[𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗬𝗪𝗢𝗚]

"I STILL DON'T GET WHY THEY STILL call him zombie boy." max said as she walked in between lucas and sage through the halls. "i mean, i get it. he got lost in the woods for a week or something, but why is he a zombie? because everyone thought he was dead?"

"yeah. i mean, we had a funeral for him and everything." lucas replied. "after a week?" max asked, still confused. "well, see, some other kid drowned at the quarry." sage spoke up. "we thought it was will because his body was super decomposed." lucas added in.

"what?" max scoffed and stopped walking. "okay, that's not funny."

"it's not a joke, all right? it's public knowledge." lucas told the red-head. "you can ask anyone." sage chimed in. "except will, because he is really sensitive about it." the wheeler girl added.

"all right?" lucas asked max, making sure they were on the same page. "okay," max responded after a short pause, walking off.

sage followed her and walked next to her. "how did you get effected?" max asked the wheeler girl making sage look at the red-head. "i don't really like talking about it, but i'll tell you someday." sage replied, smiling softly at her.

max stares at the wheeler girl before nodding and walking into mister clark's classroom, sage following behind her with lucas.

"the case of phineas gage is one of the great medical curiosities of all time. phineas was a railroad worker in 1848 who had a nightmarish accident. a large rod was driven completely through his head." mister clark explained to the class, tracing a marker through the skulls head.

"phineas miraculously survived. he seemed fine. and physically, yes, he was."

max stared at the back of will's head, thoughts running through her head.

"but his injury resulted in a complete change to his personality. so much so that friends knew him —" will slowly turned around to look at max, feeling her stare. the red-head quickly looked away. "— started referring to him as "no longer gage.". at the time, this was known as the american crowbar case."

the bowl-cut boy turned back around and sage looked at him confused. "although it wasn't a —"

suddenly, dustin rushes into the classroom, panting. "i am so sorry, mister clark." dustin told the teacher and walked to his seat. "really, i'm so sorry. please continue with the class. don't mind me. really, continue, please. thanks."

soon enough the henderson boy sits down in his seat as the teacher continues with his lesson. dustin turns to his friends as they lean closer to hear him better.

"we have to meet. all of us. at lunch, av club." dustin whispers. "why?" the wheeler twins ask in unison. "i have something you won't believe." dustin whispers back before turning to look at max. sage watched him.

"av club. lunch." dustin whispers to max.

the red-head sits up making sage look back at her, looking between the two.

"dustin!" mister clark calls out. "yes, my lord?" dustin asks, turning around to face the adult. "would you care to join the class now?"

"please, yes."

"the case of phineas gage."

"phineas gage . . ."

"page 104."

"104. 104."

"focus,"

"focusing. focusing." dustin repeats one last time. the henderson boy then turns back to max. "av club." he repeats softly to her.

the red-head gives the henderson boy a thumbs up. sage pokes her cheek with her tongue, glancing back at max before looking back at the teacher as he continued his lesson.

   IN THE AV CLUB ROOM, DUSTIN opens his ghost trap to reveal a creature the six teens have never seen before.

"his name is d'artagnan." dustin introduced before reaching his hands into the trap, taking the creature out. "cute, right?"

"d'artagnan?" mike asked. "dart for short." dustin chirped. "and he was in your trash?" max then asked. "foraging for food." the henderson boy said and smiled. "you wanna hold him?"

"no, no —" max tried saying. "he doesn't bite." dustin told her. "i don't want to —"

dustin then put dart on the palm of her hands making her cringe. "oh, god, he's slimy!" the red-head then passed the creature to lucas. "ugh, he's like a living booger." lucas gagged and gave dart to will. "ugh, oh, god!" will cringed.

the bowl-cut boy passed the creature to sage making her whine at the feeling of dart on her hands. suddenly, the creature shrieked at her causing her to yelp and give dart to mike.

mike lifted his hands up so the creature could be face to face with him. "what is he?" the wheeler boy asked. "my question exactly." dustin said.

sage held onto will's arm as she stared at dart with a horrifying look. dustin then took out sorts of books and placed them on the table.

"at first, i thought it was some type of pollywog." dustin explained. "pollywog?" max asked. "it's another word for tadpole. a tadpole is the largest stage of a toad —"

"i know what a tadpole is," max cuts him off. "all right, then you know that most tadpoles are aquatic, right?" dustin told her as he opened the first book, showing a page about tadpoles.

the teens nodded. "well, dart, he isn't. he doesn't need water."

