***

Everyone gathered around the kitchen table, a single light hanging above them. Dustin slammed his DnD manual onto the wood, his head snapping upwards. "The Mind Flayer."

The monster in the manual was less spider and more of a humanoid creature with a squid-like face. Sophie wasn't sure how the two could compare.

Hopper stood a little further back, his face shadowed. "The hell is that?"

"It's a monster from an unknown dimension. It's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home." He was on point with the similarities. "Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers."

"Oh, my God. None of this is real. This is a kids' game." His downcast tone and dull-eyed glare did little to cease the DnD talk.

"No, it's a manual, and it's not for kids." Dustin retorted, pointing his finger at the Chief. "And unless you know something that we don't, this is the best metaphor-"

"Analogy." Lucas corrected him.

"Analogy?" His friend bellowed. "That's what you're worried about?" He shot Lucas a quick glare before swiftly moving on. "Fine -- an analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is."

On Dustin's right, Nancy leaned over. She pressed her finger against the manual, rotating slightly. "Okay, so this mind flamer thing-"

"Flayer -- Mind Flayer." He grumbled, interrupting her.

Her face tightened, exhaling through her nose. "- What does it want?"

"To conquer us, basically. You know, it believes it's the master race." And with the Upside Down seeping into their world, the theory was plausible. The shadow monster clearly wanted Will for a reason.

"Like the -- the Germans." Steve inputted, only to gain a variety of confused expressions.

"Uh," started Dustin, twisting his head towards him, "the Nazis?"

He swallowed, realising his error. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis."

Hopper turned away from them, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He shouldn't be here, surrounding himself with idiot kids and teens alike; they had a monster to stop.

"Uh, if the Nazis were from another dimension, totally." Dustin continued, accepting the comparison. "Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself."

"It wants to spread, and take over other dimensions." Mike put it simply.

"We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it." In other words, if they didn't stop this thing -- they were all fucked.

"That's great." Steve stepped away from the table, scraping a hand through his hair and rambling. "That's great. That's really great. Jesus!"

Sophie stood in a similar stance to Nancy, her arms folded across her chest. "And it's been using the tunnels to spread a disease through Hawkins -- to slowly destroy the town from underground?"

"Basically, yeah," Dustin confirmed.

Nancy picked up the manual, wandering across to Dustin's left and taking Steve's place. "Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that's controlling everything, then if we kill it..."

"We kill everything it controls." Her brother finished her sentence, making a slash with his arm.

"We win." His friend affirmed.

Lucas briefly tilted his head, wearing a blank stare. "Theoretically."

"Great, so how do you kill this thing? Shoot it with fireballs or something?" Hopper snatched the book from Nancy's hands, flicking through the pages.

"No, no, no Fire -- No Fireballs." Dustin chuckled, finding some humour in the situation. "Uh, you summon an undead army, uh, because..." he paused for a moment, "... because zombies, you know, they don't have brains, and the Mind Flayer, it..." his hesitation persisted, "... it -- it likes brains." He regarded Hopper's look of disdain and said. "It's just a game. It's a game."

He slammed the book shut and threw it back onto the table, walking away. For a brief second, he thought Dustin was onto something. But why should he be listening to a thirteen-year-old kid anyway? "The hell are we doing here?"

"I thought we were waiting for your military backup." He emphasised.

Hopper raised his voice, pivoting back. "We are!"

"But even if they come, how are they gonna stop this?" Mike questioned. "You can't just shoot this with guns."

"You don't know that! We don't know anything!"

"We know it's already killed everybody in that lab."

"And we know the monsters are gonna moult again." Lucas chimed in.

"And we know that it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town." Sophie could picture everything falling into this cesspit of living shadow, swallowing Hawkins whole. She was just starting to like this place.

"They're right." Those with their backs to the hallway spun around, watching Joyce emerge from the shadows. They had left her to look after an unconscious Will, but it was clear that she had heard everything. "We have to kill it." Her voice cracked, balling her hands into fists. "I want to kill it."

"Me, too." Hopper approached the disgruntled woman. "Me, too, Joyce, okay? But how do we do that? We don't exactly know what we're dealing with here."

"No," Mike murmured, stepping across the threshold of the living room, "but he does." Will slept soundly on the sofa, but the group could tell his dreams were not peaceful. "If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it's Will." The others followed behind him. "He's connected to it. He'll know its weakness."

