ears. Eddie shrunk back with them, while Hopper stepped forward and Steve and Joanna remained planted, too awe-struck to move. Hopper shot off several more shots. By its movements, it was clear the gangly beast was being hit by the bullets, and yet it continued its ravenous charge forward.

"Get out of here!" Hopper shouted over his shoulder.

Steve and Joanna quickly pivoted to rally the teens. Steve waved them back toward the lair to get them on the path out of the woods. Eddie ran ahead of them, but turned every few steps to ensure the teens were behind him. Steve and Joanna followed behind, yet in their frenzied corralling, they lost sight of Eleven. It wasn't until they had reached the tree stump did Mike notice her absence.

"Where's Eleven?" he asked breathlessly.

His voice was cut off by a monstrous roar, followed by more gunshots and their terrifying echoes. Joanna sped past Steve in the other direction.

"Where are you going?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

"I'm going to get Eleven!" her voice echoed, as she had already disappeared into the darkness.

With a flustered sigh, Steve gave chase, though he called back to the teens.

"Get back to the cars, now!"

Eddie did not hesitate to follow Steve command. He turned and continued his fierce sprint through the woods, though after a time, he realized he didn't know where he was going.

"One of you is going to have to lead us-"

He turned and, to his dismay, found that none of the teens were behind him.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" he whispered breathlessly. "Byers? Sinclair? Anyone?"

No response met him. Taking his long, chestnut brown hair into his fists, he blew out a heaving breath and began a grueling trudge back through the woods. The thought of his cousin being in danger propelled him through his mounting fear, though ever fiber of his being urged him to turn back. Steve dodged trees and branches as best as he could, trying to find Joanna and Eleven without giving himself away to the, whatever it was that was after them. His chest was growing hot and his head was spinning. Suddenly, a sharp pain met the middle of his foot as it collided with a large branch hidden in the darkness. He fell to the ground, crashing against more branches and rocks and landing with a yelp. He gripped his side and rolled, wincing in pain.

"I hope I didn't just crack a rib," he thought.

Through the ache, he hoisted himself up onto his side and flashed the light ahead of him, but a loud gasp escaped him and the flashlight fell from his grip when he saw a pale hand outstretched before him. The flashlight came to rest and revealed Hopper, lying on his back with fresh blood streaking down his forehead.

"Damn it!" Steve cried.

He crawled forward, gaining more strength with each reach.

"Hopper? Chief, can you hear me?"

He placed two fingers on the man's neck just as Eddie came up behind him.

"Fuck, Harrington!" Eddie shrieked. "He's not dead. Tell me he's not dead."

"He's not," Steve confirmed, "he's just out cold."

His hazel eyes looked back to meet Eddie's.

"Where are the kids?"

Eddie simply shrugged. Steve growled, but before he could rebuke Eddie, a loud scream erupted from nearby. Eddie took Steve by the arm and lifted him to his feet. Keeping each other steady, they raced toward the scream, until they came upon perhaps the strangest thing yet. The beast, roaring in agony, had its back against a tree, yet its feet were high up off of the ground. Eleven was standing in front of it, arm outstretched and nose bleeding. She was the source of the scream. Joanna stood nearby, and to Steve's relief, all of the teens were with her, watching the scene unfold in horror.

Eleven raised her other arm and it trembled terribly. With another scream coupled with what sounded like an exasperated sigh, she flung her arms to the side, and the monster flew in the same direction, smashing through a couple of thinner trees before becoming lost in the darkness. All could see that Eleven was rapidly weakening. Her shoulders dropped further and further with each breath, and her knees started to quiver. Mike ran forward and lifted her arm around his shoulder. Max followed suit to support her from the other side.

"We've got you," Max said.

"Eleven, that was insane!" Mike exclaimed. "I didn't know you could take out a demogorgon!"

Eleven smiled and let out a sigh before her eyes closed and her body weight fell forward.

"Give her to me," Steve said gently, stretching out his arms to receive her.

He swept one arm beneath her legs at her knees and rested her in his other. He hid another wince of pain as her weight pressed up against his sore chest.

"We need to get out of here and call for help," he said sternly "in case that thing attacks again."

Everyone nodded and began walking back toward the lair, but Eddie paused once more.

"Joanna?"

All looked back and found the girl supporting herself against a tree. Eddie raced to her side.

"Are you hurt?" he asked frantically.

"No," she said between gasps, "just feeling very lightheaded."

"She's probably completely exhausted just like Eleven," Dustin said.

Sure enough, her eyes began to close. Eddie caught her by the arm, and with Dustin and Lucas' help, lowered her to the ground.

"What are we going to do?" Eddie asked, his growing panic becoming more evident with each word. "The girl is down, Joanna's down, Hopper's down-"

"Hopper's down?" Will asked.

"He's out cold nearby," Steve said as calmly as he could, "he's alive, we just need to get him some help."

"Uhhh, guys..." Dustin drawled.

He raised a shaky hand and pointed to where the demogorgon had been thrown. Steve and Eddie raised their flashlights to reveal that it was once more rising to its feet, beginning a groggy yet hot pursuit toward them.

"Guys!" Dustin screamed again.

Not knowing what else to do, Steve hunched down and used his body to shield Eleven. Will, Max, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin all grabbed onto each other and screamed. Eddie threw his arms over Joanna's head. All waited as each thunderous step of the beast drew closer and closer. Steve closed his eyes and tried not to let out his own shriek. Though he didn't believe in any god, he found himself praying to anything willing to hear him.

Then, as if by some diving intervention, a hot burst of air swept over the group. Though their eyes were closed, they could see something being illuminated nearby, and whatever it was, it sounded as though it was hurting the monster. It shrieked and gurgled. Another burst of light and heat came forth, before the thud of the beast's body met their ears. They all looked up and found that the beast was in flames. Behind it stood a woman with a thin yet kind-looking face and dark hair that was pulled back in a braid. Loose bangs hung on her forehead. Beside her was a very serious-looking man with thin black hair. His round face appeared strangely calm despite the situation. The woman held a large weapon with a small flame burning on the tip of it.

The man's eyes scanned over the group. With a thick accent, he spoke.

"You must come with us. Now."