Shadows of the Night •a Stranger Things story•

Conquer Us

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The inside of the Byers' home is full of everyone that has made it back to the lab. Hopper is shouting into the landline on the wall, trying to express the urgency of what is happening at Hawkins Lab. The person on the other end of the phone is not so understanding.

"I am the police! Chief Jim Hopper!"

Jonathan is kneeling over his brother, who is lying peacefully on the couch. Jonathan is whispering to him. Nancy puts a hand on Jonathan's shoulder, comforting him. Ronda sits near them watching the exchange. She chews on her bottom lip, her leg bouncing up and down. No one has heard from Robbie in at least twenty-four hours, and she doesn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

In the kitchen, Lucas, Mike, Max, and Dustin are sitting at the table, they're all listening to Hopper talk on the phone. Steve is at the sink, pouring a glass of water for Chris. She's leaning against the back door, letting some cold in to help her cool down.

"They didn't believe you, did they?" asks Dustin as Hopper hangs up the phone.

"We'll see."

"We'll see?" Mike repeats, anger laces his voice. "We can't just sit here while those things are loose!"

"We stay here, and we wait for help," Hopper warns, leaving without another word. He wanders to Joyce's room down the hall.

Mike, softer now, speaks up, "Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?" He stares at the stack of brain teaser games that Bob left on the table for Will. His friends turn toward him. Chris shivers, sniffling. Steve bows his head toward her, nervous.

"Really?" asks Lucas.

Mike grabs the blue cube from the top of the stack, turning back to the others. "He petitioned the school to start it and everything. Then he had a fund-raiser for equipment. Mr. Clarke learned everything from him. Pretty awesome, right?"

"Yeah," mumble Dustin and Lucas.

"We can't let him die in vain," Mike says, setting the game on the table.

Dustin raises his hands in frustration at Mike. "What do you want to do, Mike? The Chief's right on this. We can't stop those Demo-dogs on our own."

"Demo-dogs?" echoes Max, slouching in her chair. She has her arms crossed over her chest. She's tired, scared, confused; she wants to protect herself against all the crazy shit she's just witnessed.

"Demogorgon dogs. Demo-dogs. It's like a compound. It's like a play on words—"

Rolling her eyes, Max shuts Dustin down quickly by saying, "Okay."

Steve and Chris share a look, and Steve's eyes linger on Chris for a little longer. She seems more and more exhausted by the second, like life is being sucked out of her. She's constantly warm to the touch, but she herself doesn't feel very overheated at all. In fact, she has been consistently looking for ways to keep herself cold. Her trips to the Void have stopped since she last spoke to Eleven, and she has not heard a word from Robbie or Nine. She wonders if everything is okay, but is afraid to ask Ronda if anything new has happened, as Ronda hasn't spoken a word to Christine. Ronda's barely looked at Chris. The crease on Steve's forehead will be permanent by the end of the night.

"I mean, when it was just Dart, maybe," continues Dustin.

"But there's an army now," Lucas adds, swallowing his fear.

Dustin bobs his head. "Precisely."

Mike's eyes widen for a moment. "His army."

Chris raises an eyebrow at this. She moves away from the door, recognizing that Mike is thinking about something. She is labored in her steps. It takes a lot of her strength to walk. "What do you mean?"