"I thought we couldn't trust him anymore?" Max recalled. "That he's a spy for the Mind Flayer now."

"Yeah, but..." an idea began to take shape in his mind -- one that might just work if they're careful, "... he can't spy if he doesn't know where he is."

***

They got to work, finding old bits of cardboard and taking scraps of tinfoil from the Byers' kitchen draws. For the junkyard kids, it reminded them of their earlier adventure as they discovered bits of tarp and taped them to the wall of an old shed in the back of the garden.

People kept asking if Sophie could walk on her leg, but she insisted she was fine. The pain was beginning to subside, though she would occasionally feel a faint sting. She wouldn't let it affect her. Something Billy had taught her was to never show weakness, especially in a dire situation.

Jonathan carried his brother inside, binding him to a chair. The chair itself was attached to a wooden pole in the centre of the room, holding him back. His mother kept the sedatives on her in case anything went wrong, though the group could tell she didn't want to use them on him again. The others managed to wire electricity, granting them some harsh lighting to further disguise their surroundings.

Only a few ventured into the shed, leaving the others in the dark. They remained in the house, awaiting updates. Each shared the hope of freeing Will from the creature's influence, but for now -- they needed answers on how to get rid of it.

The kids were restless, especially Dustin, trying his best to remain calm as one of his closest friends went through Hell. In the other room, Steve practised with his bat, swinging and swiping at the air. Lucas and Max sat across from each other in the hallway, dreading the possibility of the interrogation going wrong.

Sophie leaned against a wall, picking at her cuticles. Beside her, Nancy removed a black object from the pocket of her woollen coat, catching her eye. She glanced down, her brows shooting up. "You have a revolver?"

"Uh, yeah." She set it down on the table, pushing it aside. "Turns out I'm pretty good at using a gun."

It shocked Sophie how nonchalant she was towards using a dangerous weapon. Robin was completely wrong about her -- Nancy Wheeler was definitely not a priss.

She eyed the gun for a few seconds more before clearing her throat. "So, last year, you fought one of those things? A..." Sophie scoffed at the name the corner of her lip curving upward into a brief smirk. "... Demogorgon?"

The girl nodded, though unamused. "A fully grown one, yeah." Nancy gazed through the window, eyeing the shed as she sighed. "There was just the one before, but I guess they learned from their mistakes."

Sophie swallowed, tilting away from Nancy and folding her arms. Clearly, she was on edge -- and Nancy had every right to be. "What's this Upside Down place like, anyway?"

"It's like..." her forehead creased, drawing her brows together, "... it's this dark reflection of our world. It looks like home, but it's..."

"Hell?" she finished.

Her lips twitched into an uncomfortable smile. "That's one way to put it."

Something shifted in the blonde's demeanour, a brooding sense of unease swirling within her. There was this look in Nancy's eye that made her wonder. "Have you been there then?"

"Briefly." Her voice went quiet, looking down at her feet. "I wouldn't do it again, though."

"No," she looked down, shaking her head, "I'm sure you wouldn't."

Nancy wanted to assure her everything would be okay -- but then she would be lying. Once upon a time, Nancy Wheeler used to be an optimist. She used to believe in petty things until she came face to face with an unspeakable terror. So now, Nancy Wheeler believed in all kinds of monsters, even the ones that looked human.

She took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. "The last time I came here," Sophie crooked her head slightly as Nancy paused, "the house was covered in lights." Bright, colourful Christmas lights acted as their rainbow when all was dark, but she dreaded when they twinkled. "That's the only way to detect these things -- they're like alarms."

Sophie's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"When they flicker, it means something's trying to communicate," Nancy informed her before clearing her throat, "or it means something's coming through."

And as she finished her sentence, the lights did just that -- flicker.

They glanced up at a single flashing bulb before a chorus of various lights joined in. Nancy grew unnaturally quiet, the girls watching as the yellow light rapidly blinked. Sophie's voice became shaky, growing unnerved. "Like that, you mean?"

The lights twinkled like stars, burning bright and rapid. And despite its beauty, it didn't instil the group with wonderment.

Rapid pulses of electricity formed high-pitched squeaks; an irritating buzz against their ears. They marched over to the window, staring into the backyard; the others soon joined them, observing the shed.

