02x05 - Chapter Five: Split the Party

[bunniefuu]

[ominous music playing]

[panting]

Mike!

Lucas, can you hear me? Over.

What the heck is wrong with this thing?

-[feedback]
-Can anyone hear me?

-[distant screeching]
-[gasping]

-Crud, crud, crud!
-[Wraith Hound clicking]

I know you're out there!

[screaming]

I can see you, okay?
You weird ghost dog thingy.

-[roars]
-[Dustin screams]

[camera beeping]

Oh sh**t.

Oh sh**t.

[exclaiming fearfully]

Keep your ectoplasm off of me!

[dirt bike approaching]

[screeching]

That was one of the coolest things
I've ever--

Save it, dork. Are you getting on or not?

On, on. I'm getting on.

[screeching]

[synth theme music playing]

[music fades out]

[laid back rock music playing]

I have faith, Jonathan.
I have so much faith in you.

-Ha. Faith in me, but not in my cooking.
-No.

Maybe.

Wow, I am making you
a k*ller Valentine's Day dinner,

and this is the thanks I get.

Let's talk about thanks
when it's on the table in front of me.

[growling hauntingly]

[Nikki & Will panting frantically]

[Nikki] Hurry!

I'm trying!

Looks like we're gonna have to
find another way.

Any sign of the others?

-No.
-[Wraith Hound screeching]

[Nikki whimpering]

Nikki!

[growling]

No!

-[roaring]
-[screaming]

[flowers hissing softly]

Uh…

Zombie Boy?

Don't freak out.

But that thing just dumped us
in the garden of evil.

[foreboding music playing]

[exciting music playing]

[both panting]

[Max] Come on!

What do we do?
We'll never be able to outrun this thing.

Come on. This way.

[Wraith Hound screeching softly]

[growling hauntingly]

[roaring]

[clicking]

[growling softly]

[Lucas] Hey!

Over here!

[screeching]

I'll meet you at the old sawmill.

Go!

Stupid!

[intriguing music playing]

El! What are you doing?

I am done running.

Um…

If… if you're tired, that's fine.
We… we can find a place to hide.

I do not want to hide.

I want to protect you.

El, listen to me.

You can't fight that thing.

I can.

You can't! You tried!
Your powers don't work on it!

Now come on!

[growling]

Oh no.

El!

[exciting music playing]

What the heck? What the heck?

I think we lost it.

Lost it? Yeah, I'm definitely losing it.
What the heck, Henderson?

I knew that thing was dangerous.
You knew it was dangerous.

And you thought all we need
to handle it was a little… little…

Planchette.

That was Hurricane Casper.
It almost k*lled us.

Ah, nuts. I'm getting no reception.

Turn left up here.

Do you have a brain under that dumb hat?
We pissed off a ghost.

Your little friends are in the wind.
Who even knows if they're alive?

Left, please.

How are you so calm right now?

Turn left now.

I know my friends are missing,

but I'm not going
to waste my time dithering.

I'm going to find them.

But the ghost.

This ghost might be able to hide
from the naked eye,

but it is powerless
against my humble camcorder.

But I'm gonna need your help.

No way! The last time I helped you,
I almost got haunted out of existence.

Charlie, listen to me.

Whatever that thing is,
it took your uncle.

It's come for you three times.

Do you wanna sit around
and wait for it to come knocking again?

Or do you wanna face the peril head on?

Jeez, fine, shut up already.

[tires squealing]

But I reserve the right to kick your butt
if this all goes south.

Deal. In the meantime,
driver, take me to Radio Shack.

[breathing shakily]

[shushing]

Lucas!

[uplifting music playing]

[Lucas] Whoa.

Good to know you still care.

Whatever! I'm just glad you're alive.

That was a bonehead move.

How's this for a bonehead move?

Think you can drive that?

I told you, I'm a zoomer.
I can drive anything.

For the last time,
that's not a real class.

[growling]

Whoa!

Did it see us?

I think we'd know if it did.

