017 The Person Hidden in the House
"Hey, Chade! Hurry up, we're going to be late," Steve shouted from his convertible to Richard, who had walked into the woods by the roadside.
After having breakfast at Richard's house, Steve and Richard were ready to head to school. However, before leaving, Richard mentioned he wanted to take some nearly expired food to feed the stray cats and dogs wandering in the woods. Steve had no choice but to wait in the car.
Richard responded from a distance, "Coming."
Under a large tree, he used bread to form an arrow pointing toward his house. After a quick glance around the woods, he finally left...
During the lunch break, everyone who had attended the drink tasting at Steve's house the previous night gathered in Eddie's club classroom.
After a night of rest and reflection, everyone had calmed down. They sat down with Richard and Robin to go over the events again.
Richard knew this group likely couldn't escape the fate of confronting The Upside Down, so he frankly and generously told them everything he "currently knew."
"Holy crap, so you're saying the monster last night was actually attracted by Will's blood." Eddie's eyes widened, then he narrowed them, adopting a mock-serious and profound expression. "That monster actually likes blood? Could it be related to vampires?"
"Chade gave those monsters a name; he calls them Demogorgons," Robin said.
"Demogorgon? Oh, man, as expected from a die-hard D&D player like me." Hearing this, Eddie became instantly excited and reached out for a high-five. Richard somewhat helplessly extended his hand to humor the energetic guy.
Immediately after, Eddie tactfully sat in a corner by himself and began to fantasize. "Demogorgon... hmm, that monster definitely has style. It's got that boss vibe..."
Everyone tacitly ignored Eddie. Then, Jonathan said apologetically, "If that's the case, I have to apologize to everyone on Will's behalf for putting you all in such danger yesterday."
Before anyone could say anything, Nancy grabbed his wrist and said seriously, "You don't have to do that. This was completely beyond anyone's control. No one could have seen it coming. Besides, if we're going to blame anyone, it should be the people at Hawkins Lab. They're the ones who released something that shouldn't exist in this world."
Feeling the cool, soft touch on his wrist, Jonathan's lips felt dry. He became somewhat lost in Nancy's gentle yet firm gaze and said foolishly, "Yeah... yeah, you're right."
Steve, standing nearby, pursed his lips, his face turning sour with jealousy. He coughed a few times and subtly nudged Jonathan. Only then did Jonathan snap out of it and pull his arm back in a panic. Nancy also suddenly realized the awkwardness of her actions and looked down.
Everyone present felt the strange love-triangle tension between the three of them. Barbara secretly rolled her eyes, while Robin and Richard, used to being spectators, shared a knowing smile.
"What should we do next?" Nancy asked, changing the subject to shift the atmosphere, her eyes scanning the group.
"For now, let's deal with the problem at Steve's house first," Richard said with a clear mind. "Since that monster appeared near his house, it means there's an entrance to The Upside Down nearby. You can't see it during the day, but as the sun goes down, the portal will appear and become active. We need to destroy the portal near his house first, or something like yesterday might happen again."
"How do we find it? And is the way to destroy it also with fire and high heat?" Barbara asked curiously, remembering how the monster was killed yesterday.
Richard smiled and nodded. "The simplest way to destroy it is indeed with high-temperature flames. As for how to find it, we'll use a compass."
Robin raised her hand. "The Upside Down has a strong magnetic field that radiates through the portals. A compass is easily affected by magnetic fields. Just follow where the needle points, and it'll be easy to find the portal entrance."
Everyone understood.
"Steve and I will handle the portal. The rest of you must pretend you know nothing. Behind The Lab are certain officials from the Federal Government. They are ruthless people who kill without hesitation. If they find out we know the truth, they could easily find some excuse to erase us and our families from this town. You know Tommy, right? Guess how he died?" Richard warned them solemnly. Everyone, hearing about Tommy's cause of death for the first time, gaped in horror.
After a brief moment of terror, Nancy's expression became complicated. She said unwillingly, "Are we really going to do nothing and pretend we don't know?"
"Of course we can seek justice, but definitely not right now. Having principles is good, but don't let them cloud your judgment. Bravery isn't recklessness." Richard saw what the justice-driven girl was thinking and consoled her. "This is a major case. Think about how long it took people in history to expose government conspiracies. Seeking legal justice takes time."
After listening, Nancy nodded in silence.
Barbara agreed with Richard's words; she didn't want to see her best friend get into trouble while pursuing justice.
Then, fearing that the headstrong Nancy might find other ways to cause trouble, Richard thought for a moment and, pretending to speak to Eddie, dropped a hint for Nancy. "Eddie, you're on good terms with Mike and the others, right? Tell them what we just discussed later. Also, it's best to talk about these things in person. If that's not possible, use those walkie-talkies with private channels, the ones Mike and his friends usually use."
Hearing this, Nancy's shoulders indeed stiffened, likely thinking of her younger brother, who was even more headstrong than she was.