"Is it working? Are they getting through to him?" Despite not knowing the kid that long, Max hoped he would be all right, in the end. Will seemed cool and she wanted the chance to get to know him properly without the "Mind Flayer" interfering.

"Maybe." But doubt lingered behind her eyes. The monster's hold on Will was strong; it wasn't going to let go so easily.

Everything went silent, even the lights, calming down and settling the unease. All was quiet as the others waited in anticipation. They stayed by the window, watching, waiting for something to happen...

Then Hopper emerged from the shed with a look of determination. Mike, Joyce and Jonathan trailed behind him as they began to return to the house -- without Will. Had something gone wrong?

The instant the Chief of Police opened the backdoor, he grabbed a discarded envelope and sat by the kitchen table, writing something on the back of it.

"What happened?" asked Dustin.

"I think he's talking," he expressed, "just not with words." Hopper jotted down a string of dots and dashes ( . . . . . . _ . . ) as they crowded around him.

It appeared incomprehensible, prompting Steve to wonder. "Wait, what is that?"

"Morse code." The boys simultaneously stated.

Hopper began to translate, composing a single word underneath the sequence. "H-E-R-E."

"Here," Max said to herself.

The message was short yet clear -- they all knew what it meant. "Will's still in there." The Chief asserted. "He's talking to us."

With this newfound glimmer of hope, the group got to work again. Jonathan grabbed a cassette tape and stereo from his room, taking it out to the shed. Inside, they continued to talk to him, playing his favourite song to remind him of better times. Hopper used his walkie to communicate with those at the house, sending them Will's secret codes.

Dustin jotted down the code and, using a pamphlet they'd found, the others translated. "Dash, dot, dash, dot."

Lucas skimmed the page with his finger. "Okay, I got it. C."

On the back of a drawing pad, Nancy wrote it down. Each beep and crackle from the radio kept the kids on their toes, keeping track of every sound and how long they were drawn out for. The words began to take form, and they assumed it meant they were getting through to Will.

C. L. O. S. E. G. A. T. E.

Once the radio ceased its static beeping, they gathered around Nancy, reading the message out loud. "Close gate."

Close gate? What gate?

An abrupt ringing made them jump, their heads snapping towards the wall. The house phone seemed to come to life, bringing with it a harrowing noise.

"Shit." Dustin ran over, the others following behind. "Shit!"

He took the phone and slammed it against the handset, immediately hanging up on the person calling them. A brief moment of relief was cut short when it started ringing again. As Dustin was about to reach for it, Nancy grasped hold of the handset and ripped it off the wall. She chucked it onto the ground, grunting in frustration.

"Do you think he heard that?" wondered Max.

"It's just a phone. It could be anywhere." Steve surmised, but the others were unsure. "Right?"

No -- but he could guess. If you've lived at a place long enough to know what the phone sounds like, you would know.

They stood in silence, anxiously glancing at one another. Soon enough, a monstrous screech drew their attention towards the front window, looking out into the darkness. "That's not good."

The hair on Sophie's nape and arms lifted, breath bursting in and out. She tried to keep her cool, but her trembling voice wasn't helping. "It's not gonna take them long, is it?"

"Not if they're travelling by tunnel." Dustin asserted as the kids gathered by the windowsill.

The monsters had their scent; a pack member had Sophie's dried blood on their claws. They knew who they were hunting, sensing their fear from miles away. These things were coming to finish what they started.

The others returned through the back door, Jonathan carrying an unconscious Will in his arms as Hopper followed suit, clutching a large gun. As he walked through the kitchen, he grabbed another one he had stolen from the lab. Joyce locked the door behind them before taking her son out of Jonathan's hands and carrying him into the bedroom, hoping to keep his body safe.

"Hey! Hey, get away from the windows!" yelled Hopper. The kids retreated to the furthest corner of the living room as the adults took control. The burly man turned to Jonathan, holding out his gun. "Do you know how to use this?"

Jonathan fumbled his words, staring back at Hopper with a slack jaw. "What?"

"Can you use this?" he reiterated, his tone sounding more panicked.

Before he could respond, Nancy stepped forward and announced. "I can."

Safe to say, Hopper wasn't too surprised. Without question, he threw Nancy the gun and she caught it with ease, immediately turning the safety off. She aimed it at the walls, unafraid of what was coming.

