Over the years nightmares have been a frequent friend in the Hopper house. Chills and a scream lodged in the back of her throat is the only way that Christine Hopper knows how to wake up. Her father tries hard to believe his daughter has a handle on...
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November 4th, 1984 Hawkins, Indiana
Steve makes his way into the kitchen, looking over the three kids that are finishing up the last bites of strawberry pancakes. Dustin is licking his fork coated in syrup.
"You're positive that was Dart?" asks Lucas.
"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt."
"He was tiny two days ago," mutters Max, stacking all their plates. She hops off the stool, bringing the dishes to the sink.
"Well, he's molted three times already," Dustin explains.
"Malted?" repeats Steve, confused.
"Molted," Dustin corrects. Steve silently thanks Max, grabbing the syrup from the table and putting it away. "Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms."
"When's he gonna molt again?" asks Chris, stepping into the room fully clothed and ready to get moving again. She has her hair up in a tie to let it dry.
"It's gotta be soon. When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it." Steve and Chris share a look, already moving from the kitchen to the front door. The three kids silently follow. "And so will his friends."
"Yeah," says Steve, fishing his keys out of his jacket. The five of them hurry outside. "And he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats." Steve locks the front door behind him.
Lucas steps in front of Steve. "Wait, a cat? Dart ate a cat?"
"No, what? No," Dustin denies, shaking his head.
"What are you talking about?" Steve looks up from the trunk of his car, holding flashlights and his bat. "He ate Mews."
"Mews?" Max takes a flashlight from Steve. "Who's Mews?"
"It's Dustin's cat." He nods to the boy, who's eyes grow wide in annoyance and anger.
"Steve!"
Lucas shoves Dustin. "I knew it! You kept him!"
"No!" Dustin snaps back. "No. No, I—no, I..." He trails off for a moment, sighing in defeat. "He missed me. He wanted to come home."
"Bullshit!" Lucas rolls his eyes as they walk around the backyard into the woods. Steve and Chris are leading the group, heading back to the train tracks, where the little Demogorgon creatures ran off to. They both knew they had to figure out where they went to, so no one else would get hurt.
"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?"
"Oh, so now you admit it?" yells Lucas.
Chris rolls her eyes, glancing back at the three of them. Lucas and Dustin have stopped to argue again, with Max standing between them. "Guys," says Max. "Who cares? We have to go."
"I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!"
"So did you!" Dustin yells over Max's head.
"What?"
"You told a stranger the truth!"
"A stranger?" gasps Max, offended.
"You wanted to tell her, too!"
Chris huffs to herself, getting annoyed with their yelling. She can't really blame either one of them for getting mad at the other; however, now is not the time to be yelling about the party rules. They're on the hunt for monsters, and they could be nearby without any of them noticing.
Steve perks up, standing straighter, his flashlight pointing in the darkness as the two boys argue behind him. He squints, trying to get a better look at what's making that noise. It sounds like yipping and growling—some sort of frenzied animal. Not a good sound.
"Guys?" he questions, wondering if the others heard what he's hearing.
"He wasn't gonna eat us," defends Dustin.
"Guys!" snaps Steve, as Chris catches wind of the snarling sounds. The boys stop arguing, hearing what the two high schoolers have heard. The three boys take off further into the woods, away from the tracks.
Chris moves after them, noticing that Max isn't following. "Hey, guys, why are you headed towards the sound?" Chris gestures for Max to follow. The girl throws a look over both of her shoulders, noticing that it's fairly dark and foggy without a flashlight. She takes off after Chris and the boys. The group of five appears at the edge of a clearing looking over a cliff. The town of Hawkins isn't too far to the left, and they can see headlights from the wooded roads, but no signs of the Demogorgons.
"I don't see him," mumbles Dustin.
Lucas brings the binoculars around his neck up to his eyes. He spots the lab surrounded by the trees. "It's the lab."
"They were going back home," Chris comments, her voice lofty and breathless.
