007 First Encounter with the Demogorgon
The sky was darkening; Richard could feel the entrance drawing nearer. A reek of rot and blood scraped at his oversensitive nose, and the weight in his chest grew heavier.
Upside Down creatures hunt by night and hide by day—they loathe light and crave shadow. After dusk they roam for prey, and the gate hidden somewhere in these woods should likewise surge to life, its magnetic field flaring so violently that Richard's compass would shout the fact.
While Richard focused every shred of attention ahead, his sharp ears caught something creeping up behind. Gripping his collapsible baton, he spun and swung in one motion.
"Hey—hey—hey!" The flashlight lit up a pale, startled face. Robin—usually in boyish clothes—threw her hands up and leaned back, eyes wide at the baton rushing for her nose. "Easy, it's me—Robin!"
Richard arrested the strike a hair before impact. Cold metal kissed the tip of Robin's nose; the flash of intensity she'd seen in his eyes left her chilled to the bone.
"When did you start tailing me?" Richard exhaled, voice low.
Robin gathered herself, still rattled. "I ditched band practice, followed the road past your house, saw the police tape, hung around out of curiosity, then spotted a brand-new bike stashed under the slope—yours. Figured you'd gone into the woods and came after you."
She brushed off the near-injury and lifted a brow. "You sound like you expected me."
The clever high-schooler had caught the odd phrasing: not "how" but "when"—as though her arrival were inevitable, only the timing uncertain.
"Someone as kind, curious, and reckless as you would notice I was acting weird today. Following me is exactly your style." Richard shook his head, handing her his torch and baton while he pulled out another light and swapped his weapon for a carpenter's hammer.
Robin took the gear, gaze skittering away. "What if I hadn't come?"
"Then I'd have been wrong. Lucky I packed spares." He set off, checking the crazed needle of the compass every few steps.
Robin watched him pace, puzzled. "So what treasure hunt needs a broken compass? Pirate gold?"
Her eyes shone at the word treasure.
"If it were gold I'd pack better gear," Richard laughed. "I'm hunting the thing that jumped Tommy—yesterday's monster."
"Monster? And Tommy?" Robin gaped; the rumors of Tommy being sick suddenly made sense—injured, not ill.
"Not a bear, right?" she asked, uneasy; bears did roam these woods.
Richard shook his head. "Worse. Picture every horror-movie creature that goes 'aaaargh' and eats people."
"You're joking—tell me you're joking." Robin stared.
Before she could decide whether this was some elaborate prank, her flashlight began to flicker—on, off, on. She glanced up to ask for fresh batteries—and saw Richard's torch stuttering in perfect sync. His face turned grim; he crouched, white-knuckled around the hammer.
Sensing danger, Robin steadied her own light and baton, pressing back-to-back with Richard, each guarding a side.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"The monster I told you about—" His voice broke as his beam found a squirrel twitching in a pool of blood.
Robin's stomach lurched. She turned slowly, following his light, and saw the squirrel—and, where the beams converged, a thing she'd never imagined: humanoid but twisted, pale and elongated, its head splitting open like a grotesque flower to reveal rows of sharp teeth. It was messily devouring the squirrel's still-kicking hindquarters.
Caught in the glare, the dog-sized creature froze, maw dripping shredded meat, then made a guttural shriek and charged.
"What the hell is that?!" Robin yelped, every curse word escaping at once.
"That," Richard growled, stepping forward. As the thing leapt he sidestepped, swung, and hammered it into the underbrush.
Any normal creature would be dead after a hit like that, but the monster acted as if nothing had happened, scrambling up and lunging at Richard again.
Before Richard could move, Robin shouted and charged, swinging her collapsible baton wildly at the pouncing creature. The thing dodged left and right, still caught several solid cracks, then spread its petal-like maw to bite Robin's head.
Richard's hammer smashed down in time, slamming the monster to the ground and bending its spine.
Unable to close in, Robin broke into a cold sweat, yet her hands stayed steady. She jammed the baton straight into the flower-shaped mouth; the creature went rigid, convulsed, and collapsed.
Richard yanked a bottle of high-proof vodka from his coat, doused the twitching body, dragged the shaking Robin clear, and flicked a lit lighter onto the alcohol-soaked monster. Flames roared over it instantly.
The creature's shriek tore through the trees.
Richard didn't wait to watch; he pulled Robin and ran. He doubted one bottle of vodka could burn hot enough to kill something from The Upside Down.
He'd already achieved tonight's objective: locate the forest gate, count how many creatures had slipped through, gauge their strength. Fighting wasn't an option; he wasn't the super-powered girl Eleven who could tear monsters apart with her mind.
He only needed to return before dusk tomorrow, torch the gate before anything else crawled out, and sever the connection. Without its anchor the breach would collapse, keeping the neighborhood safe.
They reached the hidden bicycle and pedaled away. No monster followed. Robin exhaled against Richard's sweat-soaked back, arms tight around his waist. "Tonight was insane."
"It's going to stay insane for a while," Richard replied without looking back.
Back home, Richard locked the bike, dropped bag and weapons, and headed straight for the fridge.
"Want something to drink?" he asked as Robin flopped onto the sofa.
"Got alcohol?"
"Yep." He fetched an old bottle of whiskey and two glasses.
"Whiskey? Sure." She poured them both full, knocked hers back, and yelped as the burn hit her throat.
Richard laughed. "Take it slow—sip, don't chug, or you'll be out cold."
Robin glared, cheeks scarlet. "You could've said that sooner."
"You're the impatient one." He topped up her glass.
"Cheers!" Their glasses clinked, a splash spilling onto their touching fingers. They drank slowly.
Warm liquor spread down their throats, calming the last of their jitters.
"What were those things?" Robin asked.
"Monsters from The Upside Down—think of it as a twisted mirror of our world with very different life."
"How did they get here?"
"You won't believe it, but Hawkins National Laboratory pulled the usual movie stunt: an experiment went wrong and turned the town into this."
Robin moved closer. "Then we're screwed. If the government's involved they'll bury the mess—and anyone who knows about it."
Smart as she was, Robin guessed The Lab was developing secret weapons; she just hadn't expected science fiction to be so literal.
"How do you know all this?" She leaned in, cheeks flushed, voice drowsy.
Richard's eyes stayed clear. "Heard it from someone who worked there. Didn't believe it until I saw the monsters yesterday."
"Mm... If you say it, I believe it," she murmured, eyelids drooping as she rested against him.
Richard ignored the snoring woman, finished a few more shots, then carried her to the sofa and covered her with a blanket before claiming the only bed for himself.
A firm believer in equality, he saw no reason to play gentleman; the owner sleeps in his own bed.
The house was quiet once more.