"yeah, but aren't there nonaquatic pollywogs?" the dark skinned boy mentioned. "terrestrial pollywogs? yep. two to be exact." dustin answered then opened another book. "indirana semipalmata. and the adenomera andreae. one's from india, one's from south america. so how did one end up in my trash?"

"maybe some scientists brought it here and it escaped?" max suggested with a shrug. "do you guys see that?" mike questioned, looking closely at dart.

"looks like something is moving inside of it." sage mumbled, still holding onto will.

mike moved the lamp over dart causing the creature to screech in pain. the teens gasp at the reaction and watch as dart jumps over to dustin.

"woah." dustin says and catches dart. "it's okay. it's okay. i got you, little guy." the henderson boy cooes. "i know you don't like that. it's okay."

will looks at the creature in realization before looking at sage to see her with the same realization look. the two best friends glance at each other in panic.

"and there's another thing. reptiles, they're cold-blooded. ectothermic, right? they love heat, the sun. dart hates it. it hurts him." dustin explained to his friends. "so, if he's not a pollywog or a reptile . . ." lucas slowly began saying.

"then i've discovered a new species." dustin finished and smiled.

images of the night of halloween flash into will and sage's mind. sage gulps before looking at her twin brother — her mouth opening to speak. the bell then rings cutting sage off.

"we gotta show him to mister clark." lucas told the henderson boy. "what if he steals my discovery?" dustin asks as he walks with lucas as will, max, and sage walk behind them.

"he's not gonna steal your discovery." mike cut in, walking next to lucas. "you know, i'm thinking of calling it dustonious pollywogs." dustin says with a smile before max walked next to him.

"what do you think?" dustin asked the red-head, turning his head to look at her. "i think you're an idiot." max replied and smiled.

sage and will slowed down their steps as their friends continue to talk to each other.

"when i become rich and famous for this one day don't come crawling back, saying "oh, my god, dustin, i'm so sorry for being mean to you back in 8th grade. oh my god."" dustin said to max.

will and sage looked at each other for a moment, scared for what's about come.

JOYCE BYERS TRIES TO PUT A VIDEO tape in her recorder, but to her dismay the vhs-c was too small to fit. the byers woman takes the video tape out again and looks at it before calling her boyfriend, bob newby.

bob newby was currently fixing a device before his phone rang. he looked at the phone then picked it up, putting it to his ear. "radioshack, bob newby speaking. how can i help ya?"

"bob, it's joyce." the byers woman says while holding the video tape. "hey, joyce, how ya doing?" bob said and smiled. "hey, um . . . i'm trying to watch your video thingy, and the tape, it's . . . it's tiny. it's like it's shrunk." joyce tried explaining as he looked at the tape.

bob chuckles at his girlfriends confusion, "that's 'cause it's a vhs-c, not a vhs. you gotta find the rf-p1u with the coaxial cable so you can connect the videos ins and outs." bob explained, continuing to fix the device he's working on.

"bob, english."

"right. sorry. um . . ."

soon enough, joyce was almost done with the work while still on call with bob.

"no, yeah, i did the coaxial things in the back, so i . . . this one just goes into the camera itself?" joyce asked her boyfriend. "yeah. yeah, exactly." bob said in agreement. "it's blue. i think it's working." joyce said and then hung up without another word.

"i was thinking maybe tonight —" bob started before hearing the dial tone. "joyce?"

joyce pressed play to the recorder and the video began, her eyes watching the screen.

"so you hit t to zoom in, and w zooms back out." bob said to johnathan as he was showing him what to do with the camera. "see? easy-peasy."

joyce clicked the speed up button allowing the videos to speed up. numerous videos played at a fast pace as joyce kept a eye on them.

the byers women watched as the camera showed sage, then mike. it was until the bully's showed up on screen making joyce press the back button. the video went back and joyce made the video go to it's normal speed, allowing her watch.

joyce heard sage and will talking before one of the bully's popped out.

"watch it, zombie boy."

"trick or treat, lesbo."

"boo!"

joyce watched as the camera fell to the floor before seeing will and sage stand up, shouting mike's name. joyce's eyebrows furrowed in confusion before she paused the video. joyce ran her fingers over the screen her eyes catching a weird figure formed.

the adult got up from her spot and ran to her kitchen, taking a piece of wax paper and one color. she ran back to the tv and put the paper on the screen, beginning to trace the figure.

once joyce finished tracing the figure she looked at it and realized it looked familiar. the byers woman ran to her dining table and compared the drawing she did to her sons, will byers, drawing.

joyce looked between the two drawings, realization kicking in.

   THE BELL RANG AND MIKE WENT TO call will and sage to head to mister clarks class.

