𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝟭𝟮. 𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙

𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙

The forest pressed around them like a living thing.

Wet branches snapped under their boots, and the beam of Steve's flashlight cut narrow paths through the fog. No one spoke for a long while, only the ragged sound of their breathing and the distant call of night insects filled the silence. 

They had survived. Barely.

James could still feel his pulse pounding in his ears, the echo of claws against metal, the scream of the thing as it had slammed into the bus door. The air smelled of damp earth and gasoline.

 His hands still trembled around the rusted metal bar he refused to let go of.

Lucas broke the silence first.

"You're positive that was Dart?"

Dustin's voice was small but certain. "Yes. The same exact yellow pattern on his butt."

Max let out a shaky breath. "He was tiny two days ago."

James frowned. "How could he grow that big that fast?"

Dustin glanced at him over his shoulder. "Well, he's molted three times already."

Steve blinked. "Malted?"

"Molted," Dustin corrected impatiently. "Shed his skin to make room for growth, like hornworms."

Max kicked at a rock. "So... when's he gonna molt again?"

"It's gotta be soon," Dustin said. "When he does, he'll be fully grown. Or close to it. And so will his friends."

The word "friends" hung in the air like a curse. James felt a chill crawl down his spine.

He turned his flashlight toward Dustin. 

"How do you even know how many times he's molted?"

Dustin didn't answer. His jaw tightened, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Steve wasn't about to let it go. "Yeah, and when he does, he's gonna eat a lot more than cats."

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks. 

"Wait. Cat? Dart ate a cat?"

"What? No!" Dustin blurted, his voice cracking.

Steve scoffed. "What are you talking about? He ate Mews."

"Mews?" James asked.

"Who's Mews?" Max added.

Steve winced. "Dustin's cat."

"Steve!" Dustin snapped, mortified.

Lucas shoved his shoulder. "I knew it! You kept him!"

Dustin spun around defensively. 

"No! I—no, I—" he stammered, swallowing hard. "He missed me, okay? He wanted to come home."

"Bullshit," Lucas shot back.

James stared, disbelief mixing with anger. "You kept one of those things as a pet?"

"I didn't know he was a demogorgon, okay?!" Dustin barked.

"Oh, so now you admit it?" Lucas said, stepping closer.

"Guys, who cares?" Max cut in sharply. "We have to go!"

"I care!" Lucas snapped. "He put the party in jeopardy! He broke the rule of law!"

"So did you!" Dustin shouted.

"What?!"

Dustin swung his flashlight up, blinding both Max and James. "You told strangers the truth!"

Max coughed, throwing up a hand. "Strangers?! Really?"

Lucas squared his shoulders. "You wanted to tell them too!"

"Yeah, but I didn't, Lucas! Okay?!" Dustin's voice cracked with frustration.

Their argument spiraled louder and louder, until James froze.

A noise. Faint at first, then sharper. A screech, metallic and guttural, slicing through the trees.

He turned his head, scanning the darkness. Steve had stopped too, his flashlight aimed into the woods. Their eyes met, no words needed. They'd both heard it.

Dustin kept talking, oblivious. "We both broke the rule of law, okay? So we're even! We're even!"

Lucas shook his head. "No, we're not even. Don't even try that."

James took a cautious step forward, peering into the trees. The sound came again.

"Hey, guys..." Steve murmured.

No one heard him. The argument raged on.

James raised his voice, urgent. "Guys!"

They finally turned, faces pale in the flashlight's beam.

The screech echoed again, longer, hungrier.

Steve lifted his bat onto his shoulder. James raised his iron bar. And without another word, they started moving toward the sound.

"Wait—no, no, no!" Max whispered harshly, hurrying after them. "Why are you going toward the sound? Hello? Guys? Shit!"

But the boys were already pushing through the undergrowth, their lights bobbing like ghostly fireflies. Max cursed under her breath and ran to catch up.

They climbed a short incline, the trees thinning around them until they reached the edge of the woods. From the top of the small hill, the night opened into a wide clearing. The wind carried faint, distant cries, inhuman, layered. The kind that made your blood run cold.

"I don't see him," Dustin whispered, squinting into the darkness.

Lucas lifted his binoculars, adjusting the focus. A few seconds passed before he lowered them slowly, his expression grim.

"It's the lab," he said quietly. "They were going back home."

The word home lingered in the cold air.

And for the first time that night, James wished he'd never left his.

The air grew heavier as they made their way down the hill, each step bringing them closer to the looming silhouette of the Hawkins National Laboratory.

No one spoke. Even Dustin's constant muttering had gone silent.

Steve led the way, bat gripped tight, his jaw set. Lucas walked just behind him with the binoculars still dangling around his neck, scanning every shadow as if expecting something to leap out. Max kept close to James, her flashlight trembling slightly in her hands.

They had to know. Had to see for themselves if those things, Dart and the others, had gone back to the lab.

That's when he heard it, faint, human.

A voice.

He stopped abruptly, raising a hand for the others to do the same.

"Did you guys hear that?" he whispered.

Steve turned, frowning. "Hear what?"

Before James could answer, a shout pierced the silence.

