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Previously: The third season of Stranger Things has come to an end, the Rift is closed, Hopper has vanished in the explosion, and Joyce exited Hawkins taking along Will Jonathan and Eleven. It is later that year a few days before Christmas.

 

Hawkins, Indiana December 22, 1985

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Prologue

 

Barker’s Tree Farm

 

The chainsaw ripped easily into the flesh, spraying the meat into the air like thick sawdust, the damp frozen trunk coating the blade with hefty gouts of sap before the tree fell.

“No more. The harvester is coming.”            

“What about those?” Julian pointed to the far section of the grove leading up the mountain.

“That area’s part of the original farm, but we ain’t allowed to cut there no more.” Rufus said.

“Really?” Julian stared up the dark shadowed area of the mountain where he could see several nice nine foot Christmas Trees and even some beautiful fifteen and twenties further back. He scanned the old service road just visible along the far right of the mountain and smiled as an idea came to him.

That evening Tommy drove his Ford pickup down the old access road, headlights off, his brother Julian with his head stuck out the window navigating with his son Zac in the back of the cab. The fence had been closed, but Julian made short work of the lock with a pair of bolt cutters. A nice twenty footer would make them the heroes of the trailer park.

“Can you see?” Julie called from the window.

“Barely.” Tommy replied, both hands gripping the steering wheel eyes locked on the darkness ahead of the truck creeping along at a steady fifteen miles an hour their eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.

He steered the truck around a corner entering a tall canopy of trees. “This is it.” Julian called from the window.

The truck stopped. Outside was pitch black with trees so thick they blocked out what little moonlight there was.

Julian stepped out with his flashlight, “Okay let’s make it quick. The trees will muffle sound of the chainsaw, but we still have to be quick about it.”

Minutes later the three of them finished loading a large tree that covers the roof of the pickup and hung out past the bed of the truck.

“Okay, that’ll about do it.” Julian says synching the knot on the rope and tossing the end into the bed.

“Good. I wanna get the hell out of here,” says Tommy.

“What’s your problem?”

Tommy shines the flashlight around. “This whole area’s my problem.”

“You’re still scared of this place and those stupid ghost stories?” Julian says, his voice condescending.

“Them’s aint stories. This is where they found that kid murdered all them years ago. Old man Clive ain’t allowed no one to cut trees back here since.”

“Ten years ago. So what. I’ll bet Zach’s not scared are you boy?”

Zach looks to his dad for a moment questioningly. Then he shakes his head. “No. It’s the same as when we go camping.”

“See the boy’s fine.” Julian said.

“Let’s just go.”

They all get into the truck. Tommy starts the engine and puts it in gear. The truck moves a little, but jerks to a halt.

“What the hell?” Julian asks?

Tommy shakes his head, “Are we on a stump or something?”

Julian shakes his head, grabs the flashlight and gets out. “What the hell?” he cries out. “There’s branches all up under the truck. You must have pulled in too far. Hold on a minute.” Julian removes the chainsaw from the bed and starts cutting away the branches around the pickups tires. “Hey Tom pull up?”

Tommy puts the truck in gear and begins to pull forward as Julian cuts the branches away. The truck suddenly seizes again and the chainsaw goes quiet. “Is it still stuck?” Tommy calls out to his brother, but gets no response. “Julie?” Tommy revs the truck, but it’s held fast. “Julie we ain’t got time for your screwing around.”

In the mirror Tommy can see the flashlight on the ground. He gets out of the cab and walks back towards the bed of the truck. Zach sits watching from the cab.

“Julie you taking a leak or something?” he says reaching the flashlight.

Suddenly a tree reaches out of the darkness, reminiscent of the chains from Hellraiser and seizes Tommy by the throat, then another and another. In the cab of the truck Zac starts calling out to his father as the rustling continues outside. It lasts only a moment before a large branch reaches into the cab of the truck and everything goes quiet.

From the darkness ahead of the truck someone starts whistling a tune, O’Christmas Tree. Two black hooves in black slacks emerge from the forest illuminated by the trucks headlights. A black man in a suit, all black, with a bright red tie steps from the forest into the headlights. Two small horns protrude from his bald head as he sways pleasantly, dancing a bit with the tune he is whistling. The whistling stops he continues his pleasant swaying demeanor. He looks up into the trees, “Ah now, my sincere apologies boys, but I was in need an offering. And you three were just too accommodating.” He cocks his head turns and walks away from the truck and begins whistling, “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.” The hooves become black leather shoes as heads up the road whistling into the night. 

 

 

Chapter 1 How The Grinch Stole Christmas

 

The news is on the television in the Wheeler House, “It looks like it’s going to be the nicest winter in twenty years,” the anchor says. Nancy comes downstairs skipping and excited dressed for work. Karen looks up as he daughter enters the kitchen and frowns, “Oh honey. You don’t have to go into work on Christmas Eve do you?”

“Mom the news doesn’t stop. I just want to go in and see if there’s anything happening, that’s all.”

Karen shakes her head and turns back to the stove. “You work too hard. Where’s your brother?”

Nancy shrugs grabs a piece of toast, “Probably still asleep. See you later mom, Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Karen says in a frustrated tone as Nancy exit the front door, she reaches the bottom of the stairs and calls out, “Mike? Mike!”

Karen’s voice echoes to Mikes head, asleep on a pillow at Dustin’s house with a discarded pizza box on the floor, Dustin’s head is on his desk drooling a little, while Erica and Lucas argue over Dungeons and Dragons. Max watches the two from a bean bang in the corner, frustrated and half asleep.

“That’s not the rule! You can’t just make up rules!” Lucas yells.

“It should be a rule so I guess I just did!” Erica counters.

“Wait a second.” Max sleepily interrupts them. “Who’s the Dungeon Master?” 

Lucas and Erica both point to Erica. “They said I could try it out tonight.” Erica finishes.  

“So, I’m new to this and all, but doesn’t the Dungeon Master generally have the final say?”

Erica smiles in superiority and looks at Lucas raising her eyebrows.

Lucas nods, “Yeah, but she keeps trying to kill me.”

“No I’m not.” Erica shakes her head with attitude.

Lucas is frustrated. “It’s so obvious!”

Max is exhausted and can barely keep her eyes open, “Can we just get back to the game?” The three of them turn to look at Mike and Dustin completely out.

“Guys.” Lucas calls out.

Dustin stirs and more drool drips out of his mouth. Erica makes a disgusted face. “I’m up. I’m up.”

Mike yawns and sits up. He stretches groggily. “What time is it?”

“You guys see that she keeps trying to kill me right?” Lucas pleads.

“No I’m not. Just because your character can’t handle a Demilich’s full psionic attack is not my problem.”

“This is a brand new campaign, there are no Demilitch’s in it and I am level 10.”

“But I am the Dungeon Master so I decide what’s going to happen.”

