The motel room on the edge of Hawkins smelled of stale coffee and dampness, a temporary refuge for Cassian, Jill, Helen, and Terri. On the table, Will's drawings—frantic scribbles of twisted vines—were scattered alongside stolen lab reports. Helen, with a pencil between her fingers, traced lines between the drawings and a map of Hawkins. "It's a map," she said, her voice firm. "These vines aren't random. They mark tunnels beneath the city, connected to the Upside Down portal."
Cassian, leaning against the wall, felt a hum in his blood, a warning that had unsettled him since he saw the drawings. "Will drew them in a trance," he said. "If it's a map, he's seeing what the Mind Flayer wants him to see."
Jill, checking her weapon, frowned. "Hopper found a tunnel in the pumpkin field. If these drawings are accurate, there are more. But why Will? What does that thing want?"
Terri, flipping through a report on "organic growths," spoke cautiously. "The lab knows about the vines. They're sending a team to a place Will can't describe. A 'blind zone.'"
Helen looked up, alarmed. "That sounds like a trap. If the Mind Flayer is using Will, it might be luring the lab."
Before they could plan, Cassian's walkie-talkie crackled. It was Joyce Byers, her voice on the verge of panic. "Cassian, I need your help. Will had a vision. He says Hopper is trapped… in a tunnel. Please come."
Cassian exchanged glances with the group. "I'm going to the Byers' house," he said. "Jill, can you keep an eye on Eleven? I don't trust her staying in that cabin."
Jill nodded, holstering her weapon. "Done. But if she escapes again, don't blame me."
Cassian arrived at the Byers' house, where the air was thick with tension. Joyce, with deep shadows under her eyes, held Will, who trembled on the couch, muttering about "darkness" and "vines." Mike, Bob, and the drawings covered the living room, a chaos of crayons and fear. "He said he saw Hopper," Joyce explained. "He's trapped, suffocating."
Cassian knelt in front of Will, his golden eyes glowing faintly, a reflection of his blood's energy sensing the presence of the Upside Down. "Will, where is Hopper? Try to remember."
Will, with a distant gaze, pointed to a drawing of the pumpkin field. "There," he whispered. "The vines… they have him."
Bob, adjusting his glasses, studied the drawings. "It's a map," he said, surprised. "These lines are Hawkins. The pumpkin field is here, near the lab. If Hopper's trapped, we need to go now."
Joyce nodded, determined. "Let's go. Cassian, are you coming?"
"Yes," he said. "Mike, Will, stay close."
Jill drove a stolen sedan through the gray streets of Chicago, with Eleven in the passenger seat, her face tense after her psychic encounter with Terry Ives. Jill had insisted on accompanying her after Eleven found Hopper's files about her mother. "You're not going alone," she had said, and though Eleven growled, she didn't protest.
They arrived at an abandoned warehouse, where a girl with dark hair and a "008" tattoo on her wrist greeted them: Kali. Her presence was magnetic, but Jill noticed a sharp edge in her smile. "Who's the cop?" Kali asked, sizing up Jill.
"A friend," Eleven said, her voice firm. "I want answers."
Kali projected an illusion, making the warehouse appear as a jungle for a moment, showcasing her power of mental manipulation. "We're sisters, El," she said. "Brenner made us. But now we hunt those who hurt us."
Jill, her hand near her weapon, observed Kali's gang: armed outcasts driven by revenge. "I don't like this," she whispered to Eleven. "They could be allies, but also trouble. What do you want to do?"
Eleven, looking at Kali, hesitated. "I don't know," she admitted. "I want to help my friends… but I also want justice."
Jill placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hawkins needs you. But it's your decision."
In the Hawkins lab, Helen and Terri infiltrated a server room, using their fake credentials to access records. Terri, more confident, scanned documents while Helen hacked a terminal. "Here it is," Helen said, showing a report. "The lab is sending a team to a 'blind zone' in the tunnels. Unknown coordinates."
Terri frowned, reviewing the drawings of Will sent by Cassian. "It's not on Will's map. It's like something is hiding it."
"The Mind Flayer," Helen said, her voice tense. "It's manipulating Will to protect something. If the lab goes in, it'll be a massacre."
Terri found security footage: a team of soldiers preparing to descend into the tunnels. "They're already on their way," she said. "We need to warn Cassian."
Helen contacted Cassian through the secure channel. "The lab is walking into a trap," she said. "The blind zone is a decoy. Be careful in the field."
"Understood," Cassian replied, his voice broken by the wind. "We're heading for Hopper. Stay safe."
Cassian led the group—Joyce, Bob, Mike, and Will—toward the pumpkin field, where the ground was rotten. The tunnel Hopper had found was open, its vines pulsing like living veins. Cassian felt his blood burn, his golden eyes glowing in the dim light. "Stay back," he said, unsheathing a blessed knife. "This is from the Upside Down."
They descended, with Will trembling but pointing the way. They found Hopper, unconscious, trapped by suffocating vines. Cassian cut the vines. "Come on, chief," he said, helping Mike carry Hopper.
But a growl echoed. A Demodog emerged from the shadows, its jagged petals snapping. Cassian pushed Mike and Will behind him, his golden eyes illuminating the tunnel. "Run!" he shouted, lunging at the creature. His Vatican training took over: he dodged a swipe, rolled, and plunged the knife into the Demodog's flank, bringing it down.
Joyce and Bob dragged Hopper out, but Will collapsed, convulsing, his screams echoing. Cassian, panting, felt pressure in his mind, a presence: the Mind Flayer. "It's not just Will," he murmured. "That thing is behind all of this."
As they emerged, lab scientists arrived, torching the tunnels with flamethrowers. The vines shrieked, and Will screamed in pain, his connection to the Upside Down evident.
Back at the motel, the group regrouped, with Hopper recovering and Will sedated at the Byers' house. Cassian recounted the rescue and the presence of the Mind Flayer. "It's not just a monster," he said. "It's a hive mind. It controls the Demodogs, Will, the vines."
Jill, who had returned after leaving Eleven with Kali, shared her concerns. "Eleven is torn. Kali wants her for revenge, but I think she'll come back. She's loyal to her friends."
Helen showed the video of the lab team. "They entered the blind zone," she said. "They haven't returned. Cassian, you were right: it was a trap."
Terri, holding a report, spoke. "The lab knows Will is connected. If they damage the tunnels, they could kill him."
"Then we need a plan," Helen said.
"I'll try," Cassian said, his golden eyes dimming. "But the Mind Flayer is smarter than we think. And if Will is its spy, it knows we're coming for it."