Season 2 -
SETTLING IS HARD WHEN YOU'RE ALWAYS MOVING. Ark and Ira assumed Hawkins, Indiana, would be the same. They would arrive, make no friends, and then leave by the next year. So imagine their surprise when Hawkins was different...in a way they...
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The Battle of Starcourt
IRA HAD NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO SEE JIM HOPPER. Well, happy was a bit of an overstatement. She was relieved that backup had arrived — not only Jim, but Joyce and...Murray Bauman for some reason — but she was equally pissed that it took until now for him to arrive. They'd nearly died multiples times. Hopper's daughter had her leg torn apart and cut open, and then had to rip a slug out of her leg. Jonathan definitely had a concussion and while Will hadn't been harmed physically, Ira couldn't imagine the mental pain of knowing the monster that possessed you was back.
As expected, hugs were exchanged and reunions were made. Then they collected around the fountain and explained to the adult's everything that happened.
"The Mind Flayer, it built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, to kill her and pave a way into our world," Mike explained.
"And it almost did. That was just one tiny piece of it," Nancy admitted.
"Yeah, wait," Ira interrupted, studying her arm. "What was that thing for? I'm not complaining about this or anything, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing in my arm."
"It probably wanted to weaken El," Mike said.
Ira scoffed, pretending to be offended that she wasn't important enough to be 'weakened.' But one glance at El proved the monster had succeeded. Despite having her leg re-wrapped, El still looked close to passing out. She must have lost a lot of blood by now.
"How big is this thing?" Hopper asked.
"It's big," Jonathan murmured.
"It was taller than most of the trees, so more than... twenty-five? Thirty feet?" Jesse said.
"Yeah, it sorta destroyed your cabin," Lucas admitted.
Hopper glared at Lucas and the teen quickly apologized. Though Ira didn't know what Hopper expected him to do. Magically save his cabin from the thirty-foot-tall monster? Yeah, right. Lucas had barely saved their lives.
"Okay, so, just to be clear, this...this big fleshy spider thing—" Steve started.
"Meat Flayer," Ira interrupted. When it only earned her confused looks she protested, "Oh, so the nerds get to make up names, but when I do it it's weird."
Steve sighed. "The Meat Flayer, it's some kind of gigantic...weapon?"
The group turned to look at El. She was curled up next to Hopper, who pressed a tissue against the wound on her head. It certainly didn't look like a giant monster would be needed to take her out. Like Jesse had said before, one strong wind and she'd be out. Ira glared at her shoes. Whatever happened, they had to protect El. Not just because she could save the world, but because she was just a kid. A kid who didn't deserve an inter-dimensional monster holding some shitty vendetta against her.