Mike, Dustin and Max all close their eyes in frustration as Lucas and Erica refresh the argument.

A BMW pulls into the parking lot of the video store. Steve Harrington gets out his breath billowing out like smoke on the chilly Christmas Eve morning. He looks down the street and pauses to stare at a black man standing on the sidewalk almost a block away staring at him. The man is wearing a black suit in a red tie. Steve shakes off the man’s stare and continues to the door, unlocks it, pulls out a cardboard cutout of the Terminator and turns to look back up the street again. The man is nowhere in sight. He sees the Hawkins Sheriff’s Bronco drive by with the new sheriff inside.

The Bronco drives down the backroad of the Christmas Tree farm and stops behind the deputy’s vehicle. Sheriff Livingston gets out and looks around his breath coming out cold as he approaches a deputy. “Okay, Merry Christmas what do we got?”

“Got a call from old man Barker this morning. He thinks someone’s been out here stealing trees.” The deputy watches the sheriff give the pickup a questioning look. “The pickup belongs to Tommy Shift. According to his girlfriend he’s been missing.”

“Did you check on that?”

“Yes sir, she called it in two days ago. Barker says his brother Julian hasn’t been to work in the last few days.”

The sheriff nods and approaches the pickup cautiously. The doors are open with a big tree in the bed. There are no branches around the truck. The Sheriff looks at the chain saw and the flashlight on the ground. There are brown spots on the ground as well as splatters on the tree.

“I figure that’s blood,” the deputy chimes in over his shoulder.

Sheriff Livingston winces and closes his eyes. “You don’t say,” he stands and looks back and forth up the dirt road then down into the Christmas Tree Farm. “You been in town a while?”

“Yes sir. Grew up here.”

The sheriff nods, “I’ve heard a lot of stories about strange things that have gone on around here.”

“Yes sir, especially over the last few years.”

The sheriff looks into the cab if the truck. “Anything like this?”

“Well uh, we do get missing persons sometimes. There was this thing with the Byers kid a few years back that really caused a bit of a dust up.” The deputy pauses and looks around the area. “What do you think this is sheriff? Murder?”

The front door to Dustin’s house opens and Erica storms out putting on her backpack heading to her bike lying on the lawn. Lucas is right behind her yelling. “What the hell was that?”

Erica climbs on her bike then stops, her attitude is in full effect. “That is the end of the game. You dead! Kiss my ass!” Erica rides off as Max comes rushing out of the house to catch up with Lucas.

“What did she say?”

Lucas turns to her still in an excited fury. “Did you see what she did?”

“You asked me to come over and hang out with you guys while you play, but all I’ve done is watch you argue with your sister.”

“But she’s cheating!” Lucas says in a fury.

Max is frustrated and tired as well. “Then why didn’t we just do something else? It’s a waste of time.”

“And just let her get away with cheating?”

Max grunts in frustration. She walks away as Lucas takes a few steps and stares down the street in the direction Erica rode off in as Max looks up the street in the opposite direction. Half a block up the street, a black man in a black suit and red tie is standing beside a bush staring at them like Michael Meyers. She looks back at Lucas questioningly. “Lucas,” she turns back to look at the man, but he’s gone.

“What?”

Max is searching the street but can’t see the man anywhere.

“What?” Lucas says frustrated.

“I thought I saw…”

A car horn suddenly honks and breaks the conversation as Johnathan pulls his Ford Galaxy into the driveway. The passenger door opens to an excited Will, just as Dustin and Mike come outside and they all reunite in a frenzy of smiles laughter and hugs. Then Eleven gets out of the backseat. Mike sees her and stops jumping around. He freezes and approaches Eleven, they both look nervous and awkward. The tension between them is thick.

“Hey.” Mike offers.  

“Hey.” Eleven replies.

“I wrote you.”

“Yeah, I wrote you back.”

“It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah.”

“El!” Max screams excitedly.

Eleven comes to life. “Hey!”

The two girls hug and start talking immediately, a thousand miles an hour in what is seemingly an undefinable language to the boys and they walk off together. Mike and Lucas are left alone shocked and quiet. Dustin walks up behind them and puts his hand on Mike’s shoulder.

Dustin nods, “Women.”

“Little help here.” Johnathan calls to the boys from the trunk of the car and they all come around to help unload. “So your mom is cool with us staying here?”

Dustin freezes in mid-motion, he remembers saying that over the phone. “Oh yeah.” He drops the suitcase and runs into the house. “Hey mom!”

Nancy is at the Christmas Tree Farm crime scene questioning the sheriff while jotting down things in her notebook.

“So until we get more evidence it’s just a missing person’s case.”

“Even with all the blood?”

“Cutting down trees at night with a chainsaw is dangerous, so there’s no telling what might have happened. And we don’t know a hundred percent that it’s blood. So, until we know more, we can only speculate.”

“Thank you sheriff.”

Sheriff Livingston nods and walks away. Nancy turns off the recorder and looks around the truck. She takes some pictures and wanders farther up the road into the forest. She takes a picture of the whole scene then looks down at the tree farm in the distance. There is a rustling in the shrubs behind her, she turns looking for the source and steps off the road to peer at something in the brush and finds a shoe with blood on it. She looks back to the truck and the crime scene which is a long way away. She takes a few pictures of the shoe then her gaze goes up into the trees and she suddenly squeals in shock. “Sheriff Livingston! Sheriff!”

The sheriff comes running and stops to stare up in the direction Nancy is looking. “What, in, the, thee, hell?” High up in the trees, body parts are hanging like ornaments everywhere.

At the Starcourt Mall Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses is playing over the loud speakers sounding muffled off and otherwise strange while the plastic overflow of a dayglow eighties Christmas neon is in full swing but, construction workers have a huge section of the Mall blacked off. Scoops Ahoy is still closed along with a few other shops that have been devastated by the explosions a few months ago. The center court area is blocked off and under construction with plywood boards covering a great hole in the roof from the events of late but, people are still shopping. Outside Johnathan pulls up to the doors and everyone gets out. “I’ll come back and pick you guys up later.”

Will leans into the window, “Going to find Nancy?”

“Shut up,” the car stars moving before Will can let go and he stumbles.

Eleven and Max have not stopped talking since they met up and are still going strong. The automatic doors open and the girls walk in connected at the hip. Lucas runs forward and taps Max on the shoulder. “Are we going to talk?”

Max turns towards Lucas. She is upset and doesn’t speak. Eleven catches sight of Mike and the two lock eyes for an awkward moment then Max grabs Eleven buy the arm and leads her away. Mike and Lucas both watch the girls walk way confused broken and frustrated.

Behind them Dustin chimes in, “I get it. It’s tough Let’s go.”

The guys walk off and Lucas watches them for a moment before shaking his head in frustration he walks away in another direction. Will notice’s and calls out to Lucas, “Aren’t we shopping?”

