Chapter 28: Dustin's Return
POV: Adam
Late July brings Dustin Henderson back to Hawkins like a science-obsessed hurricane, bursting through the basement door with the kind of manic energy that only comes from three weeks of academic immersion and the discovery of something that challenges everything you thought you knew about biology.
And here we go. The beginning of the end.
Adam sits with the rest of the Party in Mike's basement, watching Dustin clutch a terrarium against his chest like he's carrying the Holy Grail wrapped in glass and determination. The container pulses with movement that makes Scout—hidden in the woods outside—transmit waves of primal terror through their bond.
He found it. Just like the timeline said he would.
"Guys, you are not going to believe what happened at camp," Dustin announces, setting the terrarium on the table with reverent care. "I have made a discovery that could change our understanding of evolutionary biology forever."
Lucas raises an eyebrow with characteristic skepticism. "Dustin, you've been gone for three weeks. How much evolutionary biology can you discover at summer camp?"
"Oh, ye of little faith," Dustin replies, dramatically whipping away the towel covering his terrarium. "Behold—D'Artagnan!"
Dart. Baby Demogorgon. Future pack member of the swarm that's going to terrorize Hawkins.
The creature inside the glass looks harmless enough—slug-like, about the size of Adam's fist, with mottled skin that shifts between gray and brown depending on the angle of light. It moves with the slow, deliberate motion of something that's still figuring out how its own body works.
But Adam's system erupts in warnings that make his borrowed teeth ache.
[CREATURE IDENTIFIED: JUVENILE DEMOGORGON]
[DEVELOPMENT STAGE: 1 OF 7]
[THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE, ESCALATING RAPIDLY]
[GROWTH RATE: EXPONENTIAL]
[ESTIMATED TIME TO MATURITY: 3-4 WEEKS]
[WARNING: HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE WHEN MATURE]
Three to four weeks. By the time school starts, Dart will be the size of a large dog and hungry for human flesh.
"I found him in my trash can," Dustin continues with scientific enthusiasm that would be admirable if directed at something that wouldn't eventually try to eat everyone he cares about. "He was barely moving, almost dead. But look at him now!"
Dart responds to the attention by unfurling slightly, revealing rows of tiny teeth that gleam like needles in the basement's fluorescent light.
Mike leans closer with cautious interest. "What do you think it is?"
"That's the million-dollar question," Dustin says, settling into full lecture mode. "Based on my observations and what I learned at camp, I'm thinking some kind of unknown amphibian. Possibly a new species entirely."
If only you knew how right and how wrong you are.
Will stares at the creature with visible discomfort, his connection to the Upside Down making him sensitive to things that don't belong in normal reality. Adam catches his brother's eye and sees recognition there—Will knows this thing is wrong, even if he can't articulate why.
He remembers. On some level, he remembers enough to be afraid.
"It's cool, Dustin," Lucas says with grudging approval. "Weird, but cool. What are you going to do with it?"
"Study it, obviously," Dustin replies. "Document its behavior, feeding habits, growth patterns. This could be my ticket to MIT."
Your ticket to accidentally unleashing an apex predator in suburban Indiana.
Adam makes his move, keeping his voice casual despite the urgency clawing at his chest. "You know, I could help take care of it. At my house, I mean. My mom's a nurse—she'd know what to do if it got sick or anything."
And I could keep it contained. Monitor its growth. Maybe find a way to prevent what's coming.
Dustin's grip on the terrarium tightens possessively. "Thanks, but I've got it handled. I've been caring for him for three weeks now."
Mike immediately sides with Dustin, apparently viewing any attempt to involve outsiders as betrayal of Party solidarity. "It's his discovery, Adam. His responsibility."
His responsibility. Right up until Dart grows large enough to eat cats and small dogs.
Lucas watches the interaction with calculating eyes, reading subtext that Adam hopes he's interpreting incorrectly. "You seem really interested in Dustin's pet, Adam. Any particular reason why?"
Because I know exactly what it is and exactly what it's going to do and exactly how many people are going to die if we don't handle this correctly.
"I just like animals," Adam says instead, forcing casualness into his tone. "And I've gotten good at taking care of... unusual creatures."
Unusual. That's one way to describe interdimensional monsters.
