Freak

Dylan and Mike were in the basement, their friend Lucas wasn't talking to them and Eleven was gone. They had called Dustin over to discuss what they were gonna do next.

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Mike sighed "I just....... Can't believe she didn't come back."

"Shes gotta be close." Dustin said

"She mentioned it wasn't safe, I think she messed up our plan for a good reason and I don't think she meant any harm from it." Dylan expressed

"That's exactly what happened! She wanted to protect us!" Mike said "I shouldn't have yelled at her."

"Mike this isn't your fault." Dustin said

"Yeah, it's Lucas's." Mike said

"It wasn't his fault either." Dylan bluntly stated

Mike paused before looking at Dylan"It wasn't his fault?!" He asked raising his voice

"Not at all." Dylan said

"So you saying he wasn't way out of line! Like he didn't cause all of this from the beginning! You're supposed to be on my side Dylan!" Mike slightly yelled

Dylan stood up from his chair face to face with Mike."Calm down........" Mike listened up at Dylan's angry tone "I'm always on your side but I'm also on Lucas's, and right now both of you are in the wrong, and so is eleven."

"Give me a break!" Mike said

"No Mike you give us a break! Me and Dustin have been the only reasonable ones this entire time! While you and Lucas have been assholes!" Dylan expressed, Mike was a bit taken back Dylan had never yelled at him before.

"But the bottom line is...you pushed first." Dustin spoke up "and you know the rule. You draw first blood.....-"

"No! No way! I'm not shaking his hand." Mike said

"You're shaking his hand." Dustin yelled

"No I'm not!" Mike argued

"Mike....you know the rules either you shake his hand or you're out of the party." Dylan said

"Do you want to be banished?" Dustin asked

"No!" Mike stubbornly said

"Good!" Dustin said

Dylan and Dustin both out on their coats and grabbed their bags

"Where are we going?!" Mike asked

"To see the Easter bunny- what do you think? We're getting Lucas." Dylan sarcastically responded "then we're going to find Eleven.........and then Will."

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Dylan knocked on Lucas's door, after a minute Lucas answered with an angry expression on his face.

"What do you want?" Lucas asked

Mike just looked down at the ground not saying anything until Dylan pushed his shoulder slightly giving him a *talk dumbass*  look.

"I drew first blood, so...." Mike lifted his hand for Lucas to shake with a whiny expression.

Lucas let them into his living room, to give it some thought

"Okay I'll shake." Lucas said his hands in his pocket

Mike raised his hand again tiredly

"On one condition. We forget the weirdo and go straight to the gate!" Lucas said

"Then the deals off!" Mike yelled

"Fine!" Lucas responded

"No, no, no, not fine!" Dustin said "Guys seriously? Do you remember what happened on bloodstones path!"

"No!?" Mike said

Dylan was leaning against the fireplace when he spoke up "we were all disabled, one by one......because we couldn't decide on a path and we split up."

"Yea! It all went to shit! And that's what's happening right now!" Dustin said

"Okay I agree, but this is the party, right here in this room." Lucas said

"Els one of us now." Mike said

"Um no, she's not, not even close. never will be. She's a liar, a traitor.-" Lucas started naming what he thought of El by his fingers

"She was just trying to keep you safe. She didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident!" Mike argued

"OK, accident or not you have to admit it was a little awesome." Dustin laughed

"Awesome!" Lucas yelled

Dylan rolled his eyes, he's not surprised how quickly an argument can change between them.

"She threw you in the air with her mind!" Dustin reasoned with him

"I could have been killed!" Lucas yelled

"Which is exactly why we need her! She's a weapon!" Mikes voice faded as Dylan made his way to the kitchen grabbing a a glass of water. He saw as Lucas walked back to his room

"I'm going to the gate! I'm gonna find Will." Lucas angrily yelled before slamming his door.

Dylan went to his bag and grabbed his pill bottle of Advil, he sometimes would get this painful headaches, and he could feel one starting to form, he took two pills, and then returned to Mike and Dustin.

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Dustin and Mike were riding their bikes up ahead as Dylan was trailing behind.

"He should've shaken my hand, it would've made things so much easier, and it doesn't help that Dylan is mad at me." Mike said to Dustin

"He's just jealous." Dustin said

"Who?" Mike asked

"Dylan." Dustin responded

"What no he's not! What are you talking about?"Mike questioned

"Sometimes your total obliviousness just blows my mind.....Dylan's your best friend Mike." Dustin asked

"Well yea, but-" Mike was cut off by Dustin

"Look there a lot of things you can deny but not that, he's your best friend, your always together never apart, but then some girl starts living in your basement and all you want to do is pay attention to her." Dustin said

"That's not true!" Mike argued

"Yes, it is. And you know it." Dustin said "Dylan only ever gets mad at something reasonable..... and he probably feels like he's losing you." Dustin finished

Dylan the sped up to catch them getting to their pace, the conversation between Mike and Dustin ended very quickly but Mike couldn't help but think about what he said, was it true?