Dustin watches Lucas and scrunches his face in contemplation, “You know what we need guys?” Mike and Will turn to him. “Gauntlet.” Dustin walks into the arcade with Will in tow leaving Mike looking from Lucas to the girls and back again.

“Mike!” Will calls from the arcade. Mike reluctantly looks down and follows Will and Dustin into the arcade.

Lucas walks through the mall lost until he comes to an empty bench and sighs. He sits dejectedly staring at the ground. “I saw you talking over there. Problem with your girl?” Lucas looks up to see the man in the black suit sitting on the bench beside him.

Lucas shrugs then looks up to the man then nods, “Yeah, she acts one way and then another and says I get upset too much and I don’t listen. How am I supposed to sit back and while someone is being unfair? That’s not right.”

“I get it. Women are a riddle my boy. An enigma wrapped in an enigma. People have been trying to figure them out since... well hell, as long as I’ve been around.”

“I just don’t get it.”

“Neither does anyone else. Merry Christmas by the way. I’m Peter. Black as coal with a heart to match.”

“Lucas,” he pauses a moment as if something occurs to him then dismisses it. “This was supposed to be cool. It’s Christmas and...” He looks up and sees Max and Eleven walking in the distance still taking and laughing.

Peter follows his gaze and smirks, “Well she seems happy with her other friend over there.”

“El. Yeah, but this was supposed to be fun. I was going to get her something nice for Christmas...”

“You still can.”

“No, cause if she wants to act like that then... its,” He thinks for a moment, “It’s over.”

“I get you. It’s a shame though. I guess if Eleven wasn’t around then Max would have to talk with you and you two could work it out.”

“Yeah, El came to town with Will for Christmas. She’s with Mike.”

Peter’s eyes fall on Lucas without turning his head. “Uh huh, but you wish she wasn’t around. Right?”

“Well… no. Mike really likes her and all. I just don’t get Max. We were good until yesterday. Maybe she’s still upset about her brother.”

“Her brother?”

“Yeah, he died a few months ago. Some crazy stuff happened.”

Peter raises his head reminiscing, “Oh yeah. That was some crazy stuff. Who’s fault was that by the way?”

Lucas glances at Peter confused. “Who’s fault? Well it was, some military stuff at that… with the lab and the Mindflair, but I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

“Uh huh. That’s where Eleven’s from right?”

“Yeah, how did you know that? But yeah El came out of there.”

“Well, forgive me for this, but again. It seems to me. It would be a lot better if Eleven wasn’t around.”

Lucas thinks back and concedes, “Well, yeah I guess but…”

“Nope. So if Eleven didn’t come from that lab. Max’s brother wouldn’t have been killed and you would have Max all to yourself.”

Lucas seems confused. He squints his eyes, shakes his head, then slowly nods, “I… guess.”

“I think. Deep down. You wish Eleven wasn’t around.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“Wishing for something that can’t happen. El’s here and that’s how it is.”

“But what if she wasn’t? What if, Eleven never got out of the lab? Wouldn’t that be better? Wouldn’t that be easier? Say I could give that to you, for Christmas as a present. Would you like that?”

Lucas pauses and turns to look at Peter for moment contemplating the idea. Then makes a silly face rolling his eyes, “Sure. Merry Christmas. I wish El never made it out of Hawkins Lab.”

Lucas looks away from Peter towards the crowd rushing by as Peter smiles in a wide gleeful grin. He closes his eyes in ecstasy and his head sways, “There it is…” he sighs for a moment then begins to whistle, “It’s beginning, to look a lot, like, Christmas.”

 

 

Chapter 2 The Polar Express

 

Lucas hears the whistling turns and finds he is sitting alone on the bench.

Outside, snow begins falling heavy in its white thickness, blanketing the ground in unique bits of confetti fluff, tumbling as the wind dies and frost sweeps over the town to shift into the new seasons of Christmas and cheer where nothing changes and everything does at the same time. Talking Heads Once In A Lifetime begins to play over the mall speakers, a song that is not so much Christmas as it is the beauty of a life lived and days passing by. Everyone suddenly stop in confusion, reconnection and reconciliation.

Dustin, Mike and Will playing gauntlet feel it as the game has changed, but it does not. They all look at each other as their forgotten characters are suddenly killed. Lucas stands up from his place on the bench as a wave of people pass by flooding the immediate area. He begins searching for the guys, not noticing that the middle court is back to normal with no construction on the roof. 

Nancy still at the crime scene with the police suddenly feels lightheaded. She shakes it off to clear it looks around turns and sees Hopper, standing where the new sheriff had just been a second ago. Their eyes lock in confusion.

Joyce is standing eyes wide with her hands splayed as if trying to remain balanced freaking out in the living room of her old house just as it was before everything happened heavily over decorated for Christmas. She tentatively reaches out to touch the tree to see if it’s real and jerks her hand back when she makes contact. Suddenly two hands come from behind to wrap around her, she screams and jumps grabbing the hands, breaking free and spinning around to a shocked Bob, who smiles and gives her a quick kiss.

“Hey honey, sorry I scared you. I’ve got to go into town for a bit, but I’ll be back soon. Merry Christmas.” Bob moves to the front door and stops to look back at Joyce who is still standing wide-eyed beside the Christmas Tree. “Are you okay honey?”

Joyce inhales deeply and nods vigorously in terror at Bob, she smiles painfully. “Yes! You just… startled me!”

Bobs concern turns to a smile, “Okay, see you in a bit.”

Joyce moves quickly to the living room window and watches Bob get into his car and drive off. She turns back to the living room frightened and suspicious.

Lucas is moving through the completely undamaged and heavily overcrowded mall looking for the rest of the guys. He stumbles upon Max and confronts her. “Hey, Max. Look I don’t want Christmas to be like this.

Max stares at Lucas with a blank face, confused. “Like what?” She tries to walk around Lucas who moves to block her.

“Don’t be mad. I think...”

Max makes a face, “Mad Max. That’s original.” She moves around him and walks away.

“Can’t we just stop for a minute and talk?”

Max turns around confused. “Look. I don’t know what exactly your malfunction is, but leave me alone.” She turns and walks away.

Lucas looks desperate and confused. “Where’s El?”

Max stops. “Who?”

Lucas is shocked and thrown off by her comment. He doesn’t say anything as Max turns and gets lost in the crowded mall.

Outside the arcade, Dustin Mike and Will are all standing side by side staring at the roof of the center court.

“This is weird, this is weird, this is weird.” Dustin repeats.

Mike is looking around, scanning the crowd. “Does anyone see Eleven?”

Lucas suddenly breaks through the crowd and comes running. “Guys something is happening.”

“No shit!” Dustin exclaims.

Mike looks to Lucas, “Did you see Eleven or Max?”

Will is looks thoroughly painfully confused. “Eleven,” he mumbles.

