Chapter 1 – Hawkins had never felt this quiet before. Winter had wrapped the town in a thick, muffled silence, the kind that made even the crunch of boots on snow sound distant and ghostly. Heavy snowflakes drifted slowly from the sky, settling on rooftops, power lines, and the rusted sign above Hawkins Middle School. It was nearly 5 p.m., but the sky had already darkened to a deep gray, promising more cold—and more darkness.
Max Mayfield tightened her scarf around her neck, eyes narrowed beneath the hood of her red jacket as she pedaled down the empty street. Her bike tires left thin tracks in the packed snow, veering around frozen piles at the edges of the road. The wind stung her face, and her eyes watered, not just from the cold—but from that sound.
It had started the night before. A low, steady hum—like the electric buzz of a transformer on the verge of blowing—but deeper. Organic, almost. Like something alive was pulsing behind the mechanical noise.
She skidded to a stop in front of the video store, dismounted, and pushed through the glass door. The warm air hit her like a wave, carrying the scent of plastic VHS cases and old popcorn. Somewhere behind the counter, the mechanical whir of a rewinding tape echoed.
Robin glanced up from her perch behind the counter, one foot propped on a shelf, headphones half-off her ears. Talking Heads was playing faintly in the background.
"You look pale," she said, adjusting her glasses. "What is it? Haunted trailer again? Or did Vecna wave at you from the woods?"
"Funny." Max rolled her eyes, yanking off her gloves. "Have you heard a weird noise around here lately? Like… static? But deeper."
Robin's brows lifted. "What, like Hawkins is secretly a giant radio and you're the antenna?"
"I'm serious. It started near my trailer. It's coming from underground, I swear."
Robin straightened, her smirk fading. "You tell Dustin yet?"
"I didn't want to freak anyone out unless I was sure. But last night… I had this dream." Max hesitated, fingers curling against the edge of the counter. "I was in the trailer, and the ceiling—it started dripping blood. When I looked up, I saw the Upside Down. Right above me. Like it was pressing down, waiting to break through."
Silence hung for a beat. The VCR clicked as the tape finished rewinding, the sound unnervingly loud in the quiet.
"We're calling the others. Now," Robin said.
⸻
To be continued…
This story in my Patreon
[email protected]/LUNASTALES
Just replace the @ with an a