At 5:07 she arrived at the Hargrove residence, and she was surprised by how normal it all looked. She knew that Billy couldn't have been a good representative of his household, but even then she thought it'd have some character. Aside from the red rose bush in the front, it could have been any random house in the suburbs. Cherry Lane wasn't one of the wealthier streets, but it wasn't anything to huff at either.

She turned off her car, and made her way up the uneven steps. She'd been so smug after she'd left the school parking lot, and her nerves had only grown worse from there. She'd let her mom know that she was going to be out late that night, tutoring and then a quick stargaze session before the winter took hold. She'd even lugged her Celestron into the back of her car for good measure, so as not to alert Dustin of anything.

He'd been a little cage-y himself though, having hidden in his room. She'd only briefly seen him in passing, and he hadn't been too worried about having a conversation. He was usually very chatty, especially since he met Mad Max. She should have been thankful for that, since she had her own things to hide, but it only worried her more. Like he knew something she didn't, and he didn't know that she knew something. This would be a problem for tomorrow, if she had any proof to show.

Louise didn't know how long she stood there, gaze focused on the pale yellow front door, but it must have been long enough to alert the residents. The front door swung open, where a little redheaded girl with a hard stare sized her up from just inside the entryway.

"Why are you just standing out there like a creep?"

"I'm-I'm not a creep. Tutor, I'm here to help Billy with homework."

One red brow lifted, as the young girl crossed her arms and leaned back against the door. "You don't look like his normal type."

This child has a death wish, was all Louise thought as incredulous rage washed over her. Before she could respond, a booming voice echoed off the hallway walls. "Go to your room!"

The young girl, who Louise assumed was Dustin's friend Mad Max, rolled her eyes before she opened the door more. Billy stood just behind her, where he only wore a sleeveless black t-shirt and basketball shorts. Both just emphasized his muscles, which annoyed her. Even dressed down, he wore clothes that showed off his muscles. Ridiculous.

"You're not supposed to have girls over." Max said as she stormed past him, and it could be said they were more alike than either would care to admit.

"She's not a girl!"

"I am very much a girl, but a girl with absolutely no romantic interest in you." Louise clarified, as she pushed past him into the house. That earned a small smile from Max, and an intense frown from Billy. "Anyway, where do you want to set up? I have places to be later tonight."

"I doubt that, but the living room is fine." With that, he led her towards the living room which had the most open space. Everything aside from the green fireplace was neutral, just various shades of brown and tan. Much like the exterior, there was no personality in the house. Which was a surprise, given the colorful personalities of Billy and Max. There weren't even any family photos on the walls. Everything was bare and plain, although they'd just moved in. They probably just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Or her mother had been an oddity, who had started to hang family photos the day after they'd officially moved in.

Louise sat her bag on the floor, and took the spot next to it as she rifled through her papers. Billy sat on the couch next to her, only a few sheets of paper and a pen next to him. He just stared at the small binders full of notes that she pulled out, while his eyebrows shot up towards his hairline.

"How much did I miss in two months?"

She glanced up at him, and she would have laughed at the baffled look on his face had he been anyone other than Billy Hargorve. "No, some are from last year too. Some of the themes Mr. Young covers are stuff we went over last year. I don't know what you learned in California, so better safe than sorry."

He leaned back with a huff, and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from his pockets. She scooted away from him, and scrunched her nose up at the sight. "Can you not do that?"

The cigarette was in his mouth, his lighter cupped in his hands. "It's my house, I do what I want."

"Well I have asthma, and cigarette smoke is a trigger. You smoke, I'm gone." She stared up at him as he flipped the lighter closed, and took the unlit cigarette from his mouth.

"You're a nuisance, you know that?"

"It's also bad for you, so you should take that into consideration too."

"I don't need you here to preach; where do we get started?" He scooted forward, and leaned on his knees as he overlooked the papers she'd laid out on the coffee table.

