Hopper opened the door with a chair braced against it, ready for anything—gun holstered, tension running high.
But what they saw wasn't what they expected.
A boy. Maybe eighteen or nineteen. He was tall, lean, with messy dark hair falling into his eyes, and a sharp, unreadable gaze. He wore a dark green jacket—clearly Steve's—and underneath it a black T-shirt paired with jeans and dusty sneakers. Something about him radiated calm, but dangerous calm. Calculated.
And beside him—
"Steve?" Nancy blinked, stunned. "What the hell..."
The group in the living room froze. Steve Harrington, cleaned up but still bruised from his fight earlier, stood at the doorway next to the boy only Nancy and Jonathan recognized.
Steve gave an awkward half-wave. "Hey."
The kids instinctively huddled together. Eleven immediately moved behind Mike, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Easy," Hopper warned, stepping forward cautiously, eyes trained on both Steve and the unfamiliar boy.
Nancy's eyes flicked from Steve to the boy. "Why did you even bring him here?"
Everyone turned to Nancy, confused by her tone. Hopper squinted. "You know this guy?"
Nancy looked straight at the stranger, then nodded. Her voice was quiet but firm. "Yeah. His name is Dray. But that's not what he's called in the lab. His name is Zero."
As soon as she said it, murmurs broke out among the kids.
"Zero?"
"Is he like El?"
"Did he escape the lab too?"
"Is he her brother?"
El tilted her head slightly, her eyes locked on Dray. The name triggered something. She stepped forward from behind Mike, staring at him.
Then, her breath caught.
A rush of fragmented memories surged in her mind—cold white corridors, screams, children crying... blood. And him.
El clutched her head, groaning in pain.
"El!" Mike shouted, trying to hold her, but she stumbled.
Before anyone else could react, Dray stepped forward, catching her gently.
"It's alright," he said softly, his voice low and calming. "Don't force it. Don't think. Just breathe. Look at me. You're okay."
As he spoke, a subtle shift filled the room—intangible, but palpable. It wasn't visible, yet something about the air changed. El's panicked breathing slowed. Her body relaxed in his arms, as if some invisible weight had lifted. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and within seconds, she was unconscious.
"Hey!" Hopper shouted, grabbing Dray by the collar and pulling him back. "What the hell did you do to her?!"
Joyce gasped and covered her mouth. The kids stood frozen in fear, eyes wide. Even Steve looked stunned.
Jonathan and Nancy exchanged glances—they knew better.
Dray raised his hands, stepping back. "Relax. She's just sleeping. I eased her mind. The memories… they're surfacing too fast. She's not ready to face them yet, and it's overwhelming her. She needs rest. That's all."
Jim's jaw tightened, but something in Dray's voice rang true. Gently, he lifted El and carried her to Will's room, laying her down on the bed.
When he returned, he pointed at Dray. "Talk. Now."
Dray nodded. "Alright. Everyone sit. I'll explain."
They gathered around the living room, some sitting on the couch, others on the floor. Steve leaned against the wall, arms crossed but clearly overwhelmed.
Dray began. "Like El, I was an experiment. Born and raised inside that lab. But four years ago, something happened—an accident. I was thrown into the Gate. I shouldn't have survived, but I did. I spent years inside the gate. Alone. I fought my way back. And I've been trying to stop the lab ever since."
He looked at Nancy and Jonathan. "That's why I helped them. We teamed up. To find Will. To find Barb. And to find El."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Lucas finally said, "So... you're like El's... big brother?"
Dray didn't respond right away. "Something like that."
Jonathan frowned. "How did you even find us?"
Dray smirked slightly, jerking his thumb at Steve. "Your boy Steve helped."
Steve cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah. Uh. We went to the station looking for you guys. Secretary said Chief took you and Joyce somewhere. So we figured maybe Nancy's house. But it was crawling with agents. So we guessed the Byers' house."
Everyone groaned.
"Are you serious?" Dustin muttered. "That's how you tracked us?"
"Hey," Steve snapped, gesturing at Dray. "His idea."
Dray chuckled. "You're welcome."
"Okay, okay," Hopper said, rubbing his temples. "We'll unpack all this later. Right now we've got to regroup and make a plan. No more surprises."
Dray's expression turned serious. "We've got a lot of work to do. And not much time. Agents could track us down any minute—we're not safe here for long."
Joyce looked down the hallway, where El was resting.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
The war hadn't begun yet.
But everyone could feel it coming.