“Yeah I did, it’s weird. Max acts like she doesn’t even know me.”

“What do you mean?” Mike asks.

“I mean she doesn’t know me at all.” 

Dustin chimes in slightly panicked. “See, something’s going on and it’s like I have...”

“Two memories.” Will finishes. They all stop and stare at him. Then they all look up towards the center court, the skylight is repaired like nothing has happened.

Dustin looks around and his gaze locks on something. “Holy shit!”

They all look across the court and see Steve Harrington standing at the counter of Scoops Ahoy.

In the snow at the Christmas Tree Farm Nancy and Hopper saddle up to each other and walk away from the others to talk. “So...” Hopper begins.

“Yeah?” Nancy looks at the sheriff.

“What the hell just happened?” he says excitedly.

“Why are you asking me?”

“Well you’re, like, a reporter.”

“You’re the sheriff!”

Hopper suddenly gets it and nods. “Yeah. Yeah. What the hell?” He looks around. “When was the last time it snowed?”

“Never,” she stares at Hopper. “What do you remember?”

Hopper tries to think, confused. “I, uh. I was...”

“We thought you were dead.”

“No, I uh. I wasn’t dead. But I wasn’t here,” he shakes his head. “Do you have like, two sets of memories?”

Nancy considers this a moment, “Yeah.”

“Let’s uh, let’s get out of here.”

Hopper pulls the sheriff’s Bronco into Joyce’s driveway followed by Nancy. The snow is falling heavier now drifts are forming all around. The front door opens and Joyce steps out of the doorway excited shocked confused, “Hopper?”

Hopper gets out, “Yeah. This is really...”

Joyce suddenly collides with Hopper hugging him tightly, then stops still looking confused. “What’s going on?”

“We were just asking that same thing.”

Joyce looks at Nancy and squints confused. She looks down and rolls her head back and forth. “My head is like... Swiss cheese. There’s all these holes and I feel like...”

“Like you have two distinct sets of memories,” Hopper finishes.

“Yeah. It’s like a dream.”

“Where’s Jonathan?” Nancy asks.

Joyce thinks about the question for a moment and considers. “Jonathan is away at school... No,” she looks at the ground searching through confusion. “Jonathan drove the boys here...” She thinks again. “No, he’s at school and he’s on his way home, uh here… for Christmas.”

Inside Scoops Ahoy the guys all run in to talk to Steve who is in the middle of a conversation with two girls. He looks amused by them.

Robin is behind the counter and chimes in. “These are you friends?”

“No, Not exactly, I mean, I’m dating his sister,” Steve says motioning to Mike. “But the rest of these kids, I...”

The girls make faces and walk away.

Dustin is incensed. “Seriously, you don’t remember anything. My hair.”

Steve looks at Dustin’s hair confused. “Your hair?”

“Yeah my hair! You told me, Fabergé Organics and Farrah Fawcett spray.”

The statement makes Steve turn white with fear. “What the hell? How the hell did you? Mike! What did your sister say to him?”

Mike steps back confused. “Nothing!”

Mike, Lucas and Will all back away from the counter dragging Dustin screaming out of the ice cream shop “I had a pet! Dartanion. It ate my mom’s cat!”

Robin stares at Steve like she knows something. Steve looks at her, “What?”

“Farrah Fawcett spray?”

Steve shakes it off, letting his cool shine through, “Whatever, I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

The boys exit the mall to the hard snowfall. “So Steve thinks he’s dating my sister.” Mike shakes his head.

Dustin looks around. “Guys it’s snowing.” They all begin to look around.

Will turns to them, “So how come Harrington doesn’t remember anything?”

Lucas nods, “Yeah, just like...” Max suddenly exits the mall. “Max!”

Max scowls at him and gets into her brother Billy’s waiting Camaro. The car sits there for a moment and the boys stare at Billy now miraculously back to life.

“What the hell!” Dustin exclaims.

“That’s Max’s brother.”

“I know that, is he, a zombie?” Dustin asks. Suddenly the car revs up to a roar and drives away fast. Leaving the boys to stare shocked. “Guys, what, the, hell, is going on?”

“Are we crazy?” Will asks fearfully.

“What do you mean?” Lucas asks.

“I mean is it just our memories that are different or…?”

Mike turns, “Come on.” They all walk to the bike rack and all at once they freeze and look at each other.

“My brother dropped us off,” Will says.

“No he didn’t,” Mike sounds unsure.

“No… we rode here.” Lucas says.

Will brightens remembering, “because my brother is away at college.”

Dustin starts up, “Guys, remember that Twilight Zone we watched a couple months ago? Shatterday? The one where the guy’s other self takes over his life and he fades away? So what if that’s us?”

“Yeah, it was with that guy from that show my mom watches. Moonlighting,” Mike finishes.

“So there are other versions of us out there right now?” Lucas says sarcastically.

Dustin continues excitedly, “It makes sense. I mean doesn’t it? But are we the real us or are we the other us?” They get on their bikes and start to ride away. “Or what if it’s like invasion of the body snatchers and we have to go kill our other selves.”

“Shut up!”

“Then you explain it.”

“I don’t know, but shut up.”

Will suddenly has an idea, “The Upsidedown!” he says excitedly.

They all stop and look at Will.

“They never went into the Upsidedown.”

“Didn’t they?” Mike asks.

Lucas thinks, “No, Max never did.”

Dustin thinks for a moment, “Steve never did either.” He considers, “Yeah they did! When we went down to find Dart.”

The boys all stare at each other. “Guys what the hell is going on then?” Lucas asks.

“We have to find Eleven.” Mike says and the four of them ride on.

 

 

Chapter 3 Scrooged

 

A green minivan drives down the street in Downtown Hawkins where the snow is building up and pulls up to the curb. A young large framed football player type climbs out of the driver’s seat and looks around.

“Well gang, this is the place?” Fred says. He hugs himself slapping his arms. “It’s cold.”

The side door of the minivan opens and a busty plus sized girl gets out holding a device that looks like it might be a Ghostbusters EKG meter. “Yep. Shaggy what does it look like?” Velma asks.

A tall lanky olive skinned male with a mop of hair climbs out of the back of the minivan and looks around, he scowls uncomfortably. “Yeah this is definitely the place.”

In the front passenger seat another girl is sitting reading a map. “This is Hawkins?” Daphne asks rhetorically.

Shaggy is looking in all directions nervously. “It’s strange though.”

“Strange how?”

Shaggy looks around and from his view everything appears different. Colors are both, more brilliant and also more dull than, what might everyone else observes. The atmosphere looks thick and liquidy with streams of electricity vibrating all around giving off anima as if alive and, everything was, alive. The air hummed, an orange aura, saturating the air with waves of color, moving, with a bioluminescent glow drifting in all directions, through everything, with everything, each interaction, causing energies to shift and change. Shaggy breathed watching the carbon dioxide expel from him, blending in ten directions at once, weaving molding and continuing to exist intermingled between that which was the darkness and the light. He attempted to ignore, it and them, though that was, the difficulty. He stared into the distance slightly lost and overwhelmed.