Louise could feel the heat of his body next to hers, even more so when their skin occasionally touched. He was very warm, like a furnace burned from within, and his skin looked as if it had been kissed by the sun. He was like walking sunshine, only his personality was more like a thunderstorm that raged on in the night. It clashed with his looks entirely. The skull tattoo on his right shoulder should have been a shock, they weren't even 18 yet, but it wasn't. He had a carefully curated image.

He grabbed a highlighter over her shoulder, and the trance was broken. Louise could feel her face heat, and hated that she wasn't as immune to his charm as she wanted to be. He was an ass of a human, and no amount of good looks could erase that. She really needed to get herself together.

She was surprised by how quickly he picked up on the material. Granted, it turned out that the California education system did teach him a thing or two about American English, but he was also smarter than she'd initially given him credit for. He absorbed information like a sponge, and she'd been pleasantly surprised to learn he had great critical thinking skills. She only felt slightly like an ass for having judged him so harshly. He did deserve it, for being an ass first.

Louise stretched her legs out in front of her, and rolled her feet at the ankles. She'd grown stiff in the last hour and half they'd spent going over the material. Her back ached, and her foot felt like pins and needles were being jabbed at the bottom of her soles every time she moved it.

"I think that's enough for tonight." His gruff voice rumbled from behind her, and she turned to see him already leaned back on the plush cushions. He seemed content, eyes closed and head thrown back. Louise felt uncomfortable for having seen him like that; like she was an intruder on a quiet moment. He was so at ease, and this wasn't something meant for her eyes.

She started to gather her things, pages being placed back into folders, and her highlighters and pencils going back to the correct cases. It didn't take long before she had everything in place, and she stretched as she stood. "I guess I'll…not see you around?"

"Glad you understand." He said without even an attempt to get up, or open his eyes. He just spread his legs out, and placed his arms beneath his head.

Before Louise could pick her bag from the floor, the front door opened and she could hear two sets of feet as they shuffled in. Quiet voices made their way down the hall, and Louise felt panic sweep through her. Billy seemed to be awakened by the quiet sounds, having jumped up as soon as the door opened. He looked frazzled, and it was the oddest reaction Louise had ever seen a kid have to, presumably, the parents having come home.

"Whose car is parked out front?" A deep man's voice asked, before he came into view. He looked like your average middle aged man, with brown hair and a small mustache. She could see traces of Billy in him, from the tense way he held his body, to the slight tick in his jaw. But nose, jaw, and body language aside, they didn't appear to have anything else in common.

"That's mine, sorry. I was just leaving." Louise said, but noted that even though she talked, his eyes never left Billy.

"Oh, are you a friend of Billy's?" asked the tall, willowy woman next to Billy's father. Her red hair and sharp cheekbones were enough for Louise to put together that she was Max's mom.

"I, maybe? The teacher assigned me as his tutor. It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Louise said, as she held her hand out for the woman. She kindly shook it, and Louise noted how soft her hands were. Like she took lotioning hands nightly as seriously as her own mother did. Maybe that was a mom thing.

"Tutor?" Mr. Hargorve asked, one skeptical brow raised.

"Yeah, tutor." Billy's voice was controlled, and dull. She glanced back, and took note of how tense he was. He'd been so tired before, and now he was on high alert. She didn't know a whole lot about him, but she didn't take him as the type to respect any kind of authority. If seeing him relaxed on the couch had made her uncomfortable, being in the middle of whatever this was made her want to fall into the Upside Down.

"Yeah, they've been talking non stop about different authors and stuff. Watching paint dry would have been more exciting." A bored voice at the end of the hallway piped up, and they all turned to see Max with her arms crossed.

"Young lady, you do not eavesdrop." Mrs. Hargrove scolded, and the young girl just huffed as she made her down the hall.

"So what's for dinner? Another neighborly casserole?"

Louise could feel the tension get lighter the closer she got. Max seemed to be aware of the effect she had, like she'd done this before. Louise gave a quick glance between Mr. Hargove and Billy, both of which were focused on Max. She had a bad feeling about what happened in the Hargrove household.

