Happenstance ⌱ Jim Hopper

[ 12 ] NIGHT MOVES

[ 12 ]

JODIE STOOD SILENTLY in the midst of Jim's tiny living room, watching the man stalk from window to window, drawing the shutters tight so that no one would be able to peer inside to see the pair. The smell of cigarettes and beer wafted around her, and she was tempted to have a smoke herself.

     Jim scratched at his stubbled cheeks, his blue eyes trailing over the couch, the lamp, the mess of magazines and plates on his table. In that moment, no where felt safe.

     Taking in Jim's unease, Jodie waltzed towards his bedroom and flopped down on the mattress like the Queen of Ibiza. She spread out and sighed, letting her mind wander through the mess of a night.

'We should kick down the Laboratory's door,' Jodie had told Hop, her eyes wild as he kicked the police cruiser into gear. The truck hit the streets at a high speed, racing away from the fake body and unconscious state trooper inside.

'Don't joke like that,' Jim had warned, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. Headlights flashed past, while Jim brewed and considered every potential option before them. 'CIA, NSA, shit, Jodie — we don't know how far up this goes.'

'So, what? We just roll over and take it?' Jodie had scoffed, slouching in the passenger seat as the scent of aftershave and earth filled her senses. 'I've never been a fan of missionary, and I'm not about to start.'

      Jim had bit back his response, mind reeling.  Jodie Whittier sure could turn a phrase...

     'We're going to figure it out,' Jim told her, approaching his home and cutting the engine. Dust had kicked up in the air, glittering in the night and clouding the cold winter air. Jim had unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his gun, staring deeply into Jodie's dark gaze. 'But, for now, we need to lay low and I need to come up with a plan.'

     And the plan? Stay hidden, until the dead of night came. Then, Jim claimed he would go it alone — break into the Hawkins Laboratory and see what mysteries were inside.

      By then, Jim believed that even the midnight oil burners would be up and gone, and he would be able to roam freely and silently — alone. 

Jodie watched the popcorn ceiling of Jim's house, making out faces in the dips and pivots, wondering how the hell life had gotten so screwed up.

The body cropped up in her mind and she wondered how many others had been involved. It had looked so real, so lifelike. It was a horrid feeling, that settled in the pit of her throat.