Jailbird || Stranger Things

one ➵ the return

In the silence of the forest surrounding the small town in Indiana, the only sound disturbing the peace was the low hum of a green Range Rover. The heavy cymbals and drums of the music from inside leaked through the wind, following the car as it carried on around the bends. The driver, barely past the age of seventeen, had hardly slept through the two day drive, but the familiar terrain brought a small smile onto her face.

    On a straight stretch of road, the car was pulled to the side, lining up beside some trees and a low bank of snow. The girl got out of the driver's seat, shrugging her jacket closer at the sight of the few snowflakes gliding through the air that mixed with her breath. As much as the fog swirling in front of her face alluded to the cold temperature, she still found herself taking in a deep breath. She'd left the city a while ago, but as the first stop she'd made since crossing into Indiana, she felt relieved to breathe the fresh air of a place she'd once called home.

    If only it was a moment she could have by herself.

    Peeling back the wrapper of a sandwich she'd purchased at a gas station back in Illinois in the early hours of the morning, she leaned back against the doors, eyes habitually roving over her surroundings. She could practically feel the unfamiliar eyes on her as she took a break, though she wasn't entirely sure how she knew it.

Nevertheless, her eyes continued to take in the shadows between the trees, following the sounds of the branches as the wind swept through them. The more she kept watching, chewing absentmindedly, the more she remembered why exactly she was afraid of the woods surrounding Hawkins when she was young. Why she'd stayed under the covers the moment the moon was the only natural source of light.

Through the mess of her thoughts, her eyes found a trail of footsteps in the snow in the near distance. They looked a little bit like drag marks, as if the person or creature was unable to pick up their feet properly. The reality shook her out of her mind with a shiver, the memories of the creatures that had been entirely created by her own imagination engulfing her. The things she used to hide from. Having grown since, she had managed to move on, but now seeing those tracks, the idea lingered in the back of her mind.

Overwhelmed by memories she'd long struggled to keep at bay, the girl balled up the papers that the sandwich had been wrapped in, and left her packet of cigarettes in her jacket's pocket. Instead, she tugged on the door, and got back inside, turning the key in the ignition before she rubbed her hands together for some warmth.

As the imported vehicle roared back to life, the girl threw one last glance up at the trees before she lowered the handbrake and pulled back into the road.

Perhaps if she would have glanced in the mirror once she was back in motion she could have spotted the little girl looking around a tree. The same girl who hadn't yet managed to find her footing. For the first time since she'd stepped back into her reality instead of the Upside Down, it was the only time she'd considered revealing herself.

Because Teresa looked familiar. Overwhelmingly so. Her blue eyes had the same amount of pain, yet responsibility behind them. She recognised her eyes within seconds. They were all too similar to the eyes of Chief Jim Hopper.

───────

Steve Harrington had never been a strong believer in coincidences.

    Perhaps it was because of the events of November 1983, which landed him with a mild anxiety attack in the Byers house, twirling a nail pierced bat at a creature from another dimension. Or perhaps it was because of the events just a few hours earlier, which had left him with a black eye and bruised knuckles.

    In any case, he just didn't find a merit in the idea. Blaming things on coincidence was an easy way out. It didn't challenge how he saw the world, and as much of a change as this realisation brought onto him, he knew thinking in coincidences was a coward's way out.