"Yes, another casserole. They were kind enough to make them, and we'll not let them go to waste." Mrs. Hargrove lightly berated Max.

"Well, I really should get going. It was nice meeting you." She held her backpack strap close to her chest, and gave the kind woman the widest smile she could muster. Her mother called it her Girl Scout Smile, the smile that sold many, many, many boxes of girl scout cookies growing up.

"It was a pleasure meeting a friend of Billy's." She smiled so sincerely, as she looked between Billy and Louise.

Mr. Hargrove finally turned to Louise, and gave her a tense smile that did not reach his eyes. "Yes, I didn't think my son was capable of having friends of the opposite sex."

Louise shuffled from foot to foot, deeply uncomfortable by his stare and his statement. Billy appeared to have gotten his…severity from his father. Who Louise had decided she did not like at all. "Uh, yeah. Anyway, it was nice meeting you all. I have to get home now."

"Oh, well. It was nice to have met you?" Mrs. Hargrove trailed off, a small smile still in place.

"Henderson, Louise Henderson."

"Pleasure to have met you, Louise Henderson."

Louise did not feel like it was a pleasure at all; she felt like a small animal trapped in a predator's grasp. She gave a glance back to Billy, who gave her the fiercest glare she'd seen from him yet. Like it had been her idea to come over there in the first place. She gave him a glare back, before she made her way to the door. The door had just closed, and she'd made it down two steps when she thought she heard yelling.

Louise hesitated down the pathway, and gave a final look back at the house. She locked eyes with Max, who quickly closed the curtains upon seeing Louise look at her. Her stomach turned, knots being formed in the pit of her being. Whatever was happening at the Hargrove household, it wasn't good.

This was very much going to be the longest night of her life.


It's almost 8 p.m. by the time she finally arrived at her hill. The night had grown extremely dark, and all but swallowed the light of her flashlight completely. It wasn't the comfort she'd thought it would be. The very thing that made this hill the perfect stargazing spot, was also the reason she'd probably die if her suspicions were correct. The darkness swallowed whatever light there was.

Louise gripped her flashlight, and marched up the hill. It was a cold night, colder than Halloween had been. There wasn't much of a breeze, which helped her stay somewhat warm. Her sweater wouldn't have cut it on its own otherwise. As of now, she could see her breath faintly illuminated by the flashlight, as it swirled into the still night.

She continued past her normal spot, and ventured down the hill to where she thought she'd seen something. Her footsteps grew quieter and slower the closer she got, until she stood still halfway down the hill. She couldn't see much out of her flashlight's beam, just a few tree branches. She could faintly make out the image of a squirrel as it ran up the tree. Her beam followed it as it went, and the sight of another living creature made her bold.

Louise continued down the hill, slow and steady. She felt more confident with each step, until she was right where the tree line started. A quick perusal of the flashlight, and nothing. Just a forest, with twigs and leaves fallen about. This was stupid. What was she even looking for? A demogorgon? A bear? Some other ungodly beast from the Upside Down?

This had been stupid, a complete waste of a Friday night. She let out a deep sigh, and looked up at the stars. It was a cloudy night, so not even salvageable for stargazing. At least her fears had been put to rest, there was nothing Upside Down related going on in Hawkins.

Maybe Dustin and her mom would be up for watching a movie when she got home. They could watch Grease 2, or any movie either of them wanted. Or maybe play a board game, even though she was sure they only had CandyLand and Monopoly. It had been a while since they'd spent any time together like that.

Louise heard a chirp from above her, and turned the flashlight up to find the squirrel as it hopped branches. It climbed higher and higher, very quickly, as if trying to escape the ground. A single cold chill ran down her spine as the sound of a twig as it snapped, followed by a garbled growl reached her ears. Slowly, Louise panned the flashlight over the forest floor, and held her hand to her mouth at the sight of blood. Further back from where she'd originally focused, it looked like something had gone on a rampage. Tree branches were broken, and blood was splattered over fallen leaves, shiny in the light.