There's no way we'll make it out
to the truck without being spotted.

I hate to say it, but…

We're stuck.

I really hope everyone's okay.

What's wrong?

Listen.

I haven't heard a single wing flutter

since we landed
in this stupid flower patch.

-Have you?
-No.

The Hate Sprites have backed off.
For some reason--

[roaring]

-Nikki!
-Go, Will! Go!

[hissing]

This way!

[growling]

It won't let us leave!

[Nikki] But why?

What are you waiting for?
Just come and get us!

[pulsing]

[groaning]

Hey! Whoa, Will!

Sorry. I don't know what's…

Just take it easy for a second, okay?

[Will moans]

I think if we don't get out of here soon,
we might not have a second.

[screeching]

El! We have to go!

[screaming]

[both] Ah!

[Eleven] Watch out!

[both grunting]

[pulsing]

[moaning softly]

[Wraith Hound clicking]

[growling softly]

[car horn blaring]

Oh, God.

Hello? Are you okay?

Hello?

[Eleven groaning]

Oh no.

-[growling]
-[gasping]

[man screaming]

No!

[man continues screaming]

[straining] I have to help.

[groaning]

[growling]

[screeching]

[Wraith Hound growling]

[moaning softly]

Alive.

He's still alive.

This is my fault.

If I had run, no one would have been hurt.

Am I nuts, or are the stars moving?

Not stars.

[mysterious music playing]

[sprites chittering]

[hissing]

What are they doing?

It's like they're bees

collecting nectar, pollen.

Pollen does not glow.

Not usually.

We should follow them.

No.

No following, no fighting.
We're gonna get help.

He needs it.

And you know what? So do we.

[door closes]

Camera battery, check.

Now, all we have to do is--

Hey, excuse me.

I'm going to need you
to turn out your pockets.

Uh… Okay. But why?

[scoffs] She doesn't mean you, Henderson.

Happy?

I've got my eye on you, Dandridge.

Promise?

[scoffs]

Jerk.

That was weird.

Did you swirly her, too?

Didn't need to. I'm a Dandridge.

No matter what we do,
we get glares, stares, and swears.

But that's unfairs. [chuckles]

[laughs]

[grunts] Ow!

-Now you're getting it.
-[Jeff] Yeah?

'Cause I don't get it at all.

Why don't you explain it to us?

[dark music playing]

I'm not saying I told you so,

but do you still seriously think
that's some old miner's ghost?

[sighs]

Maybe not.

I told you so.

But if that's from the Upside Down,

if,

then it's not like anything
we've ever seen before.

Neither were the Demodogs.

sh**t, I missed it.

[scoffs] Let me guess.
You missed your buff bonehead battle.

It's The w*r to Settle the Score,
and you know it.

Are you seriously less worried
about our lives

than you are
about some stupid wrestling match?

It's not stupid. It's…
And it's not just some wrestling match.

Oh, you're right. I'm sorry.
I forgot I was talking about high art.

My dad canceled his trip out.

I haven't seen him since we left.

But it sounds like money's tight, and…

I mean, I don't know what I was expecting.

Money's always tight.

I'm sorry.

Wrestling was our thing, you know?
Even when everything else sucks,

it's the thing we can talk about together,
even when we're not in the same place.

So, the match tonight…

I know it sounds stupid to you, Lucas,
but it's not stupid to me.

You're right. It's not stupid.
I shouldn't have said that.

Thanks.

And you were right, too.

I don't mind lovey-dovey stuff.

It's the fake Valentine's Day part.
Drives me crazy.

But if you like it, I…

I guess it's cool.

[growling softly]

I'll tell you what.

If we make it out of this,
I'll make it up to you.

The missed match, everything.

How?

You just gotta trust me, Maxine.

I guess I do. Stalker.

[rock music playing on radio]

[Nancy] It's seriously okay.
Anyone could have forgotten.

Spaghetti. For spaghetti and meatballs.

[laughing] Okay, maybe not anyone.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Yeah, his car's right off Boulder Road.
You can't miss him.

