Bloody Negatives {Stranger things}

Chapter Eight

《Chapter Eight》
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Tally's knuckles stung as he knocked on the heavy wooden door.

He had gotten to exactly 13 knocks before the door opened. A warm-looking woman now stood in front of him, wearing a pleasant smile on her lips.

Tally didn't give her the chance to say anything before he starting talking. "Hi, ma'am, by any chance is Dustin Henderson home?"

She blinked in surprise, and for a moment Tally thought that he'd have to repeat himself.

"No, he's not," she finally answered, eyebrows scrunching together with concern. "Why do you ask?"

Tally bit his lip, resisting the urge to completely ignore her question. Act normal, he told himself. You are normal. "I think he knows where I can find someone I'm looking for."

"He should be home soon," the woman said, seemingly apologetic that Dustin wasn't there. "Would you like to come in? Have some tea?"

Tally's eyes darted back and forth, he didn't want to go inside, but it wasn't like he could do anything other than wait for Dustin. So he nodded and stepped inside.

"My name is Claudia," the woman said happily as she lead Tally over to the dining room table and gestured for him to sit down. "I'm Dustin's mother."

Tally nodded weakly, feeling exhaustion creep up on him. "I'm Tally."

"Are you one of Dustin's friends?" Claudia asked, wandering into the kitchen to fumble around with teabags.

Tally stalled for a moment. He wasn't sure if he'd ever had a single conversation with Dustin in all the time they'd gone to school together.

"No, um, a friend of a friend," Tally cringed slightly at his response. Calling Lucas Sinclair a friend was probably a stretch.

"Oh, that's nice," Claudia turned back to face Tally, and her face twisted into a look of concern. "Goodness, you look exhausted."

Maybe that's why Dustin turned out so happy. He had a mom that was actually capable of empathy.

Tally nodded meekly. "I haven't gotten much sleep lately, I guess."

"Me neither," Claudia sighed, shaking her head. "Too many scary things happening lately."

Tally felt the strange urge to tell her that he'd actually witnessed one of those scary things. He barely even knew this woman, why on earth would he tell her that he witnessed a murder?

Worried that he would blurt out something that be shouldn't say, Tally decided that he should just nod in response.

The eerie sound of the kettle whistling grew to fill their ears, and Claudia practically leaped back into the kitchen.

"Earl grey or chai?" she called after a moment.

"Earl grey, please," Tally replied so quietly that it was a miracle she heard him at all.

When Claudia came back, she looked like she'd seen a ghost. "Dustin's been out for an awfully long time," she whispered gravely.

"Oh," Tally said, eyebrows raising. "I'm sure he's okay."

Claudia nodded. "Of course, it's just... that Munson boy, the one who killed that poor girl, Dustin used to be friends with him. I don't want him trying to contact my son."

"You think Eddie did it? The murders?" Tally asked, completely unaware that he'd accidentally just revealed information that the police were only broadcasting live to the public right this very moment, on the television behind him, on mute, which there was no possible way he could see, but Claudia could view quite easily.

"Murders..." Claudia pondered under her breath. Her head snapped up quickly. "I think you should leave."

Tally frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"

Claudia laughed nervously and shook her head. "No, no, I just don't think Dustin's going to he coming home anytime soon."

Tally froze, analyzing the subtle terror on the woman's face. He'd said murders. Plural. He wasn't supposed to know about more than one death.

"Oh, shit," he muttered to himself as he made his way towards the door. All he could do now is pray that Claudia wouldn't call the cops on him. He didn't need another lecture from Callahan.

Claudia seemed more than a little desperate to get the boy out of her home, which he supposed was understandable. If he thought someone was a murderer, he wouldn't want them in his house either.

"Goodbye, ma'am," he sighed as he left, hoping at least she'd remember him as being polite.

Interestingly enough, as soon as he heard the door slam shut behind him, he saw two figures walking in the distance. One with a bright orange t-shirt, and the other with fiery red hair.

Dustin Henderson and Max Mayfield.

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