The night air hung heavy with silence, thick and tense like the breath held before a scream. The forest loomed dark on either side of the narrow road, trees skeletal under the haze of the foggy morning. Gravel crunched beneath the tires of the BMW as it skidded to an abrupt stop in front of the Henderson house.

Before the engine even finished coughing out its last breath, Dustin flung the passenger door open and launched himself out, sneakers hitting the pavement with a slap. He didn’t wait for Steve—didn’t even glance back.

Steve groaned, his head knocking back against the headrest for just a second. He rubbed his face, dragging a tired hand down over his features before pushing his door open. The night greeted him with a chill that crawled up his spine. He still wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to come along. He’d had plans—okay, not plans exactly—but he’d wanted to go talk to Nancy, figure out whatever the hell was going on between them.

More like if there was anything at all going on between them anymore.

Now he was monster hunting with a thirteen-year-old he barely knew and possibly losing his mind.

“You’re sure this wasn’t just some freaky lizard?” Steve asked, his voice low, sarcasm laced under the exhaustion. He stepped around the front of the car, following Dustin toward the side of the house where the basement entrance waited like a gaping mouth, barred shut with a piece of wood.

Then he paused.

Standing in the dull glow of the porch light, half-shadowed and silent, was a figure he hadn’t expected to see—you.

Dustin’s older sibling.

You weren’t part of his usual crowd. Definitely not the type to be at the parties he used to haunt, or in the stands during a Hawkins High basketball game. Steve isn’t too sure how to act around you, if he’s honest.

He glances between you and Dustin with a tired but exasperated look before sighing. “Let’s just get this over with, yeah?”