Chapter 31

The sky over Hawkins Middle is an ugly, bruised gray when Maggie skids her bike into the school parking lot. Her lungs burn from the ride, and there’s an eerie hum in the air.

She hears shouting before she even gets to the field.

“Will! Will, honey, wake up!” Joyce’s voice, panicked and breaking.

Maggie sprints across the grass, shoes sliding in the dew. Her heart nearly stops when she sees the scene in front of her.

Will Byers is standing sharply, his small frame shaking violently. Mike’s stands beside him, gripping his shoulder tight; Dustin and Lucas hover nearby, wide-eyed and helpless. Joyce is crouched in front of him, pleading and sobbing at once, her hands on his face.

And then there’s the redheaded girl, standing a little back, arms crossed like she’s not sure she’s allowed to be there.

“What the hell happened?” Maggie gasps, dropping beside Dustin.

He turns toward her, wild-eyed, “He just—he just froze up! And then he screamed and—”

Will jerks violently, back impossibly straight. Joyce tries to hold him. Mike yells his name, voice cracking.

“Will!”

The air feels wrong. The clouds over the field pulse darker, and the wind cuts cold and sharp through the trees. Maggie’s stomach twists.

Joyce looks up at her suddenly, desperate, “Maggie—he’s burning up, he’s not breathing right! I don’t—do something! Please!”

“I—what can I—” Maggie stammers, but then she looks down at Will and sees it.

His eyes are open but not his. They’re glassy and distant, like something else is staring through him.

And she feels a dark, slithering pressure curling at the edges of her mind.

Fear. Cold, heavy, endless fear.

Her hands move before her brain catches up. She presses one trembling palm to Will’s chest, the other to his forehead.

“C’mon, sunshine,” she mutters, voice shaking, “Whatever this is, you don’t want it. Let it go.”

The air around her vibrates. Her veins start to glow faintly, not bright, but warm like embers.

“Maggie?” Mike’s voice wavers, “What are you—”

“Shh,” she whispers, eyes locked on Will, “I’m trying.”

A flicker of warmth spreads through her arms. She’s pulling something, though she’s not sure what. It’s thick, sticky, crawling up through her veins as she tries to draw it out of him.

Will’s shaking eases just slightly. His breathing steadies for half a second.

But then something fights back.

A jolt of ice rushes through her chest. Maggie gasps, her back arching as her hand jerks away. For a moment she sees flashes: a sky full of red lightning, a monster made of shadow, and a voice whispering her name from somewhere deep underground.

She falls back hard onto the grass, clutching her chest. Her skin feels cold, too cold, and her breath fogs in the air.

“Maggie!” Dustin grabs her arm, “Hey—hey, you okay?”

She forces a shaky breath, “I—yeah—yeah, I think—”

But her voice cracks halfway through. Her hand still burns from where she touched him, the veins faintly glowing beneath her skin before fading away.

Will gasps suddenly, sucking in a deep breath. His eyes flutter open, confused, terrified, but himself.

“Will?” Joyce chokes out, pulling him close, “Baby, you’re okay. You’re okay.”

Joyce reaches over and pulls a dizzy and shaking Maggie in as well, “Oh, my babies. It’s okay.”

The redheaded girl, Max, apparently, just stares at Maggie like she’s seen a ghost.

“What—what the hell was that?” she whispers.

Maggie swallows hard.

“I don’t know,” she says quietly, “But whatever it was… it’s not good.”

The wind howls through the empty field. the clouds pulse red once before swallowing the sky again.

Joyce gathers Will into her arms, murmuring softly, her voice trembling. He clings to her, dazed and shivering, his eyes darting like he’s still seeing something no one else can.

Maggie gets to her feet beside them, swaying a little.

“Let’s get on home, okay?” Joyce says gently, brushing Will’s hair out of his face.

Maggie nods weakly, “Yeah. I’m gonna really need that nap.”

She rubs the chill from her arms, the kind that doesn’t quite leave, and follows as Joyce leads Will toward the parking lot. The others trail behind, their sneakers squeaking on the linoleum as they move through the empty school.

When they reach the front doors, Joyce helps Will into the car. Maggie hangs back with the kids, leaning on her knees like she might fall over if she doesn’t.

The redhead breaks the silence first, “Okay, that totally freaked me out. Did that not freak you guys out?”

Maggie straightens, raising a hand, “Oh, no, yeah. Totally freaky. Totally won’t go pitch myself off a cliff now,” She forces a lopsided grin, “I’m Maggie, by the way.”

Max takes her outstretched hand, “Max. Crazy first impression of you, by the way.”

“Don’t worry,” Maggie says, voice still shaky but teasing, “I get worse.”

Lucas lets out a short, nervous laugh.

“Two episodes in two days,” he mutters, glancing at Will through the car window.

Mike folds his arms, staring down at the pavement, “It’s getting worse.”

“You think it’s True Sight?” Lucas asks, his tone edged with worry.

“What’s True Sight?” Maggie and Max say at the same time, exchanging a confused look.