Will speaks for the first time since Dart's revelation, his voice soft but carrying an undertone of distress that makes everyone stop talking.
"It doesn't belong here," Will says quietly, staring at the creature with haunted recognition. "Things like that... they're not supposed to be in our world."
He knows. Somehow, Will knows exactly what Dart really is.
"Come on, Will," Dustin says with the gentle condescension of someone explaining science to a superstitious child. "It's just an undiscovered species. Probably been living in the area for years without anyone noticing."
Undiscovered species. If only it were that simple.
That night, Adam makes his attempt at direct intervention. He slips out of the Byers house after midnight, Scout padding beside him with reluctance that speaks of species-level survival instincts. The creature refuses to accompany him into the Henderson house, instead maintaining position outside Dustin's bedroom window like a furry sentinel preparing for siege.
Even Scout knows this is a bad idea. But I have to try.
Adam climbs through Dustin's window with practiced stealth, moving toward the terrarium that sits on the desk like a containment unit housing nuclear materials. Dart shifts restlessly inside, apparently sensing movement despite the late hour.
Let me try to establish a bond. Let me try to control this before it becomes uncontrollable.
But when Adam reaches out with his taming ability, the system response is immediate and unforgiving.
[TAMING ATTEMPT: FAILED]
[SUCCESS RATE: 25%]
[WARNING: CREATURE BONDED TO ANOTHER HOST]
[HOST IDENTIFIED: HENDERSON, DUSTIN]
[INTERFERENCE DETECTED: EXISTING EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT]
It's already bonded to Dustin. Not through my system, but through simple emotional connection. Dart belongs to him now.
The taming failure generates enough psychic disruption to wake both Dustin and Dart. The creature hisses—a sound like steam escaping from overheated machinery—while Dustin sits up with the confused disorientation of someone pulled from deep sleep.
"Adam? What are you doing here?"
Trying to save everyone from a monster you think is a pet.
"I thought I heard something outside," Adam lies quickly. "Wanted to check on you. Make sure you were okay."
Make sure the interdimensional creature wasn't eating your face while you slept.
Dustin relaxes slightly, but Dart remains agitated, its tiny teeth clicking together in what Adam recognizes as aggressive warning display.
It knows I tried to establish dominance. It knows I'm a threat to its bond with Dustin.
"Thanks for checking," Dustin says with genuine gratitude that makes Adam's deception taste like acid. "But we're fine. Dart's been great—perfect behavior, eating well, growing like crazy."
Growing like crazy. That's exactly the problem.
[DUSTIN HENDERSON RELATIONSHIP: CONFUSED TRUST (55%)]
[QUEST OFFERED: MANAGE THE DART SITUATION]
[DIFFICULTY: EXTREME]
[FAILURE CONSEQUENCES: MULTIPLE CASUALTIES]
[SYSTEM WARNING: TIMELINE DIVERGENCE INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT]
[SOME EVENTS RESIST ALTERATION]
As Adam makes his way back to the Byers house through shadows that seem thicker than they should be, Scout sends images of dimensional instability throughout Hawkins. The creature network is detecting fluctuations that suggest the barrier between worlds is weakening, preparing for the autumn offensive that will test every preparation Adam has made.
August. One more month of relative peace before everything accelerates toward catastrophe.
Dart will grow. Will's infection will worsen. Max and Billy will arrive in Hawkins. The tunnels will begin spreading beneath the town like veins in a body that doesn't know it's dying.
And I'll be ready. Whatever it costs, whatever I have to reveal about myself—I'll be ready.
But as Adam settles into his bed across from Will's restless sleep, he can't shake the feeling that some fates resist alteration, some tragedies unfold despite foreknowledge and preparation.
I couldn't stop Eleven's sacrifice. I couldn't save Barb. And now I can't prevent Dart from becoming exactly what he's designed to be.
But maybe that's not the real test. Maybe the real test is learning to work with inevitability instead of against it.
Maybe some things can't be prevented—only managed.
Through the bond, Scout sends acknowledgment tinged with worry. The creature recognizes the scent of approaching war, the taste of dimensional energy building toward crescendo.
One more month of summer. One more month of preparation.
Then everything changes again.
And this time, I'll be ready for whatever can't be prevented.
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