"Who's there?!"

It was a man's voice, defensive, not one of them.

Steve instinctively stepped in front of the kids, lifting his bat, while Lucas swung his flashlight toward the source.

Two figures emerged from the fog. Teenagers, older, maybe Steve's age. A boy with dark, messy hair and a girl beside him with determined eyes.

The instant the light hit their faces, recognition flared.

"Nancy?" Steve blurted, lowering his bat slightly.

"Steve?" the girl echoed, her expression flickering between relief and disbelief.

Dustin blinked. "Jonathan?"

James exchanged a puzzled glance with Max, clearly the group knew each other.

Nancy stepped forward, her voice sharp, almost accusatory. "What are you doing here?"

Steve squared his shoulders, matching her tone. "I could ask you the same thing."

Jonathan moved up beside her, glancing toward the lab's silhouette in the distance. 

"We're looking for Mike and Will," Nancy said finally, her voice steady but strained.

At that, all the kids tensed.

"They're not in there, are they?" Dustin asked, pointing toward the shadowed outline of the laboratory. His voice cracked on the last word.

Jonathan hesitated, his eyes flicking toward Nancy before he answered. "We're not sure. Why?"

Before anyone could say more, a sound erupted from deep within the lab, low at first, like a growl carried by the wind. Then it grew, distorted, mechanical and animal all at once.

The group froze.

"What the hell was that?" Nancy whispered.

Another sound followed, the crash of metal, the splintering of glass. Then silence.

Steve's grip on his bat tightened. He didn't need to say it aloud; the fear in his eyes said everything.

- ⏳-

A thousand questions filled the air at once. When had they last seen Will and Mike? Where could they be? Were they inside that place right now or worse?

Voices overlapped, panic taking hold. Dustin spoke too fast, trying to recall details through sheer willpower; Lucas kept interrupting him, desperate for clarity; Max asked questions no one could answer. It was chaos, words crashing over one another like waves.

James had stepped slightly away from the group. He didn't have much to add. Whatever he knew, Lucas and Dustin already knew better. So instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the laboratory ahead.

The building was cloaked in darkness. No lights, no movement just the distant hum of the wind weaving through the fence. He remembered hearing earlier that Nancy and Jonathan had tried to force open the main gate but failed; with the power down, there was no way in or out.

Then, without warning, the world shifted.

A faint glow flickered to life behind one of the shattered windows, then another, and another. The security lamps buzzed weakly, one by one, bathing the façade in a sickly white hue. The electricity was back.

James' heart jolted. 

"Guys! The power's back!" he shouted, pointing toward the building.

Jonathan didn't hesitate. He sprinted toward the control post that operated the barrier, his shoes splashing through puddles of mud. The others followed close behind.

He slammed his hand on the big metal button, once, twice, a dozen times but nothing happened. The gate stayed locked.

"Come on!" Jonathan hissed, slamming his palm against the console.

"Let me try!" Dustin barked, pushing past him into the booth.

"Hang on—"

"Let me try, Jonathan!" Dustin snapped. 

He shoved the older boy aside and began hammering the button again and again, frantic. James raised his eyebrows. Dustin was unraveling, all reason gone.

But then, against all odds, a low metallic buzz filled the air. The gate trembled, then slowly began to slide open with a mechanical groan that echoed through the woods.

Dustin froze, eyes wide. 

"Hey... I got it!" He laughed breathlessly, almost in disbelief. "I got it!"

Nancy and Jonathan didn't waste a second. They darted toward their car, boots splashing through the mud.

Nancy leaned out the window as the engine roared to life. "You guys stay here! We're going to look for the others, okay?"

Steve took a step forward. "Wait—stay here? But—"

"Stay with the kids, Steve!" she interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. 

It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order.

James opened his mouth, ready to protest. 

"We can help! We're not—" But before he could finish, the car sped off into the darkness.

For a moment, no one spoke. The night seemed to press closer around them. All they could do was wait.

Minutes crawled by. Then, somewhere in the distance, the echo of gunfire shattered the silence. Sharp, rhythmic, unmistakable.

Max's eyes widened. "Guys..." she murmured, pointing toward the lab.

A flicker of light appeared beyond the trees, then two bright beams cutting through the night. Engines roared.

Two vehicles burst from the shadows at full speed, headlights blinding. The first, Nancy and Jonathan's car, shot past them, tires spitting gravel. The second, a police cruiser, skidded to a stop in front of the group, horn blaring.

The driver's door swung open.

"Let's go!" Chief Hopper's voice cut through the chaos.

Steve didn't hesitate; he threw the back door open. "Move, move, move!"

James guided Max in first, helping her scramble into the seat, followed by Lucas and Dustin. Only when everyone was inside did Steve and James climb in after them.

Hopper slammed the accelerator, the cruiser fishtailing as it tore away from the lab.

Through the back window, James watched the facility shrink into the distance, the massive gate still hanging open.

Whatever was inside that place, whatever they had just unleashed, was now free.

And it was out there.

Thank you so much for reading this far! 🎡

I hope you guys liked this new chapter !

I truly love seeing your reactions and comments, they always make my day, so feel free to share :)