“Well. There is energy in that direction and that one.” Shaggy is pointing unknowingly towards Hawkins Labs and The Starcourt Mall. He looks towards a purple energy rising up in the distance. “The cemetery is over there but,” he points in the direction of the Hawkins Labs, glowing a soupy red yellow on the horizon. “Something is different over there and not good.” From the direction of the mall a shapeless black vaporous mist can just barely be seen in the air. “And over there something is spreading. There is very little past life activity.”

Shaggy says noticing an old man dressed in a suit from the 1920’s, coming towards him, a black and white dull aura that drips off of him like sludge. The man passes in front of Shaggy revealing the back of his head has been completely smashed exposing blood and brains. The back of his coat has tears and rips with more holes in them. He makes a pained disgusted face, “Thank god for that.”

Velma turns and looks at the sidewalk where Shaggy is looking and holds up the device to the empty air. The device begins to squeal for a moment then starts quieting as the man continues on down the street away from them. “What’s that?”

Shaggy shakes his head. “Some old man, no threat. How old is this town?”

Daphne turns a page in an Almanac, “It’s an old mining town, dates back to the mid 1800’s.”

“Well the energies in the air around here are strange like I’ve never seen before.”

“Well let’s set up and see what we can see,” says Velma and opens the back of the minivan.

Joyce is standing wide eyed in her living room in a nervous panic trying to explain herself to Hopper and Nancy, “I was at work and suddenly I’m here and Bob comes up and gives me a hug.”

“Bob is here?” Hopper asks looking around.

Joyce looks at the floor, hurt and sad and begins wringing her hands together. “Yeah. He went into town to do something he said. I don’t know. But you’re here and you died.”

“No,” Hopper turns back to Joyce. “I didn’t die.”

“Well where were you?”

Nancy considers, thinking to herself and suddenly has an epiphany, “Oh my God, I’m dating Steve Harrington!”

Joyce looks at her, “What?”

“I have to go!” Nancy grabs her purse and is out the door. Hopper watches her leave and turns back to Joyce.

“So when you left you took Eleven with you.”

“Well, yeah, I had to get out of here and you were gone.”

“So where’s Eleven?”

“I don’t know. Probably with the boys.” Joyce stops and thinks. “No, I don’t know an Eleven do I?” She makes a face and sits down. “God this is so confusing.”

Hopper takes her hand and she stands and he hugs her. “We’ll figure it out.”

Joyce squeezes Hopper tighter and whispers, “I thought you were dead.”

On a white table in a breakroom a boom box is playing, Christmas At Ground Zero by Weird Al Yankovic. Agent Frasier walks through Hawkins Labs, looking the same as it always has. In one lab they are studying the flakes from the air in the Upsidedown, in another they are studying the ooze. In one chamber tentacles are being observed and in a small container under a microscope a single tentacle squirms searching for a way out. In another room a cage with an angry, subdued Demigorgon. A lab tech pulls out meat from a bucket with tongs and passes it through the bars as other technicians observe the action and write in notebooks.

Agent Frasier turns a corner goes through a door enters the War Games control room. At the far end rather than computers is the Rift opening and all the monitors overhead showing the Rift in different spectrums while the equipment hums and beeps. There are numerous employees in white suits studying the entrance while plain clothed employees sit at computers watching the screens. She passes through and enters a hall of offices and enters a large one with Brenner is sitting at his desk looking over printouts and paperwork. “They’re here.”

Brenner looks up to agent Frazier, “Who’s here?”

Agent Frasier clicks on a monitor on his wall that shows a grainy video of a strange creature shrouded in darkness. There is roar that may or may not be fake. An air of desperation is on the grainy video.

Shaggy screams, “It’s getting worse!”

“Where are they coming from?” Velma cries out.

“I can’t tell, there are too many!”

Fred is standing on the side holding a bible and praying, he stops and looks back to the camera and yells, “Daphne put it down we’re in trouble here!”

The camera is then set on the ground, “I got it!” Daphne screams. The sound of a shotgun being cocked, as a large form of black sludge emerges from the darkness with an inhuman sound, “Get the hell out of the way!”

The sludge seems to move towards Fred who suddenly drops to the ground, Velma steps back and stumbles as the shot gun explodes. Daphne’s legs come into view as the black sludge explodes in fiery impact of the blast. She moves forward, cocks the gun and fires again, and again, each time a myriad of fiery explosions erupt in the sludge that squeals in pain.

“Shaggy?” Velma calls out, “What do you see?”

“They are still coming through!” Shaggy answers off screen.

“I’m out I have to reload!” Daphne yells.

Velma crawls forward she is holding something and starts writing on the ground. “Fred! Stand here!” Fred comes back into frame and stands where Velma indicates and begins reading from the bible again.

“This is not good!” Shaggy yells. Velma knees beside Fred and begins speaking some intelligible strange words, the ground beneath Fred begins to glow with a bright phosphorescence. “That’s doing it!” Velma continues to chant waving her arms back towards the camera. “Fred, back up!” Shaggy cries out.

Fred continues reading from the bible and steps out of the bright glowing spot. There is the sound of the shotgun being cocked, “Ready,” Daphne yells.

Velma shakes her head and stands. She stops speaking and pours a great handful of powder into her hand then yells four unintelligible words, throws the powder and the light from the ground flashes, a cacophony of inhuman screaming erupts from off screen then everything stops.

The four are breathing heavily, Velma drops to the ground in exhaustion. After a moment she looks up from the ground to the others, “That wasn’t such a chore now was it?” They all groan and scoff.

The scene cuts to Velma in a room facing the camera. “That was the result, luckily we are still here. The Mystery Machine uncovering the strange and the paranormal. The things they want to hide from you. The things they don’t want you to know about. See you next week.” The video scene goes black.

Brenner looks from the monitor to Frasier. “Where was this shot?”

“We think, somewhere in San Francisco.”

“Has it been authenticated?”

“Still working on that.”

“So what’s the deal?”

Frasier clicks the television of. “They are on the FBI’s watch list and considered extremely dangerous.”

Brenner snorts and smirks, “The FBI considers everyone extremely dangerous.”

“Well they just arrived in town. They seem to have a way of detecting the energy of other phenomena.” 

Brenner sighs and takes a moment, “Well, watch them. And if… we decide something needs to be done, then perhaps this will be the perfect test for Jane.”

Nancy is making her way through the crowded mall headed towards Scoops Ahoy when someone calls her name. She stops searching for the source and is shocked when the crowd parts and Barb suddenly runs up to hugs her.

“Hey, Merry Christmas, I was hoping to see you.”

Nancy stares at her friend shocked and speechless. “Barb?” Her eyes are welling up quickly.”

