❝「 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 」❞ 🩸 SEASON 2

🗓️ October 1984 — Hawkins, Indiana. 📍

Only Max, Lucas, Dustin, and Steve are there.

The inside of the abandoned school bus was filled with frantic voices and the pounding of fists against the windows.

"GET IN, STEVE!" Dustin shouted, pressing himself against the glass.

"STEVE, GET IN ALREADY!" Lucas yelled, gripping the edge of a seat.

Max stared outside, her eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "What the hell are those things?!"

Outside, Steve Harrington stood several feet away from the bus, gripping his nail-covered baseball bat with both hands. His knees were slightly bent, his shoulders tense, and his eyes fixed on the Demodog snarling in front of him.

"Come on, you ugly son of a bitch..." he muttered, tightening his grip.

The creature hissed, its flower-like head beginning to open.

"Steve, hurry the hell up!" Dustin screamed.

Steve took a cautious step backward, keeping the bat raised.

Then Dustin's eyes widened.

"THREE O'CLOCK!"

Steve barely had time to turn his head.

Another Demodog emerged from between the wrecked cars to his right. Then another appeared behind it. A fourth crept out from the opposite side, its claws scraping against the gravel.

"Oh, shit..." Dustin whispered.

"THERE'S MORE OF THEM?!" Max exclaimed.

Steve glanced around, suddenly realizing he was surrounded. His grip tightened around the bat.

"Okay... okay, that's fine," he muttered nervously. "That's completely fucking fine."

One of the Demodogs lunged.

"SHIT!"

Steve swung with both hands, the metal nails connecting with the creature's body and sending it crashing backward into a pile of scrap. It screeched, stumbling but not dying.

For one brief second, Steve looked almost proud of himself.

"YEAH! HOW'D YOU LIKE THAT?!"

Then the other creatures advanced.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Steve immediately turned and sprinted toward the bus. His shoes slipped against the uneven ground, and he stumbled, crashing onto his hands and knees.

"STEVE, HURRY UP!" Lucas shouted.

"GET UP!" Dustin yelled, his voice cracking.

Steve scrambled backward, trying to put distance between himself and the approaching creatures. His movements were awkward and desperate, his baseball bat still clutched tightly in his hands.

"COME ON, COME ON—"

One of the Demodogs suddenly sprang toward him, its jaws opening wide.

Steve raised the bat.

But the creature never reached him.

It stopped in midair.

Its claws hung inches from Steve's face. Its body jerked violently as if an invisible hand had seized it, holding it suspended above the ground.

Silence fell inside the bus.

"...What?" Steve breathed.

Several yards away, among the rows of wrecked cars, a girl stood with one arm extended toward the suspended Demodog, her palm facing downward and her fingers spread and slightly bent with tension. Her hand trembled as she struggled to keep the creature suspended in midair. Blood trickled from her nose, running over her upper lip.

The Demodog suddenly flew sideways with tremendous force, slamming into a mountain of scrap metal. The impact sent loose pieces of metal clattering across the junkyard.

The remaining creatures recoiled, hissing and shifting uneasily. They didn't flee, but their attention had changed. Their open jaws turned toward the newcomer.

Inside the bus, Dustin slowly leaned closer to the window.

"No way..."

Lucas stared at the girl, his expression caught somewhere between shock and recognition.

"Lucas..." Dustin whispered. "Do you remember...?"

Max looked between the girl and the creatures, her mouth hanging open.

"What the hell? Is she Eleven or something?!"

Steve remained frozen on the ground, staring at the girl with his mouth slightly open. His baseball bat was still raised defensively, but he'd seemingly forgotten why he was holding it.

"Okay," he muttered. "What the actual fuck?"

Lucas didn't share their astonishment for long. His eyes narrowed as he reached for his slingshot. He placed a small stone against the band, pulled it back, and aimed directly at the unfamiliar girl.

"HEY!" Lucas shouted, his voice sharp and suspicious. "WHO ARE YOU?!"

He kept the slingshot trained on her.

"AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"