The Hawkins Lab sits at the edge of town like a corpse that refuses to rot.
Dark.
Silent.
But not empty.
Not anymore.
The fence is still there.
Bent in places.
Warning signs peeling.
NO TRESPASSING.
Steve squints up at the building.
"Okay. Just so everyone knows—this is the dumbest thing we've ever done."
Eddie snorts.
"Welcome to the party, Harrington."
Hopper stands in front, flashlight in hand.
"This isn't a field trip," he growls. "Stay close. Nobody wanders."
Nancy adjusts her jacket, eyes sharp.
"We get proof. We get out."
Max whispers to Lucas:
"I hate this."
Lucas squeezes her hand.
"I know."
Lena stands near Steve, hoodie pulled tight, eyes wide.
Steve glances down at her.
"You good?"
Lena nods too fast.
"Yeah. Totally. Super good."
Robin mutters under her breath:
"She is going to pass out."
Steve hisses:
"Robin—"
Robin smirks.
"Oh, you're panicking. That's adorable."
Steve groans.
"I'm not panicking."
Eddie whispers:
"You're panicking."
Steve snaps:
"I'm literally not."
Dustin cuts in, nervous energy buzzing.
"Can we go before I throw up?"
Hopper pushes open the broken service entrance.
The door creaks like a scream.
And the lab swallows them whole.
Inside
The air is stale.
Cold.
Dust everywhere.
Their footsteps echo too loud.
Mike's heart pounds like it's trying to escape.
Will walks beside him, silent.
Too silent.
Mike keeps glancing at him.
Will doesn't look back.
Not since the basement.
Not since everything.
Nancy sweeps her flashlight across the hallway.
"This place shouldn't have power."
Hopper's voice is grim.
"And yet…"
A faint hum.
Electricity.
Somewhere deep inside.
Jonathan mutters:
"This is wrong."
Hopper nods.
"Yeah."
Steve whispers:
"Guys…"
They freeze.
A security camera.
Red light blinking.
Robin's breath catches.
"That is… not abandoned."
Hopper's face hardens.
"Move."
The Files
They slip into an office wing.
Old desks.
Broken computers.
But—
New footprints in the dust.
Nancy crouches.
Fresh.
"Someone's here," she whispers.
Dustin's voice shakes.
"I told you."
Hopper motions forward.
They find a door marked:
PHARMACEUTICAL STORAGE
Max whispers:
"Oh my god…"
Hopper forces it open.
Inside—
Shelves.
Boxes.
Clean.
Organized.
Not dusty.
Nancy steps forward, stunned.
"These are recent."
Eddie picks up a clipboard.
His face drains.
"Uh…"
Nancy grabs it.
Her eyes scan.
Then freeze.
A signature at the bottom.
A neat, calm name.
Dr. Martin Brenner
Silence slams into the room.
Will whispers:
"No…"
Hopper's jaw clenches like steel.
"That son of a bitch."
Nancy's voice is shaking with fury.
"He's signing off on chemical compounds."
Jonathan swears.
"Poison."
Lucas breathes:
"So it really is him."
Hopper snaps:
"Not necessarily. Signing doesn't mean killing."
Nancy whips around.
"Hopper, girls are dead!"
Hopper's voice drops.
"And I want the right person."
Dustin whispers:
"But what if he is the right person?"
Hopper doesn't answer.
Because he doesn't know.
And that's the worst part.
The Watcher Moves
A sound.
Soft.
Behind them.
Steve turns sharply.
"Did you hear that?"
Lena grabs his sleeve instinctively.
"I heard that."
Hopper raises his flashlight.
"Hello?!"
Silence.
Then—
A slow creak.
Footsteps.
Retreating.
Nancy's eyes widen.
"We're not alone."
Hopper snaps:
"Everyone stay together!"
But it's too late.
Because—
A door SLAMS somewhere down the hall.
Max yelps.
Lucas curses.
Eddie shouts:
"Hey!"
Hopper growls:
"GO!"
They run.
Flashlights bouncing.
Heartbeats everywhere.
The lab feels endless.
Like it was built to trap people.
