𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫. ►

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE MASSACRE AT HAWKINS LAB

"Erica."

"Just the facts!" She stated bluntly, shrugging and staring down the kids who looked to her as if the were begging her to stop.

"Son, are you lying to these policemen?" Ted shifted in his seat, looking straight to Mike and shaking his head slowly.

All of the kids had looked over to Mike who stammered before he shook his head as well. "No."

"Lying is a crime, son." Mr. Sinclair had reminded Lucas who sat up, throwing his hands up as if in surrender.

"That's why we're not lying." River defended, she gave a sweet smile to all, and Erica rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"The fire is consuming us." She rolled her eyes when saying this, and River slumped back down, sighing.

"Threaten them with a little jail time, maybe that'll loosen their lips." Mr. Wheeler had still stared straight at Mike as he said this, and Karen shook her head. Mike only stared back, at his dad. A faint sense of aggravation on his face.

"You wanna send our kids to jail?" Mrs. Sinclair argued, and she laughed in disbelief.

"He didn't mean it like that!" Karen defended. She glanced to Mike who gave an apologetic look to her. He didn't necessarily want to be doing this right now, but he had absolutely no other choices.

The overlapping arguments of everyone had caused Officer Powell to stand up. The look of annoyance on his face was caught by River and Max, and he then yelled. "SHUT UP."

It was suddenly quiet in the room again, Mike looked away from his mom to Officer Powell, and so did the other two boys.

"We're gonna get a more civilized approach. One at a time." Powell began, before he pointed directly at River. "You first." All kids had looked over to her in confusion, and she held her hands up.

"Why me? I'm not even in their club." She laughed out nervously, before Callahan interjected, he pointed at River, raising one eyebrow as he set his other hand on his hip.

"Do I need to cuff you?" The boys, and Max watched as she sat back in her seat, staring at both of the officers.

"Up! Let's go, little girl." Callahan had demanded, and River forced herself up, following them both after sharing looks with the rest. Mike gave her a thumbs up in reassurance, and with that, River sloppily turned once again and continued to follow them.

˗ˏˋ✦ ✦ ✦'ˎ˗

Both Officers hadn't gotten much out of River in their time with her. Mostly it was just her staying quiet or insulting one of them. But when she wasn't doing either of these things, she was sticking to her story.

"Okay, listen little girl." Callahan began, his hand on his hip once again in this day as he stared her down.

"We need you to cooperate with us." Officer Powell said this as more of a request than a demand, and River was denying this request.

"Why were you at the lake? At 9 P.M?" This was his third question, and his third time asking it. River watched as they looked to her hands, and Officer Callahan added on, as he pointed to them.

"And may it have anything to do with that?" If she answered honestly, she could say, 'Oh yeah! I think so, this demonic creature is just like after me and my friends and he did this to me, cool right?' But she wasn't telling the truth today.