[Nancy] Mike?

[tense music playing]

No chance you got around
to kitbashing a proton pack?

Yeah, it was next on my to-do list.

But hey. Hey, listen to me.

Look, I promise I'll make you one, okay?

It'll be the last present
to the H.I.C. from me.

Last?

I mean, uh, a present.

Yeah, I'll make…
I'll make one for each of you all.

Whoa. I just need…

I just need to catch my breath.

Heh.

Hey, Will.

You wanna try something crazy?

[tense music rising]

[groaning]

[growling]

[screeching]

Yeah, yeah, screw you, too.

[Nikki screaming]

[both groaning]

Will? Will! Hey!

Zombie Boy!

That was rad.

[laughing]

[Wraith Hound screeching in distance]

Come on! Come on! Hurry!

So, is it just Eggos or…?

Just Eggos.

Hey, looks like
you made Valentine's Day happen after all.

You guys having fun?

Oh, yeah. Tons.

You sure? Because you seem twitchy.

Mike, what's going on?

Actually, I need some advice.

Don't let this go to your head,

but I've noticed
that you never seem scared of monsters,

or other dimensions, or even failing calc.

So, like, how?

I'm gonna let you in on a secret.

I'm scared. Like, all the time.

But this insane thing happened,
oh, maybe a year or so ago.

I don't know if you remember.

And I realized that
just because I was afraid,

that didn't mean
I had to let that fear have power over me.

Fear is power.

Yeah. So when I'm scared,
here's the trick.

I close my eyes.

I count to five.

I inhale…

[inhaling deeply]

…and exhale.

By the time I breathe out…

all that fear seeps away, too,

and I get that power back.

You don't have to be afraid of asking El.

Asking El what?

To be your girlfriend?

Oh. Oh yeah, girlfriend.

Mike?

You know what?
You're right. I don't have to be scared.

I'm actually so not scared
that I'm gonna go ask her right now.

Thanks, Nancy.

The flowers glow, right? The blue ones,
like the ones that were under the cabin.

They glow sometimes. Not always, right?

Right.

So why? What are they always around
when they start glowing?

Fear.

[Jeff] What gives, Dandridge?

You tell me you're splitting town
with your uncle,

and instead you're rolling around
with barf breath?

Barf breath?

Lost my ride. My uncle disappeared on me.

So I guess I'm stuck in this dump
a while longer.

Man, you Dandridges really are cursed.

If you're sticking around,
you can help me settle a score.

What score?

Well, you see, there was this freak.

He walked into our hangout.
He messed with Pauly's bike.

What? That's a load of bull.
Meathead over there took our camera.

Oh…

Is this true, Henderson?

I… I… I mean,
it wasn't like destruction of property.

It was, you know,
light dinging of property. Okay, look--

I'm not beating him up.

Thank you.

But I'm not gonna stop you either.

Wait, what?

Sorry, nerd. You're on your own.

Those creatures show up near the flowers,
and they scare the bejesus out of us.

And all that fear and adrenaline,
that's energy, just like Nikki said.

And it all gets siphoned off
into the flowers.

[Dustin] Oh, come on, guys.

You don't want blood
all over your knuckles, right?

[pipe clatters]

Um…

Oops?

You little piece of--

[exciting music playing]

-Get on!
-Whoa! I thought you left!

I had to get them away from my bike,
genius.

Get them!

[car horn honking]

I mean, it's no wonder
we're all so tired after these fights.

Our energy is being drained.

But what do the flowers do
with the energy they collect?

Two words. Hate Sprites.

It all makes sense. Think about it.
The ghost, the Hate Sprites.

[Jeff] Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

[Mike] They're not just protecting
the flowers. They're feeding them.

That's what they were doing in that field,

gathering the collected energy
and taking it somewhere.

The more you're scared…

[roaring]

…the more you're drained.

And all that energy,

all that power seems to end up…

with the ghost.

[Wraith screeching in distance]

[synth theme music playing]