01x07 - Chapter Seven: Enter the Storm

[bunniefuu]

[ominous music playing]

[creature growling softly]

[distant screeching]

[Mike] Run!

["Art-I-Ficial" by X-Ray Spex]

- [creature screeching]
- [Mike] Don't look back!

I looked back! Why did I look back?

["Art-I-Ficial" playing through Walkman]

There! Come on, hurry!

♪ I know I'm artificial
But don't put the blame on me ♪

Come on! Let's go!

♪ I was reared with appliances
In a consumer society ♪

[song ends]

- [both straining]
- Hang on! That ought to hold him for….

not long! Go, go, go!

Wait. We have to go back.

Did he say "wait"?
You did not just say "wait."

Charlie's still inside.

- Oh no. All right, we gotta go get him.
- [creature roaring]

He's all the way back
on the other side of the school.

We just can't leave him
in there with this thing.

Can't we?

Fine. I was kidding… sorta.

Come on! This way!

[screeching]

[synth theme music playing]

[music fades out]

[wind howling]

[newscaster] …mountains
under a winter weather advisory.

Whiteout conditions are also expected
throughout the day,

so definitely be careful on the roadways,
especially in higher terrain.

Mike, come in. Do you read me? Over?

A state of emergency has been declared

as authorities continue
to track the storm--

I will find you, Mike.

Mike?

- [Mike shivering]
- Mike?

What is wrong?

Why are you hiding?

[creature clicking]

[growling]

- [screeching]
- Mike!

Mike!

[exclaiming disgustedly]

[groaning]

Should we go after him?

[both] Eh…

Lucas and Max reporting in. Over.

[static]

Anyone out there?
We've got a creature attack incoming.

This is a code red. Over.

[static]

sh**t! Nothing but static.

[Max] And not exactly clear skies.

Probably need to find higher ground
to boost the signal.

Yeah. But where do we…

[groans]

Stupid vest!

Stupid storm, stupid She-Ra,

and stupid me.
Trying to pedal in the middle of this.

Whoa! Whoa!

Oh, great!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

- Whoa! Whoa!
- [horn honking]

Jeez, I almost k*lled you, Mr. Henderson!

Can I grab a ride?

Get in.

[punk music playing on headphones]

[creature screeches]

[screeching]

[fan powering up]

[sniffing]

[whispering] Why isn't it eating us?

Wait.

[punk music continues on headphones]

[groans]

[Will] I think it's smelling something.

Or someone.

[all gasp] Charlie!

Hurry up! Hurry up! Come on!

[both straining]

It is positively glacial out there.

Visibility may be too low right now
for safe conveyance.

But this…
this should make for a fine refuge.

Camping out in the Food Mart?
This is so cool!

Hopefully, it is the exact
and literal opposite of cool.

But I take your meaning.

Hmm. No power.

And the phone is out.

Seems we may have to make ourselves…

comfortable.

Uh, Pop-Tart?

[punk music playing over headphones]

Hey! Where are you guys?

If those losers ditched me, I swear…

Huh.

[soft growling]

What the…?

[straining]

Charlie!

[Nikki] Ah! Let him go!

You nasty thing! Let him go!

[Will] Hey! Over here!

Come get me!

[screaming]

[Will] Let's go!

[Nikki] Come on, big boy!

Oh my god! Oh my god!

[all panting]

Twice! We've saved
this guy's butt twice now!

He owes us big time.

What did it do to him?

Is he okay? Is he even alive?

He is, but it's like that thing put him
in some kind of trance.

This doesn't make any sense!

That creature, it had us cornered,

but then one whiff of Charlie,
and it dropped us like a bad habit?

The Snow Shark got him once before.
Maybe this creature wanted him back.

Maybe it still wants him back.

How long before this guy's stink
leads that thing right back to us?

We have to contact the others.
This is major code red material.

Your walkie.
It's still in your locker, right?

There's no way we'd be able to make it
without getting caught.

I got it.

Dude, one dumb creature
against three brilliant minds?

Trust me, we can take it down.

How?

We science the heck out of it.

[Dan] Okay.

This one's for all the marbles.

Ha, hey!

Ah!

Oops. [laughing]

I think you may be better
at folding paper football

than actually playing paper football.

Well, that tracks.

Growing up, I never really took to sports,
but I was a natural at geometry.

This was hardly what I trained for.

"Trained"?

Do you have a black belt?

Science trained, Mr. Henderson.

Biology with a focus on cytology.
Cytology is the study of--

Cells and cell formations.
You're preaching to the choir, my man.

So, why are you wasting your time
stuck here in Hawkins?

[sighs]

Well, not long ago,
Hawkins was a scientist's playground.

But then it all went up in smoke,
along with my hopes for a career.

You worked at Hawkins Lab?

You're talking to a founding member
of the Scientific Progress Committee.

For ten years, I ground myself to the bone
working toward a promotion

that was destined never to come.

I read that, um,
the place was pretty dangerous.

Can I ask what exactly
you were working on?

Well, that's just it, Mr. Henderson.

All those years of service,

and not a single shred
of security clearance.

No matter how much I had to offer them,

they just never seemed
to want to let me in.

Well, that's great!

I mean, not great, obviously.
That must have sucked for you big time.

No, I meant, like…

It's a cool watch.

No, you're right.

The investigators didn't even wanna
interview me after the shutdown.

Whatever really went down there,
I suppose I was one of the lucky ones.