The sight of what she presumed was the lower half of a squirrel was left discarded, and she slowly stepped back as she trained the flight on the forest floor. Step after backward step took her further, and further from the forest edge. Once she'd made it half up the hill she turned to start climbing faster. Once she'd reached the top of the hill, she turned the flashlight back to the forest and could make the faint outline of something. A body crouched low to the ground, hunched over. She could hear its huffs as it sniffed the ground, before it stopped and raised its head.

Frozen in fear, Louise could only watch the odd creature. Her flashlight didn't provide much view, but she could make out a head that looked like a closed flower bud. Four legs, and a relatively small body. It moved its head slowly back and forth, as if to scent the air like a dog. A demon dog is what this flesh monster was.

A cool breeze ruffled her hair, and seemed to alert the demon dog that she was there. The air had been still and quiet, and she'd held her breath in trepidation, before it let out a terrible shriek. The shriek seemed to jump start Louise, and she turned to bolt up the rest of the hill. She dug her hands into the dirt, and tried to force herself to push further up. Once she'd finally reached the top, she wasted no time to look back to see where the creature was. She just ran, focused on her car parked at the side of the road, until she lost her footing. She tumbled down the hill, and rolled once, twice, and then a third time before she caught herself. Her lungs were on fire, and she could feel her throat as it closed, and her breaths became more shallow. If she didn't stop soon, she'd need her inhaler. If she did stop, she'd no longer need her inhaler because she would be dead. She didn't have time to recover and catch her breath, she could hear it as it galloped towards her. Louder and louder, until she could see it at the top of the hill.

With the last of her strength, she pushed herself up and bolted to her car. It was further than she had anticipated; when she'd rolled down the hill it had not been towards her car, but further from it. She made the mistake of glancing behind her, only to see that it had gained speed as it came down the hill, not having lost its footing like she had. Her car was too far away, and it was too close.

She wasn't going to make it.

Her run turned to a slow jog, as her lungs burned with the cold hair and her body seemed to give out. She'd die in the middle of nowhere on a Friday night, and only Dustin would know what had really happened. He always figured it out first, no matter what the problem was.

Lights up ahead caught her attention, and with a final glance behind her, she mustered up what little strength she had left and ran towards the open road. She waved her flashlight around to gain the attention of the driver. She could hear the thing behind her as it got closer, and the car lights became brighter. The car, the car that was her only hope, hadn't slowed down. It sped up the closer it got to her, either to bypass her or to hit her. They had no intention of stopping.

Louise dived out of the way right as it got to her, and she ended up on the other side of the road. Her left shoulder had slammed into the asphalt, which took the brunt of the fall. She only wheezed on the ground for a moment, she couldn't afford to act slowly. She leaned up, and tried to bear her weight on her right arm. She could feel the burned sting from the skin that had scraped on the street, her sweater now torn in the left arm. She glanced back at the car, which was now at a complete stop. Headlights illuminated the area ahead, and she could make out the limp figure of the demon dog that had been chasing her.

Louise took a deep breath, and forced herself up. She tried to put all her weight onto her right side as she hobbled towards the blue Camaro. She wasn't about to give her only chance at salvation the chance to leave her, asthma attack be damned. She made it to the passenger side door, and jerked it open before she hopped inside. The headlights shined over the demon dog's form as it began to twitch and right itself.

She quickly slammed the door shut behind her, "Just fucking drive!" she frantically yelled at the driver, who was frozen still at the sight of the creature. Her words seemed to jump start him, and he revved the engine before he slammed his foot on the accelerator.

The car rocked from side to side as they ran over the demon dog, and Louise had to grip the dashboard and roof of the car to keep steady. Instead of staring ahead, she kept her focus on the demon dog in the rearview mirror, and watched as it got smaller and smaller. She could feel the tightness in her chest ease up, and her breaths no longer came in short bursts.

