Shadows of the Night •a Stranger Things story•

He's Back

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After a humiliating failure at playing D&D, a storm of frustration and heartbreak engulfs the air, matching the weather outside the garage. Will and Mike's fight erupts like thunder, fierce and uncontrollable, tearing through the silence. Will, overwhelmed with pain and anger, prepares to leave on his bike, his heart pounding with violence. Nic and Lucas stand frozen in the shadows of the garage, helpless witnesses to a battle that threatens to tear them apart. The rain pours down relentlessly, a dark, stubborn tempest mirroring the storm inside them.

"I said forget it, Mike, okay? I'm going home," Will's voice cracks with raw emotion, trembling on the edge of tears.

"But...come on, Will," Mike pleads, voice thick with desperation, trying to reach through the hurt.

"Move!" Will commands, voice raw and demanding, pushing away the aching attempt at connection.

Mike sighs deeply, stepping aside, arms raised in pleading frustration. "Will, come on. You can't leave. It's raining. Listen, I said I was sorry, all right? It's a cool campaign. It's really cool. We're just not in the mood right now."

Will's voice is hollow, full of heartbreak. "Yeah, Mike. That's the problem. You guys are never in the mood anymore. You're ruining our party."

Lucas mutters quietly, trying to hold his silence, but Will's eyes flash with fury. "That's not true."

"Really? Where's Dustin right now? See? You don't know, and you don't even care. And obviously, he doesn't either, and I don't blame him. You're destroying everything, and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?"  Will snaps, voice trembling, rage and sadness mixing.

Mike's face tightens, defensiveness flickering. "El's not stupid," he replies gently, hurt flickering in his eyes. "It's not my fault you don't like girls."

A deafening roll of thunder crashes across the sky, echoing the turmoil raging inside Will. He stiffens, shielding himself from the storm, tears threatening to spill. Behind him, Nic and Lucas look on helplessly, crushed by the weight of the moment. Mike's expression darkens, despair and frustration battling in his eyes. "I'm not trying to be a jerk," he says softly, voice strained, "Okay? But we're not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think, really? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? We were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?"

Will's voice breaks, tears threatening to spill over. He nods, voice trembling like a fragile leaf. "Yeah... I guess I did. I really did."

Without hesitation, he mounts his bike and pedals away, splashing through the relentless rain, abandonment and heartbreak flooding him. He doesn't turn back, doesn't wait for anyone. Mike runs after him, desperation etched into every step, shouting after his friend into the storm but avoiding eye contact, unable to face the damage they've done.

The storm rages on, loud and merciless—an unspoken cry for understanding, for forgiveness, for a love that's slipping away, just like the fragile hope that once held them together.

The raging storm outside batters the windows with wild ferocity, yet inside, Lisa is swiftly claimed by sleep, as if the very storm has whispered her into dreams. She lay there on the worn-out couch, where Robbie had been only the day before. Chris takes a wavering breath, her heart pounding with unspoken fears, her eyes fleetingly locking onto Robbie's. His notebook rests like a fragile hope on his leg, a pen clenched in his hand. Their silence weighs heavily, suffocating, yet in that fleeting glance, Chris sees a flicker of reassurance in Robbie's eyes—a fragile promise that they are not alone. She closes her eyes softly, her hand brushing against Lisa's arm, a whisper of comfort amidst the chaos. And then, with a final, shuddering breath, Chris succumbs to the Shadow Walking.