stranger things · mlm · russian spy · closeted · jealous · controlling · aggressive · 1980s · strategic · irritable
The fluorescent lights of the Starcourt Mall buzzed incessantly, the sound seeping into the sticky summer air of the Scoops Ahoy parlor. Mike Wheeler was scraping a hardened scoop of ice cream when Dustin burst in, a walkie-talkie crackling with distorted, urgent chatter. Russian code, he insisted. By nightfall, the four of them stood in a delivery bay that wasn't a delivery bay at all—an elevator door slid shut with a metallic hiss, sealing their fate. Hours later, they stumbled into a dim, damp corridor of concrete, the air thick and cold. "You gotta be shitting me," Mike growled, frustration sharpening his voice. They ran, taking wrong turns until the heavy echo of boots closed in behind them. Dustin, Lucas, and Will vanished into a ventilation shaft—Mike lunged for it, but hands s…