“Yes, I was able to make it back home for Christmas. How have you been?” Barb stops hugging, “Hey why are you crying?”

Nancy embraces Barb tight, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she sobs.

“Hey, college it isn’t that bad.”

Nancy stops hugging Barb and stares at her. “I’m sorry, I just missed you, more than I realized.”

“Well, it’s nice to be missed. I don’t think many people in this town would care less if I lived or died.”

On the streets of downtown the boys ride pass Bob, “Hey guys! Will!” They all turn and stop their bikes. Will is very agitated by Bob’s presence, but Bob remains happy and is smiling big. “Merry Christmas guys.” They all reciprocate the greeting and stare at him in awkward silence. “Will, I just want to make sure your home later, I have a surprise for your mom and want you to be there for it. I think your brother’s coming home for Christmas too.  It would be good if you both were there.” Will gives Bob a nervous nod. “Okay, great. I’ll see you later then. You guys aren’t getting too crazy now are you? Having a wild and crazy Christmas?” Bob laughs and the boys follow suit with obvious fake laughter. “Great, be safe now,” Bob walks inside the shop.

Mike turns to Will, “You okay?”

Will nods, “Yeah.”

Dustin looks around, “He died right?” They all nod. “So if he’s not a zombie then we all must be crazy.” They all pause. Then slowly they all nod again. “You know if it turns out we’re all crazy then this sucks!” Dustin says angrily.

Mike is staring at the ground searching for something, “Guys? Does anyone have a second set of memories about El.”

Will considers for a moment searching his thoughts, “No.”

“It’s like she never came out of the lab.” Dustin says.

Lucas suddenly inhales, his eyes bulge in wonder and realization, “Oh shit!” They all give Lucas a questioning look. “Guys, there was this guy, I think, at the mall. And he told me...” He drops his bike and starts pacing around the street. “But this isn’t what I meant though.”

“What are you talking about?”

Lucas stops pacing and looks at Mike. “I was pissed because of El and Max going off together.”

“So.”

“So there was this guy…”

“Who?”

“He said his name was… Peter, I don’t know. He was asking me questions and then said what if El never got out of the lab?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it was weird. He said it like it was Christmas and what if he could give me a present?”

“What present?”

Lucas stops defeated. “Like what if El never got out of the lab?”

“And what did you say?” Mike asks agitated and upset.

Lucas cowers a little. “I think I said… yeah…” He thinks, “Black Peter.” He mumbles.

“What?”

“Well, I was pissed and it isn’t like anything was supposed to happen. I’m supposed to believe that someone is going to make it so El never came out of the lab... three years ago.”

Dustin shakes his head. “Dude it’s Christmas.”

“So.”

“So it’s a wonderful life, me and my mom watch it every year. Was it an angel?”

“I don’t know he was a black guy in a black suit.”

“Oh then…” Dustin shakes his head.

“What?”

“Well I’ve never heard of a black angel.”

Lucas is angry. “What angels can’t be black?”

“No. I mean black man in black suit, doesn’t sound…”

Mike jumps in, “So this guy made El disappear?”

“I don’t know!”

“Looks like he did.” Dustin says.

“Yeah. I only have the one memory of El.” Mike is hurt, he stares at Lucas.

“I’m sorry, but I lost Max. She doesn’t even know me.”

Dustin jumps in, “So wait a minute. Then right now, El is probably still in there.”

The green minivan drives by with Fred driving. A moment later a black sedan goes by with all black tinted windows, in the back seat Agent Frasier leans forward, “Keep your distance.”

​

​

Chapter 4 The Nightmare Before Christmas

​

Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will are on a hill overlooking Hawkins Labs. “So what if she is in there?” Mike says absently.

They all stare quietly for a moment until Dustin blurts out, “Well what the hell can we do about it now? She’s got all the power to get herself out like last time. What can we do?”

Mike turns to Lucas, “What did the guy say?”

Lucas looking upset, looks down and thinks. “He just asked, what if she never got out? He said it was a present, for Christmas, I think.”

Will is standing with his eyes half closed, a little lost in calm, “I think she’s in there.”

They all continue to stare at the building while the sun slowly starts to set.

“Hey guys it’s getting late. If I’m not home for Christmas Eve my mom will start freaking out.”

Will suddenly snaps awake. “Oh! My mom! She’s here! With Bob!” Lucas looks at him then at Mike.

“How does this work?” Mike says sounding lost.”

“I don’t know man? I’m sorry man.” Lucas finishes.

Dustin looks to them, “Well if she is in there, she’s not going anywhere. We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

Brenner is sitting at his desk brooding. His phone rings. “Brenner.”

A man’s voice sounding flat bland and official comes over the phone. “Am I to understand that this Mystery Machine group has arrived in your little town?”

“Yes sir I have been made aware of them, but I don’t see that they pose any sort of threat to...”

“You are aware there is a significant dollar amount attached to your lab and its little experiments out there. Do you think it would be wise to leave the discovery in the hands of some meddling kids with a video camera?”

“Well no sir, of course not.”

Then I think you’ll find a way to do what’s necessary.” The phone clicks and goes dead. Brenner looks at the receiver and sighs.

“Damn. That’s cold. And it being Christmas and all.” Brenner hangs up the phone and leans back in his chair, seemingly unaware of Black Peter, the black man with in the black suit with his feet up on his desk.

On the road the boys are riding their bikes headed for home when the green minivan drives by them and slows. Daphne leans out the passenger side window, “Hey guys Merry Christmas.”

Dustin smiles instantly, “Hey.”

“I know it’s Christmas Eve, but we are in town making a documentary.”

“About what?” Mike asks.

“About any strange occurrences that might be happening around town.”

All four boys break and the minivan comes to a stop. “Strange like what?” Lucas says.

Daphne smiles and looks between them. “Strange like... paranormal, weird. Anything like that happen around here?”

Dustin smiles his big grin and starts to nod, “You have no idea.”

Down the road the black sedan sits on the side waiting. “What are they doing?” Frasier asks.

“Just talking ma’am.” They watch the conversation for a moment before the four boys start riding their bikes again quickly and the minivan slowly follows. “What should I do?”

Frasier looks to the back of the drivers head as if he didn’t just ask the stupidest question in the world. “Keep following them.” The driver nods and pulls away slowly. Frasier sits back and shakes her head glances to someone next to her and shakes her head again. 

The sun is setting and the snow is rising. The shops in downtown Hawkins are deserted and lit up with Christmas lights. The minivan is on the side of the curb beside the bikes. Shaggy is behind the video camera set on a tripod. He pushes a button and nods. In the small screen on the camera Daphne and Velma stand beside each other. “This is a special Christmas edition of the Mystery Machine. We are coming to you from Hawkins, Indiana where weird and strange seem to be on the menu of everyday life around here and at the center of it all seems to be a place called Hawkins Labs, a government facility that does who knows what, exposing the innocent citizens of this sleepy little town to all manner of strange things.” Velma stops talking and waits while Fred counts them down.

