Wicked Town - Book 1 (Hopper x Daughter OC) (Stranger Things Season 1)

The Body

"Hi," Hopper sighed as he walked inside.

"Hey. What's wrong?"

"We found the kid."

"That's great," she smiled, standing up from the couch. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I need you to come with me for Jonathan."

"Dad, where's Will?"

"He..." He let out another sigh, his head falling. "We found him in the quarry." Her breath rushed out of her. "I'm sorry. I knew you really liked him. But I need you to come help me tell his family." She nodded, getting in his truck and riding to their house. She got out of the car and hugged Jonathan as he cried into her shoulder, already having heard the news.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as he clung to her and the officers searched the house for what Joyce said had come out of the wall. They moved inside after a while as Hopper explained their thoughts to them.

"A trooper found something in the, uh... water that's at the quarry. Our working theory right now is that Will crashed his bike, he made his way over the quarry and, uh, accidentally fell in," he explained softly as Joyce stared off and Jonathan's hand was in Dannie's tightly. "The earth must have given way." He paused. "Joyce?" She didn't move. "Joyce? Do you understand what I'm saying?" he stirred her out of her trance.

"No," she breathed out. "Whoever you found," she trembled, "is not my boy. It's not Will."

"Joyce."

"No, you- you don't understand. I- I talked to him. A half hour ago." She walked over to the wall and picked up some of the Christmas lights that weren't hanging on the ceiling or walls. "He was- He was here. He was talking with these."

"Talking?"

"Uh-huh. One blink for yes, two for no." She put them down. "And- And, uh- And then I- I made this so- so he could talk to me," she pointed to the lights hanging over the painted letters of the alphabet. "'Cause he was hiding. From that... that thing."

"The thing that came out of the wall?" Hopper asked her and Dannie could feel Jonathan becoming more upset. "The thing that chased you."

"Yeah."

"Mom, come on, please," Jonathan pleaded as he walked over to her, holding on to her arms as hers went to his shoulders. "Please, you gotta stop this."

"No, maybe he's... It's after him! He's in danger. We have to find him!" she turned, putting her hands on Hopper as her voice broke. Dannie's heart broke as she walked over and Hopper continued to talk.

"What exactly was this thing? It was some kind of animal you said?"

"Uh, no, it was... It was almost... human, but it wasn't," she tried to explain, talking with her hands. "It... It had these long arms and... it didn't have a face." Jonathan walked away in annoyance and Hopper looked at his daughter who nodded before following him to his room as the adults continued talking.

"Hey," she knocked on his open door as he sat on his bed. "Can I come in?" He nodded and she sat down next to him. "Do you want me to stay? Or I can go. Whatever you need."

"Stay," he looked up at her and she nodded, trying to give a small smile, but it fell flat.

"Do you want to talk?"

"I... How... How did you..."

"How did I get through it?" she finished for him and he nodded. "I cried. A lot. And I... Getting through it doesn't need to be your concern right now. You can deal with that later. But you're gonna have something I didn't when I lost Sarah."