HAWKINS NATIONAL LAB – NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Fluorescent lights hum above sterile floors. The hallway stretches endlessly, lined with reinforced glass and thick steel doors. Every few seconds, a drip echoes — water leaking from a pipe, breaking the mechanical silence.
A door opens with a hiss.Brenner steps inside. His white coat trails like a ghost as he enters a dark observation room. Beyond the glass, a girl floats several feet above the ground — barefoot, pale, her eyes closed.
The monitors flicker with static. Pressure levels spike.
SCIENTIST #1 (offscreen): "Sir, she's stabilizing, but her vitals are… strange."Brenner: "Strange?"SCIENTIST #1: "Her neural activity's higher than any recorded subject. Even Eleven."
Brenner's eyes narrow. He presses his hand to the glass.
Brenner: "Then she's finally ready."
The girl opens her eyes. Silver-gray, almost colorless, with a faint ring of violet at the edge — like storm clouds about to break.
Moon.
She doesn't move. Doesn't speak. The air around her hums with electricity. Tiny arcs of light crawl up her arms, dancing along her fingertips.
Across the room, another door slides open — a smaller chamber, connected by thick glass. Inside sits Eleven, younger, frightened, wires attached to her temples.
Her eyes find Moon's.
Silence.
The world stills — the air grows dense, static humming between them.For a second, both girls are motionless.Then, the lights flicker — once, twice — and the glass between them cracks.
Not shatters.Cracks.A spiderweb of fractures stretching from where Moon's gaze meets El's.
Brenner's calm falters.
Brenner: "Separate them. Now."
Technicians rush, alarms blare, and Moon's feet touch the ground as if gravity simply remembers to exist again. She tilts her head, studying the chaos like a bored observer.
Moon (softly): "You're scared."
Her voice is calm, eerily even.
Brenner: "You have no idea what fear is, my dear."Moon: "I do. You taught me."
The storm lights up behind her eyes. She looks at Eleven one last time — a single, unreadable look that feels like a promise and a warning all at once.
And then—
The power goes out.
The screens die. The alarms fade. In the pitch black, there's the crackle of lightning. When the backup lights flicker back on — the room is empty.
Moon is gone.
The word "ESCAPED" flashes red on every monitor.
WHEELER BASEMENT – DAY (YEARS LATER)
The camera pans down to the familiar basement — Christmas lights strung above, dice scattered across the table.
Will leans forward, voice low and dramatic.
Will: "The dragon's wings block out the sun. Its fire burns hotter than the pits of Mordor. Roll for your lives."
Lucas groans, tossing a handful of dice.
Lucas: "If this is another one of your impossible boss levels, I swear—"Dustin (grinning): "That's the point, Lucas! It's D&D, not kindergarten!"Mike: "Everyone shut up! Will's in the zone."
The dice roll.It's a 3.
Dustin: "Well… crap."Will: "The dragon eats your wizard in one bite."
Laughter explodes. Dustin throws his dice at him.
Cut to: Eleven and Max on the couch.A bag of chips between them, feet up, watching the chaos.
Max: "They're literally children."Eleven (with a small smile): "They're happy."Max: "Yeah, until they start arguing about whose fake sword is cooler."
Max smirks, shoving another chip in her mouth.
Eleven: "You're just jealous you're not in the campaign."Max: "Nah. I'm more of a 'stab it with a real weapon' kind of girl."
The laughter from the table mixes with the hum of the basement lights. For a brief moment, everything is normal.
The camera lingers on their faces — Will's grin, Mike's concentration, Dustin's infectious energy, Lucas pretending he's not having fun.
It's Hawkins — peaceful, fragile, unaware.
STARCOURT MALL – SCOOPS AHOY – DAY
Ice cream drips onto the counter. Steve slides a cone toward a kid while Robin leans against the register.
Steve: "One triple-scoop cherry, one double-fudge sundae—"Robin: "—and one existential crisis for the guy behind the counter."Steve: "Hey, I'm doing better this week."Robin: "You said that last week, and then you locked yourself in the storage room because a five-year-old called you 'old.'"
Steve sighs dramatically, running a hand through his hair.
Steve: "You don't get it, Buckley. This hair isn't eternal. It's a fragile ecosystem."Robin: "Yeah, yeah. Planet Ego."
