Branches snap under their feet as Hopper runs ahead, flashlight slicing through the dark.
"This way!" he shouts.
Mike nearly slips in the mud, Will grabbing his arm to steady him. Lucas barrels past them, breath hitching with every step.
Then they break into the clearing.
Dustin.
Eddie.
Steve.
Max.
And the jocks.
Tension hangs thick, electric.
Jason turns, eyes wild. "You stay out of this, Hopper."
Hopper steps forward without hesitation, planting himself between them. "That's enough."
Jason scoffs. "She's dead."
"I know," Hopper says, voice ironclad. "And this? This is not justice. This is you making it worse."
Jason points at Eddie. "He did it."
Hopper's eyes never leave Jason. "You don't know that."
"I know—"
"You don't," Hopper cuts in. "This investigation is police business. You go home. You rest. And you let me do my job."
Jason's chest heaves. For a second, it looks like he might swing anyway.
Then one of the jocks touches his arm. "Jason… cops are here."
Jason stares at Eddie like he's burning the image into his brain.
"This isn't over," he says quietly.
Then he turns and walks away. The jocks follow.
The clearing empties.
Silence rushes in.
Max finally moves.
She runs straight to Lucas and throws her arms around him. "You scared the hell out of me."
Lucas freezes, stunned. "Max—what are you—how—"
"I saw the news," she says into his shoulder. "You didn't answer. I just—" She pulls back, eyes searching his face. "Are you okay?"
Lucas nods slowly. "Yeah. I think."
Dustin blinks between them. "Uh. Hi. Who are you?"
Max wipes her eyes. "Max."
Eddie tilts his head. "Huh. New characters keep dropping into my life at the worst possible time."
Steve clears his throat. "I found her biking near the mill."
Max shoots him a look. "You followed me."
Steve shrugs. "You were heading toward chaos. I've got a sixth sense for that."
Joyce Byers doesn't yell.
That's what scares Will.
She pulls him into a hug so tight he can barely breathe. Jonathan wraps his arms around them both.
"Where have you been?" Joyce whispers. "You didn't come home. Again."
Will swallows. "I—I'm sorry."
Jonathan studies his face. The dirt. The exhaustion. "What happened?"
Will exhales. "Chrissy died. Eddie didn't do it. People think he did. Jason's after him."
Jonathan stiffens. "And Steve Harrington?"
Steve shifts awkwardly. "Present."
Jonathan narrows his eyes. "Why is he involved?"
Mike steps in before Will can answer. "Because he helped."
Joyce looks between them all. Fear wars with understanding. "You should've called."
"I know," Will says softly. "But… I couldn't leave."
Joyce cups his face. "You don't disappear on me, okay?"
Will nods. "Okay."
She doesn't see Mike watching from the doorway, chest tight.
The school library is unusually quiet the next morning.
Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Eddie crowd around a table. Eddie's leg bounces nonstop.
"Okay," Dustin says. "Full honesty. What happened?"
Eddie rubs his face. "Chrissy asked me for pills. Said she needed something stronger. I gave them to her. That's it."
"Did she take them there?" Will asks.
Eddie shakes his head. "No. She left."
Lucas frowns. "Then she didn't die at the bar."
Mike looks up sharply. "Hopper said something similar."
Max leans forward. "So someone else was with her."
The table goes quiet.
"We need to prove it," Dustin says.
Eddie laughs hollowly. "Yeah? How?"
Mike meets Will's eyes. "We figure out what really happened."
Will nods. "Together."
Eddie looks at them — really looks — and something in his shoulders loosens. "You guys are insane."
Dustin grins. "We've been told."
Scoops Ahoy is dead that afternoon.
Robin watches Steve pull off his uniform halfway through his shift.
"Uh—no," she says, blocking him. "You don't just leave."
Steve exhales. "Robin—"
"You're acting like you're being hunted."
Steve hesitates. Then: "Chrissy's dead. Eddie's being blamed. And I don't think the town's gonna wait for the truth."
Robin studies him. "You're in this now."
Steve nods. "Yeah."
She grabs her jacket. "Then so am I."
After school, they gather behind the building.
Steve. Robin. Eddie. Dustin. Mike. Will. Lucas. Max.
An accidental group. A fragile one.
"This is insane," Robin mutters. "I love it."
Hopper watches from his cruiser across the street, unreadable.
And across town, Jason Carver grips his steering wheel until his knuckles whiten.
"They're hiding something," he says to no one. "I'll find it."
He starts the engine.
The hunt isn't over.
It's just changed shape.