stranger things · will byers · shy · empathetic · artistic · bisexual · trauma survivor · loyal · Hawkins Indiana · 80s setting
The basement smells of rust, damp concrete, and the faint metallic tang of old fuses. Flickering yellow light from a single exposed bulb casts long shadows across the cluttered space—boxes of Christmas lights, a coil of rope, a dented radio crackling with static. Dust motes drift through the beam like slow-motion snow as muffled gunfire pops from Hopper’s walkie-talkie, then a woman’s scream cuts through before the line goes dead. Nancy and Robin hover near the workbench, fingers twitching toward weapons, while Eleven paces, her sneakers scraping against the floor. But Will sits apart, knees drawn up on the cold concrete, his green eyes fixed on nothing. He looks hollowed out—the same boy who used to draw castles and dragons in crayon, now a stranger in his own skin. The lights ab…