More Than The Upside Down - An IT (2017) & Stranger Things Crossover

Experiments - Part 2

Dustin

Mike was outside by the time Dustin and Lucas found him. He was hunched over on the front lawn and Dustin could hear him sob. The two boys ran up to their friend and he laid a hand on Mike's back.

The shirt and skin beneath Dustin's hand were searing to the touch. A massive sweat patch was on the back of Mike's t-shirt and Dustin could smell nothing but a strong body odour coming from his friend.

He attempted to console his friend, "Are you okay, Mikey?"

Mike was beginning to weep now, his chest shaking heavily, "I can't breathe."

Dustin knelt beside him, rubbing his friend's sweaty back, "It's okay Mike, just take deep breaths."

Mike looked up at him with tearful eyes, "It hurts so much."

Dustin's face began to grow sullen, "Where does it hurt?"

Before Mike could respond, he let out a sickening cry. His back snapped and arched forward as he continued to cry out, before settling back down. He slumped down onto the grass as the cracking and snapping surged to other parts of his body.

Dustin stumbled back in time as Mike attempted to slash at him with a clawed hand. Mike's eyes were a vengeful yellow as he glared at Lucas and Dustin.

"Go!" He shouted through pointed teeth. "Something's not right with me."

"We're not leaving you," Dustin declared. "Whatever it is, we can help you through this."

"He could have a point though, Dustin," Lucas persuaded.

"I don't know what's going to happen," Mike whimpered, which was similar to a canine's.

Mike's back shot up again as he cried out even more. Dustin could see his spine shift into a new position and a tail sprouted out near the bottom. Mike's face began to snap and dislocate itself into a snout as Dustin and Lucas stood in bewilderment.

"Mike, whatever is happening to you, you can control this," Dustin reassured him.

"What the hell's going on here?" Nancy's voice sounded behind them.

Dustin turned around to see Nancy and Eleven walking up to them. He heard Mike's screams of agony began to turn into heavy growling behind him.

"Is he..." Nancy didn't finish. Instead, she looked at Dustin with eyes full of worry and concern before darting back to Mike's writhing body.

"He-He's starting to turn into something," Dustin admitted.

A whimper sounded and they all turned around cautiously. A large black wolf stood in front of them, accompanied by the tatters that used to be Mike's clothes. Eleven walked up to the creature and laid a small hand on its head.

"Eleven I don't think-" Dustin was cut off by Eleven's glare.

She turned back to the wolf and whispered, "Mike. It's me. Stay here. With us. Please."

The wolf looked up at her and nodded in an almost humanly mannerism.

"Holy shit," Nancy mumbled, a large tear falling down her cheek.

He sighed, wrapping his hands around the back of his head, "Alright, we need to get inside and figure out what we're going to do. We need a plan."

The others nodded and they all walked back to the Byer's house. Cluelessness and confusion created a thick tension in the air as everybody worried about Mike and what had happened to him. Whatever those people had done to his friend though, Dustin was gonna make them pay.