Jeopardy- Stranger Things

Chapter One

August 29th, 1983

Their feet pedaled their bikes as fast as they could go. The sound of tyres scraping across the tarmac of the road was all but drowned out by the echoing of their heavy breathing. But they didn't stop. They wouldn't stop going until they reached Mike's.

The three boys discarded their bikes on the front lawn and ran into the house that had, at least once in lives, been a sort home to each of the three boys. They were always welcome there. It was safe there.

A smiling woman was standing in the yellowy lit kitchen as they ran through. She beamed and waved lightly at each of them as they passed through, ignoring the splattering of mud left behind from their shoes. Or perhaps she was too distracted gossiping. She held the phone up to her ear by clamping it with a raised shoulder.

"Did you hear?" She gossiped as she shuffled round the kitchen, "A family's moved into that empty house by the woods."

The three boys had returned by this point, having been joined by a fourth boy, Mike.

"Well, I say 'family'," The woman continued as they boys ran past. She reached out a hand as her son dashed by and gently squeezed him on the shoulder: a non-embarrassing goodbye from his mum, "It's a single mum with her two kids. Just got divorced and moved back from England. I know, England!"

"Come on, Mike!" The three boys all collectively urged as the fourth boy struggled with the lock on his bike that his mum had made him put on after reading about the rising rate of theft. "We have to hurry!"

"All right, all right." He huffed, having wrestled the lock of his bike, "I know what's at stake here!"

He mounted his bike, flicked a strand of black hair that had fallen across his eyes and pedaled furiously away. They tore through the night.

The sun was just setting casting an eerie orange glow across the stretch of road that bore them away from the comfort of the homely suburbs and into the bustling of the town centre. Street lamps began flickering on as they passed and the darkness descended on them.

But the closer they got to their destination, the more lights they passed. By the time they reached the arcade, all the neon lights were shining brightly against the contrast of the blackness of night.

"I only managed to find five quarters down the back of the couch." Mike admitted defeatedly as he secured his bike on the rack. The others did the same, How was your haul?"

A curly haired boy shrugged and reached into his pocket.

"Oh I don't know," He teased, bringing out a clenched fist. The other three boys crowded round expectedly as he opened his palm revealing a tidy mound of gleaming silver coins, "How's this or a haul?"

"Oh yes! At least Dustin's got us covered!" One boy laughed and pumped the air.

"It's not like I didn't try, Lucas." Mike defended as he finished securing his bike and ran after the others, "It was just a slow week that's all."

"What are we hitting first?" The other boy asked. He was quieter than his friends and hid behind a mop of straight brown hair.

"Game of classic Pac, anyone?" Lucas chorused, swinging the doors wide and basking in the neon light from rows upon rows of arcade games.

"Nah, galaga!" Dustin exclaimed but no one moved until they had all decided.

"What about you, Will?" Mike asked the quieter boy who smiled and shrugged.

"We've always been undefeated at Donkey Kong." He reasoned, "That ought to ease us into it."

"Donkey Kong it is!"

"Up!" Lucas was shouting from over Mike's shoulder, "Up, Mike! You have to go up! You're not going up! Up, up, up, up, up!" He repeated but his constant backseat gaming wouldn't be enough as the sorry words of 'game over' appeared on the screen. The boys all groaned.

"I can't even look." Lucas groaned.

"Well that's not my fault." Mike protested, "You should have just let me play. If I hadn't had to listen to you, I might have stood a chance."

"Face it Mike, you've never been our best Kong player." Lucas patronised, "That title remains with me." He said smugly, pointing both thumbs to his chest and shaking his shoulders to a tune in his head in a victory dance he hadn't earned. The other boys all rolled their eyes.

"Hang on," Dustin interrupted. He had pushed past Mike and was staring at the screen which now displayed the leader board. "I wouldn't celebrate if I were you, Lucas. Look at that."

"Hey!" Lucas exclaimed as he too caught a look at the leaderboard, "Who topped my score?"

Will peered over the other boys' shoulders and squinted at the screen.

"Looks like George&Nick beat your score." He said, reading the name off the screen at the top of the leaderboard.

"Who's George and Nick?" Dustin pondered allowed.

"I think George and Nick are two people, dumbass." Lucas retailited. "And I don't care who they are. I'm reclaiming my place at the top."