But it also means I came away
with no research or reputation.

Just a few pens and a commemorative watch.

I get it.
You feel like your big adventure is over,

like the thing
that made you special is gone.

I guess it's not all bad.

If I hadn't lost my job,
then I never would have met Anna.

Uh… [chuckles] Mrs. Baxter.

I really do think
her work will change the world someday.

Exactly!

Just because things change,

doesn't mean
our new lives have to be… ordinary.

Yeah.

We can't stay here forever.

There may yet be a working phone
within walking distance.

I'm going to seek one out
while the wind has let up.

Can I trust you to mind the store?

I'll guard it with my life!

Right.

[wind howling]

I have decided I do not,
ugh, like, ugh, snow!

Ah!

Whew!

["Beat Goes On" by Little Murders playing]

♪ I don't wanna know
About the things that you do ♪

♪ I don't wanna know
About the things that you say ♪

♪ I don't wanna know ♪

♪ I don't give a damn
Because it's just a sham ♪

What is that?

Uh, calcium acetate.

Okay, how do I put this? Um…

Flammable goop!

How do you know all this stuff?

Never underestimate

the poorly supervised spawn
of a substitute science teacher.

Okay, if you guys are ready
with the distraction,

I can slip out of here
and get Mike's walkie.

You're not going, Will.
It's way too dangerous.

No offense, but I've had,
like, umptillions more experience

avoiding k*ller monsters than you have.

You're right.

Sorry, Will. I know you can do this,
but please just--

Be careful? Ha. You can count on it.

Here. Potassium nitrate and sugar
make for one heck of a…

[mimics expl*si*n] …smoke b*mb.

And this might look like a humble potato,
but it's what I like to call a taser tot.

Careful! The goop is flammable, remember?

You fumble it, and you could light us up
like a bad barbecue.

Then I guess all we need now is
some kind of monster bait.

And thankfully, we now know
what this creature wants most.

- [punk rock guitar music playing]
- Whoa! Ah!

Whoo!

Whoa!

Ah!

Whoa!

Whoa!

[giggling]

[music ends]

All clear.

How's our bait?

Oof. So stinky, like old cheese mountain.

Ugh! Rank.

If this creature likes how Charlie smells…

then let's ring the dinner bell.

[tense music playing]

That's not good.

Ah! Ah! Ah!

[screeching]

[roaring]

[sniffing]

Now it's up to you guys.

[screeching in distance]

[stomach gurgling]

Was that the creature?

Um, it was my stomach. I skipped lunch.

Your stomach?
That sounded like a chainsaw.

It did not.

[growling softly]

Gross.

Okay, that wasn't me.

[screaming]

[sniffing]

- Flint ready?
- Ready.

Not ready!

Whoa!

Are you okay?

Yeah, minus the fear of being impaled.

- Lucas!
- Max!

Got it!

What are you doing?

- I'm toast.
- [Will] The only one getting toasted…

Is him!

[screeching]

Look out, Mike!

[Nikki sighs]

[Mike] The guys are not going to believe
how amazing that was.

- I mean, you saw it, right?
- Oh, I saw.

That was pretty darn cool, Byers.

And, um…

Hey, I also wanted to say…

Sorry.

For the cold shoulder in detention.

You totally didn't deserve that,
and when all this is done,

I really hope there's still room for me
at your game table.

Don't look at me.
You're the Dungeon Master.

The party'd be lucky to have you.

I think he'll live to bully another day.

What are we gonna do with him?
We can't just leave him here.

Can we?

[fire alarm ringing]

Gotta admit, I always wanted to do that.

Welcome to the dark side, Wheeler.

[Lucas] Repeat, is anybody out there?

This is Max and Lucas
with a code red! Over!

sh**t! Still nothing!

You really know
all the best date spots, don't you?

What happened?

Oh, uh…

Glove down.
It's okay, though. I barely feel anything.

- Better?
- Yeah, um…

Better.

Lucas! Lucas! It's Mike. Is that you?

- Mike! It's Lucas and Max. We read you.
- This is a code red!

- We've got a code red!
- Wait. What?

We've been trying to reach you guys.

We fought off some new creature
in the sewer,

but a few more of them escaped,
and they're on the hunt.

Thanks for the heads-up.
We just took one out at the middle school.

- El, are you receiving any of this? Copy?
- [voice repeating through walkie-talkie]

Uh, Mike?

She's receiving you, all right.

Mike.

El?

Mike.

Saw you… at school.

Had to… help.

You came all the way here from the cabin
for me?

You were hiding, in trouble. You--

We're okay.

We… We k*lled the creature. It's over.

[Max] Hang on. Let me talk to him. Mike?

Mike, Hawkins Middle is northeast
of where we are,

but the creatures we saw in the sewer
were headed northwest, toward Abbot Road.

- [Dustin] Did you guys say Abbot Road?
- [Mike] Dustin?

Yes, hi. The one and only.

Dustin, where are you right now?

Um, that would be
the Food Mart on Abbot Road.

Okay, listen to me very carefully.
Do you have a way out?

I did, but we're kind of snowed in.
Any chance of a pickup?

We've got bikes at school,
but that snow is still pretty thick.

Max, look!

Guys? I don't think
the snow is gonna be a problem.

Well, hey, no rush on my account.
I'm all good here.

Like, on a scale of good to awesome,
I have to say, I'm pretty--

[growling]

Dead.

[synth theme music playing]

[music fades out]