The Mutants (Stranger Things Fanfic)

4

Billy and Steve ran through the woods, holding tightly to their bounty, till they spotted the top of El's, Max's and Mike's heads and heard them giggling like a couple of pre-schoolers. 

"Hey guys, we're ba--" Steve started to speak as they walked over to them. His eyes soon landed on Eddie. Eddie was in his bat form, doing a headstand on an old tree stump, his little feet swaying back and forth. Steve personally felt Eddie's bat form looked more like a large fuzz ball with wings. 

"Seriously?" Steve asked, "we weren't even gone for five minutes and this is what you think I meant by watch the kids?" 

Bat Eddie just stood there, staring up at Steve and Billy, before flopping down on his bum with a light squeak. The kids burst out laughing but stop completely when Billy shot a glare at them. Their heads slump low as they avoided even looking up at Billy. Steve shot a look at Billy, but Billy completely ignored it. Eddie shifted back into his human form as he crawled off the stump then went back onto his feet. 

"Well-- we were bored so I thought I would just give them something to laugh since we've been in a serious situat--" Eddie started till Billy marched up to him and got into his face.

"'Since we've been in a serious situation'? We are in a serious situation, dumbass! Right now, those scientists are hunting us down, doing everything they can think of to get us back in that damn lab of there. I wouldn't even be surprise if they do get their hands on us again, they plan to shoot one of us in the head to send a message to the others that if you run away again, someone is going to die!" Billy screamed in Eddie's face. 

"Billy! Calm down!" Steve said, handing the food over to Mike and El before he rushed in between him and Eddie, "we can't be at each other's throats! That's what they want! Okay? Because if we split up, we're going to be easy pickings for them. So we need to keep our heads. Do you guys understand?" 

"But he--" Eddie started.

"I SAID, DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND?" Steve asked, louder this time; his eyes darted between Billy and Eddie. They stood there glaring at each other, challenging the other to even think about saying something else, before silently they mumbled a 'yes' under their breath. 

"Now, Eddie I need you to go--" Steve started when a bird swooped past his head, causing them to turn and watched as the bird grew in size till it turned into Robin. 

"Hey guys, I had been searching for you guys for a whole hour. If you guys hadn't been screaming, I probably would have flown right past you." Robin explained to them. 

"You guys found a shelter?" Steve asked her, ignoring the Eddie and Billy who were still glaring each other down. 

"Yeah, Dustin found it. It's not that far from here. It's this old abandon Steel Works factory. Big enough for all of us to settle in. It needs a bit of a clean up and our personal touches but it's perfect." Robin said to them before jogging off, "Follow me." 

She then shifted quickly back into a bird and fluttered off between the trees. Eddie transformed back into a bat as he flew behind her.

"Hey! Slow down you two! Two-legged people walking here." Steve shouted at her as they proceeded to follow behind her. 

"--and that, Hopper, is why we called you." One of the costumers said while Hopper stood watching as Benny continued on his way, cooking and serving people, who weren't even there. He moved around the diner like a zombie, mumbling things under his breath that were hard to pick up what he was even saying. 

"So you're telling me one of these kids that you saw, after they were caught stealing food, must have put Benny... under some sort of mind control?" Hopper asked, his eyes following behind Benny. 

"Yes, sir! I don't know who these two were but they did something to Benny." He explained to Hopper. 

"Did you see them?" 

"I got a quick peek. They were wearing these hospital gowns, completely bare footed, and had buzz-cuts. I could have sworn they were twins if one of them hadn't had that thin mustache growing." the man stated to Hopper, who was writing the details down. 

"Thanks, I'll put in a--" 

"What about Benny? What's going to happen with him?" the man asked Hopper, pointing at Benny who was now frying French Fries in the fryer. 

"I'm not sure. I'll get some of my deputies to bring him down to the station." Hopper assured them, "Now if you'll excuse me." 

Hopper walked out of the dinner, putting his notebook away, just as suddenly a large black van came rolling up to the diner. He watched as people in suits hopped out of the van and headed towards the diner.

"Hey! Can I help you?" Hopper asked them as he walked over towards them, his hand pressed against his gun. A woman from the group proceeded towards Hopper. 

"Hello, I'm here with Social Services." she told him. Hopper narrowed his eyes. 

"Social Services? Why are you guys here?" Hopper asked her. 

"We got word two teens were caught stealing food here. Wearing hospital gowns with buzzcuts?" she said. 

"How do you know--"

"It's a long story. But what you need to know is there is actually 12 kids you need to be looking for." 

"12?" 

"Yes, you see when we were bringing them in after taking them from an extremely abusive home to get them into better homes, they got spook and ran away. We're trying to relocate them and bring them back so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else." She told him while handing her a card, "This is my contact information. If you happened to spot any child with that description, don't hesitate to call." 

"I won't." Hopper said, taking the card from her hand. He watched as she hurried into the diner with the other men. That was some of the biggest bullshit I've ever heard of, he thought before he proceed to his car. As he hopped behind his steering wheel, he wrote down their car's license plate on his notebook. He tossed it to the side then pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the sheriff's office, trying to figure out the real reason those people were there.