"What do you see ahead?" the steady controlled voice from the driver's side asked. Louise glanced over at Billy, who had a tight grip on the steering wheel still, and his entire body tense.

"What?" The question came out in a breath, and sounded more whisper-like and whiny, even to her own ears.

"The road, Henderson, what the fuck do you see?"

She glanced ahead, and the only thing she could see was the asphalt, which was lit by the headlights. He drove so fast, that everything else had become a blur in the night. She glanced back at him, and he was still focused straight ahead. He could see fine.

"You? You're going too fast. All I can see is you, and the street. Maybe the yellow stripes, but they're blurring together." With each word, her voice became stronger. Clearer.

Billy slowed down, and more things began to come into focus. The trees that lined the road, the signs that warned of deer up ahead, and the never ending road that looked like a sea of black. She had driven on this road many times, and it looked no different than the times before.

"Now that you've calmed down, do you want to tell me what the fuck I just hit?"

Her chest was no longer tight, and her breaths were more even now. She could feel the ache in her body, and the cuts and scrapes on her left arm were more apparent. She was sore all over, and she had never felt more tired. Not during late nights spent reading until her eyes hurt, or sleepovers that turned into all nighters. She just felt drained.

Louise looked from the road, and focused on Billy. The shadows of the car contrasted his face beautifully, and he looked like a marble statue. All hard lines and smooth skin. He was still tense, and even more agitated than when she'd last seen him. Had it only been an hour?

"Henderson, what the fuck did I hit?"

Her body betrayed her, as she felt the tears build up in her eyes. She had signed so many NDA's after what had happened the previous year, and it was too much. Too much for any reasonable person to believe, and even though he was a jackass, he didn't seem like the type to be all that into conspiracy theories. He wouldn't believe her even if she did tell him the truth.

"Bears. It was a bear." She all but whispered.

"A bear? Bears don't look like that."

"Oh, they teach you every species of bear in California?" Louise snapped back, voice clear and no longer on the verge of tears.

He rolled his eyes, before he turned and locked eyes with her for the first time since she'd hopped in his car. "I can drop you off right now, if that's the game you want to play Henderson. I'll ask you one more time, what the fuck did I hit with my fucking car?"

His eyes didn't waver from hers, as he drove along the road, until he slammed the brakes and they came to a sudden stop. "Get out."

Louise sat still as icy fear spread through her body. It was dark and there could be more of those demon dogs. It could be just a few miles away, in the shadows watching, waiting. To go out into the dark, cold night was a possible death wish.

"You wouldn't believe me. Its-its too much. Too much has happened." She admitted quietly, focused on the trees at the edge of the road. Her hands were cramped from how tightly she gripped the edge of the passenger seat.

A final glance at the tense and very annoyed boy beside her, and the floodgates opened. She told him about what had happened last year, with Will and Barbara. The fleshy monster with a flower head with teeth, that had hunted the oblivious town. The secret government facility that allowed it to happen. "And Halloween night I was stargazing, and I thought I saw something. It's been bothering me, but no one has seen anything. Everything was normal, and I just wanted to make sure. But it was something, and now we're all in danger again."

They sat in silence once she was finished rambling, and Louise had brought her knees up to her chest at some point. She had her arms wrapped around her legs, as if to comfort herself through what she'd spilled.

She heard him huff, and glanced over at him, only to regret it almost immediately. He seemed even more annoyed than before she'd told him. "Bullshit."

"Fine, don't believe me. Just don't tell anyone that I told you."

"I wouldn't be caught dead associating with you, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Whatever…..can you take me home?" She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and he didn't seem as tense as he had been. He seemed more tired than anything.

"Fine, but get your damn feet off my seats. This leather is upholstered."

Louise begrudgingly did as he asked, feet firmly planted on the floor of the car. He drove at a faster speed than she would have, but slower than he had been. It was like he went out of his way to avoid the speed limit.