“What’s he doing?”

Shaggy looks up then leans over. “We cut breaks into the video. It makes it easier to edit later.”

Fred points to the girls and Daphne starts speaking. “We have some locals here with us who have some real stories to tell. Dustin?” Dustin steps into view looking excited and ready to start speaking. “Dustin, a little while ago you told me an unbelievable story about the strange phenomenon that happen in this town. Could you tell it again to our audience?”

“Sure.”

Inside the black sedan, Frasier watches the congregation on the grass.

At Joyce’s house Johnathan pulls into the driveway. He gets out and is immediately assaulted by an argument coming from inside. The sheriff’s Bronco is there and he runs to the front door worried.

“I still don’t get what the hell you’re saying?” Bob says upset and frustrated.

“I know it’s hard. Believe me. This has been getting to me all day,” Hopper is almost pleading.

Joyce looks worried and agitated, “I really wonder about the boys. Where are they and I wonder what they remember.”

“No! I can’t, I just, I can’t.” Bob moves to the couch and sits down. Exasperated. The front door opens and Jonathan comes in.

“Hey mom. Bob… Sheriff Hopper? Uh, Merry Christmas.”

Bob looks up from the couch and waves, “Hey there Jonathan, I’m dead.”

Joyce looks at Bob.

Johnathan is immediately taken aback. “You’re what?”

Joyce looks at Bob disappointed, “Jonathan can you please go and see if you can find your brother. I really want to talk to him, and his friends, about some things.”

“Oh, yeah sure mom.” Johnathan eyes Hopper, “Um, is he in trouble.”

“No nothing like that…” Hopper says. “We just need to finish our little discussion.”

Johnathan nods and moves to the front door. He eyes the situation, his mom, Bob upset, Hopper upset. Then nods and leaves. “Moms dating Hopper I guess.” He mumbles as he gets into the car.

The sound of the car starting and its engine fading comes in the living room. Joyce sits down on the chair exhausted. “This is a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

“You’re telling me.” Hopper says sitting as well.

“Why do different things seem more dominant than others and…” Joyce suddenly realizes. “Jonathan didn’t question anything. Isn’t that strange?”

“That was strange? That?” Bob asks exasperated.

“I hope the boys and Eleven might know something.”

Inside the black sedan Frasier is also exhausted, she picks up a car phone and dials. The phone on Brenner’s desk rings. The man in the black suit is still sitting across from him half dozing but the phone rouses him. “Ah, here we go.”

“Brenner.”

“They are now interviewing locals.”

“Who?”

Frasier looks out the windshield. “Just some kids.”

“Do we have any clue what they are talking about?”

“No. My guess would be strange phenomenon around the town.”

“Where have they been today?”

“Everywhere. The cemetery. That old house outside of town where there was a breach in the rift. They drove by the lab twice. The tall one seems to see a lot. He might be someone of interest.”

Brenner on his phone doesn’t see Black Peter squatting on his desk in front of him now, his shoes back to hooves. “They need to go.” Peter whispers. 

“No, they need to go.” Brenner repeats.

“They? The four of them.”

“No... all of them. It’s Christmas and they all need to go.” Peter whispers again.

Brenner’s eyes are drooping, he is lost… “No. It’s Christmas and they all need to go.”

Agent Frasier’s grip on the Carphone tightens. She speaks slowly through gritted teeth. “Confirming, all eight need to go?”

Brenner squint’s one eye, his brow furrows with a sudden headache, he can’t speak. Black Peter stares hard at Brenner and he begins to tremble. He grimaces as a tear releases and runs down his cheek. “Yes, I’ll have a cleanup team ready. Send Jane in. And keep it quiet if you can.”

Agent Frasier smiles broadly, “Downtown is deserted. It’s Christmas.” She sets the car phone down and turns to a figure seated in the backseat beside her. “All right, you’re up. All eight of them need to go and keep it quiet. After all, it’s Christmas.” The door to the black sedan opens and someone gets out.

In front of the camera, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Mike are all talking over each other. Fred is filming with the aid of Shaggy. Daphne and Velma are smiling and attempting to coordinate, but it’s difficult. The boys are just two excited. Velma hears something and stops them. “Hold it! Hold it! What do you mean two different times?”

The four of them all stop and stare at her. Dustin looks a little worried. “Well that, might be overboard.”

“No we want to hear it.” Velma says.

Mike looks up the street and sees something in the streetlights. “Who’s that?”

Shaggy looks up and sees’ the figure walking down the street glowing red like Carrie walking home after the dance, she is wearing an agents suit. “Men In Black I think, but whatever the it is, it’s not good.”

Mike is staring and suddenly gets an epiphany. “Eleven?” Will, Lucas and Dustin all turn and focus.

“I think it is.” Will says excited.

“Eleven,” Mike cries out.

Shaggy looks worried. “You know who that is?”

“Yeah that’s our friend Eleven, with the powers.”

Fred turns the camera towards Eleven, while Velma and Daphne step forward and put themselves between the others. “This does not look good.”

“No it doesn’t,” Shaggy agrees. Daphne reaches into her waist band and pulls out a pistol.

“Hey!” Mike yells,

“Just in case.”

Fred zooms in a grainy image of Eleven who does not look at all happy. “Hey Man In Black! You’re on camera!”

Eleven knocks her head to side. The camera goes flying and smashes into a tree.

“Not good.” Daphne says cocking the pistol.

“Eleven!” Mike cries out.

Eleven continues calmly coming forward she focuses and cocks her head to the right, Daphne’s head cocks to the right and she falls. Eleven cocks her to the left and Velma follows suit. Mike starts crying out, “No Eleven! No!” but she continues and quickly Fred and Shaggy fall as well.

Behind Eleven a car comes driving up the street too fast for the conditions, speeding past the black sedan to continue down the street heading right for Eleven. Inside the car Johnathan is looking out the side windows searching for his brother and his friends. The snow is really falling hard and obscuring the windshield. He doesn’t notice Eleven in the middle of the street until it’s too late.

Will looks up excited, as Eleven turns around fast towards the car like Carrie. The Ford Galaxy veers of the road, drives into one of the storefronts and bursts into flames. Will cries out, “No.”

Snow begins falling heavier dropping in thick sheets now. Eleven turns back to the boys and begins walking towards them again. Lucas is frightened and freaking out. Did he cause all this? Is this his fault? He looks at the bodies of their four new friends and begins shaking his head. “This is not what I wanted. No. No. This isn’t what I wanted.” He looks up and spots Black Peter standing by a tree off to the side watching. He smiles and gives Lucas a wave then bows. Lucas starts running towards him screaming, “Why is this happening? Why are you doing this? This isn’t what I wanted!”

