Chapter 94: The Calamity of Hawkins Town

Dr. Sam Owens was in despair, and there was no way for him not to be. When monsters poured endlessly through the interworld passage like popcorn bursting from a machine, he knew it was all over.

The army stationed near the passage managed only to withstand the first wave before the monsters that followed hurled themselves upon them, knocking them to the ground, biting off their heads, and tearing their bodies apart.

Blood stained the entire laboratory crimson.

Owens could not help wondering whether they had been wrong all along, whether humankind had never ought to have probed the other world and drawn down so many monsters upon itself. Regret, now, was too late.

Listening to the screams of his colleagues being slain by the creatures around him, Dr. Owens crouched in his office, trembling so violently he could do nothing but pray to God that the monsters would not find him.

A telephone rang.

“Hello? Wheeler residence, may I ask who’s calling?”

Mrs. Wheeler took the call, and at once a familiar voice came through the line. It was her second son, Michael.

“Mom, there are lots of monsters hunting in town. You and Dad need to hide in the fallout shelter at home and not come out, no matter what. Remember, do not come out under any circumstances.”

“Honey, what are you talking about? Monsters? Are you playing too much Dungeons and Dragons?”

Mrs. Wheeler did not believe him at all. She thought her son was joking, or playing some sort of prank.

“No, Mom, you have to believe me. There really are monsters out there. I’m not lying to you.”

Michael was on the verge of tears as he tried to explain, and only then did Mrs. Wheeler take it a little more seriously, though she still brushed it off.

“All right, all right. We’ll be careful and won’t let any monsters into the house. By the way, honey, when are you coming back? Do you want me to pick you up?”

“Don’t come here. Whatever you do, don’t come here. Just stay hidden at home with Dad. We’ll handle it.”

With that, the call ended. Michael walked away anxiously, and Lucas made the next call home.

A few minutes earlier, by means of Lin Xiao’s blood, they had forcibly transformed back into human form and immediately called home to warn their families, but the results were poor. His mother seemed not to believe him.

When it was Lucas’s turn, sure enough, his family was not especially convinced either, but they promised not to go out lightly until the matter had been sorted out.

Finally, Dustin also called his mother and told her the same thing. She was half convinced, half doubtful, though at that hour of the night she had no intention of going out anyway.

After notifying the three families, Chief Hopper also began making calls, contacting the police officer on duty at the station and ordering him to sound the air-raid siren to warn all residents that danger was about to descend on Hawkins.

A moment later, the piercing alarm echoed across the skies above Hawkins. Hearing it, and recalling their sons’ earlier warnings, the three families at last took the matter seriously and hurried into the fallout shelters beneath their homes.

Fortunately, this was the era of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. In preparation for nuclear war, nearly every household had dug a shelter. It could not be said to withstand a true nuclear strike, but at the very least it could endure large-scale bombing, and stopping demonic hounds would pose no great problem.

By now, the horror house was crowded with people. Aside from Lin Xiao and the others, the sturdy young men brought by Lucien had also gathered inside and stood at the sides, awaiting orders.

“What do we do now, Jonathan?” Chief Hopper asked Lin Xiao.

Though still young, his formidable strength had made him the pillar of all present, and every eye turned toward him.

Lin Xiao said nothing for a moment. There were too many demonic hounds this time. A rash attack would be perilous; if he were surrounded by the horde, even he might be torn to pieces. For now, they could only remain still and wait for the situation to change.

Moreover, after killing the great demon king just now, their position had likely already been exposed. Given the hatred between them and the Mind Flayer, it was easy to imagine a great wave of demonic hounds already on the way.

As expected, Eleven, who had kept her eyes closed all this time to sense the situation, suddenly opened them and said with a grim expression, “They’re coming, Jonathan. I can see at least a hundred demonic hounds and more than a dozen great demon kings heading our way. They should arrive in about five minutes.”

Lin Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank heaven the great demon king did not know their true strength now and still thought they were as they had been before, so it had sent only so many underlings.

With their former strength, this army of demonic hounds would have been enough to kill them all. But now... glancing around the room, he felt full of confidence.

There were two Green hunters, a blade warrior, a highly promising intermediate witch, a newly turned vampire, two newly turned werewolves, and eighteen sturdy young werewolves.

Against the demonic hound horde coming their way, this force would surely be more than sufficient.

The real problem was this: once the horde was destroyed, the Mind Flayer would discover their true strength. The next wave of demonic hounds would certainly come in full force, and perhaps even the Mind Flayer itself would arrive to lend support.

So in dealing with this first wave, they could not expose their full power. It would be best to reveal only part of it, enough to make the Mind Flayer draw the wrong conclusions. Then, when the next wave arrived, they could give their enemy a very big surprise.

Do you want me to explain what a surprise is?

Thinking this through, he immediately made arrangements. Michael and Lucas were to lead the sturdy young werewolves, as well as Joey, Will, and Dustin, down into the basement. They were not to show themselves for now, but remain hidden as a secret reserve.

He, Eleven, Chief Hopper, Nick, Eddie, and Eric would remain behind to face the first wave of demonic hounds. Unfortunately, after bleeding earlier to aid Michael and Lucas, his condition was not at its best.

“By the way, isn’t there still the corpse of that great demon king outside? We might as well find an excuse to go out, collect it, and then break it down into magical essence and flesh essence to replenish our losses.”

Thinking it through, he acted at once. On the pretext of going out to scout the situation, he opened the door and stepped into the yard, heading straight for the entrance. He first collected the great demon king’s corpse, then returned carrying Lucien’s body.

When the werewolves saw him bring back the former leader’s body, their expressions changed slightly. The resistance in their hearts slowly faded away. They had originally been somewhat dissatisfied that he had killed their former leader, but now they had already forgiven him in their hearts.

Lin Xiao did not realize that he had only meant to retrieve the great demon king’s corpse and had simply brought Lucien’s body back along the way. Unexpectedly, this had produced an unforeseen result. One could only say it was a lucky accident.

Carrying the body, he led the others into the basement and then down again to the lowest shelter. He found an empty room, placed Lucien’s body inside, and told them to rest there and await orders at any time. Only then did he return to the surface.

Walking through the passage, he suddenly had an idea and spoke into the empty corridor.

“You two, come out. I have something to say.”

Four ghostly figures appeared out of thin air before him in the passage. It was Vivian, her daughter, and the pair of male spirit lovers.

“You should have heard our conversation just now. This is a very special moment, and it is time for you to contribute your strength. When the demonic hound army arrives, I want you to help us from the shadows. Can you do that?”

At Lin Xiao’s words, the four spirits all nodded. They knew this was the best time to prove their worth. Otherwise, if the other party displeased them someday, a single stroke of holy light could make them vanish without a trace.

The condition for survival was to display appropriate value, whether one was human or ghost.

“Very well. I do not need you to protect me. You two, make sure to protect Chief Hopper. Vivian, take your daughter and protect Eleven. If anything goes wrong with them, I will hold you personally responsible.”

Lin Xiao spoke without politeness. The four spirits nodded in agreement, not daring to disobey.