They all stopped when they saw the grocery store with police cars.

"Uhh do you think?" Dustin asked

"Definitely." Dylan answered

The three boys then rode their bikes in the right direction to find Eleven.

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They were in the forests screaming for Eleven

"Eleven!"

"El!"

"Eleven!"

"Hey stop, do you hear that?" Mike asked his two friends

"What?" Dustin questioned

Mike started yelling for Eleven again until Dylan spotted Tory and James up ahead, he quickly told Mike to stop yelling

"Hey, there frog face." Troy said"Scars.""Toothless." He pulled out a switchblade

"Shit, run! Both of you, run!" Dylan yelled running alongside them, he could run faster but he wanted Dustin and Mike in front of him in his sight.

"Your dead wheeler!" Tory yelled running after them James following him

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They ran all the way to the cliff of the quarry before they were stopped because James came in front of them and Troy was behind them. Mike picked up a rock while Dustin picked up a stick

Mike attempted to the throw the rock at James but missed

"Nice throw numb nuts." James laughed

Dustin then tried to hit Troy with a stick but it just gave Troy an advantage to grab Dustin and hold him hostage with a knife.

Dylan paused looking at Dustin"Okay Troy.....listen man this is too far."

"Shut up!" Troy yelled at him

James then punched Dylan in the stomach and grabbed him as well

"Dylan!" Mike yelled

"I'm....okay.....just stay there Mike." Dylan responded breath hitched.

"Get off of me!" Dustin grunted

"Let him go! Let him go!" Mike shouted

"Stay back, or I cut him!" Troy said the knife dangerously close to Dustin

  "What do you want Troy?" Dylan asked calm and collected as to not make Troy more angry

"I wanna know how you did it! You did something to me some nerdy science shit to make me do that." Troy yelled

"You mean piss your pants!" Mike said

Troy glared at Mike

"Our friend has superpowers!  And she squeezed your tiny bladder with her mind." Dustin said

"Dustin shut up!" Dylan yelled

"I think I should save toothless here a trip to the dentist. Help him lose his baby teeth." Troy said

"Let him go Troy!" Dylan yelled again being met with another punch to the stomach by James.

"I'll let him go, but first it's your turn Mike." Troy spat at him "jump." Troy gestured towards the cliff. "Or toothless here gets an early trip to the dentist."

"Are you insane if he jumps he'll die!-" Dylan yelled again but James hit him in his face this time causing his lip to bleed.

"Okay! Just stop, hold on!" Mike pleaded not wanting to see Dylan get hurt again, he slowly walked over to the cliff

"Mike don't do it, I don't need my baby teeth!" Dustin begged

"Mike! No!" Dylan yelled

As Mike inches closer to the cliff thought rushed to Dylan's head

*freak!*

*what will they think of you?*

*you'll be the monster!*

He felt weak by these thought but they all cleared when he saw Mike about to step off the cliff. He didn't care about what people thought what was gonna happen to him, he had to save Mike.

Mike opened his eyes to see he was floating mid air, he then was safely brought back to the cliff before being released. He looked around for Eleven but only saw his best friend, blood trailing down his nose.

Dylan then pushed James off of them, punching him straight in the nose, the sound of bones breaking against his fist, it was in all honesty

Exhilarating.

James clutching his nose in pain, quickly ran away.

"Holy shit!" Dustin said

Dylan then glared at Troy, his eyes furious. He had let Dustin go and was now pointing the knife at Dylan, Dylan walked up to Troy and grabbed his switchblade bending it in half and throwing it over the cliff before grabbing Troy's arms and pushing him to the ground face first.

Troy was squirming against Dylan's grasp, the sound of a crack from Troy's arms almost echoed through the quarry.

"Please let me go!....i-I'm sorry." Troy cried the pain in his arms and cheek

Dylan leaned down to Troys ear "Leave me and my friends alone Troy.....you and James." Dylan asked him Troy just whimpered in response.

"Do you understand!" Dylan yelled

"Yes!" Troy cried

Dylan then let him go, the boy was squirming in pain running away as fast as he could. Dylan then looked to his left and saw his two friends staring at him in shock and in Dylan's eyes, fear. Dylan snapped back realizing what he had done. The boy collapsed ashamed of himself.

His hands hitting the hard gravel, as he brought his knees to his face, burying it. Attempting to hide himself away from the judgment he expected.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" Dylan repeated hot tears streaming down his face. Mike slowly got up and went to him, Dustin behind him

Mike sat down at Dylans level. "Dylan-" Mike reached out to him before Dylan flinched away

"No, no I don't want to h-hurt you." Dylan cried out "I lied! I'm the weirdo I'm the Freak! Im sorry Mike...I-i-" Dylan stammered as he was crying and hoping his friend wouldn't leave him.

