The gymnasium had fallen into silence. The polished floor gleamed faintly under the harsh fluorescent lights, the empty bleachers looming around them like watchful eyes. Everyone turned to Nancy, waiting for her to explain. She had just dropped a line that hung heavy in the air: Dray may have another plan.
Dustin was the first to break the silence, his voice sharp and a little too fast. "You mean—what? That Dray used us?" His brows furrowed as though he didn't want to believe it but couldn't stop the thought from slipping out.
Nancy shook her head immediately. "No. No, Dustin. That's not true. Dray's not like that."
Steve, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, couldn't help himself. "What's his plan then? I bet he's gonna stroll right in, shake hands with the Demogorgon—maybe offer it a Coke. Peace talks, Hawkins style."
Dustin squinted at him. "Yeah. Genius plan, Steve. Maybe throw in popcorn and a mixtape while you're at it."
Nancy rolled her eyes, her tone cutting. "Can you be serious for once?"
Steve threw his hands up quickly, like someone pointing out a misunderstanding before the cops slapped on the cuffs. "Just kidding, guys. Jeez. Tough crowd."
Nancy exhaled through her nose and turned to Jonathan. "Do you remember when Dray went with Hopper earlier? He… he looked at us, gave some kind of gesture with his fingers."
Jonathan's gaze dropped as he tried to recall, chewing the inside of his cheek. After a pause, he nodded slowly. "Yeah… I remember. It looked like a two-finger goodbye. But then—wait. I saw him do that earlier too. When we left for supplies. He wasn't just waving. He was warning us."
Nancy's eyes lit up, sudden clarity sparking. "Yes! He gave us the same sign when we were heading out to look for supplies."
Jonathan's lips parted in realization. "That means… he was trying to tell us not to go through with Plan B, right?"
Nancy nodded firmly. "Exactly. He knew we might act on impulse, and it could get us killed. He was warning us to hold back."
Mike, who had been frowning the whole time, finally spoke up, his voice tight. "Nancy—what are you even talking about? You really thought we'd let you do that? Risk yourselves like that?".
Her chest tightened at the earnestness in his tone. Mike looked almost betrayed, like he couldn't believe his sister would keep something this big from him. Nancy felt a pang of guilt she couldn't swallow. "You're right," she admitted softly. "We weren't thinking. And it could've gotten us all killed."
Jonathan added, quieter, "Or worse."
The group fell into silence until Dustin spoke, his voice steadier. "We're a team now, okay? No one gets left out. Not for something this dangerous."
Mike straightened beside him, his voice firm. "Right. We fight together."
Lucas raised a hand, brow furrowed. "Wait—what exactly was Plan B? I don't think I'm following."
Steve, Dustin, Mike, and even El all leaned forward, eyes fixed on Nancy and Jonathan.
Nancy cleared her throat, no point hiding it now. "Plan B was simple… but extremely dangerous. If we couldn't find El by tonight, Dray told us we'd fall back on it. The three of us—me, Jonathan, and Dray—would go after the Demogorgon and kill it. "Then we'd use the Demogorgon's body as proof—leverage to force the lab into a deal, so they'd let us into the Upside Down to find Will and Barbara."
The gym seemed to get colder. Mike's jaw tightened. Lucas blinked rapidly, struggling to process.
Steve muttered, "Great. Monster-hunting and blackmail. Totally normal Saturday night."
Jonathan added quietly, "But we don't have to follow that plan anymore. We've got El. And if Dray's right, we can fight the monster with her help and finish this once and for all."
Lucas swallowed hard. "So… you guys were seriously planning to go monster hunting without telling us?"
The silence answered for them.
Dustin let out a long breath, his bravado dimming. "That's insane. But also… kind of brilliant."
Nancy tried to rally them. "It doesn't matter now. We're in this together. If we face it head-on, El can fight it with us. We'll stand a chance this time."
Mike nodded firmly. "Nancy's right. We all help. No more secrets."
Lucas lifted his chin. "That thing took Will from us. We're not sitting this one out."
Dustin added, "And Barbara. We owe it to both of them."
El, quiet until now, stepped forward slightly, her eyes dark but resolute. "We bring everyone back. Safe."
Steve looked around at each of them, then sighed and pushed himself off the wall. "Alright. Guess I'm in too. Not letting you little monsters get eaten while I sit around."
For the first time all evening, a faint smile flickered across Nancy's face. "Okay. Then we'll do this. We'll kill it. Together."
Present – The Upside Down
The air was thicker here, damp and choking. Hopper pushed aside a curtain of ashy vines as he and Joyce pressed forward through the warped forest of the Upside Down. Their flashlights cut narrow beams across twisted trunks and gray ground that looked drained of life.
They were almost to Castle Byers when Joyce's light caught something on the ground. She froze. "Hop… what is that?"
Hopper crouched, his face grim as the beam revealed a large, leathery shell, split wide open. The surface glistened, wet in places, and when he brushed the edge with his finger it gave a faint, sickening crack.
"Looks like… an eggshell," Hopper muttered. The thing was massive, almost the size of a small child curled up.
Joyce's breath hitched. "Eggshell? You mean… there are more?"
They moved forward, and her fears were confirmed. Not just one, but five hatched shells scattered the forest floor, each hollowed out, each cracked open from the inside. A faint chittering echoed in the distance, too sharp to be wind, too alive to be anything natural.
Joyce's voice trembled. "Oh my God. Hop… what if these aren't Demogorgon? What if they're… something else?"
Hopper stood slowly, his jaw tightening. His instincts screamed danger. "I don't know what the hell they are. But it means we're not just dealing with one monster. We stay sharp, Joyce. And we move fast."
She nodded quickly, swallowing hard. The panic in her eyes was clear, but her grip on the flashlight steadied. "Then let's find Will," she said, her voice trembling but determined. "Let's get him and get the hell out of here."
Hopper gave one last look at the cracked shells littering the ground, unease burning in his gut. He knew what those shells meant, even if he didn't say it out loud.
The Upside Down was breeding. And Hawkins had no idea what was coming.