Shadows of the Night •a Stranger Things story•

I'm Not Letting Anyone Else Get Hurt

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Ronda and Nancy are sitting in Hopper's office as Jonathan and Joyce are talking outside the office. Nancy and Jonathan had planned to go back out in the woods and kill the Demogorgon. While Ronda isn't mad at them, she feels a little hurt. Her brother and friends have been running around chasing monsters and little girls with powers while she's stuck in the backseat of Joyce's car trying to plot a way to find Dr. Brenner.

Nancy looks over at Ronda. "You know. I saw Chris there...in that place."

Ronda raises an eyebrow at Nancy. "She got you out? Didn't she?"

Nancy nods. She hangs her head for a moment. She peers back up at Ronda. "I—I don't know how she did it...but she saved me." Nancy's eyes sparkle with hope. "Maybe she can save Barb, too."

Ronda bites down on her tongue hard enough to draw blood. She flinches away from Nancy, fixing her glasses. Hopper stares between the two girls who whisper to each other. He hears shouting outside in the bullpen.

"Stay here," he orders. Hopper hurries out of his office. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Chief," begins Powell.

"These men are humiliating my son," a woman with blond hair snaps. She holds Troy by her side. He's got a sling wrapped around his arm.

Callahan shakes his head. "No, no, no. Okay, that's not true. There was some kind of fight, Chief—"

"A psychotic child broke his arm!" she shouts.
Hopper narrows his eyes in annoyance.

Callahan holds a hand up to his waist. "A little girl, Chief. A little one."

The woman points at Callahan. "That tone! Do you hear that tone?"

"Honestly," Callahan holds up his hands in defence. "I'm just trying to state a fact."

"I don't have time for this." Hopper starts walking away. "Will you please take a statement..." He mouths, "and get her out?"

Callahan nods. "Yes. So what'd this girl look like?"

Troy sighs. "She had no hair and she was bleeding from her nose. Like a freak."

Hopper stops in his tracks, turning back to Troy. "What'd you just say?"

Troy whirls to Hopper, not having any decency for manners when talking to the Chief of Police. He snips, "I said she's a freak!"

Hopper shakes his head in frustration. "No, her hair. What'd you say about her hair?"

"Her head's shaved." Troy scoffs, "She doesn't even look like a girl. And..." He stops, turning embarrassed.

"And what?"

Troy's mother squeezes Troy's shoulder gently. She urges him, "Tell the man, Troy."

"She can do things."

Hopper leans forward, eyes sharp. "What kind of things?"

"Like...make you fly. And piss yourself."

Powell's eyes widen in amusement. "What?"

Hopper holds up his hand to Powell. "Was she alone?"

"She always hangs out with those losers," sneers Troy.

"Losers? What losers?"

"Chrissie! Chrissie!" The voice rings inside Chris's head. The louder it gets, the harder it is for Chris to ignore everything she feels around her. It's pitch black and empty around her. The floor reflects everything like water. In fact, it sounds and looks like she's standing in a large vast puddle of water.