Dustin is staring at Eleven freaking out. “She’s like the Terminator.”

Eleven has reached Mike who is pleading, “El, what’s wrong?” They lock eyes and she stops.

Will runs across the street towards the burning car screaming his brother’s name.

Eleven stares curiously at Mike then turns towards Will looking savage. She raises her hand and tilts her neck. There is crack and Will falls, but eleven extends her hand and Will’s body is suddenly thrust forward into the inferno.

“No, El.” Mike is crying, pleading. “We’re your friends El.” Eleven refocuses on Mike and again pauses, her expression softens. “Eleven, don’t you remember?”

Black Peter is staring at Lucas with a broad smile as Lucas runs up him screaming, “Why are you doing this?”

Peter stops smiling and looks shocked. “Me? I didn’t anything boy. Youuu, wished she never got out. Sooo... She never got out.” He sweeps his hand to the commotion that Eleven has caused. “And they, worked her. And they, turned her, into this. This, is what you asked for.”

Lucas is crying and yelling, “But This isn’t what I wanted. Max doesn’t remember me, and El is killing people.”

Eleven is staring into Mike’s eyes like something is getting through to her.

“El, you have to remember?” he says softly.

“Dude, I don’t think she’s in there anymore.” Dustin says. 

“El you don’t remember Eggos? Star Wars?” 

Eleven’s forehead wrinkles in thought, she looks very confused and suddenly her vision clears and her face softens, she looks back to Mike. “Mike?”

“Yes I’m Mike, and this is Dustin you remember. You do remember.”

Eleven shakes her head, confused, lost in thought. “But, Father.”

“Father?” Mike asks.

Eleven’s soft face suddenly goes hard again. “Father!” She reaches towards Dustin.

“Oh sh…” His neck snaps with a twitch of her wrist and he falls.

“No. El.” Mike says as her eyes dart to him. “I love…” she cocks her neck as Mike’s neck cocks with a shocked expression on his face and he too drops to the ground. Snow is falling so thick nothing outside of the immediate area can be seen.

Lucas is standing with Black Peter. “Stop this, please! I’m sorry. I didn’t want this I’m sorry. Stop it. Please stop it.”

Suddenly Eleven steps out of the snow and right behind Lucas.

Lucas seems to sense her and stops begging. He turns around. “Eleven I’m sorry. I didn’t want this. It’s Christmas. And what I said was selfish.” He closes his eyes and waits for the inevitable.  

​

​

Chapter 5 It’s A Wonderful Life

​

“So, you’re fine with being dead?” Erica asks.

Lucas opens his eyes and looks around Dustin’s yard. “What the hell?”

“I asked if you’re fine with being dead?” Lucas suddenly squeals and smiles. He hugs his sister hard. Erica stiffens up and looks at her brother like he’s crazy. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Giving you a Christmas hug.”

Max exits Dustin’s house upset. “Lucas?”

“Get him off me!” Erica yells. 

Max rushes over and stops. Lucas lets go of his sister still smiling and leans in and kisses Erica on the cheek. “Merry Christmas.”

“Ugh... get off.” Erica rushes away, gets on her bike and starts riding.

“What was that?” Max asks.

Lucas turns to her smiling from ear to ear. “I’m really sorry, you were right. I shouldn’t have fought with her and I shouldn’t have let her get to me and I promise from now on I won’t.” Max looks a little freaked out. Lucas opens his arms. “Merry Christmas?”

Max softens and smiles and hugs Lucas as a car horn sounds.

“I think Eleven’s here. You guys will probably want to catch up.”

Lucas takes a step with Max and she goes on ahead. Lucas sees Black Peter standing by a bush in the distance. He waves and the man bows.

Johnathan is at the truck. “Little help,” he says, but he is ignored. Will Dustin and Mike are going on like Eleven and Max are going on. Lucas walks up.

“Seriously that was really freaky.” Dustin says.

“I know.”

 “What do you remember?”

It was really weird like nothing happened, but everything happened, but it was different.”

“Hey Will, Merry Christmas.”

“Lucas, what do you remember?”

“What are you talking about?”

Dustin chimes in, “Apparently we all had the same dream last night? The last three years was completely opposite, but not, and we sort of remembered both…”

Lucas is suddenly excited. “Wait you all remember that?”

“Hell yes. You too?”

“Wow guys you won’t believe this, but I made that happen. There was this guy and…”

“Oh here we go, come on, Jonathan is going to give us a ride to the mall.”

Eleven and Max stop talking for a moment. Eleven looks at Mike and again the connection is awkward.

Karen comes to the foot of the stairs and starts calling out, “Breakfast. Mike. Nancy. Breakfast.” Nancy comes down stairs in her pajamas. “Where’s your brother?”

Nancy is sulking and sad, “I don’t know.”

Karen looks at her daughter. “Honey what’s wrong?”

Nancy frowns, “I don’t know. I was thinking about Barb.”

“Oh honey, it been years.”

Nancy starts tearing up. “I know, but it feels like it just happened all over again.”

“Honey it’s Christmas. Eat something.”

The phone rings and Karen moves to answer it. “Hello.” She listens for a moment. “Just a moment. Nancy. It’s the paper.”

Nancy comes over and takes the phone. “Hello?” she suddenly gets excited. “Yes, okay, yes, oh no problem.” She hangs up and runs towards the door.

“Hey.”

Sorry mom. Accident, truck found, might be murder or something.” She runs off and up the stairs. Karen shrugs. “Well... Merry Christmas.”

At the mall Eleven and Max go off together and Mike is standing confused. Lucas approaches him. “Hey man, she just needs some time to catch up.”

“I don’t get it.” 

“Don’t worry about it. You just haven’t had time to be alone yet. It’s cool.” Lucas pats him on the shoulder. Mike softens a bit. “Come on man. Hey guys. Gauntlet!”

A green minivan drives by the burnt out abandoned husk of Hawkins Labs and stops. The side door of the van opens and Shaggy gets out. “The energy here is twisted. There is something, but it’s been shifted and depleted. There is still something here though.

Shaggy steps towards the building followed by Velma.

After a moment Daphne calls from the passenger window, “So... what do we want to do?”

“I say we check it out. Come on gang.”

At the Starcourt Mall the construction areas are blocked off, but Wonderful Christmas by Paul McCartney can be heard over the speakers as Max and Eleven come walking up to the arcade just as the boys come out. They all stop.

Dustin looks worried, “Oh shit what?”

Max nudges Eleven forward. She walks up to Mike, hugs him, takes his hand and the two walk off together. Max comes up and takes Lucas’ hand and the two walk off following.

“So what did you get me for Christmas?” Max asks.

“Well, I had this thing I was thinking about...”

Dustin smiles and looks at looks at Will. He takes Wills hand. Throws his head back and yanks Lucas along as the two of them skip ahead to catch up with the others.

 

THE END.