evil hour | stranger things

one: the late night shift

Each morning started the same; shower, uniform, Eggos - an unhealthy breakfast and a warning to not open the door unless it's the correct knock pattern.

Jim Hopper had taken every precaution available to him to keep Eleven safe from whatever was wanting her gone in this world. If that meant breaking the law, he didn't hesitate to do it for her. He just wasn't always the best at showing it.

"I'll be back a little late today. Heat up your food while I'm gone and don't stay up too late. Okay?" He spoke whilst brushing through his hair with his fingers in the mirror, giving her the occasional glance as he spoke.

"Yes."

"And no opening the door. Especially at night."

"I know."

He turned to face her, dreading to look at the discouraged look on her face. He knelt down to her level, getting her eyes to lock onto his, "Hey. I'm sorry about today. But, tomorrow, I promise we will play, okay?"

She nodded, curls bouncing around her face. He gave a weak smile, tapping her small nose and feeling a slight weight fall off his chest as he heard her giggle.

Jim was out the door in a matter of seconds, driving away to the police station as Eleven huffed at the empty house before her.

She remained bored throughout the days, occasionally complaining about it and not being able to understand the boundaries Jim created between her and the outside world. He was too stubborn to let her open a window, let alone take a walk outside.

Luckily, she didn't find the weather so appealing that day. The rain had made the woods muddy and slippery and the humid air would "make her hair difficult to brush out" if she stepped outside - courtesy to Jim, as he said.
Instead she lifted the curtains just barely an inch and watched the drops of water roll down the window and the trees shake from the wind. Her whole day was spent quietly and peacefully. She ate lunch, even the gross and mushy beans, washed her dirty cup and occupied herself with the games and picture books Jim had found and gave her.

Unfortunately, Jim took the late shift that day. Work had been piling up, he had been putting off coming to people's calls when he was needed and the citizens weren't so happy about it.
He had promised to help Joyce Byers and her sons as much as he could, and he'd never admit it, but all of it was a bit much for him. Though, he'd never change it for the world.

As he looked at the clock in the office, he rubbed his eyes to see it had gone way past Eleven's bedtime. It was almost 12am. Hopefully she was already asleep with brushed teeth. The police station emptied itself with the occasional officers who took the even later shift. He walked to his truck, too tired to drive but even more tired to walk back home.

The weather had rubbed off on his mood, turning him into a torpid mess. Running back to the cabin, he managed to wake himself up with the rain wetting his clothes and hitting the bare skin on his neck.

He felt a relief when he saw the lights turned off in the cabin except for the one in his part of the cabin. However, that relief was quick to leave and short to stay when his eyes fell upon a figure on his front porch. His hands quickly grabbed the gun attached to his hip and pointed it, turning off the safety.

Whilst he inched closer, he squinted his eyes in the dark to see a fragile figure almost passed out. An eye barely opened and held its hand up, waving it with the last bit of energy in itself.

"Who are you?" he gritted his teeth, shoving their legs away as he stepped underneath the roof.

He didn't get an answer. Reaching for the flashlight, he shone it towards the body, noticing a heap of hair braided back into to braids and pinned back. His palm turned her on her back and he nearly gasped as he looked at the poor state of her body.

A trail of blood leaked down her temple, escaping her broken nose and even the corner of her lips. Her knuckles were bruised, bloodied and even covered in mud as well as her entire body. She wore a black suit and boots similar to ones in the army, making Jim question the entire situation even more.

"Hey, kid." he shook her shoulder aggressively, trying to get a word out of her.

"I need help... Please."