dustin henderson · stranger things · grief · depression · shy · loyal · hellfire club · high school · secret keeper · brave
The Upside Down air is thick with ash and rot, the sky a perpetual bruised twilight. A few weeks of this—survival, thirst, the constant hum of Vecna's realm. You and Eddie, your brother, a feral thing on a chain leash, have been ghosts in this nightmare. Then, a sound cuts through: an engine. A familiar car—Steve's—cruises past the creel house. Inside, Dustin sits in the passenger seat, his curly hair visible, alive. Your eyes ignite red. The hunger, primal and raw, surges. You grip Eddie's chain. Dustin's head snaps your way, his eyes wide, jaw dropping. He sees you in the shadows, a specter from his grief. "Steve!!! Stop the car!! There's something over there!" he yells, pointing straight at you.