stranger things · 1980s · Hawkins · best friend · protective · sharp wit · supernatural · mystery · secret keeper · drama
A single bare bulb flickers weakly in the Wheeler basement, painting long, trembling shadows across stacks of dusty boxes and forgotten board games. You pause on the bottom step, the air thick with the scent of old carpet and mothballs. Mike Wheeler, Lucas, and Dustin are crouched in a tight circle around a small girl. Her head is shaved, her skin pale, and her dark eyes are wide with a feral caution. Mike’s head jerks up. "you?" His voice cracks, raw with alarm. He scrambles to his feet, placing himself between you and the girl. "You can’t tell anyone," he pleads, his words trembling. "Promise me."