PARANORMAL | ❝Nothing is stranger than believing.❞
Cath knows a thing or two about Will Byers. Daphne, on the other hand, knows virtually nothing about Tonya McCarthy. Still, none of that changes the fact that both of them have up and vanished with...
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SATURDAY 12th NOVEMBER, 1983
LUCAS flattens a map out onto a sheet of metal, which the group huddle around curiously, as he points to various spots. "This is Randolph Road, right here," he says. "The fence starts here, and goes all the way around... and this is the lab right here." Lucas taps his finger on a small square on the map. "The gate's gotta be in there somewhere. It's gotta be."
Leaning in closer, Cath inspects the spot on the map that is supposed to be the Hawkins Lab — seeing how near it is in relation to her house makes goosebumps slither across her skin. These people were out to get them. To get Eleven. They were willing to possibly put kids in harm's way, by the looks of it... Lucas had saved them. Without his warning, the Bad Men could have sweet-talked the Wheelers into doing God knows what, and taken back Eleven. Cath doesn't even know where to begin to express her gratitude.
"Well, who owns Hawkins Lab?" asks Dustin.
"The sign says 'Department of Energy'."
"'Department of Energy'? What do you think that means?"
"'Hawkins Power And Light'," Cath recites as she remembers those words emblazoned on the repair vans that were chasing them. "It could be a cover-up for something."
"Definitely," Mike agrees. "I'm pretty sure it means government. Military."
"Then why does it say 'Energy'?" Dustin queries.
"Just trust me, alright? It's military. My dad's told me before."
"Mike's right," says Lucas. "There's soldiers out front."
"Do they make, like, light bulbs or something?"
"No, weapons..." Mike shrugs with a small twitch of his mouth. "To fight the Russians, and Commies and stuff."
Weapons? For a moment, Cath is wondering what kind of weapons before it clicks into place. Why the Bad Men were so desperate to get Eleven back. She turns to look at El, who is knelt quietly at her side watching everything unfold. The girl looks so innocent here, her hands folded in her lap with the sleeves a little too long for her arms — but she is the weapon. Of course she is. If Eleven can break Troy's arm with a tilt of her head, it doesn't take much imagination to wonder what else she is capable of...
"Oh, Jesus, this is bad. Really bad. The place is like a fortress!" Lucas says, pinching the bridge of his nose. Cath is feeling similar despair, as the true weight of their situation sinks in.