"will, sage, you guys coming? let's go show mister clark." mike asked. will shut his locker as sage looked over at her twin brother. "um," sage mumbled to herself as will slowly walked over to mike. "what?" mike asked, seeing wills face.

"what?" he repeated. "it's about d'artagnan." will whispered.

"this is the reason i was late for class." dustin began to tell mister clark as he put the ghost trap on the desk. "pretty neat. these doors function?" the teacher asked, analyzing the trap. "well, yeah, obviously. but it's not about the trap."

"it's what's inside. now, this very well may change your perception of the world." dustin continued on. "consider my interest piqued." mister clark said with a grin. "all right, first, let's just clarify that . . . this is my discovery, not yours." dustin told the male teacher.

"dustin, jesus! just show him!" lucas exclaimed to the henderson boy. "i'm just trying to clarify —"

"dustin!" max called out and smiled. "okay, fine." dustin smiled at her.

it was until then the door opened to reveal will, sage, and mike running in. "i'm sorry, mister clark. it was just a stupid prank." mike told the teacher as he snatched the ghost trap. "what are you doing?" dustin asked mike.

"i told him to stop!" sage tried saying. "we need to go." mike cut his sister off. "mike!" dustin yelled at the wheeler boy. "right now. right now!"

mike ran out of the classroom, the teenagers following behind him. the five teens ran into the av room, leaving the red-head out of the room.

sage tried letting her in but mike stopped her. "mike, what is your problem with her?" sage asked her twin brother. "nothing. she's just not allowed to be apart of this." mike replied.

max bangs on the door from the outside, attempting to get in the av room. "hello? hello? guys, come on. can i come in yet?" max asked.

"no!" mike shouted back. max scoffed and hit the door one last time.

"i don't understand." lucas spoke. "what do you not understand?" mike questioned. "will saw something that looked like dart last year?" the dark-skinned boy asked again. "kind of, but there was no tail." will replied.

"but then him and sage heard it yesterday. the exact same sound." mike mentioned. "why didn't you tell us before?" dustin asked the byers boy.

"he wasn't sure," sage replied for will. "a coincidence?" the henderson boy suggests. "or not." mike tells him. "what if when will and sage were stuck in the upside down, they somehow acquired true sight?" mike suggested.

"true sight?" lucas questioned in confusion. "it gives you the power to see into the ethereal plane." dustin answers for his friend. "elaborate." lucas sighed, not understanding.

"maybe these episodes that will, and apparently sage, keep having aren't really flashbacks at all. maybe they're real. maybe my sister and will can somehow see into the upside down." mike explained to the two teens.

"so that would mean . . ." lucas slowly began.

"dart is from the upside down." the wheeler girl finished off. dustin sighs, shaking his head in disbelief. "we have to take him to hopper." lucas says. "i agree!" mike replied.

"no way. if we take him to hopper, dart's good as dead." dustin cuts in. "maybe he should be." mike scolded the henderson boy. "how can you say that?" dustin asks in offense.

"how can you not? he's from the upside down."

"maybe. but even if he is, it doesn't automatically mean that he's bad."

"that's like saying just because someone's from the death star doesn't make them bad!"

"we have a bond," dustin murmurs softly. "a bond? just because he liked nougat?" sage and mike said in unison. "no, because he trusts me!"

"he trusts you?" lucas asks. "yes, i promised i would take care of him." dustin replied before screening was heard from the ghost trap.

the five teens looked down at the trap and slowly backed away from the table as the trap moved.

max, who is banging on the door, tries to get in the room again. "guys, what's going on? come on." the red-head whined.

the mayfield girl sighed and leaned her head against the wall before looking at her backpack, getting an idea in her head. max rips open her backpack and takes out a pin, using it to unlock the door to the av room.

inside the av room the trap continues to move around aggressively before it tips over to the side. mike grabs a lamp and holds it up for protection.

"don't hurt him." dustin told mike. "only if he attacks." mike replied. "just open it already!" lucas said to dustin and motioned to the trap.

dustin quickly reaches over and pushes the button, opening the trap. dart rolls out, bigger than before.

"holy shit," sage mumbles and scoots closer to will.

mike stares at the creature in shock before dart pops out some legs from behind. sage gags at the sudden movement and looks away.

"oh, shit!" lucas almost screams.

dart screeches at will and sage and mike took the action and tried attacking dart. "no!" dustin screamed and shoved mike away, allowing dart to jump off the table.

the creature makes its way to the door just in time for max to open it.

"what the . . ."

AUTHORS NOTE //

hey !! here's another update! hope you like it!

bee <3