𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄- (ᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ ᴍᴜɴsᴏɴ)¹

𝟎𝟖|𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐛𝐲; 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨

The woman, Yunha apparently, slapped the wheel with one hand furiously. "Done our part? Done our part, Taejin? We wouldn't even have a part in this if we hadn't help create this mess in the first place, you asshole! Just—" she paused and inhaled, and at one point, Elias was sure he was about to miss what she was saying because of how rapid her Korean was. "Shut up. Just shut... the fuck up before I throw you out of my car."

Taejin said nothing more after that, and then three teenagers shared bewildered looks of confusion.

Their destination ended up being a small house in the middle of the woods. "It's the Byers' house," Bridget told him when they entered the home.

Right. Of course, it was.

Elias tried not to pay any attention to the hundreds of drawings taped to the walls as he followed Bridget to the dining area. The kids were already sat there, and so Yoshi strode up to them. "Where is he?" He hurriedly asked.

Mike Wheeler stood up abruptly and he had a look on his face like was about to deliver bad news. "He's in the bathroom. But listen, you should know something first before you go in," he tried saying, but Yoshi was moving past him like he hadn't heard what he'd said at all.

Bridget stepped forward with a frown and her arms crossed. "What? What's wrong?"

Mike sighed and sat back in his chair. The girl from before, in Hopper's truck, Jenny, faced them with a mournful look in her eyes. She was seated next to Mike, her arms wrapped around herself protectively. "It's Bob. Bob Newby," she said, almost too quietly. "He didn't make it."

At the exact same time, Elias watched his father limped past them, right to where Hopper was busy trying to make a phone call. Yunha followed after, although she went to stand a bit further behind from Jonathan, watching as the teen covered his unconscious brother with a blanket.

He looked back at the group at the table, and how they all turned sullen at the mention of Bob Newby. Elias didn't know who he was, but he must've been someone important to them if they all looked so devastated.

The wound on his shoulder flared for the first time since the junkyard, and he winced. He separated himself from the rest of them and went to lean against the kitchen sink. After a moments debate, he decided to sit on the floor, he was too exhausted to think much of it anyway.

He watched his father, as Hopper tried to force him to take the phone and also ask for help. Taejin tried explaining something to him, but the Chief wouldn't listen—and Elias reckoned he would have done the same if he was faced with a person who helped create the mess that was around them— and so he decided to do it on his own.

"I don't know how many people are left in there!" His voice was starting increase in volume. "I don't know how many people are left alive!"

"Jim–Jim, just listen to me–" Hopper turned away from Taejin, and the man sighed in exasperation. He hobbled away from the scene and disappeared into the living room. Steve came out a moment later, just as Hopper yelled, "I am the police! Chief Jim Hopper!"

Elias sighed and knocked his head against the wooden cupboard doors he was leaning against. He tried tuning out the rest of the conversation and Steve walked in and stood next to the fridge.

Elias looked at the disgruntled expression on his face, but turned to the Chief a second later when said man hung up the phone.

"They didn't believe you, did they?" Dustin asked.

Hopper looked at him. "We'll see."

"We'll see? We can't just sit here while those things are loose!" Mike argued.