Thomas felt it before he saw it.
The woods changed the moment they crossed deeper inside not visually, not immediately, but structurally. The air thickened, cold pressing in like a held breath. Even the ground felt different beneath his shoes, softer, damp, wrong.
He adjusted the strap beneath his jacket.
The weight there was reassuring.
He hadn't come into the woods unprepared.
Mike moved carefully ahead, flashlight clenched tight in his hand. Dustin followed, compass flickering uselessly as its needle spun. Lucas stayed a step behind, jaw clenched, eyes darting constantly toward the darkness.
Eleven walked silently among them, her head tilted as if listening to a voice only she could hear.
Thomas stayed at the back.
Always the back.
"So this is where your genius plan takes us," Lucas muttered under his breath.
"Shut up," Mike whispered sharply. "You hear that?"
They all froze.
Nothing.
No insects. No wind.
Then..
A low sound rolled through the trees.
Wet. Slow. Breathing.
Dustin swallowed. "That's… not Will."
Eleven's hand tightened around Mike's sleeve. "It knows we are here."
Thomas's vision blurred for half a second.
Then the world sharpened painfully.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
[⚠︎ HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED ⚠︎]
[Threat Classification: APEX PREDATOR]
[Environmental Overlap: CONFIRMED]
[Weakness Identified: HEAT / FIRE]
[Advisory:
— Avoid prolonged exposure
— Fire recommended for deterrence
— Escape probability declining ]
Thomas's heart slammed against his ribs.
Fire, he thought. Still afraid of fire.
The sound came again closer now.
Branches bent ahead.
Not snapped.
Bent.
Something tall moved between the trees, careless of what broke beneath it.
"Back," Thomas whispered. "Slow."
Lucas scoffed weakly. "You sound like you've done this before."
Thomas didn't answer.
A flashlight beam cut across the clearing from the opposite side.
"Nancy?" Mike called out before he could stop himself.
The trees parted.
Nancy Wheeler stepped into view, face pale but steady. Jonathan was beside her, camera hanging forgotten against his chest. Steve Harrington emerged last, bat raised instinctively.
Steve blinked. "Okay. Someone explain why there are children in the murder forest."
Lucas snapped, "Why are you here?"
Nancy ignored both. Her eyes locked on Mike. "What are you doing out here?"
"Looking for Will," Mike said.
Jonathan sucked in a breath. "So are we."
The forest answered them.
A growl echoed through the trees deeper now, resonating through bone instead of air.
Eleven whimpered. "It's here."
That's when it stepped into partial view.
Not fully revealed just enough.
A tall shape, limbs too long, skin stretched tight and colorless. Its head tilted rather than turned, sensing, tasting the air.
Breathing wet.
Hungry.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
This wasn't a nightmare.
This wasn't a story.
The monster was real.
Thomas's system pulsed again.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
[Entity Awareness: ACTIVE]
[Target Focus: MULTIPLE]
[Immediate Threat Level: CRITICAL]
Nancy's hand slid inside her jacket cold metal met her fingers.
She pulled it free a revolver, her father's gun hands shaking, arms stiff as she raised it.
Steve stared. "Nancy..."
"Don't," she whispered. "Just don't."
The monster twitched.
It hissed sharp, angry.
Thomas didn't wait.
He reached into his jacket and yanked free the aerosol can and lighter he'd taped together earlier, thumb flicking the wheel instinctively.
The flame burst out in a roaring arc.
Fire filled the space between them.
The monster screamed.
Not pain fear.
It recoiled violently, limbs jerking back as the heat washed over it. The thing shrieked again, retreating a step, then another.
"Holy—" Steve breathed.
"Move!" Thomas shouted. "Now!"
They ran.
The woods exploded into chaos branches snapping, breath tearing from lungs, flashlights bouncing wildly.
The monster recovered fast.
Too fast.
It charged.
Nancy fired.
The gunshot cracked through the forest like thunder.
The bullet didn't stop it but it staggered.
Thomas turned mid-run and blasted fire again, flame licking the creature's chest.
It screamed and veered aside, slamming into a tree hard enough to splinter bark.
"Down this way!" Jonathan yelled.
They didn't argue.
They burst into a clearing just as the flame sputtered out.
Thomas's lighter clicked uselessly.
Empty.
The monster roared behind them, enraged now, furious.
Eleven turned.
She raised her hands.
The air pressed outward.
The creature was thrown back violently, slamming into the trees once more.
"GO!" she screamed.
They didn't hesitate.
They ran until their lungs burned and their legs shook and the forest finally fell silent behind them.
When they stopped, no one spoke.
Steve leaned over, hands on knees, gasping. "Okay," he said breathlessly. "I officially believe you."
Nancy lowered the gun, hands trembling uncontrollably now that the adrenaline faded.
Jonathan stared at Thomas. "You knew."
Thomas met his eyes.
"I knew enough," he said quietly.
The system faded from his vision.
But the warning lingered.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.