Steve readied his bat, holding it above his waist like a sword, ready to swing. He made sure to stand in front of some of the kids, protecting them from harm.

Outside, a cacophony of screeches of growls echoed in the distance, growing nearer. Sophie stayed close to Max as the desire to protect her was overwhelming. Her stepsister asked. "Where are they?"

A thud on the right side of the house, along with another guttural roar, alerted the group to the monsters' presence. They rallied outside, assessing the premises as they tried to find a way in.

Nancy retained her stance, her focus on the creatures. "What are they doing?"

From what they gathered, Demodogs had little to no fear, attacking anything with blood running through their veins. But they attacked on command, following the orders of an otherworldly entity. They never hesitated, so why were they taking so long to break in?

A harsh rustle from a hedge drew their attention towards the front window, the creature chittering shortly after. Were they waiting for those inside to make their first move, or were they few in number and waiting on backup? The tension was unbearable.

Lucas raised his slingshot, clutching a medium-sized rock between two fingers. His standoffish friend Mike clutched a candlestick, gripping its barely shining exterior -- he just needed something to defend himself with because he would do anything to keep Will safe. Dustin had nothing but his integrity to keep him going, and maybe that was enough for him. For someone so young, he was lucky to still be alive.

The stepsisters -- Sophie and Max -- didn't even believe this shit was real until the other day. How they were meant to grapple with this, they had no idea. Neil's wrath was nothing compared to these monstrous hounds. The girls joined hands, Sophie's grip tightening every time one of those things made a sound.

Then, a pained screech reverberated through the walls, and a gratuitous groaning followed suit. The snarls and roars of the creatures outside faded quickly, ceasing their chittering with one final cry.

All was silent -- that was the worst part. The pounding of their hearts melded into a deafening tune, each beating out of time. They waited, anticipating a sudden attack.

But what came was something no one had expected.

A demodog came flying through the window, embedding glass shards into the creature's back. It crashed against the wall as the group jumped back in horror, screaming. Those with weapons prepared to retaliate, thinking it would bounce back, followed by a foray of crazed monsters.

However, the attack never came, and instead, to their collective surprise, the creature collapsed on the ground, twitching and softly whimpering. Its body heaved, taking slow, deep breaths before it went limp.

"Holy shit," Dustin uttered with a dropped jaw.

"Is it dead?" asked Max.

They lowered their guns and Hopper stepped closer, remaining on his guard. He reached out his foot, gently nudging the creature's head. It shifted back and forth, but it did not react. The demodog was dead, and evidently, the rest of its pack was gone as well. Either they were killed outside or they chose to retreat into the wild.

A brash door creak put them back on red alert. The security chain began to slide out of its lock on its own accord. As far as they knew, Demodogs couldn't open doors like that; this was something new.

The group raised their guns and manmade weapons, once again preparing for a fight. The doorknob turned a little too quickly, and the blue twilight poured through a gap as the door slowly opened.

A girl, no less than twelve or thirteen, dressed in a tattered black jacket and rolled-up blue jeans, strolled inside, her white converse shoes striking the wooden floorboards like drums. Her slicked-back hair hid her small, brown curls and her hooded eyeliner made her look like a badass, despite her young age. Blood trickled from one nostril, still fresh yet it barely reached her upper lip.

They lowered their weapons as Mike stepped forward, his features softening. The girl matched his expression momentarily before her mouth widened into a joyous smile. She seemed relieved, at home even. Perhaps she was. Then Mike was smiling too -- it was the first time he'd properly smiled in ages.

In brief recognition, Sophie recalled seeing her face through a glass pane in the gym when Max was knocked off her skateboard. Things were starting to make sense around here.

This was her. This was Eleven.

***

As I said in the previous chapter, this part was supposed to be much longer, but I had to split it since I wanted to get it out as soon as possible. But it does mean more chapters for this part of the fic!

I love ending things on a cliffhanger. We're getting so close to the end of this part which is kinda sad because I've really enjoyed writing this. Season two is probably my favourite season because the writing is at its peak. Like, I love every character in this -- they have no flaws (except Billy. Massive jerk. No redemption).

Also, please take note of Nancy's revolver being mentioned here -- we'll come back to that later.

If you enjoyed this chapter, then please don't be a silent reader. I value your support and it keeps me going, so if could, please leave a vote or a comment. Thank you for 9k reads xx

- Alice.