Hawkins Middle School looked nothing like it did during the day.
The gym lights hummed overhead, too bright against the dark windows, casting long shadows across the basketball court. The kiddie pool sat at center court, surrounded by open bags of salt, the white crystals scattered across the floor like frost.
Jonathan tore open another bag and poured it in. The water clouded, then slowly cleared.
"That should do it," Dustin said, crouched low, watching the surface carefully. "Mr. Clarke said the salt increases conductivity. The more isolated the mind, the stronger the connection."
Hopper nodded once. "Then we're doing it right."
Joyce stood a few steps away with Eleven, wrapped in her coat despite the warmth of the gym. Eleven sat on a folded mat, eating slowly. Joyce handed her a sandwich, then a juice box.
"Take your time," Joyce said softly. "No rush."
Mike stayed close, sitting cross legged beside Eleven. He didn't talk much. He just stayed where she could see him.
Thomas leaned against the wall near the exit, arms crossed. He watched everything the way Hopper moved with controlled urgency, the way Nancy stood near the bleachers, rigid and silent, Steve close but careful not to crowd her.
Everyone had a job.
Lucas checked the walkie-talkies. Dustin adjusted the blindfold. Jonathan tested the lights twice. Hopper made sure no one else was in the building.
This didn't panic anymore.
It was preparation.
When Eleven stood, Joyce immediately steadied her. "You okay?"
Eleven nodded. "Better."
They helped her into the pool slowly. The water rippled as she lay back, the salt clinging faintly to her clothes. Hopper adjusted the towels beneath her neck. Mike squeezed her hand once before stepping back.
"You say stop," Hopper said firmly. "And we stop."
Eleven nodded.
The blindfold went on.The gym fell silent.Darkness opened gently this time not rushing.
Eleven floated, breath steady, mind clear. The salt anchored her. The noise of the world faded cleanly instead of breaking apart.
She reached and found Will.
He stood in the dark, arms wrapped around himself, face thin but alive. His eyes widened when he saw her.
"Mon?"
In the gym, the walkie-talkie crackled.
"Mon?" Will's voice came through, clearer than before.
Joyce sobbed openly, dropping to her knees. Hopper caught her, holding her steady.
"We hear you," Joyce said, voice shaking. "We hear you."
Eleven stayed with Will, holding the connection longer than before. She felt the shape of the place around him cold, closed, watching.
"I'm hiding," Will said. "It comes sometimes. But I'm still here."Relief washed through the room, followed immediately by fear.Eleven pulled away slowly.
Her breathing changed.
"There's… someone else," she whispered.No one spoke.She turned her focus, reaching sideways instead of forward.Concrete. Cold air. Metal.
A room. " Barb"
Barb Holland lay against a wall, pale but breathing, wrists bound, eyes fluttering open.
Eleven gasped sharply.
"She's alive."
Nancy didn't move. Her breath caught once, sharp and silent. Steve's hand hovered near her shoulder but didn't touch and then the darkness shifted.
Closed.
The image shattered.Eleven screamed and surged upright, water sloshing violently as Hopper grabbed her shoulders.
"They have her," Eleven cried. "In the lab."She gagged, blood running freely now.
Silence fell heavy over the gym.
Thomas felt the system stir.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
[Barbara Holland — Alive]
[Status: Contained]
[Threat detected: Hawkins National Laboratory]
Hopper stared at the pool."The lab," he said quietly.
The truth settled in.They weren't searching anymore.
They were going in.
No one spoke for a long time.Eleven sat wrapped in towels, Joyce holding her close, murmuring soft reassurances. Mike stayed kneeling nearby, eyes fixed on her face like he was afraid she might disappear if he looked away.
Nancy finally sat down on the bleachers. She stared at the floor."She's alive," she said quietly. Not a question.
Steve nodded. "We'll get her."
Hopper exhaled slowly. "The lab's been lying since day one."Thomas felt the weight of it settle. Barb alive. Will alive.
Eleven stirred slightly. "It's cold there," she murmured. "They're scared."Joyce tightened her hold. "You rest now."Hopper stood. "We move carefully. No rushing in blind."
The group nodded.
Outside, the night pressed close.
And somewhere behind concrete walls and locked doors, two kids were waiting while something far worse learned it had been found.