Home Strangerthingau

Chapter 22

Searching and Finding

Hopper pulled up to an old library and parked the car.

"Hopper, what are we doing here?" Jonathan asked taking off his seat belt along with everyone else in the car.

"You listened to my story didn't you?" Hopper asked opening up his door and getting out. He looked at Jonathan and everyone who was still in the car. "News paper articles are my best friend when it comes to this stuff."

With that, everyone in Hopper's car got out and followed him to Joyce's parked car. Joyce got out of the car confused and worried. "Hopper, what's going on we still need to find where El is!"

"I know." Hopper said opening the back of Joyce's car where all heads turned to him. "Come on I need you to help. The faster we get this done, the sooner we find El."

Everyone followed Hopper into the library and watched as he grabbed a bunch of old newspapers from a year ago. Once he had an arm full of newspapers, he turned and handed each of them a hand full.

"Read these, okay?" Hopper instructed. "If you find anything—anything at all—you think might help us find the lab, me know."

Everyone quickly got to work, reading quickly through articles and grabbing more and more making the piles of paper grow bigger. With each passing minutes the worked faster knowing they had no time to lose. Every second counted.

Hopper would every once in a while call out, "Anything?" But would sadly get a collective 'no' in response.

About fifteen minutes passed until Mike jumped up from his seat surprising everyone. "Guys, look at this!" He beamed.

Everyone gathered around him and read the paper to themselves.

Chicago Light and Energy is Now Open. The headline read.

"I don't get it." Robin shook her head in confusion. "I thought we were supposed to be looking for the lab."

"That's the thing." Dustin started explaining. "When we first found Hawkins Lab, it wasn't named 'Hawkins Lab'. It was named Hawkins Light and Energy."

"So, it was a cover up." Steve prompted.

"Exactly." Dustin confirmed.

"And that can only mean one thing." Mike added. "This is the lab. This is where they are hiding El. And look! The date was around the time of El's funeral."

"Alright, give me that." Hopper grabbed the paper out of Mike's hands and read over the address.

"I know where this is." He quickly told. "Let's go."

Hopper led the group out to their parked cars in front of the library. "Alright just follow me, okay? It's about a ten minute drive and plan on at least cutting the time in half."

"What if we get pulled over?" Max questioned while opening her door to Joyce's car.

"Well, one we won't because two, I'm going to have my lights and sirens on. Now let's go!"

Everyone hopped in their designated cars and took a deep hopeful breath. Today was the day they were going to see El again. After a year of thinking she was dead and they would never see her again, the impossible became possible.

Mike thought about the last day he saw her. The day back at the cabin and the conversation/fight that made her run off.

Did she know they were there and that's why she left? Was she walking around in the woods and they found her? Did she go to them herself wanting to protect us? The questions filled Mike's head to the point he felt like he was drowning in them.

Happiness filled his heart at the same time knowing that he was going to see her again. That he could apologize for what he said. That the 'goodbye' wasn't the last. At least, that's what he hoped for. 

Silence filled Joyce's car just like in Hopper's. They were all in their heads, trying to figure out how this might end. There would only be one of many ways, and only a few of them were with good outcome.

Just like Hopper said, they managed to arrive at the lab within six minutes and were now rolling up to a booth outside the lab's gates. A man stood in the booth, allowing people in. As they pulled up, the man gave them a friendly smile indicating he didn't know who they were.

"Hello, sir. How can I help you today?" The man spoke in a bubbly voice, looking at Hopper.

"I need to get in to do an investigation." Hopper said trying to make it sound relaxed, like he did this everyday.

"I'm sorry sir, but we can let you in. It's a government owned building and we aren't allowed to let in people if they aren't hired by the boss." The man regretfully told them.

Hopper sighed and got out of the car just so that he could talk to the man without getting looks from the older kids. "Look, I know your doing your job here, but I need to do my job as well. And this, this is my job for the day. I need to get in."

"I can't." The man shook his head.

"Why? You experiments or something illegal in there?"

"I don't know. I just work the gate." The man shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I need to ask you to leave."

Hopper sighed and before anyone knew what would happen next, Hopper swung a tight fist at the man hitting his jaw and making him go out cold. Everyone in both cars looked at Hopper in shock as he quickly pressed a button opening up the gates and got back in his car.

"Wow." Robin spoke still in shock.

"Now," Hopper started to speak with a determined voice as he started drive into the lab's parking lot with Joyce following, "let's get El back from that son of a bitch."

Authors note
Short chapter, but I'm thinking the next one will be longer. Who's excited because I am!