Just as everyone was about to disperse, Jonathan, who had been hesitating for a long time, stopped Richard and Steve. He said, "Please let me help with closing the portal. I'm begging you."
"O... OK." Steve and Richard exchanged a look, and Steve nodded in agreement. "One more person means one more pair of hands."
After school got out at 3:00 PM, the three of them drove to town to buy some gasoline, matches, and a full set of protective gear. Then they rushed to Steve's house, where they retrieved a handgun and a shotgun. Fully armed and feeling much more secure, they set off into the forest just as dusk was approaching.
"It's reacting, just as I thought," Richard said, looking at the deflected compass needle. Hearing this, Jonathan and Steve leaned in curiously and saw that it was exactly as he said.
"I hope we don't run into anything weird," Steve exhaled deeply. The experience of being knocked back by the monster yesterday still left him with lingering fear; his back was still bruised and swollen.
Jonathan agreed. Yesterday, that monster had hit him so hard he threw up, and his stomach had been upset all night after he got home.
Richard, on the other hand, stood tall, his calm and composed exterior hiding his inner pride. Although he had also been injured by the monster, he had never been that badly hurt.
This was the difference.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, night had covered a large portion of the sky, and the purple-red glow of sunset had faded behind the mountains. Richard suddenly stopped. His gaze shifted from the compass in his hand to an unremarkable large tree. Above its tangled roots was a narrow hollow, covered in a suspicious membrane that pulsed rhythmically, like a beating heart.
"That's disgusting," Steve and Jonathan muttered, frowning. The tree hollow seemed alive, constantly spitting out mysterious white flakes from The Upside Down, and a foul, decaying stench wafted from within.
"Burn it now." Richard always acted decisively. He poured a whole bucket of gasoline directly into the tree hollow. After a few minutes of pouring, it was all gone. The hollow was surprisingly deep, as only a tiny bit of gasoline eventually leaked out.
But it didn't matter; they had another bucket.
He poured the remaining gasoline all around the tree. Once he was sure it was all used, he struck a match and tossed it into the hollow.
Whoosh—
The entire tree burst into flames instantly. As Richard and the other two watched the blaze, they heard what sounded like the shocked or angry roar of a monster from inside the hollow. Relief spread across their faces, and they nodded silently.
It seemed the gasoline had flowed well into The Upside Down; perhaps it was already burning over there too.
"Is it safe now?" Steve let out a long breath, finally feeling he could go home in peace.
To his surprise, Richard immediately burst his bubble. "Not yet. This entrance is just like a small opening. As long as that giant rift at The Lab isn't closed, an opening like this could appear anywhere else in town at any time."
"Then what do we do?" Jonathan asked quickly.
Richard thought for a moment and said, "There's no way to break the deadlock in the short term, but don't worry too much. For now, pay close attention to yourselves and don't let yourselves bleed, especially at night. Try not to go out at night if you can help it, and keep some weapons ready at home. If possible, keep more lights on. If you see the appliances acting up due to voltage instability, don't think—just run outside and get help, or keep running until you reach a place where the lights aren't flickering."
"As for dealing with The Lab and closing the main portal, we'll discuss that tomorrow. Let's meet at Steve's house. This time, I'll bring two adults along."
"Who?" Jonathan asked curiously.
"The town's Sheriff and your mom," Richard said calmly.
Jonathan: "What?!"
With things temporarily settled, the three of them headed to their respective homes.
Before going home, Richard went back to the woods he had visited that morning. He checked the spot where he had left the bread; as expected, every bit was gone. There were some crumbs on the ground, which he carefully trampled into the dirt and sand until they were no longer recognizable as bread.
Next, he made a trip to Benny's Burgers.
"Hey, Chade, what brings you in today?" Benny greeted him warmly as soon as he entered the shop.
Richard felt a slight sense of relief. It seemed the psychic girl hadn't snuck into Benny's shop like in the original show; Benny had temporarily avoided his fate.
"Nothing much, I just don't feel like cooking tonight. Could I get eight... no, ten burgers, and some fries too?" Richard placed his order.
"Why are you eating so much more today?" Benny was a bit surprised.
Richard chuckled. "I'm in a good mood today. A little extra treat, no need to be so restrained."
Benny laughed too. "Looks like your new business is coming along well, haha."
After packing the food, Richard returned home. Before even entering, he heard movement inside. Upon entering, he saw the refrigerator left open with ice melting into water, and unfinished food on the table; the whole house smelled of various foods.
His expression didn't change. He changed his shoes as usual, walked to the messy dining table, swept the trash aside, and set down the food he had just bought. Then, in a calm and gentle voice, he said, "Stop hiding. Come out and eat."
At the sound of his voice, someone hiding in the house seemed startled and let out a tiny cry.
Richard glanced back at a pair of slender bare feet under the curtain and couldn't help but smile. "I saw you a long time ago. Your feet aren't hidden well."
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