Stranger Things x Reader

Prologue

Will Byers disappeared in November of 1983 and the days that followed changed everything. Being Dustin Henderson's next-door neighbour, you were often babysitting him when his mom had to work either longer or night shifts and so knew all his friends including Will. You were also friends with Nancy Wheeler and Barbara Holland as well being Steve Harrington's friend when you first started high school but that changed when he met Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins. Those two made him the cool king of Hawkins High and you had no place in that friendship group so it was just Nancy and Barbara.

On November 8th, Steve Harrington threw a party and Nancy invited you and Barbara only to be met with your instant rejection. You had homework to do and exams to study for, it was boring but it was a thousand times better than being the third wheel and so only Barbara went with Nancy and now she was missing too. The day after, Nancy talked to you and out of guilt you agreed to help her search for your mutual best friend but all the two of you found was Barbara's empty car and you were both scared off by a faceless something in the woods behind Steve's house.

During the night, Will Byers' body had been found in the quarry. You had tried your best to comfort Dustin but the boy just sobbed in your arms the entire night and although he went to bed, you were certain he got little to no sleep just as you did.

After School, Nancy approached you. Jonathan had caught something in one of his pictures the night that Barbara had disappeared. More determined than ever, you, Nancy and Jonathan decided to look after the faceless creature after Will's funeral. During their search, you and Nancy accidentally went through a gate to an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down and found the terrifying faceless monster responsible for the sudden disappearances. The Demogorgon.

Your list of friends was small, even smaller now that Harrington had fallen to the dark side, you wanted Barbara and Will back and go back to your nights of trying to understand D&D and homework study nights which turned into slumber parties. Just the thought of Barb and Will being trapped in that nightmare with a monster seemed to forever put an aching hole in those plans.

The next day you had gone to the weapons store with Jonathan and Nancy. You were going to kill the monster before it could hurt anyone else but Steve Harrington, Tommy H and Carol wanted to humiliate Nancy over nothing instead. In a delirious attempt to perhaps salvage your friendship with Steve, you tried to prevent a fight between Jonathan and Steve but he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Standing between the two had put you in the line of fire, Jonathan punched you in the face and before he could realise how much he'd fucked up, Steve already had Jonathan on the floor but Byers had ended up the winner. The police had shown up and the three of you were taken to the police station, if it wasn't for Joyce and Hopper being there Jonathan would have had a criminal record. Instead, Hopper tells you of Hawkins Lab and the horrid experiments with children but it's not until you meet with Dustin, his friends and a new girl, Eleven. During one of the experiments, she opened a gate to the Upside Down and that's how the Demogorgon had gotten to this reality and had either eaten or kidnapped people from Hawkins.

With everyone up to date, Eleven tried to find Barbara and Will. Eleven muttered a single word when trying to find Barbara. "Gone." One of your best friends was gone forever, maybe if you'd gone to the party with them she would still be here but now you would never know. Nancy was crying and there was an aching in your heart and a lump in your throat because you didn't go to the party and now Barbara was dead. Hopper and Joyce left to get Will whilst he was still alive, you went to the police station with Jonathan and Nancy to steal back your gear before going to the Byers' house to lure out the Demogorgon and kill it.

The traps were set, and the guns were loaded. You had sliced the palm of your hand with a knife as the other two did, now it was a waiting game. The three of you let your hands bleed for a few moments before bandaging them up, there was a banging at the door. You gripped your gun tightly "Jonathan? Are you there, man? It's... it's Steve! Listen, I just wanna talk!" Harrington banged on the door again before you opened the door. "____?What are you doing here?" "Steve, you can't be here right now okay? You've gotta go, get back in your car and go home!" Steve's eyes landed on your bandaged hand. "Your hand..." His voice was soft but concern was sprinkled in too. "What happened, did Jonathan hurt you again? Let me in, let me in!" Steve pushed past you and saw the traps, and weapons and could smell the gasoline. "What's going on, what's happening?" "Steve, get out!" Nancy ordered, her gun aimed at Steve's bruised face. Your eyes widened as they continued to argue but then the lights started blinking. "Oh...Shit."