Mike then grabbed Dylan by his face his cold hands wiping away Dylan's hot tears, "Dylan! You saved me!" Mike expressed, Dylan looked up at Mike."you're never a freak in my eyes, and you never will be, I promise."

"R-really?" Dylan asked

"Yea! That was so cool! But how the Hell did you do that!" Dustin expressed jumping in excitement.

Dylan then hugged Mike grabbing Mikes jacket tightly. Mike hugged him back resting his head on Dylan's shoulder, Dustin then hugged the two of them like a group hug

In the corner on Dylans eye he saw a girl with a pink dress and a shaven head. He got up quickly and ran to her Mike following and Dustin trailing behind.

"Eleven!" Mike said hugging her. The girl then walked up to Dylan pointing at his left wrist "Brother." She repeated

"You saw?" Dylan asked, she nodded

"Yea-" Dylan rolled his sleeve up showing his burn scar, "brother."

Eleven then hugged him and the four walked back to the forest to find their bikes and continue their mission.

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While walking Dylan wasn't surprised that Mike and Dustin had a ton of questions, he was happy to answer them, he was happy in general, the weight of lies lifted off his chest after having it for years.

"So you came from the lab? That's why you were adopted?" Dustin asked

"Yea....apparently. I don't really remember the lab though." Dylan responded

"So your powers? Are they like Elevens?" Dustin asked

"Umm, yes and no, I can move things like her, but I can't find people on the radio. I can make anything hot and I'm a bit stronger than most..." Dylan replied

"Pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and super strength!" Dustin excitedly said "How come you never told us?" Mike asked

"I wanted to, I promise, it's just I was worried if you guys took it the wrong way and left me... I didn't know what to do, I'm sorry." Dylan truthfully answered

"Well I want you to know that would never happen, not in a million years, I would never leave you Dylan, we would never leave you, even Lucas.......without you Dylan it's not possible to have our party." Mike said smiling at Dylan

Which Dylan gladly smiled back

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Dustin and Dylan were sitting on Mike's couch in the basement, as Eleven was getting cleaned up by Mike in the bathroom.

Dylan was impatiently picking the scab that was forming on his lips.

"Are you jealous?" Dustin asked

Dylan looked at Dustin his eyebrows furrowed "What?"

"Are you jealous of Mike and Eleven?" Dustin repeated

"Where did this come from?" Dylan asked nervously fiddling with the bruises on his knuckles

"Gotta test my theory." Dustin shrugged

"What theory?" Dylan asked offended

"That you're jealous of Eleven, judging by how defensive you are, I'm right." Dustin said

"I-I'm not defensive!" Dylan paused for a moment before shaking his head "And I'm definitely not jealous, that's stupid, what am I jealous of?" He rambled

Dustin raised an eyebrow before he could speak, the super comm went off

*shouting indistinctly*

The sound of Lucas's voice alarmed the two boys, Dustin quickly jumping up to warn their friends in the bathroom as Dylan quickly put his jacket on.

"You said he was looking for the gate, what if he found it!" Dustin said to Mike who grabbed the super comm listening closely

"What's he saying!" Mike asked

"I don't know he's way out of range." Dustin responded

"Lucas, if you can hear us, slow down. We can't understand you." Mike said in the radio

More shouting that the group couldn't understand was coming back to them.

"The mad hen? Does that mean anything to you like a code name or something?" Dustin asked

"Bad men." Dylan slightly muttered looking at Mike, Mike met his gaze

"Bad men!" Mike immediately ran up the stairs and out of the basement Dylan and Dustin following him

The three boys ran to the window and saw a van for repairs.

"What's that guy doing?" Mike asked

"You don't think-?" Dustin said

Mike ran to his mom in the kitchenDylan and Dustin were still looking outside more vans stopping I front of the house, Dylan could vividly remember these vans

"Dustin, I remember these, from the lab." Dustin worriedly expressed

Dustin then closed the blinds and the two boys ran to go fetch Mike

Mike was in the kitchen slightly arguing with his mom, Dustin was trying to get Mike's attention but was blown off twice.

"MICHEAL!" Dylan yelled which got Mike's attention  "We need to leave.....right now!"

Dylan's and Dustin then ran down to the basement Mike following close behind, grabbing their jackets and Book bags. They all then jumped on their bikes, Eleven on Mikes.

Eleven then looked to her right and saw papa with the bad men around him, she gave him a solemn look before hearing a gasp, she looked behind her and saw Dylan looking at papa his eyes terrified and his body clenched up. They all then rode away

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They all met up with Lucas at Elm and cherry where they were under a chase, the lab following them like a fox on a bunny, cold sweat was down Dylan's face he was pedaling with fear, he hadn't seen the face of that demon in a long time, his breath was heavy and his scars pounding.

