KAS The Bloody Handed

What's The Point?

Hoppers POV

It was a good thing that Hopper had brought a load of ammunition with him. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he was in this hell hole... again. Last year, when all the gates snapped back and closed up.. he knew it wasn't over. He felt like something had been off since that bloody crazy storm that had battered Hawkins, and as usual, he was right. Why the hell hadn't the kids told him what was going on? Did they really think they could do this themselves? He couldn't take any more death.. anymore heartache. No more. He was going to end this once and for all.
He was in the Upside Down equivalent of the warehouse.. and it was eerily quiet. He made his way outside and set off into the woods. There was no plan, no way of knowing where El was, but he was determined. He tried to stay hidden, ducking and hiding behind any trees, careful to not tread on any vines. That's when he heard something... it sounded like panting. He ducked down behind a tree as the sound grew closer. He cocked his gun, ready to take on whatever was coming at him.
More panting... there was more than one thing. As the sound grew closer Hopper felt his palms getting sweaty. Now was not the time! He needed a good, firm grip on his gun. Glancing out from behind the tree he saw three figures in the distance.. running. Demogorgans? Possibly. He daren't move an inch, not willing to give up his location. He squinted, trying to make out what they were... as they came closer still.
El? It was El!! He stepped out from behind the tree, not wanting to scare her. That was a mistake. A sudden force sent him flying. It felt like someone had punched him hard in the chest. His whole body smacked against a tree and crumpled to the floor. The black vines started slithering over his body, trying to envelope him.
"Not this shit again!" He grunted as he tried pulling them off of him.
"Hopper?!" El yelled, clearly surprised to see him there.
"Get this shit off me El!" He yelled back.
The trio ran over to him and started tugging and pulling. El called on her powers and sent a radiating blast at the vines, causing them to implode and shy away from him.
"Hopper?! What are you doing here?" She sobbed as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Saving your ass" he bit back, "let's go... NOW!"
He grabbed hold of her hand and started running back towards the warehouse.
"There's a gate this way! That bloody thing has started opening gates to Hawkins!" He grunted.
He looked behind him and saw Eddie Munson and a young girl he'd never met hot on their heels.
"Hey! Vampire. Glad you're back! Wanna help us out here?" He shouted in Eddie's direction. Eddie obviously knew what he meant as he sped up towards them. He lifted Hopper, El and Kali like they were feathers and sped towards the opening in the trees. As they raced through the warehouse they could hear a chorus of screeching, howling and snapping behind them. They made it to the room that contained the gate and Eddie all but threw them all in, before jumping through himself.

The Warehouse

When four bodies came tumbling through the gate less than an hour later, you all but had a heart attack. It made you jump out of your skin and you screamed, yet felt instantly relieved when you saw it was Hopper, Eddie, Kali and El.
"El close it! Quickly!" Hopper yelled his command. You watched as El and Kali summoned the last of their strength and worked together to close the gate. A demo-gorgan had tried following them through, but got sliced in half as the last of the gate closed up. El and Kali simultaneously slumped to the floor, completely exhausted.
"Bloody hell" muttered Eddie. You rushed over to him and jumped into his arms, your heart hammering with an array of emotions.
"Y/N, what happened to you?!" He exclaimed as he took in the injuries to your face.
"Bike accident" you responded.
"Can't leave you alone for five minutes can I?" He sombrely replied, gently touching your cheek. Hopper interrupted your conversation to tell you his last minute plan.
"We're safe here... for now. The doors are boarded up and the gate is closed. We're gonna wait it out a while before deciding the next course of action" he stated.
"Vecna is coming for us... for all of us. We won't be safe here for long" El told him.
"Then you need to explain to me what the hell you were doing in there in the first place" Hopper commanded. You sat and listened as El and Eddie went over the plan about the Sword of Kas, and why they thought it would help defeat Vecna. Listening to the story out loud again made you feel stupid. How was a sword going to help kill a supernatural being? Maybe if the sword was supernatural itself..
Eddie held it out for everyone to look at. It was quite stunning. The entirety of it was black, from the hilt all the way down to the sharp point of the blade. Long black spikes decorated the guard; they resembled thorns on a rose. It was a very metal looking Sword, quite fitting that Eddie would be the one to possess it.
"So what's the next part of your plan? You going back in there to chop him up?" Hopper asked indignantly... he didn't seem impressed so far.
"Um... we didn't think that far ahead yet did we guy?" Dustin sighed, feeling foolish.
"Fantastic!" came the sarcastic response, "So not only are hell hound creatures running around my town, we got that ugly bastard coming for us all, you've got a pretty sword, you don't actually know if it can kill him, and there is absolutely no plan of action!" Hopper was livid. He was red in the face... and it wasn't from the blood he was covered in.
"Hopper, it's ok. We just need to rest and then we'll be ready" El comforted.
Hopper visibly calmed down a little at Els touch. He knew to trust her, and so he agreed to take watch as Eddie, El and Kali rested. You sat down next to Eddie on the floor and took his hand, waiting for him to speak first. When he looked down and smiled but didn't say a thing, you knew it was bad.
"What happened in there?" You ask gently, needing to know but not wanting to push it.
"It all went to shit.. all because I fell down the bloody stairs" he mumbled as he placed his head in his hands. You stroked his face and told him that it wasn't his fault. No one knew what was going to happen.. no one could predict this.
"It's ok Eddie, take your time. I wanna know everything" you say softly. He turned to look at you and you see guilt and shame written all over his face. Your heart hurt for him, a deep ache, weighing heavily on your chest. He started quietly, telling you how they followed the sound and eventually realised the Sword was in the Creels house. By this point, your friends had gathered round to listen too, and so Eddie projected his voice a little. He told everyone about the search, and the discovery. It seemed like their powers had hidden them well, until Eddie tripped and fell down the stairs. That's when they got caught.
"We had no idea that HE had sent demo-dogs here, or that he'd even opened any gates. He took back the power he'd lent me... I couldn't transport back. That's why we ran.. and then bumped into Hopper, and well, the rest is history" he finished up.
Well, what a shit show. On the one hand, you were so happy and grateful that Eddie had come back, but on the other hand... you were terrified of losing him again. Not just him; everyone. Why are you such a loser? Always fearful. Always scared. Always negative. Why can't life be simple?
And there you was, stuck on that last thought. You took one look around the room. You were surrounded by the people you love, and here you all were, once again, fighting for your lives.
What was the point?