— The Silence in Hawkins

The sky over Hawkins was no longer the same. Gray, heavy, and torn by fissures that pulsed with the viscous red of the Upside Down, the town looked like a graveyard waiting to be swallowed. The streets were deserted except for military patrols — Under Dr. Kay's command. They had to find Eleven and put an end to the 'threat' she brought with her. — walking in lines with weapons ready, as if they could stop something much larger than themselves.

The four main gates had been covered with metal plates. — In an attempt to prevent any type of threat that might come from the other side.

It had already been 18 months since Max had been attacked. And, until then, she still hadn’t woken up from the coma. Vecna had been missing all this time. And El was determined to take revenge. Mike kept encouraging her, saying that she could defeat Vecna and bring Max back. But that she didn’t have to do it all alone. She was his superhero — But every hero needs their loved ones.

In the makeshift hideout — the old school gymnasium — Eleven kept her eyes closed, her fists clenched on the table, trying to force her mind to penetrate the Void. Her breathing quickened, her nose already bleeding slightly.

Eleven: — "Come on… where are you?" — she murmured, her voice cracking between anger and desperation.

But there was only emptiness. No sign of Henry. No echo of his presence. Just a suffocating darkness, as if the Void itself were rejecting her.

Mike touched her shoulder.

Mike: — "El… maybe he doesn't want to be found." —

She opened her eyes, staring at the group. Max still lay on a makeshift bed in the back, the machines supporting her frail body. Her silence was a cruel reminder of what they had already lost.

Will was restless, pacing back and forth. His face was pale, his eyes distant.

Will: — "He's still here. I can feel it. Watching. Waiting." —

Suddenly, a crash shook the gymnasium walls. The floor trembled, dust falling from the ceiling. The roar that followed was not human. The doors were ripped from their hinges, and a monster, a Demogorgon, burst in, its flesh pulsing with black tentacles that writhed like snakes.

Dustin: — "Shit!" — Dustin yelled, grabbing a chair like a weapon.

Chaos erupted. Soldiers outside opened fire, but the monster advanced without hesitation, smashing them against the walls.

Eleven raised a hand, eyes blazing, trying to restrain it. The air shook with its force, but it was like holding back an avalanche. The monster roared, charging toward her.

And then, Will fell to his knees. A scream tore from his throat as his hands clutched his head.

Will: — "He's here! He's inside!" —

Everyone froze. The monster's shadow seemed to distort, as if responding to Will's suffering. His connection to the Upside Down was becoming more and more of a burden… and a weapon against them.

Eleven screamed, channeling all her rage, pushing the creature back with a wave of power that caused the windows to explode. But even as the monster retreated, the echo of Vecna's voice resounded in everyone's minds:

— "This is only the beginning." —

A heavy silence filled the gymnasium, broken only by Will's choked sobs. Eleven, panting, blood streaming from her nose, looked at her friends.

Eleven: — "We're running out of time." —

They had to try to stay one step ahead of Henry; he could act at any minute with his powerful army of monsters. She and her friends might not be able to do it alone. She has an idea; she needs all the help she can get. Kali was that help. 008, 011, and her friends were stronger, and with an unlikely helper—her mother Terry Ives—Jane needs her lost sister.

Note for Players: You can play Eleven, a character from the scene, or an original character.