He looked up ahead and saw a truck coming at them he looked at Eleven who was distracted from the cars behind, Dylan narrowed his vision the feeling of his hands heating up.

Mike prepared himself for the van that was coming up ahead but was then amazed as it flipped and above their heads before landing in front of the other vans stopping them in their tracks.

Dylan looked behind him his nose bleeding, and made eye contact with Dr. Brenner, Dr.Brenner's  face was filled with shock and emotions Dylan couldn't explain, but he quickly looked away not wanting to see that man more times then he has too.

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"Holy shit!" Dustin yelled as the group stopped at the junkyard

Dustin looked at Dylan and saw his nose was bleeding. "Did you see what Dylan did to that van!" He yelled in excitement

"No Dustin we missed it!" Mike said sarcastically before looking at Dylan with a grin

"Wait..wait.wait! What! Dylan has powers!" Lucas asked, Dylan gave him a slight nod wiping the blood off his nose. "What the hell." Lucas repeated his breath tired.

"It was awesome!" Dustin said

Dylan looked at Lucas waiting to be called a freak but was pleasantly surprised.

"It was awesome." Lucas agreed, he then walked over to Eleven apologized for what he said about her. He then walked over to Dylan

"Look whatever I've said about the powers, I was ignorant and dumb, I'm sorry." Lucas said putting a hand in Dylan's shoulder.

"You're fine dude." Dylan laughed, just relieved his friends didn't confirm us worries.

After he was finished he walked up to Mike and shook his hand.

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"This is Randolph road, right here!" Lucas had made a map out of sticks to show the group what he had discovered "The fence starts here, and goes all the way around." He then places an empty can in the middle. "And this is the lab right here. The gates got to be in there somewhere. It's gotta be." Lucas finished

"Well who owns Hawkins lab?" Dustin asked

"Signs said the "department of energy"?" Lucas replied

"Department of energy? What's do you think that means?" Dustin questioned

"It means government. Military." Mike replied

"Then why does it say "department of energy"? Dustin repeated

"Just trust me alright, my dad's told me before." Mike said

"Mikes right. There's soldiers out front." Lucas said

"Do they make lightbulbs or something?" Dustin asked

"No weapons to fight the commies and stuff!" Mike said

"Weapons." Lucas repeated the group then looking at Dylan and Eleven

"What?" Dylan asked looking at his friends concerned faces

"Oh Jesus this is bad!"Dustin exclaimed

"Really bad, the place is like a fortress." Lucas replied

"Well what do we do?" Dustin

The sound of  a helicopter drowned their voices as the group looked at the sky and saw one coming at them. They all quickly jumped up to hide

"Go! GO! On the bus I'll take care of the bikes." Dylan yelled the party rushing on the bus as Dylan picked up their bikes and threw them under the bus like a piece of cardboard one by one. He then quickly ran on the bus and took cover in between the second row of seats.

They all heard the helicopter receding as Dustin spoke up.

"Mental!"

________________________________HAWKINS POLICE DEPARTMENT

"I want an apology!" Troy's mother yelled

"An apology for what exactly?" Officer Callahan tiredly asked

"Where's the chief I want to speak with him!" The mother demanded

"Ma'am I need you to calm down." Callahan said waving his arms around

Hopper walked into the room and saw a boy with an arm cast and a cut cheek, right next to him was his hysterical mother

"What the hell is going on here!" Jim hopper yelled

The women turned to him her face in a pout "These men are humiliating my son!"

"No, no, no, that's not true!" The officer defending himself

"There was some kind of fight chief-" the other officer spoke up before being cut off

"That psychotic freak Harrington boy did this! Broke his arm! And cut his cheek! He was probably trying to replicate that disgusting scar on my son!" She yelled

Hoppers ears perked up, he had been studying about the Hawkins lab and the name Dylan was on an old paper talking about Dr Brenner _________________________________Linda Brenner and Dylan Brenner Tragic car accident kills Wife and 1 year old son of Dr. Brenner on May 17, 1971________________________________

Hopper didn't think it was true and he definitely didn't want to think it was the same Dylan he saved but the dates match up

"He slammed me to the ground but before he did that he.......... He could." Troy paused

"He could, what?" Hopper questioned

"Do things." Troy said

"What kind of things?" Hopper asked his eyebrows raised

"Like....make you fly... and bend a switchblade made of steel." Troy finished his voice quiet.

"Was he alone?" Hopper asked

"No! He was with his loser friends and some girl that was bald." Tory said

Hopper paused realizing this goes so much deeper than he thought._______________________________

——————————————————————I'm so excited! It's almost finished! 👏👏👏