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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In the Wheelers' basement, everyone is crowded around Will Byers, who is sitting on the couch with Nic next to him. Mike, Lucas, Max and El are surrounding them. His friends listen to him earnestly as he recounts everything he felt leading up to last night.
"The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead." Will glances at each of his friends. "Power went out that night, too. And then I felt it again at the field near the Nelson farm the next day. Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers." He rubs at the back of his neck absently, uncomfortable.
"What does it feel like?"
"It's almost like...you know when you drop on a roller coaster?"
"Sure," Mike and Lucas reply.
"Yeah," says Max.
Eleven and Nine share a glance. "No."
"It's like..." Will looks at Nic, trying to describe the feeling the best he can. "Everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but...this is worse. Your body...it goes cold and...and you can't breathe." Nic puts a soft hand on Will's arm, trying to reassure him. Will gives him a thoughtful look. "I've felt it before, whenever he was close."
"Whenever who was close?" questions Max, surveying all their faces for an answer.
"The Mind Flayer," replies Will.
"I closed the gate," El says earnestly.
"I know, but...what if he never left? What if we locked him out here with us?" Will stands, getting an idea. He hurries over to the shelf full of games, among other things. He grabs a piece of blank white paper and a black crayon. He grips it tight, creating a black hole, shaped like an oval, which extends down, creating limbs. It's a giant, spider-like creature. A void of darkness. Will smears his hand across the page, collecting black residue. "This is him. All of him. But, that day on the field, a part of him attached itself to me. My mom got it out of me...and Eleven closed the gate. But the part that was still in me, what if it's still in our world? In Hawkins." He flips the page over to the other side, putting his palm on it. It leaves a handprint, a mark. The Mind Flayer's anchor.
"I don't understand," mumbles Nic.
"The Demodogs died when El closed the gate. If the brain dies, the body dies," Max retorts.
"We can't take any chances. We need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayer's back," Mike states.
"Yeah. And if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again. A new me."
"A new host," echoes Lucas
"How can you tell if someone is a host?" El asks, a puzzled look etched across her face.
As soon as Robin and Ronda returned from the Count Recorder's Office, twenty dollars lighter, Robin's mind ignited with a brilliant idea; she suggested they gather the blueprints of Starcourt Mall. At first, it seemed impossible to get anywhere near the Russian guards and access their secrets, but then Robin had another inspired thought: to check the air ducts. One of those ducts led directly to the back room of Scoops Ahoy. It wouldn't be easy to navigate once inside, but it was a crucial first step, a glimmer of hope in their daring plan.