Mike & Will — Separated
Mike turns a corner—
And suddenly—
Darkness.
His flashlight flickers.
"Guys?!"
He spins—
No one.
Just black hallway.
His breathing turns sharp.
"Will?!"
A voice behind him:
"Mike."
Mike whirls.
Will stands there, breathless.
Eyes wide.
"You're okay."
Mike exhales like he's been punched.
"I thought—"
Will steps closer.
"I didn't leave."
Mike's throat tightens.
"I didn't mean—"
Will's voice cracks.
"This is not the time."
Mike laughs shakily.
"Yeah. No. Definitely not."
They stand in the dark.
Too close.
The lab humming around them.
Will whispers:
"After the tunnel…"
Mike flinches.
Will continues, voice trembling.
"I meant it."
Mike swallows hard.
"I know."
Will's eyes shine.
"And you didn't run."
Mike's voice breaks.
"I wanted to. But I didn't."
Will steps closer.
"So what does that mean?"
Mike's breath shakes.
"It means…"
He stops.
Because—
A sound.
Right behind them.
A slow inhale.
Not theirs.
Will freezes.
Mike whispers:
"Don't move."
Will's voice is barely audible.
"…Mike."
Mike's heart slams.
The watcher is here.
Close.
Too close.
Mike grabs Will's hand.
Will stiffens—
Then clutches back.
They don't breathe.
Footsteps pass.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like the watcher knows exactly where they are.
Will's eyes fill with tears.
Mike's grip tightens.
Please.
Please keep walking.
The footsteps fade.
Gone.
Will exhales silently.
Mike whispers:
"Oh my god…"
Will's voice cracks:
"They were right there."
Mike's voice shakes:
"I'm not letting go."
Will looks at him.
In the dark.
Something raw between them.
"You better not."
Outside — Jason Hunts
Far beyond the lab walls—
Jason Carver stands at the treeline.
Fresh out of jail.
Eyes burning.
Two jocks beside him.
One whispers:
"You sure they're in there?"
Jason's voice is calm.
Too calm.
"They're always in the middle of it."
He grips a flashlight.
"And Eddie Munson…"
His jaw tightens.
"…is not walking away again."
A jock hesitates.
"Jason, the police said—"
Jason snaps:
"The police are wrong."
He steps forward.
"And if Hopper won't do his job…"
He smiles.
"I will."
Back Inside — Proof, But No Face
Hopper reunites the group in a central corridor.
Nancy's breathing is wild.
"We have the signature."
Hopper nods.
"But we need more."
Robin whispers:
"That watcher is playing with us."
Steve grips a metal pipe he found.
Lena stays close, trembling.
Steve glances down.
"Hey. Stay behind me, okay?"
Lena whispers:
"…Always."
They push deeper.
They find a door—
Locked.
New keypad.
Hopper curses.
Nancy whispers:
"This is it."
Dustin kneels.
"I can—maybe—"
He fiddles.
Clicks.
The door opens.
Inside—
A clean lab.
Active.
Chemicals.
White powder in trays.
Nancy's breath catches.
"This is where it's coming from."
Hopper steps forward, furious.
"And whoever's running it…"
A monitor flickers on.
Security feed.
Camera angles.
One of them—
Shows the hallway behind the group.
Nancy freezes.
Because—
On screen—
A figure stands in the corner.
Watching them.
Still.
Face hidden in shadow.
But the ring…
Gold.
Glinting.
Hopper's blood runs cold.
Then—
The screen goes black.
A voice comes through the lab speaker.
Soft.
Familiar.
Dangerous.
"You shouldn't have come here."
Everyone freezes.
Will clutches Mike's sleeve.
Mike whispers:
"…Run."
The voice continues.
"I tried to warn you."
Hopper shouts:
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
Silence.
Then—
A quiet laugh.
"I'm someone Hawkins trusts."
And the lights go out.
Complete darkness.
Max screams.
Dustin shouts:
"GO GO GO!"
Hopper roars:
"MOVE!"
They run blind—
And outside—
Jason Carver steps into the entrance.
Smiling.