𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲

iv. coming for them.

      

       IN THE basement, James stayed seated at the desk, playing with a Rubik's cube and waiting for them. Everyone else, Joyce, Will, El, Nancy and Robin all sat around on the table, chair or couch nearby. When it's been enough time, he gave his watch a quick glance and leaned over. "Squawk to Crow's nest, anything? Over." He said into the mic. "Negative, not a peep." Mike replied to him almost instantly.

James looked around at the others, letting out a small sigh as he sets down his Rubik's cube. Just then, Mike's voice came through, "we got action. Four trucks, outer east gate on Main." He said, as Robin and Nancy looked up, over at him. Joyce sat up in her chair, El and Will glancing at one another. "Four?" James whispered, looking down at the radio. "What the hell are they taking into the Upside Down?"

"Burn commencing in five, four, three, two, and boom!" Mike told them and they waited, once more. Not long after, "trucks moving in." James looked up to see that Joyce was still looking at him with that worried mom expression she always had. "Am I clear?" Hopper's voice came through on the radio next as James glanced down. "East is clear." Mike told him.

"And to the west?" The man asked. "Hold. We got a straggler." Mike told him, then they waited. "Clear." He said a few short moments after as Hopper went for the truck. "He's in." Mike told them as James now glanced over at El who's closing her eyes in relief.

"He's flipped." At that, Joyce let out a small sigh, looking down as James reached for the button. "Jon, signal?" He said into the mic. "Snagged it." The Byers replied. Meanwhile in the van, the Harrington glanced back at him through the rearview mirror. "Should I move?" Steve asked, munching on a Bopper. "No. Hold. Hold. Hold. Hold. Go!" Jonathan said so Steve drove off.

"Van is on the move." James now said into the mic as Nancy followed along on the map, drawing a line with a marker on it. "Hopper, can you hear us okay?" He asked now. "Yeah. Loud and clear. Also, Hopper to others and dad to you." His father replied and James hums. "Okay, dad. Well, hard part's over..." He told him.

"Speak for yourself, James. I still gotta jump out of this thing. And is it me, or are we moving faster than normal?" His father asked and James nods. "A little faster. Just aim for the grass, dad." He said and Nancy glanced up, smiling. "I was gonna go for the asphalt, but now that you mention the grass--" At the sound of a crash and the audio cutting off, everyone looked over right away and James' smile dropped.

"What's going on? Dad? Dad?" He repeated. "We're losing him." Jonathan calls out to Steve as the Harrington looks up. "Wait, what?" He asked. "Stop! Stop!" The Byers shouted so Steve pressed on the gas. He spun around right away, looking at Jonathan who turned the wheel around. He got the signal back. "We got him." He reassured Steve who sighed in relief, turning back around to face the front.

"Dad, do you copy? Dad!" James exclaimed into the mic, El and Will glancing at one another before they look over at him. "Yeah, I copy." The man's voice came through and the younger Hopper sighs. "What the hell happened?" He asked his dad worriedly. "I don't know. We just slammed to a stop." Hopper replied. "Why... would they stop?" Robin asked.

James looked up at her, then over at El who spoke, "the soldiers... they know he's there." She's walking towards the desk, towards James who's glancing over at Joyce with a worried expression. "We don't kkow that." Nancy said, looking at James then at El. "There are too many. He can't take them." Eleven had begun pacing and James was holding the Rubik's cube again, looking down at the desk.

When the Demogorgon's snarling came through on the radio's speakers, Joyce gasped, standing up as she rushed over to El and James just stared down at radio, with a blank face. Nancy and Robin also got up, rushing over to stand with the other two. As gunfire and roaring follows, all James did was look around at the equipment. He knew there was a reason why he felt like he should've went. The lights begun flickering above them, and the group all look up.