They both laugh.Outside, thunder rumbles faintly — a low roll that seems too far to worry about.
INT. HOPPER'S TRUCK – ROAD OUTSIDE HAWKINS – DAY
Joyce flips through a stack of lab photos while Hopper drives, cigarette hanging from his lips.
Joyce: "They said the readings were off the charts. Same energy spikes we saw before— before it all started."Hopper: "Could be leftover power from the Gate. Could be nothing."Joyce: "Since when is 'nothing' glowing purple on a radiation scan?"Hopper: "Fair point."
He exhales, watching the trees blur past.
Hopper: "Let's just hope it's not another damn kid experiment gone wrong."
Joyce glances out the window — storm clouds building far off in the horizon.
Joyce (quietly): "Feels like it already has."
WHEELER HOUSE – NIGHT
The camera cuts back to the kids packing up their D&D set.
Will: "Same time tomorrow?"Dustin: "Depends. If Mews doesn't eat my homework again."Lucas: "Sure. I'll walk Max home."Max (grinning): "Because you love me or because you're scared I'll beat up anyone who looks at me?"Lucas: "Both."
They head out, laughter echoing into the cool night.
Inside, Mike and Eleven linger.
Mike: "You can stay a little longer if you want. My mom's asleep."Eleven: "You always say that."Mike: "And you always stay."
They settle on the couch, the light dim.El leans her head on his shoulder, fingers intertwined.
Eleven (softly): "Do you ever think about… before? The lab?"Mike: "Only when you do."Eleven: "Sometimes I feel like… someone's still watching."Mike: "They're not. You're safe now."
Thunder rolls outside, faint but growing closer.
STREETS OF HAWKINS – NIGHT
Rain starts to fall.Lucas rides beside Max, her skateboard under one arm.
Max: "You don't have to babysit me, you know."Lucas: "I'm not. I'm… supervising."Max: "That's literally the same thing."
They reach her house. She kisses him quickly before darting inside.
Lucas (calling after her): "Text me when you're safe!"Max (from inside): "I'm already safe, genius!"
He laughs, biking off.
Cut to: Erica standing at the Sinclair door, arms crossed.
Erica: "You're late again."Lucas: "Go to bed."Erica: "Mom says dinner's cold. Also, I beat your high score on Galaga."Lucas: "What?!"Erica: "You're welcome."Lucas: "You wouldn't—"Erica (smirking): "Try me."
The door slams. Lucas groans.
HENDERSON HOUSE – NIGHT
Dustin's mom sits on the couch, cat purring in her lap.
Claudia: "Did you eat?"Dustin: "Yeah, Mom."Claudia: "Brush your teeth?"Dustin: "Working on it."Claudia: "Tell your friends goodnight?"Dustin: "Mom!"
She smiles softly, scratching the cat.
Claudia: "You remind me of your father sometimes."Dustin: "Cool. Does that mean I get to skip school tomorrow?"Claudia: "Nice try."
He grins, heading upstairs.The cat meows.The thunder outside deepens — distant, purple light flickering through the window for a split second.
HAWKINS – WOODED ROAD – NIGHT
Rain pours. The air smells like ozone and pine.Will Byers pedals his bike, jacket soaked through, head down against the storm.
Lightning flashes — purple, not white.
He slows. Looks up.
Another flash — closer this time — illuminating the empty road ahead.Then, in the middle of it—
A girl.
Standing barefoot in the rain, eyes glowing faintly silver. Her hair whips around her face, and the lightning arcs around her like she's the storm's center.
Will brakes too hard. His bike skids, nearly throwing him off.
Will (shouting): "Hey—! Are you—"
Another bolt hits the ground, meters away, shaking the air. He flinches, heart pounding.
When he looks back—
She's gone.
Only the rain remains, hissing against the asphalt.
Will turns slowly, scanning the trees.In the darkness, for the briefest second, a flicker of violet light moves between the branches — silent, graceful, and utterly unreal.
His breath fogs in the cold air.
Will (whispering): "Moon…"
The camera tilts up — thunder rolling, purple lightning tearing the clouds open.
The storm has come to Hawkins.
CUT TO BLACK.