𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓, v. hopper ☑️

xxxii. someone she loves.

ROBINS POV, BASEMENT AFTERLIFE.

"just.. come on. we've got to talk."

i sat down in front of the three boys, "what?" i said, looking back at piper, wanting to get back to her as fast as possible. what could be more important than my sister, in tears on a bloody mattress, and in a haunted basement? or just my sister in general?

"we've seen... and heard things, that the grabber has been talking about." bruce added, lifting his head up to look at me.

"what has he been talking about?" i asked, looking in between the three boys, my attention turned to griffin.

"hes going to take someone piper loves. we heard him talking.."

"what? how do you know?"

BRUCES POV, GRABBERS HOUSE, FLASHBACK.

me, paperboy and griffin decided to go upstairs for the first time since i died. the only time paperboy had ever really been up there, is when the grabber left the door open. he didn't want to go back up. too many bad memories. but some of them, he had already forgotten about.

i twisted the knob upstairs, the same knob we all twisted, thinking we could get out of there, when we saw the grabber coming into the house, we all stepped back, but then realised he couldn't see us. because, well, we were... dead.

we saw our killer, pacing the room whiles talking to himself, "so... i've got piper arellano, robin arellano is dead, who else does the girl love?" he muttered under his breath. i could hardly hear him.

"no, he's done enough to her. he wont hurt her anymore... right?" i turned to look at paperboy, he shrugged.

"he probably will. he's sick, you know that." griffin replied before paperboy could.

"who was that boy i saw her walking around with..." he snapped his fingers as he thought about it, then sighed as he grabbed his jacket and walked outside.

"come on!" i whisper-yelled to the two boys behind me, about to go through the door, until i felt something blocking me, but there wasn't anything there.

"bruce, did you go into the actual house?" paperboy asked, i turned my attention to him.

"no... once i got up the stairs, i ran back down."

"well, we have a theory that since we died down here, we can only leave once our killer is dead too." griffin added on.

"but wont we see him here? his soul will be trapped here with us... if we dont get out, right?" i looked in between the two.

"lets just go back downstairs, if we hear him coming back... then, well, we'll come back up, and see if he found anyone.

i nodded, and we walked downstairs.

ROBINS POV, BASEMENT, AFTERLIFE.

"so... the grabber is going to take someone that she loves? thats bullshit." i said, looking in between the three of them, "the grabber cant be that sick that he'd want to hurt her more, right?" i added on, in disbelief.

but i got no answer.

"right? guys?"

"do you know anyone that she loves that he would take? most likely a boy." bruce asked, looking over at piper, who was still crying on the mattress.

i hesitated for a second, "i dont know... maybe finney?"

"finney blake? from the baseball team?" bruce asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"yeah, or theres vance hopper, someone she's grown a liking too recently, they've been hanging out a little i think."

"has she been hanging out with... finney? was it? recently?" paperboy asked.

"well, when she got down here she didn't really tell me anything about finn, so i dont think so." i shrugged, "why? you think he's going to take one of them?"

"maybe, most likely vance hopper if she has been seen with him more..."

"vance hopper? no chance. he's like, the toughest kid in school. i've seen him fight."

"well, he got you, didnt he?" griffin looked up at me.

"he caught me off guard. vance never lets his guard down." i replied, sternly.

"wait, robin, didnt you die upstairs?" paperboy asked, looking from griffin, to me.

i didn't reply for a moment, "yeah." i said, faintly.

"well, could you try and go through the door? none of us can." bruce asked, as he stood up.

i nodded. but once we got out of the basement, and up the stairs, we heard a car pulling in, he was home. my eyes widened as i heard the sound, "no. no. no, i cant do it, im sorry, i cant." i put my hands up in defence and rushed down the stairs.

now i see why they were scared of him. the trauma is unbearable.

i couldn't even look up the stairs without freaking out, let alone when the man is home.

i sat next to piper, my knees up to my chest and my arms resting on my legs, which my head also rested on as i was shaking. why am i so scared of him? im dead...