Right Side Up - A Stranger Things Season 4 Fanfic (incomplete)

Chapter 5 (Part 2)

A/N: All the text in bold is in Russian, I translated it to English for your reading pleasure.

Davidov stood in front of Hopper, and looked him right in his eyes. At that moment, Hop knew he wasn't going to see the light of day again.

"I see you're still not telling truth, huh?"  The Lieutenant said, as he formed the most terrifying fake smile Hopper had ever seen.

He then started examining the mutliple wounds on Hopper's face.
"Hmm, these look very painful, yes? Well, you're lucky we have the best doctor here, he will make you feel perfect" He said with an evil grin

"Bring in the doctor!" Davidov said, and in a matter of seconds, a man dressed in a white lab coat walked in the room, holding a large briefcase. He saluted the Lieutenant, who responded with a nod, and put his briefcase on the table across Hopper.

"Make him tell the truth" Davidov said

The doctor nodded in response, and opened his briefcase.

"H-hey, what's he doing over there?" Hopper asked, paralyzed in fear.

"Don't worry, dear friend, doctor is going to fix all the wounds on your face" Davidov said, patting Hopper's shoulder, a gesture that sent chills down Hop's back.

The doctor turned to face Hopper, holding a big syringe with a transparent liquid inside.

"That doesn't look like a bandaid to m- Hey, what are you doing?? You lied to me, you commie asshole!" Hopper

Davidov let out a small laugh, "You lied to me too, so we're even, yes?" He laughed again.

Hopper looked down at his wrists, they had been tied to the arms of the chair, without him even realizing. He looked up at the doctor, who was smiling at him as he was preparing the needle that would go into his arm. He wondered if he'd ever see the light of day again. If he'd ever see his daughter, or Joyce again, if he'd ever go back home. Probably not..

"I will count to three, and if you don't talk, we put poison in your body." Davidov said, pulling Hop out of his thoughts.

"I wouldn't say a word even if my life depended on it, bastard!"

"Then I don't have to count, right?" Davidov smirked, and nodded to the doctor to ingest the contents of the syringe in Hopper's veins.

A painful scream escaped Hopper's lungs, and then everything went black.

_______________________________________

Joyce was in Hawkins, in her old home, but in the Upside Down. The smell of the furniture rotting was unbearable, and the walls were covered in that familiar green slime. The house was silent, it almost felt dead, but the only thing that indicated some sort of life was the  television in the living room.

Joyce slowly made her way into the living room, and took a closer look at what the television was showing.

It showed a small dark prison cell, with what looked like a figure curled up in the corner of the small room. The figure was saying something, but Joyce couldn't understand it very well, so she stepped closer to the television and turned the volume up.

"El, please help me... I don't know how long they've had me locked up in here... If you can hear me, I need your help... I love you.."

"H-Hopper..?" She couldn't believe what she was witnessing, Could he really be alive after all this time?

"J-Joyce?? Can you hear me? Oh my God, Joyce, I thought I'd never hear your voice again!" She couldn't see him, but he knew he was smiling and crying by the sound of his voice.

"Oh thank God, Hopper, you're alive! Where are you? Are you safe??" Tears were streaming down her face. Wherever he was, she was determined to go find him, even if she had to risk her life for him.

"Please help me, Joycie. I don't know if I'll ever see the light of day again..
I wanna go home.. Please Joyce.."

"Hopper, just tell me where you are, and I'll be there as sson as I can okay?? Just please, tell me."

"I'm in-" The television went into static, cutting Hopper off

"Hopper? Hopper, where are you?! Hop!" She hit the television trying to get it to work.
"Dammit!" She slammed her hand on the television, and it lit up again, showing the same dark room.

"Hopper?? Are you there? Hopper!"

She squinted her eyes to see if he was still there, but instead, she noticed something else.

There was a trail of blood leading from the corner that Hopper was supposedly sitting, to the now open door of the cell.

She gasped in horror, and tears started to stream down her face.

Suddenly, a firm hand grabbed her shoulder.

Joyce woke up in cold sweat. She glanced at the alarm on her nightstand.

4:30 AM.

She had only slept for 2 hours, before her night terrors woke her up moments ago.

But this one, this one felt real. El's words came back to her.
Could Hopper really be alive?
I mean, I did see him in that cell with my own eyes- No Joyce, it was all a dream. You didn't see him. It's all in your head.

"I really need to go back to therapy.."
Joyce muttered to herself, as she settled back into bed.

_______________________________________

El ripped the blindfold off her eyes and looked at the confused yet excited Will that was sitting across her.

"I think she saw it" El whispered, gaining back her senses.

"Do you think she'll believe us?" Will asked.

"I don't know, Will.. But I really hope she will"

"How do you know if he's actually alive or if it's just your mind tricking you though?" Will was still perplexed as to how El got her powers back so fast,and if she even got them back in the first place.

"I'm telling you, I can feel it! It's not like the dreams I've been having, it feels real! It IS real! I know he's somewhere out there, all we have to do is find him."

"You're the magic one, so I believe you! Come on, let's get to bed, Mom's gonna murder us if she finds out we're awake"

With that, the two kids got comfortable in their beds and fell fast asleep.

Silence filled the Byers residence once again. It wasn't the same, cold and uncomfortable silence though. This one was warm, it felt like home.

But it wasn't really home. Ever since they moved, it never was.

Not without him.