Jailbird || Stranger Things

fifty-two ➵ operation child endangerment (part one)

Dark settled over Hawkins, sending the majority of the families home. The mall only remained open for a late night showing of Back To The Future, running multiple times as a new release.

    Teresa couldn't help but find it a little ironic, having a movie as their potential saving grace. At least security wouldn't linger around and check in on them. She hoped.

    The three teens and Dustin made their way up to the roof where the others had gotten absolutely drenched in the rain the previous night, which had prompted Teresa to get her bag from her car, the extra radio and her usual kit laying on the bottom with not much else. She ignored the others' questioning stares, but she was confident in bringing it.

    "Better safe that sorry," she shrugged when Dustin opened his mouth to ask. "How's Erica?"

    "You nerds in position, or what?" came the little girl's voice from the radio, making Teresa let out a small chuckle as she leaned on the edge of the roof between the two mall employees.

    Robin pressed down the button and replied to Erica, Dustin raising the binoculars to keep an eye on the happenings in the loading bay.

    "Yeah, we're in position. It's all quiet here, so you've got the green light.

    "Green light, roger that," Erica replied, "Commence Operation Child Endangerment."

    "Can we maybe not call it that?" Teresa reached to press the button and talk into the radio.

    "See you on the other side, nerds."

    Robin, Steve, and Teresa shared a brief look as they thought through the plan once again. Was this really the best idea?

    After the sounds of Erica struggling to pull herself through the vents, she finally spoke up again. "All right, nerds, I'm there."

    Robin came alive, sitting up with a small bit of excitement, "Do you—Do you see anything?

    "Yeah, I see those boring boxes you're so excited about," Erica spoke.

    "Any guards?"

    "Negative."

    "Booby traps?"

    "If I could see them, they'd be pretty shit traps, wouldn't they?" Erica quipped back, making Teresa curl in her lips in an effort to stifle her laughter.

    "Thank you for that," Robin replied, a little annoyed.

    The next sound through the radio was a yell, Erica's feet kicking out the grate of the vent before she hopped down into the room. "I'm in."

    "Oh God," Steve let out a sigh, though Reese wasn't sure if it was relief or dread. Maybe both. That would make sense for her partner in babysitting.

    At the sound of a klaxon, the doors opened, much to the amusement of the girl wedged in-between her two friends. Reese shared a quick look between her friends, before she pushed herself up to stand to make her way down to Erica, who was already making all effort to stick them to their promise.

    "Free ice cream for life!"

──────

Something was missing. Often, that something was fixed by Teresa magically turning up and talking, or chewing Billy out about something, but this time, he didn't see that happening.

    Yet something was off.

    It had been that day for a few days now. The nightmares of the black sky and red lightning, of a blue tinted Hawkins, the steelworks where he'd pulled in when he crashed the car. But nothing else. Sometimes, it felt like he was dreaming, moving through life as if on autopilot. It was familiar, but something was different.