Darkness.
Complete.
The lab has become a throat closing around them.
Max is screaming somewhere.
Dustin is shouting names.
Footsteps slam through corridors—
Too many.
Hopper roars:
"MOVE! NOW!"
Flashlights flicker back on in scattered bursts, beams slicing through black.
Nancy grabs Hopper's arm.
"That voice—Hopper, that voice came through the speakers!"
Hopper's face is carved from stone.
"I know."
Steve swings his flashlight wildly.
"Eddie?! Dustin?!"
Robin coughs.
"This is literally my nightmare."
Lena is right behind Steve, trembling.
Steve turns sharply.
"Do not let go of me, okay?"
Lena whispers:
"I'm not."
Her fingers tighten around his sleeve like it's the only thing real.
Jason Enters
At the entrance—
Jason Carver steps inside like he belongs there.
His jocks follow, hesitant.
"Jason, this is—this is police shit—"
Jason snaps:
"Shut up."
His flashlight sweeps the hall.
He smiles.
"They're here."
He walks deeper.
A hunter.
A martyr in his own mind.
"They think they can hide behind Hopper."
His voice turns venomous.
"But I know what Eddie Munson is."
He grips something heavy in his hand.
"And I'm done waiting."
Eddie and Dustin
Eddie stumbles into a side corridor, breathing hard.
Dustin clings to his jacket.
"Dude—dude—this is so bad—"
Eddie pants:
"I KNOW!"
They slam into a locked door.
Eddie yanks it.
Doesn't budge.
"Shit!"
Dustin's voice shakes.
"We're trapped—"
A beam of light cuts across them.
A voice, cold as steel:
"Well, well."
Eddie freezes.
Dustin's blood turns to ice.
Jason Carver stands there.
Smile wide.
Eyes dead.
"Found you."
Eddie steps back.
"Jason—listen—"
Jason snaps:
"Don't say her name."
Dustin blurts:
"He didn't do it!"
Jason laughs.
"Oh, kid…"
He steps closer.
"You don't even know what you're protecting."
Eddie's voice cracks:
"I'm innocent!"
Jason's face twists.
"So was Chrissy."
He raises his weapon—
And—
"STOP!"
A voice roars down the hall.
Steve Harrington.
Charging.
Pipe in hand.
Robin behind him.
Lena gasping.
Steve shouts over his shoulder:
"RUN!"
Eddie grabs Dustin.
They bolt—
Jason screams:
"GET THEM!"
The jocks surge forward.
Chaos explodes.
Mike and Will — Alone
Somewhere deeper—
Mike and Will slam into a storage room, door shutting behind them.
Mike's chest heaves.
Will is shaking so hard his breath stutters.
The darkness presses close.
The lab hums like something alive.
Mike whispers:
"…We're separated."
Will's voice cracks:
"…I know."
Mike's flashlight flickers.
Then steadies.
They stare at each other.
Alone.
Too quiet.
Will whispers:
"That watcher…"
Mike swallows hard.
"They were right behind us."
Will's eyes shine with tears.
"I thought…"
His voice breaks.
"I thought I was going to die."
Mike steps closer instantly.
"No."
Will laughs weakly.
"It really felt like it."
Mike's breathing is uneven.
"I thought I was going to lose you."
Will freezes.
Mike's voice cracks open like a wound.
"I can't—"
He shakes his head.
"I can't do that."
Will whispers:
"…Then don't."
Silence.
Thick.
Electric.
Mike's hand lifts without thinking.
He cups Will's face.
Will's breath catches sharply.
Mike's voice is barely there.
"I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner."
Will trembles.
"…Say what?"
Mike's eyes flicker.
Like he's terrified.
Like he's finally brave.
"That I—"
He swallows.
"That I feel it too."
Will's lips part.
"Mike…"
Mike leans in.
Slow.
Uncertain.
Like the world might shatter.
Will doesn't move away.
He meets him halfway.
A kiss.
Soft.
Shaking.
Not perfect.
Not practiced.
Just real.
Just years of longing poured into one moment.
When they pull apart, Will's eyes are wet.
Mike whispers:
"I'm not running anymore."
Will exhales like a prayer.
"…Good."
For one second—
Everything is quiet.
Then—
A crash outside.
Reality returns like a slap.
Will grabs Mike's sleeve.
"We have to go."
Mike nods, breathless.
"Yeah."
But something has changed forever.
Nancy and Hopper — The Clue
Nancy and Hopper move through the lab's main office.
Hopper's jaw is clenched so tight it aches.
Nancy whispers:
"This isn't just poison. This is organized."
Hopper grunts.
"Brenner's fingerprints are everywhere."
Nancy shines her light over a desk.
Folders.
Documents.
A name on a file tab makes her freeze.
Her breath stops.
"Hopper…"
He turns.
"What."
Nancy holds it up.
Hands shaking.
The file reads:
Hawkins Youth Outreach Program
Under it—
A staff signature.
A trusted adult.
Someone who's been around the kids for years.
Nancy whispers:
"No…"
Hopper's face darkens.
"…Who."
Nancy swallows.
Voice breaking.
"Mr. Kelley."
The school counselor.
Silence.
Hopper breathes:
"Oh my god."
Nancy's stomach turns.
"He's been close the whole time."
A soft sound behind them.
Hopper spins.
Gun raised.
"WHO'S THERE?!"
A figure stands in the doorway.
Half-lit.
Watching.
Still.
And then—
A familiar voice, gentle as poison:
"Chief Hopper…"
Brenner steps forward.
Smiling.
"I warned you."
Nancy's blood turns to ice.
Steve and Lena
Steve slams Jason into a wall.
Jason swings—
Steve dodges—
Steve shouts:
"YOU ARE NOT A HERO!"
Jason snarls:
"I'M AVENGING HER!"
Steve screams:
"YOU'RE HURTING EVERYONE!"
Jason's fist connects—
Steve stumbles—
Lena gasps:
"Steve!"
Steve turns—
Jason lunges—
And Lena, without thinking, grabs a broken metal tray and slams it into Jason's arm.
Jason howls.
Steve stares at her.
"Lena—"
She's shaking.
Eyes wide.
"I'm sorry—I—"
Steve's voice is stunned.
"…That was badass."
Lena blushes even through terror.
Robin yells:
"FLIRT LATER!"
Mike and Will burst back into the corridor, hands still brushing.
Dustin screams somewhere ahead.
"HOPPER!"
Lucas shouts:
"OVER HERE!"
Everyone converges—
Then—
A loud click.
The lab speakers crackle again.
The watcher's voice fills the halls.
Calm.
Amused.
"You came so far."
Lights flicker.
Doors begin locking automatically.
Nancy screams:
"HOPPER!"
Hopper slams his shoulder into a closing door—
Barely makes it through—
But Mike—
Will—
Steve—
Dustin—
Eddie—
Are trapped on the other side.
The door seals shut.
Metal.
Final.
Mike pounds it.
"NANCY!"
Will's breath shakes.
Steve turns, frantic.
"NO NO NO!"
The voice whispers through the speakers:
"Now…"
A pause.
"Let's see who you'll save."
Darkness swallows them.