Chapter 24: The Arcade Introduction
POV: Adam
March brings spring break and the kind of restless energy that makes twelve-year-old boys look for adventures beyond the familiar boundaries of their hometown. Adam boards a Greyhound bus bound for Richmond with pocket money earned from helping Bob organize RadioShack inventory, ostensibly seeking the kind of arcade games that small-town Hawkins can't provide.
But really, he's hunting for a girl with red hair and angry eyes who games like she's fighting for her life.
Max Mayfield. Future Party member, Billy Hargrove's stepsister, survivor of family dysfunction who channels rage into joystick precision.
The Richmond arcade buzzes with electronic warfare—teenagers feeding quarters into machines that promise digital glory and temporary escape from whatever realities they're trying to avoid. Adam weaves through the crowd with careful purpose, scanning high score screens until he finds what he's looking for.
DIG DUG - HIGH SCORE: MADMAX - 751,300
There. She's been here.
Adam feeds quarters into the machine and begins systematically dismantling the score he spent weeks establishing during previous visits. His adult tactical thinking translates perfectly to pattern recognition and resource management, the kind of calculated efficiency that makes arcade games feel like military simulations.
But as he approaches the magic number, movement in his peripheral vision makes him glance sideways. A girl with red hair and a California tan leans against the adjacent machine, watching his progress with the focused attention of a predator studying potential competition.
Max. Finally.
She's smaller than he expected, anger compressed into a frame that makes her look fragile until you notice the way she carries herself—like someone who's learned that violence is always an option and sometimes the best one available. When he finally beats her score by exactly 500 points, she whirls around with eyes that blaze with indignation.
"You've been here before," she accuses, voice carrying the kind of suspicion that comes from too many betrayals disguised as coincidences.
Adam grins with carefully calculated charm. "Maybe. You're really good."
Genuine compliment. She doesn't get many of those.
Max's expression shifts, surprise flickering across features that apparently expected mockery or dismissal. "Not good enough."
"Good enough to hold the high score for weeks," Adam counters. "That takes skill and dedication. I'm Adam, by the way."
First contact established. Now don't mess it up.
Before Max can respond, a presence materializes behind her like a storm cloud given human form. Billy Hargrove emerges from the crowd with predatory grace, all dangerous charm and barely concealed violence wrapped in a package designed to make teenage girls lose their minds and teenage boys lose their nerve.
"Maxine," Billy says, his voice carrying the kind of authority that doesn't expect to be questioned. "We're leaving. Now."
And there's the abuse. Right on schedule.
Max's face shutters closed, fear flickering behind anger as she recognizes the tone that means consequences for perceived defiance. Billy's gaze shifts to Adam with calculating interest, reading threat assessment and territorial challenge in the space between one breath and the next.
"Who's this?" Billy asks, stepping closer with the fluid movement of someone who's learned that intimidation is often more effective than actual violence. "Your little boyfriend?"
Careful. He's looking for an excuse to escalate.
Adam channels the kind of adult confidence that comes from actually being an adult, meeting Billy's stare without flinching or backing down.
"Just someone who appreciates good gaming," Adam says evenly. "No offense meant."
De-escalation through casual disinterest. Make him feel like he's won without actually giving him anything.
Billy stares too long, reading Adam's body language for signs of submission or challenge. When he finds neither—just polite indifference—his expression shifts to frustrated calculation.
"Come on, Maxine," he says finally, grabbing Max's wrist with just enough force to make his point. "We've got places to be."
There. The casual cruelty that defines their relationship.
Max shoots Adam one last look—part apology, part warning—before allowing herself to be dragged toward the exit. But Adam follows at a discrete distance, using the crowd for cover as he watches their interaction in the parking lot.
Billy's voice carries even through closed car windows, berating Max for talking to strangers and making friends without permission. When he grabs her wrist again—harder this time, hard enough to leave marks—Adam makes a tactical decision.
Scout. Show yourself. Make him nervous.
The creature emerges from the woods that border the parking lot like a nightmare stepping into reality. Scout has grown since the Demogorgon fight, evolution-touched and combat-hardened, his flower-face petals unfurling to reveal teeth that gleam like surgical instruments.
Billy freezes mid-sentence, some primal instinct recognizing apex predator even when his conscious mind can't process what he's seeing. The creature lets out a low, guttural growl that seems to vibrate through the car's metal frame, and Billy's grip on Max's wrist loosens involuntarily.
That's right. Feel watched. Feel hunted.
Scout melts back into shadows before Billy can focus properly, leaving only the impression of something large and dangerous that might or might not have been real. But the effect is immediate—Billy releases Max completely and drives away faster than necessary, his casual cruelty replaced by the kind of nervous energy that comes from feeling like prey.
Through the rear window, Adam catches Max looking back at the arcade, and he swears she's smiling slightly.
Message received. When you come to Hawkins, you'll have friends waiting.
[MAX MAYFIELD RELATIONSHIP: INTRIGUING STRANGER (15%)]
[BILLY HARGROVE MARKED AS THREAT]
[SCOUT GAINS NEW COMMAND: INTIMIDATION DISPLAY]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: +300 XP]
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: PROTECT MAX MAYFIELD]
[TIMELINE FORESHADOWING: COMPLETE]
On the bus ride home, Adam watches Indiana farmland roll past his window and thinks about the angry girl with sad eyes who games like she's fighting for her life. By October, she'll be in Hawkins, dealing with Billy's escalating abuse and trying to find her place in a group of boys who aren't sure they want her.
But when you get there, I'll be waiting. And no one—not Billy, not anyone—is going to hurt you on my watch.
Through the bond, Scout sends satisfaction from his position patrolling the woods around Hawkins. The creature has learned to take pride in protecting pack members, even those who don't know they're part of the pack yet.
Six months until Max arrives. Six months to prepare for Billy Hargrove and everything he represents.
Six months to make sure that when the new girl needs friends, she'll find them ready and waiting.
Adam closes his eyes and lets the bus carry him home to a family that chose him and a brother who's fighting infection one episode at a time. Tomorrow will bring new challenges, new preparations for the storms gathering on the horizon.
But tonight, he allows himself to feel something approaching peace.
I'm building something here. Not just a creature army or a strategic network, but a community of people who protect each other.
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