"Guys! The lights! It's here..." Steve started panicking and looked around frantically, Jonathan picked up the nail bat and Nancy gripped her gun whilst. You held your gun as Steve started shouting "hello? Will someone explain to me what the hell is-" the Demogorgon started breaking through the roof with an ear-piercing screech. You and Nancy started shooting until Jonathan pulled the two of you back. Jonathan grabbed Nancy's hand and ran to Will's bedroom, jumping over the bear trap. You grabbed Steve's arm and both of you did the same before shutting the door behind you. "What the was that?! What the hell was-" "Steve, shut up!" The Demogorgon screeched again, drawing your attention back to the food, the lights in Will's room flickering violently and the monster's steps growing louder, closer. "What's it doing?" Nancy questioned, her gun aimed at the door as the three of you watched the yellow yo-yo on the chair. Jonathan had his lighter ready for the moment the Demogorgon stepped into the trap but the electricity jolted and the lights were on with no flickering. The house was silent.

Cautiously, you opened the door and peeked around the corner as the others followed you. "I think it's gone but probably not for long." With the same level of caution, you all made it back to the living room. "This is crazy" Steve muttered repeatedly before eventually shouting it. "It's gonna come back! Get in your car and go home!" Steve didn't need you to tell him twice as he fled through the front door and to his car, the second he did the lights flickered again. "I can't see shit!" The lights blinked before they all turned off, and the Demogorgon growled signalling its return. "___! Watch out!" Nancy yelled before the Demogorgon pinned you to the ground, knocking Jonathan over in the process. You flailed and wiggled in an attempt to free yourself. The Demogorgon snarled, its drool dripping onto your face but just before it sank its teeth into your face there was an angered yell and the nailed bat came smashing against the Demogorgon's head knocking it off you. Steve pulled you up and got in front of you before smashing the Demogorgon up and forcing it into the bear trap. Once Steve backed away, Jonathan dropped his lighter on the gasoline trail burning the Demogorgon. It screeched and writhed in agony before disappearing, Jonathan grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. The trap was covered in burnt blood and flesh. "Where'd it go?" "No...It's dead, it has to be" Jonathan panted. The Christmas lights started to turn on again, not blinking or flashing, they stayed on and Jonathan followed the light trail back to the living room. "Mom, is that you?" He whispered before going outside, Joyce and Hopper had gone to the lab to get into the Upside Down to find Will. "The lights...You think it's her?" "Yeah, I don't think that's the monster."

You all waited around for ten minutes before deciding the monster wasn't coming back. Jonathan and Nancy cleaned up the house as best they could with the fire damage whilst you explained everything to Steve. "This is crazy...If I hadn't seen that thing myself, I'd think you were on something" he chuckled looking down before back up at you. "Are you okay? It didn't hurt you did it?" He looked you over with worry but couldn't see any obvious injuries. "I'm a bit scratched up and bruised but other than that, I'll live" you smiled.

It was an hour later before the phone rang, Jonathan answered and was in tears by the time he hung up. Your heart sank, fearing the worst. Losing Barb had been the worst thing to happen to you but having to find out that Will was dead a second time? You couldn't take it. "They found him. They found Will, he's in the hospital with my mom." Nancy smiled and hugged Jonathan, you couldn't help but notice the pained expression on Steve's face as it happened but he bit his tongue for now.

You all went to the hospital to check on everyone, you'd learn in the coming days that Eleven had sacrificed herself to finish off the Demogorgon. If you'd been more alert and hadn't gotten pinned down maybe you could've damaged the Demogorgon more and prevented Eleven's death but it now was too late, El and Barbara were gone. Both times because of you.

Hawkins eventually returned to normal, the lab was still activated but Dr Brenner and the previous workers had been killed off by the Demogorgon. The lab was now run by Dr Sam Owens and now that Eleven was gone their only goal was to keep the Upside Down from spreading out of the lab. Everyone involved was forced into signing confidentiality agreements, everything with the Upside Down and the Demogorgon never happened. Will Byers was just lost in the woods for a week and the body found in the quarry was falsely identified.

The boys spent Christmas Eve in the Wheeler's basement with another D&D campaign, everyone was finally recorvering and except the weekly visits Will had to Hawkins Lab, everything was quiet. Hawkins had finally returned to being a quiet small town.