Lucas immediately shakes his head, not wanting to reveal anything to Max, lips pressed tight, “It’s nothing.”

Max frowns but doesn’t push. Maggie, though, keeps her gaze locked on the horizon.

“Well,” she says quietly, “whatever it is that I felt… it’s bad. Really bad.”

The group goes silent again. Even Dustin’s usual chatter dies out. The weight of her words sinks in.

Joyce waves from the car, “Maggie, you coming?”

She nods, starting toward the vehicle but glancing back once more at the field. The grass there ripples in the wind, though the air is still.

A whisper, faint and cold, brushes at the back of her mind. Just a memory of the darkness she’d touched when she reached into Will’s fear.

Maggie shivers hard and shakes her head as if to clear it.

“Yeah,” she mutters under her breath, “nap. Definitely need that nap.”

As Joyce’s car pulls out of the lot with Will bundled in the backseat, the kids mount their bikes, wheels crunching on gravel. Maggie watches them scatter into the fading light, each one looking over their shoulder like they can feel it too.

Then she exhales and heads for her own bike, hands trembling slightly as she grips the handlebars.

That night, Maggie dreams of cold.

She’s standing in the middle of the school field again, though it’s different now, bleached white under a sky the color of ash. What looks like snow, falls in slow, heavy flakes, though when she catches one on her palm, it burns.

“Maggie.”

She spins, heart leaping. Will stands a few yards away, wrapped in the same clothes he’d worn that afternoon, his breath clouding in the frigid air. But his eyes aren’t right.

“Will?” she says, taking a cautious step toward him, “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe. You’re with mom—”

He shakes his head, voice small and echoing strangely, “No. You’re here too. You see it, don’t you?”

“See what?”

Will lifts a trembling hand and points behind her.

Maggie turns.

At first, there’s nothing. Just the whiteness, endless and silent. Then the clouds shift. And from them, something vast begins to move.

A shadow stretches across the sky, long and skeletal. The shape of it blots out what little light there is, countless tendrils twisting, writhing, reaching.

Maggie’s knees go weak. It’s worse than before, worse than anything she’s felt. It isn’t just there, it’s aware.

It knows her.

“Maggie,” Will whispers again, panic threading his voice, “He’s angry.”

She reaches for him instinctively, but he staggers back like something yanks him from behind.

“Will!”

Her boots drag across the frozen ground, lungs burning. The static grows louder, the wind roaring now, and the shadow stretches until it swallows the world whole.

“Maggie!”

The ground gives out beneath her feet. She falls through the ice and lands in black water.

It’s the Void.

The sound disappears completely, replaced by that deep, endless silence. A single light flickers in the distance.

“El?” she calls out, her voice thin and hollow against the nothing.

Footsteps echo. Eleven steps into the faint glow, barefoot, her curls damp and floating in the still air.

“Maggie?” El asks quietly, “Why are you here?”

“I—” Maggie swallows, rubbing her arms, trying to piece it together. “I don’t know. I was dreaming. Will was there. And then… him.” She gestures vaguely at the empty dark around them, “The shadow. The big one. It saw me, El. It knew me.”

El’s face hardens, “The Shadow Monster.”

“Yeah,” Maggie breathes, her voice trembling, “He’s not done. He’s coming. I can feel him.”

The light between them pulses, dimming. Maggie glances around. The Void seems to be moving, the blackness trembling like something is pressing against it from the outside.

El steps closer, “He is angry. He wants to hurt. All of us.”

Maggie nods, her throat tight, “We have to warn them. Hopper, Joyce, the kids — they need to know.”

El’s brow furrows, her jaw set, “You—” she looks at Maggie, eyes wide — “you’re connected now.”

Maggie freezes, “What?”

“You touched him. When you helped Will. You let him in.”

The words hit like ice water, “No. No, I—”

But El just shakes her head, “He sees you now. Like he sees Will.”

The Void starts to crackle with static, the edges of their world splitting apart.

“El!” Maggie calls, reaching for her.

El’s voice is distant, fading, “Be careful, Maggie.”

Then the light goes out.

Maggie wakes up gasping, clutching her blanket to her chest, skin slick with cold sweat. The room is dark, her heart hammering.

The clock on her nightstand ticks softly.

3:17 a.m.

For a long time, she just sits there, listening to her own breath. Then she swears she hears it.

A whisper.

A low, rasping voice curling in the back of her mind.

“Found you.”

Maggie’s eyes snap open, and she turns on her bedside lamp, but the room is empty.

Just shadows.

And the faint echo of something else still watching.

Maggie wakes again before her alarm.

It’s still dark, the house quiet except for Joyce’s coffee pot and the tick of the kitchen clock down the hall. Her heart is still racing from the dream.

She sits on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor until her breathing steadies, then forces herself up. Jeans, sweatshirt, sneakers, normal clothes for a normal day. She stares at herself in the mirror. She looks fine. A little pale, maybe, but fine.

By the time she makes it to the kitchen, Jonathan’s already there, camera bag slung over his shoulder. Joyce is pouring coffee into a thermos, her hair pulled up messily.

