Shadows in Hawkins

Cassian and Helen were seated on a plane heading to Indianapolis, the hum of the engines filling the background as the cabin lights dimmed for the overnight flight. They had left Rome behind after the meeting with His Holiness, and Cassian held the old copy of the Book of Enoch on his lap, its pages still unopened. Helen, seated by the window, flipped through a travel magazine, but her gaze kept drifting toward him.

"You haven't said much since the Vatican," she said, closing the magazine. "What happened with His Holiness? You seem quieter than usual."

Cassian looked up, placing the book on the tray table in front of him.

"We talked about my past," he replied, adjusting in his seat. "And about Enoch. He confirmed what I suspected but added things I didn't expect."

"What did he tell you?" Helen asked, turning toward him. "Something about that shadow in Japan, I assume."

"Yes," Cassian nodded, lowering his voice so nearby passengers couldn't hear. "I was left at the San Michele Orphanage as a baby, no one knowing who left me. There was no note, nothing—just a child wrapped in a blanket. At five years old, they brought me to the Vatican because the nuns noticed strange things: nightmares that moved objects, a light around me. They analyzed my blood and found it's different."

"Different how?" Helen asked, frowning. "What's so special about it?"

"It can protect against demons and harm them," he explained, drumming his fingers on the book. "That's why they trained me from such a young age. But the Enoch connection goes deeper. His Holiness said I'm a direct descendant—not of a Watcher, but of Enoch himself. After ascending to heaven, he returned and left a bloodline with a woman chosen by God. My blood carries a fragment of his divine light."

"That's… a lot," Helen said, processing the words. "So, are you some kind of Nephilim?"

"Not exactly," Cassian corrected. "The Nephilim come from fallen angels. I'm something else, an heir of Enoch. My blood can summon celestial forces or destroy demons, but it also attracts demon princes. If the shadow in Japan knew, others might find out."

"And what does a demon prince want with you?" she asked, crossing her arms. "To kill you? To use you?"

"Maybe both," he replied, looking at the book. "His Holiness said Enoch left secrets they covet. My blood could be a key to something big, something that can remake or destroy the world. And he warned me about Hawkins."

"Hawkins?" Helen said, raising an eyebrow. "What does it have to do with this?"

"He said that heaven and hell are constants across all realities," Cassian explained. "If we alter one dimension, like what we suspect is happening there, it alerts both. If a demon prince is following me, Hawkins could be his entry point."

"Great," Helen muttered, leaning back in her seat. "So we're not just dealing with weird portals, but demons who want you as a trophy. What do we do when we get there?"

"Investigate," he said, opening the book for the first time. "Start with the woods where that boy disappeared. His Holiness gave me this to study. I need to understand my blood before something else finds me."

"Well, let me know if you start glowing," Helen joked, picking up the magazine again. "I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me when we land."

Cassian nodded, losing himself in the pages of the Book of Enoch as the plane crossed the Atlantic, the words of His Holiness echoing in his mind.

They arrived in Hawkins at noon the next day, renting a car in Indianapolis and driving to the small town. The air smelled of pine and humidity, the streets quiet except for the occasional passing of bicycles. They checked into a motel near the center, and Helen pulled out her laptop, connecting to the network while Cassian studied a map of the woods.

"I'm going to hack into the police system," Helen said, typing quickly. "If something happened here, they'll have records."

"Look for disappearances in the woods," Cassian suggested, marking an area on the map. "You said a boy went missing months ago. That could be our starting point."

"Give me a minute," she replied, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "I'm in. Let's see what they've got… Here it is. Will Byers, missing in November last year. Twelve years old, last seen near Mirkwood, a stretch of forest to the west."

"Will Byers?" Cassian said, leaning closer to the screen. "What else does it say?"

"It was a big case," Helen explained, scrolling through the files. "He disappeared on his way home from a friend's house. The police searched for days, found his bike in the woods, but nothing else. They declared him dead until he reappeared a week later, alive. It doesn't say how they found him, only that he was 'disturbed.' The investigation closed quickly, too quickly."

"That sounds like a portal," Cassian said, frowning. "Something took him and brought him back. Where is that forest?"

"A few miles from here," Helen replied, pointing to the map. "We can go now if you want."

"Let's go," he decided, folding the map. "I want to feel it for myself."

They drove to Mirkwood, a dense stretch of forest with tall trees and barely marked trails. Cassian stepped out of the car, walking among the pines, the papal crucifix warm against his chest. He closed his eyes, letting his senses extend, searching for traces of the supernatural. The air felt heavy, charged with an echo he couldn't name.

"What do you feel?" Helen asked, following him with a flashlight despite it being daytime.

"There was a portal here," Cassian said, opening his eyes. "In this clearing, months ago. I can smell it, like sulfur and cold. But it's gone now. It closed."

"So Will passed through that?" she asked, looking at the ground. "And came back?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Something opened it and closed it. But there's another one, Helen. I feel it in the air, a hum. It's close, but not here."

"Another portal?" she asked, adjusting the flashlight. "Where?"

"I don't know yet," Cassian admitted, walking back to the car. "Let's go back to the motel. Look deeper into those files. There might be clues."

Back in the room, Helen resumed her laptop, delving further into the police records while Cassian studied the Book of Enoch.

"I found something strange," she said after a few minutes, turning the screen toward him. "Reports of activity in Hawkins since Will came back. Trucks without plates coming in and out of town, sightings of people in protective suits near some facilities to the north. No official name."

"A lab?" Cassian asked, setting the book aside. "What are they doing there?"

"It's unclear," Helen explained, scrolling through the data. "The police have orders not to approach, coming from higher up, probably federal. But there are complaints of strange noises, flickering lights in town, and an increase in dead animals near the woods. This started after Will reappeared, a few weeks ago."

"That's no coincidence," Cassian said, standing up. "If there's an active portal, they could be involved. Or trying to open another one."

"Do you think they know what they're doing?" she asked, closing the laptop. "Or that they're causing it?"

"I don't know," he replied, adjusting his backpack. "But if my blood attracts demons, as His Holiness said, and there's a portal nearby, we can't wait. Tomorrow, we'll check out that lab."

"What if we get into trouble?" Helen asked, crossing her arms. "We don't have jurisdiction here."

"We don't need jurisdiction," Cassian replied, pulling out his dagger. "If a demon prince is behind this, it's my fight. And now yours."

"I always knew working with you would be crazy," she said, giving a faint smile. "Alright, tomorrow to the lab. But first, food. I'm starving."

Cassian nodded, stowing the dagger, the distant hum of the portal resonating in his mind as they headed out to find something to eat in the quiet town of Hawkins, a place that hid far more than it revealed.