Daphne sat on the couch, her thoughts drifting as Lucas swept up the broken glass from the window. The shards clinked together softly, echoing in the otherwise quiet room.

Mike paced back and forth, his anxiety palpable as he chewed on his nails, deep in thought. Max, who was sitting next to Daphne, broke the silence with a tentative question. "Daphne, can I ask you something?"

Daphne turned to her, her expression softening. "Of course, Max. What's on your mind?"

Max hesitated, fidgeting with her hands. "It's just... all of this, the monsters, the Upside Down... How do you stay so calm? I feel like I'm constantly freaking out, and you just seem... so put together."

Daphne let out a small sigh, considering her words carefully. "Max, I'm not always calm. Trust me, I've had my moments where I felt like everything was just too much. But I guess... I've learned to push through it because I have to. We all do. There's so much at stake, and if we don't keep it together, who will?"

Max nodded slowly, absorbing Daphne's words. "I guess. It just feels like no matter what we do, it's never enough. There's always something worse waiting around the corner."

Daphne gave her a reassuring smile. "It's scary, I know. But you're stronger than you think, Max. We all are. We've been through so much already, and we're still standing. That counts for something."

Max managed a small smile in return. "Yeah, I suppose it does."

Just then, they heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Daphne tensed, her instincts kicking in. "Stay here," she told Max, rising from the couch.

She walked cautiously into the kitchen, only to find Dustin rummaging through the fridge, tossing various food items onto the floor with reckless abandon. Next to him, Steve struggled with the weight of a lifeless demodog in his arms.

"Is this really necessary?" Steve asked, exasperated.

Dustin, clearly excited, nodded vigorously. "Yes, it is, okay? This is a groundbreaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog."

Steve rolled his eyes but didn't argue. "Alright, alright. But you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, alright?"

He awkwardly maneuvered the demodog into the freezer, trying to fit it among the remaining frozen goods. Daphne, watching the scene unfold, felt a surge of frustration.

"Are you fucking insane?" Daphne snapped, stepping forward. "You're not leaving that monster in my freezer!"

Dustin looked at her, wide-eyed. "Oh come on, Daphne, it's dead! It's not gonna hurt you guys!"

"I still don't want that thing in my fridge," Daphne insisted, her tone brooking no argument. "Steve, take it out immediately!"

But Dustin wasn't backing down. "No, Steve, leave it there."

Daphne narrowed her eyes. "My fridge, my house, my rules, Henderson."

Steve, caught between the two of them, raised his hands in surrender. "Let's keep it there until Hopper and your mom come back home, okay? They'll know where to put it."

Daphne huffed, crossing her arms. "You're crazy. And Dustin, you're buying all that food you tossed on the floor!"

Dustin gave a mock salute. "Yes, sir!"

With that settled, the three of them headed back into the living room where the others were gathered. Max had joined Lucas in cleaning up the glass, while Mike continued his restless pacing.

"Mike, would you just stop already?" Lucas finally snapped, his patience wearing thin.

Mike whirled around, eyes blazing. "You weren't in there, okay, Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs."

"Demodogs!" Dustin corrected, unable to resist. Lucas shot Dustin a look but continued. "The chief will take care of her."

Max, who was standing nearby, muttered under her breath, "Like she needs protection."

Steve, trying to lighten the mood, stepped forward. "Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game. Bottom line, you execute it. Alright?"

Daphne frowned, confused by Steve's analogy. "What?"

Mike's frustration boiled over. "Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench."

Steve, fumbling for words, stammered, "So my point is... right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do."

Daphne shook her head. "How's that supposed to make him feel better?"

Steve tried to recover from his awkward analogy, but before he could speak, Dustin chimed in, eager to share his theory. "That's not entirely true. I mean, these demodogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

Lucas, catching on, added, "So if we get their attention..."

Max finished the thought, her eyes lighting up, "Maybe we can draw them away from the lab."

Mike, suddenly energized, spun around to face the group. "And clear a path to the gate!"

Steve, who had been watching the conversation spiral, stepped in. "Yeah! And then we all die."

Dustin shrugged, unperturbed. "That's one point of view."

Daphne, stepping in to back Steve up, nodded firmly. "Yeah, kiddos, there's no way we're going to be the bait."

Steve crossed his arms, agreeing. "That's not a point of view, Henderson. That's a fact."

Mike, however, was already thinking ahead. "I got it!" He dashed into the kitchen, where he pointed to one of the many drawings taped to the walls. "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel. So..." He moved to another cluster of drawings, tracing his finger along the paths. "Here, right here. This is like a hub. All the tunnels feed into here. Maybe if we set this on fire—"

Steve cut him off sharply. "Oh yeah? That's a no." But Dustin, ever persistent, continued. "The Mind Flayer would call away his army."

Lucas, catching on, nodded. "They'd all come to stop us." Daphne's heart pounded as she interjected, "No, wait!"

But Mike pressed on, ignoring the rising tension. "We circle back to the exit. By the time they realize we're gone—"

Max chimed in, "El would be at the gate." Steve, raising his voice to command attention, finally shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! This is not happening!"

Mike looked frustrated. "But—" Daphne joined in, backing Steve up. "No way, kids. No buts."

Steve, seizing the moment, stepped forward with authority. "We promised to keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what we plan on doing, right, Daph?"

Daphne nodded, her voice firm. "Yeah, we're staying right here. On the bench."

Steve pointed at the kids, making sure they understood. "And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?"

Mike, still not convinced, muttered, "This isn't a stupid sports game."

Daphne, her patience wearing thin, responded sharply. "Right, Mike, it's our fucking lives we're talking about!"

Steve's voice took on a tone of finality as he repeated, "I said, does everybody understand that? I need a yes."

Before anyone could answer, a familiar sound broke through the tense atmosphere—the revving of a car engine outside. The sudden noise made everyone freeze.

Daphne's eyes widened in recognition. "I know that sound."

Max ran to the window, her heart racing as she peeked through the curtains. Her face paled as she turned back to the group. "It's my brother. He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me—kill us!"

Steve immediately took charge, his voice steady. "Let me handle this."

But Daphne wasn't about to let him face Billy alone. "No way, I'm coming with you. He'll listen to me."

With a nod from Steve, they both left the house, stepping onto the doorsteps to confront Billy before he could cause any more trouble.