“Morning,” Joyce greets, “You look tired.”

Maggie musters a half-smile, “Thanks, Mom. Always love your compliments first thing in the morning.”

Jonathan chuckles softly, but his eyes flick up at her, that quiet big-brother concern creeping in, “You sure you’re okay? You look kind of—”

“Haunted? Possessed?” Maggie cuts in, grabbing a piece of toast, “I’m just roleplaying the Exorcist.”

Jonathan frowns, not buying it, but lets it drop as Joyce walks away to the bathroom, “Nancy’s expecting us after second period. You ready for today?”

Maggie freezes mid-bite. The plan. The trap for the feds. Normally she’d be all in, but the dream is still fresh in her mind, and her gut is twisting in a way she can’t ignore.

She forces a casual tone, “Actually… I can’t go with you guys.”

Jonathan looks up sharply, “What? Why not?”

“I’ve got something important to do,” she says, brushing crumbs from her hands.

“More important than possibly getting the government to confess they covered up a murder?”

“Yeah,” she says softly, avoiding his gaze, “Way more important.”

He stares at her for a long moment, suspicious but too kind to push, “You’re being weird.”

“I’m always weird,” she counters, trying to sound light, “Go play spy with the love of my life. I’ll catch you later.”

Jonathan sighs, mutters something about her being insane, and heads out.

The second he’s gone, Maggie bolts to her room, grabs her walkie off her nightstand, and flicks it on.

“Breaker, breaker, this is Hot Mess One, calling the nerd herd. Do you copy?”

Dustin’s voice crackles through, “Maggie? That you?”

“Unless there’s another incredibly stylish person on this frequency,” she says, pacing the room, “Listen, I need you to get the guys together. It’s important.”

“Uh—how important?”

“As in potentially life-ruining, monster-related important,” she says, lowering her voice, “Where are you right now?”

“School,” Dustin answers immediately, “We’ve got lunch next. Why?”

“Meet me out front during lunch. Don’t tell anyone else, okay? Just… be there.”

There’s a short pause, then Lucas’s voice cuts in from the same channel, “You sound weird. You in trouble?”

“No,” she lies smoothly, “Just trust me on this, okay?”

Mike’s voice follows, “We’ll meet you. Front steps. Don’t be late.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she says, trying to sound flippant, though her pulse is still hammering.

The autumn wind bites at her cheeks as Maggie pedals her bike across the cracked parking lot. The bell rings just as she skids to a stop in front of the school, nearly running over a stray basketball.

The boys are waiting; Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max is nearby, arms crossed like she’s about to give them a lecture. Will’s not with them.

“Maggie!” Dustin calls, waving her over, “What’s going on? You sounded serious.”

“Because it is serious,” she says, catching her breath, “Where’s Will? I thought Mom took him to school.”

“Home,” Mike says grimly, “Joyce kept him home after yesterday. He’s been… off.”

“Yeah,” Maggie mutters, “That’s what I was afraid of.”

Lucas frowns, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Let’s talk inside.”

“AV room, now,” Mike says, “Party members only.”

He shoots a quick glare at Max.

“C’mon, Mike,” Dustin tries to reason.

“No!” he shouts, “This is non-negotiable.”

Lucas and Dustin both apologize to the younger girl. Maggie shoots her an empathetic look. As much as she wants Max to feel included, she wouldn’t dare to drag the poor girl into everything.

“I’ll buy you a milkshake later,” Maggie promises, before jetting off after the group of boys.

Mike leads them through the side door into the AV club room. The boys pile in, and Maggie shuts the door behind them, locking it.

“Okay,” she says, lowering her voice, “Something’s happening again. Last night, I—” she hesitates, then continues, “I saw something. Or maybe I dreamed it. I don’t know. But Will was there, and that thing — this shadow — it was watching us. It knows him. And now… it knows me too.”

They all stare at her.

Mike’s face goes pale, “Will didn’t want me to tell anyone, but on Halloween night he saw a sort of shadow in the sky and it scared him.”

Maggie groans, “Yup, sounds about right.”

Dustin shifts nervously, “Okay, wait— you’re saying you dreamed about this thing?”

“I’m saying it wasn’t just a dream,” Maggie says quietly, “Will was in it too. Like… we were both there.”

Lucas glances around the room, “That’s… not good.”

“So what do we do?” Dustin asks, voice small.

“We acquire more knowledge,” Mike says.

The boy looks to Maggie, “I’ll go to your house after school. See what’s going on. You guys stay here and find Dart.”

“What the hell is a Dart?” Maggie asks.

“Long story,” Lucas sighs.

“What’s Dart gotta do with this?” Dustin asks.

“Will heard him in the Upside Down. I don’t know how yet, but he’s gotta be connected to all of this. He’s gotta be. If we can find Dart, maybe we can solve this thing. Maybe we can help Will,” Mike concludes.

Ok soooo just so it is clear, yes Maggie is a bit possessed by the mind flayer now. her connection is no where near as strong as will’s, buuuuuuuuuut he’s still in her a little lmao.