0 0 1 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟺𝟾: 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍-𝙱𝚢𝚎

Hopper braced himself as he dropped through the rift and onto a patch of blackened grass. His body hit the ground with a thud and he had to lay there for a moment to catch his breath before pushing himself onto his knees. Before he could get to his feet, however, a large mass hit him from above and flattened him like a pancake.

"Sorry, man!" Steve shouted apologetically once he realized that the cushion that had softened his fall had been Hopper. He quickly rolled off of Hopper and offered him a hand to help him up.

"How about the next time you jump through a hole, you wait a few minutes after the first person has gone through," Hopper wheezed as he reached out for Steve's hand.

Once Hopper was on his feet, he had a better chance to look around at his surroundings. For a split second, Hopper questioned if he had even gone through the rift because everything looked nearly identical to where he had started, save that it was black and dead. This provided him some small comfort only because he knew exactly where he was in the Upside Down, but the feeling didn't last long when he realized that Sarah and Eleven could be anywhere. It probably wasn't the best plan that Hopper had ever concocted, but nothing would stop him from tearing the entire dimension apart to find his daughters.

"What now?" Steve asked.

Before Hopper could answer, a large boom echoed through the Upside Down and stirred a variety of small, unknown creatures around them. Hopper and Steve looked at each other before racing for the edge of the forest in the direction of where Hopper's truck was in their world. Once they reached the gravel road that was barely recognizable under the overgrown weeds, they had a better view of the sky above.

"I think we go that way..." Hopper said with his mouth wide open as he gazed up at the giant monster in the distance that was blocking half the sky.

☆ ★ ☆

"Hey, James!" One shouted up at the Mind Flayer's large, shadowy form. He was still stumbling around and destroying things in an effort to regrow the limbs he had lost, but upon hearing One's voice, he immediately turned to face her. One couldn't see his eyes but she could feel him glaring down at her.