After a few directions from her, it wasn't long before they pulled up out front of her house. The porch light was still on, and she really hoped that her mom hadn't stayed up waiting for her.

She turned back to Billy as she unbuckled her seat belt, and he made it a point to look anywhere but at her. "Thanks, I appreciate you taking me home."

"Don't, this night never happened." Was the only response she got from him, and it was perhaps for the best. The less involved he was, the better. She was barely out of the car before he took off, quickly on his way out of her neighborhood.

Louise made her way up the driveway, and to the front door. She groaned when she realized that the door was locked, and a quick pat down of her jeans confirmed that she did not have her keys on her. They either fell out during her tumble down the hill, or when she narrowly escaped getting hit by Billy. This had been a shit night.

She went for the spare key kept under the dead plant by the front door. Dustin had berated their mom on what a terrible hiding spot it was, but it worked. She unlocked the door, and placed the key back from where it came.

She quietly entered the house, and locked the door behind her. She tiptoed as quietly as she could towards her room, passing her mother passed out on the couch. She turned back, and placed the knitted throw blanket over her. Her mother looked so peaceful, and her stomach lurched at the thought of upsetting her. Louise could have died tonight, and her sweet, overbearing mother would have lost her mind. She had been a wreck, and even more overprotective when Will was presumed dead. She never wanted to do that to her mom, if she could help it. She placed a kiss on her head, before she made her way to her room.

She'd have to tell Dustin about what she saw. They'd go to Hopper, and hopefully the adults could get it sorted out before the rest of the kids got involved. With the way Hawkins was though, she wouldn't be surprised if he already was involved in some way.


Billy sped out of her neighborhood, with heavy metal blared from the radio once more. He'd had a shit night, from the moment Neil came to home to Brace Face standing in the middle of the road. He almost wished she hadn't jumped out of the way.

Neil hadn't been happy at the sight of a car out front of the house, and Billy knew what he'd suspected from the hard look in his eyes. As if he'd be fucking dumb enough to sneak a girl in, especially on a school night when he knew they'd be home before 8, with her car parked out front. And then goddamned Brace Face had charmed him, with that "ma'am" shit she'd pulled with Susan.

Glad to know you're finally showing interest in someone with manners, unlike those whores you usually waste time with.

As if he'd waste his time with a small chested cow like her. His father hadn't taken kindly to Billy's "disrespectful" response, nor the fact that he hadn't walked her to her car. The argument ended the way they usually did, with Neil putting the bite behind his bark. Billy hated that he felt so powerless under the weight of his father's stare. Almost as much as he hated Susan, who ignored what went on behind closed doors. Easier to pretend she'd married a respectable man, if she ignored all his faults. At least his mother had enough self respect to just leave.

Once he was 18 and out of high school, he'd leave this shitty town behind. Go back to California, where the women were pretty, beaches were endless, and reefer wasn't supplied by the town reject. He'd bide his time until then, and take advantage of the empty roads that he could accelerate down. Which was the stupid small town's only saving grace.

He passed the road he'd nearly hit Mouth Gear on, and took note that whatever he'd hit, was gone. Bears, she'd tried to say. Not even a coyote with mange looked like that. And that elaborate bullshit answer she'd given afterwards? Delusional. This town was full of crazy hicks, and he should have just left her on the side of the road.

He probably would have too, had she not started to have the early signs of a panic attack. It had reminded him of his mother, after a bad fight with Neil. It was one of the worst fights they'd had, right before she left. Billy remembered her sitting on the floor, her back pressed against the sink as she rocked back and forth. Once she'd finally been aware that he was there, she held him and played I Spy until her shakes subsided.

Mouth Gear had dragged that memory to the forefront of his mind, as she sat paralyzed in the passenger seat. Her body shook, and her breaths came in short bursts. Whatever that thing was, it had scared her. She was a delusional hick, but she seemed to really believe what she'd said.

He could have passed it all off as a bad, weird dream, but the slight indent he noticed in the front of his car the next day (which pissed him off immensely), made him second guess that thought.