The Pumpkin Patch - A Stranger Things One-Shot

The Thriller Night

October 30th, 11:10 P.M.

The pitch black night was cloudy. Not even the peaceful moonlight shone upon Hawkins. The only lights beside the flashlights came from the houses in the distance. Orange luminescent spots highlighted Jack o' lanterns on the well decorated gardens that waited for the celebration on the following day. A thin layer of mist hovered above the field and hid the grass underneath a carpet of white fog. Somewhere in Mirkwood, a lonely owl let out a chilling squeal that made every hair on Michael's back go to its end.

"You guys hear that?", he asked.

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"It's just a bird. Quit being a pussy. You're starting to sound like Dustin", he said.

"Hey!", Dustin protested "Why am I the scared one now?"

Lucas squinted to stare at the silhouette of his friend in the dark.

"Come on, we both know you'd be pissing your pants if it were just the five of us. You're only all cocky because you got Gizmo with you", he hissed.

Perched over his owner's shoulder, Gizmo hissed almost as if he could understand those words. Although the little creature wasn't furry or little like the gremlin that gave him its name, it was just as adorable, according to Dustin. It had big brown eyes and a short snout and two eyes so far apart from each other that they seemed to look in different directions, which made the reptile resemble a green pug. Its mouth was big as a frog's and provided with dozens of little razor-sharp teeth. Its chubby body, which resembled a seriously overweight salamander, rested over Dustin's shoulders and back. The round fins that sprouted from Gizmo's back and head made it look somewhat prettier. Hanging like a vine, the long and slither tail shook from a side to another every time the animal saw something that interested it.

"Are you jealous because you don't have one?", the chubby boy asked with his nearly toothless grin.

"You're lucky it wasn't me holding the microphone when we found it. I would have squeezed its head without thinking twice", Lucas said, walking ahead to end that conversation.

As the boy gained distance in front of Dustin, Gizmo growled at him.

"Easy, buddy", Dustin mumbled to his pet "He didn't mean it".

The little group walked on a large field that stood between the woods and a pumpkin planting, south of the quarry. Steve walked up ahead with Dustin and Lucas beside him. Mike and Max walked behind. They all wore thick jackets to protect themselves from the merciless cold. Their flashlights shot thin beams of white light that pierced through the fog.

"Another one over there", Steve announced, shooting his flashlight upon what remained of a pumpkin.

The vegetable was wide open and half-eaten. Its insides were completely black and covered in some sort of thick slime. There were some others around it. The scent of rotten flesh flooded their nostrils.

"Disgusting", Max whispered, glancing at it.

Steve, who practically led the group in the middle of the field, halted for a moment before continuing his walk.

"Alright, let's keep going. Whatever attacked Nancy should be up ahead", he said.

Of course nothing else could motivate the teenager to go on a monster hunt besides his girlfriend. She was alright one hour before, at Billy's party. Well, physically alright. Steve had made a comment about Barbara, Nancy's friend who had supposedly ran away one year before and that completely wrecked the girl. Due to that, she spent some time apart the boy. Due to that, he nearly didn't arrive on time to save her from the spider-like monster that pounced on her. Luckily, the creature had been at the Byers' house one day before and the kids, with their adventurous spirit, decided to aid Steve on his hunt for the thing. Little did they know...