The Warning
Morning sunlight struggled through storm clouds. Radios and TVs across Hawkins blasted the same message.
"This is the National Weather Service—unprecedented storms will be moving through Hawkins tonight. Winds exceeding seventy miles per hour, with lightning and rainfall unlike anything on record. Residents are advised to stay indoors."
Mike clicked off the TV, face pale. "It's her. It has to be."
Dustin adjusted his cap. "Okay, so let's do the math. Weird girl named Moon shows up. Next night, storms go biblical. Now there's a full moon, and everyone's about to be swept away like Dorothy in Oz. Coincidence? Nope. Not at all."
Will hugged his arms. "She told me she didn't want to hurt anyone."
Lucas scoffed. "Yeah, well, tell that to the weather channel."
El sat silently, staring at her hands.
Papa's Hunt
At Hawkins Lab, Papa stood in front of a dozen white vans lined up, soldiers geared up with rifles and tasers.
"She cannot run from us," Papa said, voice calm and chilling. "She is powerful, yes, but she is a child. And children are predictable."
One soldier raised a hand. "Sir, what happens if she resists?"
Papa's cold eyes flicked toward the soldier. "Then you will learn what true storms feel like."
The vans rolled out, engines growling, headlights cutting through sheets of rain.
Meanwhile, in the woods, Moon ran barefoot, her gown plastered to her skin. The wind bent trees as she passed, her speed blurring her into streaks of violet. She could hear the distant rumble of engines.
"They'll never stop," she whispered, and her eyes glowed brighter.
Max's Return
At Hawkins bus station, Max stepped off dragging her suitcase, her hoodie pulled tight. Rain pounded the pavement. She frowned, tilting her head to the storm.
"What the hell…"
By the time she skateboarded across town, the storm had drenched her. She burst into Mike's basement, soaked to the bone, dropping her board with a clatter.
"Okay—seriously—what the hell is going on?!"
"Max!" Lucas lit up, then froze when he saw her scowl.
"Don't 'Max!' me. I leave for a week and I come back to… this?!" She gestured at the windows rattling from the storm.
Dustin grinned awkwardly. "Well, uh, funny story. There's a new girl in town. With… you know. Weather powers."
Max blinked. "…You're kidding."
Will shook his head. "Her name's Moon. And she's in trouble."
Max's eyes narrowed, curious. "Then what are we waiting for?"
Collision in the Rain
Moon sprinted through the woods, lightning striking dangerously close to the ground. Suddenly—flashlights ahead. Voices.
Mike. Lucas. Dustin. Will. El. Max.
They stumbled into the clearing just as she burst through.
Max's jaw dropped. "Holy—"
Moon skidded to a stop, panting, violet eyes glowing through sheets of rain.
El stepped forward, defensive. "Stay back."
Mike shouted, "El, stop! She's not here to hurt us!"
Moon's gaze flicked over all of them—pausing on Will, then Mike. Her voice cracked. "They're coming. You have to hide."
Lucas muttered, "Oh, great. Now she talks."
Max crossed her arms, rain dripping off her hair. "She doesn't look like a monster. Just… broken."
El's face softened, conflicted.
Suddenly, the ground trembled with the sound of tires—Papa's vans were closing in. Moon's breath hitched. "No. Not again."
She bolted, faster than any of them could follow.
Mike shouted, "Moon! Wait!" but she vanished into the storm.
Scoops Ahoy
Steve mopped halfheartedly, rain hammering the roof. Robin leaned against the counter, flipping through a comic book.
Steve muttered, "Why do I have a feeling those little gremlins are gonna drag me into another nightmare tonight?"
Robin smirked. "Because they always do?"
Steve threw the mop down. "Exactly! And this time it's worse. Because there's—what did Dustin call her? Storm Girl? Moon Girl? Whatever. And—don't laugh—but she looked at me, Robin."
Robin snorted. "Oh my god. You've got it bad."
Steve groaned. "I don't have it bad. I just… maybe have a little thing for girls who can, y'know, electrocute me to death."
Robin deadpanned. "Therapy. You need therapy."
Steve pointed at her. "If I die because of her, you're giving my eulogy."
Robin smirked. "Gladly."
Jonathan & Nancy
In Nancy's car, windshield wipers fought against the torrential rain.
Nancy scribbled notes in her journal. "Two missing girls, multiple storm reports, and now the lab's vans are swarming Hawkins."
Jonathan glanced at her, gripping the wheel. "You think it's connected to El?"
Nancy chewed her lip. "It has to be. But this is bigger. El never caused… this." She gestured at the blackened sky, where purple lightning cracked unnaturally.
Jonathan tightened his jaw. "Then we figure it out. Before the lab buries it again."
Hopper & Joyce
In Hopper's cabin, the storm rattled the walls. Joyce paced while Hopper nursed a drink.
"She's just a child, Hop. You saw her eyes. She's terrified."
Hopper sighed. "Yeah, terrified and one bad mood away from frying half the town. That's not something I can just ignore."
Joyce grabbed his arm. "You didn't ignore El. Don't ignore her."
Hopper's gaze softened. "…Damn it, Joyce. You always have to be right."
Thunder shook the cabin. Hopper glanced out the window at the storm. "Full moon tonight. I don't think Hawkins is ready."
The Full Moon Rises
Night fell.
The storm escalated into chaos—trees whipping sideways, lightning striking endlessly, rain pounding like bullets. Then, through a break in the clouds, the moon appeared.
It glowed—violet.
Papa stepped from his van, rain plastering his white coat to his frame. His soldiers raised weapons, but even they looked uneasy.
"There," Papa whispered, his eyes wild. "Do you see it? She is awakening."
Moon's Choice
On a cliffside outside Hawkins, Moon stood alone, hair plastered to her face, eyes glowing brighter than ever. The purple moonlight bathed her in an unearthly aura.
Her voice shook as she whispered into the storm: "I won't go back. Not ever."
The storm obeyed her, winds howling, lightning dancing at her fingertips.
But her eyes filled with tears. "I'll protect them. Even if it kills me."
As she raised her hands, the violet moon pulsed—and Hawkins shuddered under the storm.