Chapter Text
Hawkins, October, ???, 1983.
The sun was barely rising over the small town of Hawkins, painting the sky in shades of orange. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and fallen leaves. The streets slowly began to wake as residents stepped out to start their day, while the high school gradually filled with sleepy students.
In Steve's room, pop music played on a loop from his cassette player, but he wasn't listening. Sprawled out on his bed, he stared blankly at the ceiling. Sleep had become elusive lately. Each night blurred into the next, filled with sudden awakenings, cold sweats, and a heavy silence punctuated by bursts of static.
He had moved the phone into his room, clinging to the desperate hope of finding answers, but all he ever received were calls that repeated the same phrase over and over again.
Save the girl.
A shrill ring tearing through the night, a breath on the other end, but never an explanation. Never a message he could truly understand. Just him, alone, facing the echo of the dead. And that phrase, carving itself into his mind.
Save the girl.
These words played on repeat in his head. He heard them through the phone, hidden within the static like a command from elsewhere. Sometimes, they even crept into the silence, slipping through the faint hum of the radio waves, hiding in the electric buzz of his bedside lamp. He no longer knew if it was real or if his mind was playing tricks on him.
The loneliness pressed on his shoulders heavier than ever. He wasn’t supposed to carry this alone.
He didn’t even dare call Gwen. It had been too long since he last reached out, and the shame gnawed at him. And admitting to her what was happening, putting words to it, would make it real. That thought alone made him nauseous. He wasn’t ready. Not yet.
Lately, Steve had taken to reading the newspaper every morning, subconsciously (or obsessively, in denial) searching for clues, anything unusual, a missing person, a strange incident... But each turned page only revealed a mundane reality, filled with unimportant news. Yet he knew. He knew something was coming. And what had once been just a suspicion grew stronger with each passing day.
A car horn startled him. He turned toward the window; Tommy's car was parked outside. Carol, leaning against the door, rolled her eyes. Steve exhaled, grabbed his bag, and trudged down the stairs.
— "Hurry up, man, it’s not like I’ve got all day," Tommy shouted.
Steve rolled his eyes but simply shrugged. He adjusted the strap of his bag and dragged his feet down the stairs. Reaching the front door, he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on with a mechanical gesture before stepping outside.
— "Damn, took you long enough," Tommy scoffed. "What, trying to make yourself even prettier than usual?"
Tommy laughed, but Carol smacked his shoulder, rolling her eyes at his useless joke.
— "Don’t listen to him, Steve, you’re always incredible," Carol teased, nudging Tommy.
Steve ignored them, letting them bicker. He opened the car door and sank into the passenger seat without a word. The engine roared, tires screeching against the pavement as they sped off through the quiet streets of Hawkins, heading toward school. Carol turned on the radio and cranked up the volume.
Just as the music started, a metallic static swallowed the sound. A sharp, muffled noise. A shiver crawled up Steve’s spine.
— "What the hell is this?" Tommy grumbled, slamming his hand against the dashboard.
The static grew louder for a brief moment. Then a voice; distorted, weak. Steve felt his stomach twist.
— Save the girl.
His blood ran cold.
— "Hey, knock it off, Tommy," Carol muttered, fiddling with the radio dials.
Steve barely registered their argument, his attention locked onto the radio. He realized he was the only one who had heard it. Neither Carol nor Tommy had reacted to the voice emerging from the static.
The sound vanished in an instant. The music resumed, as if nothing had happened. Steve blinked, staring at the radio.
— "Jesus, Hawkins has the shittiest radio," Tommy scoffed, stepping on the gas.
Steve merely shrugged, but his heartbeat was racing.
The school day dragged on, shrouded in an impenetrable fog. Lately, Steve had been clinging harder than ever to his "King Steve" persona; the confident, popular guy, always ready with a joke or a charming smile. He couldn’t let anyone see how rattled he was, not Tommy, not Carol, no one. So, he played the part flawlessly, hiding his unease behind fake grins and easy banter.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t ignore the faint bursts of static he thought he heard over the school’s intercom system. Even the ringing of the office phones seemed strangely shrill, prolonged, like they were calling out to him specifically.
He spent most of his time hanging out with Tommy and Carol, cracking jokes and flirting with girls who shot him fleeting glances. He figured he had a shot with Nancy.
And yet, a part of him remained distracted, on edge. Everywhere he went, there was that sound. That interference.
When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Steve was among the first to leave the building. The outside air felt heavier, charged with an unseen tension.
He glanced around, half-expecting to see something, or someone, lurking in the shadows.
But there was nothing.
Nothing but the town, bathed in golden light.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to keep walking.