𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙥! 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣

SCENE FIVE. tracking the chief

in editing...

the three stay sat in the van for a few minutes. when steve decides its time to head back to sqwk. however as he turns the key, the engine doesn't rumble and splutter like usual. instead it just groans. and he slams his fist on the wheel.

"well then byers, looks like we've got some time on our hands."

"shut up harrington." and piper sighs. opening the door and shimming out her seat. if shes gonna be stuck here, with these two of all people, she's not staying close enough to hear them bickering. she can hear them mumbling as she just paces up and down the empty street. trying to come up with all the possible things that could have happened when something on the treeline to her west catches her eyes. a figure seeming stood ominously, staring. at her. she can see car lights in the distance but she feels tranced. like her feet are planted on the floor. no.

"piper." his voice is cold. like falling into a lake on the middle of november. like sn ice cube dropped down her shirt. her fingers twitch. no. and she finds herself staring back at the face of her father. in a neat brown suit with a brown felted fedora. horn rimmed glasses and pale ling features. sharp blue eyes and an overly friendly smile. and the car heading towards the van, flashed its lights and he disappeared. and she blinked him away. not real. she was quite to head back over to the van. finding steve leaning against the bonnet smiling as he casually chatted to the girl who has pulled up to them. she opens the door and climbs back into her seat but jonathan has moved there. so she goes through to the back, plopping down on the soft cushioned back.

"hey jon." she speaks quietly, he returns the kindess with a soft small smile over his shoulder to her.

"well this better be quick." steve mumbled as he clampered back into his driver's seat. he gives piper a side look before turning to jonathan.

"did you get hold of nance?" he asks and the source feeling sets in the air and jonathan visible blinks gard and breaths shakily.

"dad's in an induced coma, and mom's in surgery. they're not gonna know anything fir a couple of hpurs."

"you think we should go see her at the hospital? uh, i mean if we can get this hunk of junk moving."

"uh. no. we stick to the plan. search zone g1. find hopper, find eleven and holly."

"urm. im sorry. el and holly? in the upside down? what?" she questioned, popping her head between the gaps of the fronts seats. looking back and forth between the two.

"long story short, demogorgon attacked the wheelers. hurt them, took holly and el followed them into the gate."

"right, right. total sense." she .mumbles as she mobes back to sit down. she hears them talking about the plan. the hospital and some flowers. they start arguing over something, probably nancy and piper mentally clocks out of the conversation. shes been so sick of this steve, nancy, jonathan bullshit. steve was supposed to be her boyfriend. nancy was a very sour patch in her relationship with steve. when steve tells piper thsr dustin is outside. and she's out of the van faster then steve finished opening the drivers door.

"oh my god dustin." she nearly cries as she grabs his arm. leading him to the back of the van. casually throeing his bike inside as she pulld him in. she's quick to go through her bag. finding a rolled up tank too at the bottom. handing it over to him. so he could lightly wipe the blood on his face. sine dried, some still slightly dribbling from a now very bruised nose. which bent slightly to the left as well.

"i fell." is all he mumbled as steve started up the van. the engine roaring to life again. she nods slowly, knowing his comment is bullshit but there's no point pushing him right now. jonathan eveuntally decides that dustin should move to the front so he can continue looking floor the signal. which easbt a good idea because less then five minutes later the two were bickering and shouting at one another. driving around in circles in g1. but there was no sign of a signal for hopper. the plan was officially derailed, hopper was off route. he wasn't in g1. or even g2 for that matter she assumed. they drove and drove, now in silence. only sounds being the tapping of steves fingers on the wheel and the cranking of the signal.

"hey man, i'm gonna turn on irwin. one more loop around the zone?" steve questions back. a quick look over his shoulder into the back. jonathan cranking the wheel, whilst piper sits cross legged. she looks completely tranced, even her chest doesn't seem to be rising as much. only the small blinks gives sign of life from her.

"yeah. go ahead. no! wait! scratch that. i think I got something. yeah. i dont know. im not getting a hot on the decoder." jonathan quickly speaks. adding the part about 0db after dustin questions if it's hopper. dustin climbs back to listen in as well. a sliver of hope between them as they listen in. deciding it's not hopper. but could be anywhere and any type of emi. but dustin confirms it is intact. not hopper. the trail goes cold. officially. hopper is most definitely not in zone g1 anymore. and so steve turns onto the next street. heading back to the radio station. keeping jonathan on the signal incase there was any indication of hopper. but the whole silent journey there confirms, hoppers untouchable from the right side up for now. they've gone mia.