HAWKINS – MORNING
A thin fog hangs over Hawkins.The storm has passed, but the sky looks bruised — purple clouds dissolving into gray. The streets are littered with broken branches, puddles reflecting the pale dawn. Sirens wail faintly in the distance.
Crows pick at the soaked grass outside the Wheeler house, where a gaping hole in the roof is covered by a tarp. The neighborhood is silent, save for the sound of water dripping from the gutters.
Inside, everything smells of smoke and rain.
WHEELER HOUSE – LIVING ROOM
Hopper stands near the broken window, cigarette between his fingers, staring at the ruined ceiling. Joyce flips through a damp folder of lab files, her face tight with worry.
Joyce: "You're sure this is from Hawkins Lab?"Hopper: "Positive. Owens tried to bury these years ago."(He points to a photo — a girl, strapped to a table. Younger, paler, eyes closed.)Hopper: "Subject Twelve. Codename: Luna. Escaped before the fire. Never recovered."Joyce (quietly): "So that's her."Hopper: "Yeah. And now she's in my damn town."
A floorboard creaks. Joyce looks toward the hallway.
WHEELER GUEST ROOM – CONTINUOUS
Moon stirs beneath a blanket. Sunlight flickers over her face through the curtains. Her eyes open slowly — brown now, not glowing. She blinks in confusion, taking in the room: walls covered in family photos, the faint smell of waffles and coffee.
Her voice is barely a whisper.
Moon: "Where… am I?"
Mike sits nearby, slumped in a chair, half-asleep. When he hears her, he startles awake.
Mike: "Hey—hey, you're up."Moon (dazed): "What happened?"Mike (softly): "You… kind of saved us. Then passed out."(He hesitates)"The storm stopped when you did."
Moon stares down at her hands — small scars glowing faintly along her palms. She looks scared for the first time.
Moon: "I hurt someone?"Mike: "No. Everyone's okay."(beat)"You closed the gate."
She looks away, whispering more to herself than to him.
Moon: "I didn't mean to open it."
WHEELER BASEMENT – LATER
The group gathers: El, Will, Lucas, Max, Dustin, and Steve.The floor is still wet. Broken D&D pieces float in a puddle.
Dustin adjusts his hat, glancing between everyone.
Dustin: "So, we're just not gonna talk about the fact that she literally turned the sky purple?"Steve: "Henderson, maybe shut up for five minutes."Dustin (mock offended): "Excuse me, this is how I process trauma!"Steve: "Then process quieter."
Lucas leans against the wall, arms crossed, still uneasy.
Lucas: "I'm telling you, something's off. No one does that kind of damage without meaning to."Max (snapping): "She didn't mean to. You saw her face."Lucas: "I saw her powers. That's enough."
Will, quiet until now, finally speaks.
Will: "She's scared, not dangerous."
Everyone looks at him.
Will (softly): "When I saw her the first time… she didn't attack. She just looked lost."
Steve runs a hand through his wet hair, glancing toward the stairs.
Steve: "Yeah, well, lost or not—Hopper's not gonna let her stay here forever."
WHEELER DRIVEWAY – LATER
Hopper's car pulls away, tires crunching over debris. Joyce sits beside him, the folder open in her lap.
Joyce: "If the lab made her stronger than Eleven…"Hopper (grim): "Then whoever's running the lab again wants her back."
They drive off as storm clouds drift apart above the trees.
STREETS OF HAWKINS – SAME TIME
Dustin walks beside Steve toward Scoops Ahoy, both holding coffee cups.
Dustin: "So what's the plan? Keep her hidden in Mike's basement forever?"Steve: "No, genius. We let the cops do their job."Dustin: "You mean Hopper. Which means… we still have no plan."Steve (dry): "Exactly."(beat)Dustin: "You saw her, though, right? The way she looked at you?"Steve: "What's that supposed to mean?"Dustin (grinning): "You've got the 'Moon Eyes.' Classic symptom of Hawkins crush syndrome."Steve (rolling eyes): "Yeah, okay. She glowed purple and nearly leveled a neighborhood, Henderson. Not exactly my type."(beat)Dustin (smirking): "You say that now."
Steve can't hide the faint smile that betrays him.
WHEELER BACKYARD – LATER
Will sits on the steps, sketchbook in hand, drawing a rough image of the storm. The trees are still broken; puddles ripple in the breeze.
Moon walks out slowly, wearing one of Nancy's old hoodies. Her bare feet splash in the water.
Moon: "You draw the storm?"Will (startled): "Oh—uh, yeah. I just… remember it."(He glances at her)"You don't?"Moon (quiet): "I remember… light. And voices. Then nothing."Will: "You saved us."Moon: "No. I lost control."(beat)Will: "Then maybe next time you won't have to be alone."
Moon looks at him — unreadable as ever — but something softens in her expression.
HAWKINS STREET – AFTERNOON
A rumble cuts through the quiet.Billy's Camaro roars down the street, gleaming in the sunlight. He parks hard in front of the Wheeler house, engine still running.
He climbs out — sunglasses, denim jacket, and that same dangerous grin.
Billy: "Max! Let's go. You're late."
Max rolls her eyes, walking out the door with Lucas beside her.
Max: "We were cleaning up after, you know, the storm that almost killed us."Billy (mocking): "Oh yeah, sure. End of the world, huh?"Lucas (defensive): "She's not lying."Billy (turning): "Did I ask you, tough guy?"
He steps forward, towering over Lucas. Max tenses.
Max: "Billy, stop."Billy: "He still hanging around you, huh? Thought we talked about that."
Before Lucas can reply, the air shifts.
A low hum fills the air — wind picking up, leaves trembling.Billy freezes. Turns.
Moon stands at the edge of the yard, eyes faintly glowing. Her hand rises slowly, palm out.A wave of energy shoves Billy back a few feet — not hard, but enough to make him stumble.
Billy (furious): "What the hell—"(He steps forward, fists clenched.)
Before he can move, Steve steps in front of Moon, one arm outstretched.
Steve: "Hey. Back off."Billy (snarling): "Oh, what, you her bodyguard now?"Steve (low, calm): "Call it whatever you want."
For a moment, it feels like something's about to explode — again.But Max grabs Billy's arm, pulling him toward the car.
Max (shouting): "Just go!"Billy (growling): "This isn't over."
He yanks away, slams the car door, and peels off down the street.
Moon exhales slowly, her glow fading.
Moon (softly): "I didn't mean to."Steve: "Yeah, well… nice aim."
A faint smile flickers at her lips.
HAWKINS LAB – NIGHT
Floodlights hum. The lab, long dormant, is alive again. Men in suits and hazmat gear move through the corridors, collecting readings.
A tall figure stands before a screen showing the satellite image of Hawkins — a faint purple pulse still visible.
Agent (off-screen): "Sir, we've confirmed it. The anomaly reappeared near the Wheeler residence."Unknown Voice (cold): "And the subject?"Agent: "Alive. Contained. For now."Unknown Voice: "Then find her. Before she learns what she really is."
The camera pans to the name on the deskplate:
DR. BRENNER.
He turns toward the glowing screen — the purple light reflecting in his eyes.
WHEELER HOUSE – NIGHT
Inside, lights flicker softly.Moon sits by the window, looking out at the quiet street. Her reflection stares back at her — calm, but uncertain.
Will sits beside her.
Will: "You okay?"Moon: "I don't know. It feels… like something's coming."Will: "Yeah. It always is."
She glances at him — that same unreadable calm — and whispers:
Moon: "The full moon was only the beginning."
The wind stirs again outside.
The purple glow faintly returns in the clouds.
CUT TO BLACK.