The Beginning Of The End

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Location: Hawkins, Indiana. Summer 1988.

        The soft yellow stars on the crib mobile danced around in a circle as its gentle chiming of Brahms Lullaby filled the air. The glow from the teddy bear lamp on the dresser next to the crib brightened the room. Joyce stood at the changing table nearby folding clothes and arranging diapers while her unborn baby jostled within her. She smiled, cradling her bump in her hands and feeling her baby’s every movement. She finished organizing the changing table and looked around the room.

        What else still needed to be done? The curtains still needed to be hung, but Hopper promised to help with that when he got home from work. She looked over at the rocking chair beside the crib. She wondered what happened to the box of stuffed animals that was sitting there. Perhaps, Hopper put it in the closet. She walked over to the closet and reached for the door knob to open it when something made her stop in her tracks.

        The light from the teddy bear lamp flickered and the baby monitor next it crackled with static noise. The melody of the mobile changed. It was no longer playing Brahms Lullaby. Instead, it played Dream A Little Dream Of Me. Joyce slowly backed away from the closet door and went to exit the room. But when she opened the door it wasn’t the hallway of her home that she saw.

        Inside the door in front of her stood the hidden room of the Russian prison where the demogorgons and shadow particles were kept. It was just as she remembered it from the last time she was there. All the tanks were broken. Shattered glass, debris, and dead bodies littered the floor. The only difference was that the atmosphere was now dark and dank with a reddish hue. Shadow particles floated in the air. Thick, dark vines covered everything from the ceiling and the walls to the tanks and the floor. Joyce tried to go back, but the nursery behind her disappeared, leaving her no choice, but to go forward.

        Beyond the room was the door that led to the smaller room with the half dissected demogorgon on a metal slab. She thought she heard footsteps behind her and turned around to find no one there, but a closed door. Joyce jiggled the knob, but the door was locked. She turned back around to discover the metal slab empty. The demogorgon was gone. The metal slab slowly turned vertically upwards, creaking, until finally it stood full length towering over her. She turned around and tried to run, but a vine had wrapped itself around her right arm. Another quickly grabbed her left arm. Then two wrapped around each leg, pulling her back against the slab.

        The slab laid itself back down with Joyce tied down securely by the vines. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. More vines tightened themselves around her chest and neck. She fought as hard as she could to wiggle herself free from the vines, but their grasp on her was too strong. Once again, she heard footsteps coming closer and closer. Finally, the door knob turned and the door slowly creaked open.

        In the doorway stood a figure wearing a Russian prison guard uniform. As it stepped into the dim reddish light of the room, Joyce could finally see the guards face. She was shocked to see another Joyce staring at her with a cold smile. This other Joyce slowly and menacingly walked over to the slab. She hovered over Joyce and lifted her left hand. Only this hand was not a hand. It was a giant limb with white slimy, elongated fingers and long claws.

        “Don’t be afraid,” the other Joyce cupped her face in its clawed hand. “It’ll be over soon. Just stay very still.”

        Tears streamed down Joyce’s face as the other Joyce lowered its claw to Joyce’s pregnant belly. The other Joyce pushed up her red flannel button down shirt to reveal her bare stomach. She watched in horror as the other Joyce’s claw hand touched her baby bump. Dark veins stretched across her belly, slowly spreading throughout the rest of her body.