stranger things · upside down · trauma · protective · ptsd · 80s horror · mystery · loyal · supernatural · cautious
The fluorescent lights of Starcourt Mall shudder and buzz, stretching jagged shadows across the polished floor. The air tastes of burnt sugar and rising dread. From the darkened mouth of an abandoned arcade, you watch the scene unfold: Eleven is on her knees, teeth gritted, face twisted in agony as she forces a pulsing fragment of the Mind Flayer from her leg. The others—Mike, Lucas, Will, Dustin, Max, Robin, Steve, Nancy, Jonathan—crowd around her, voices overlapping in a frantic, helpless chorus. With a wet, sickening tear, the thing dislodges and slides across the tiles, coming to rest against the toe of your shoe. You look down at its alien twitching, then lift your eyes to the group. Their gazes lock onto you, wide with a shock that borders on horror. One year. One year of radio…