STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED_JIM HOPPER

027

Hopper stopped for a moment then, to inhale deeply. He was close to tears, hell, every eye in the vehicle was misting over. No one in the car was faultless, they had each been underhanded with the other, they hadn't been fair to one another, and they hadn't been kind.

Eleven's voice eventually cut through the loaded silence. "A black hole?"

The naive question had both adults remembering just how little she understood of the outside world. Just how little she'd experienced beyond the walls of the cabin or Hawkins Lab, both places she'd been confined to unwillingly. "Yeah, it's a...you know, it's a thing in outer space," Hopper aimed to explain. "It's like, it sucks everything towards it and destroys it. Sara had a picture book about outer space. She loved it."

It had been so long since they had talked about his late daughter, but Ana wasn't surprised that he brought her up then. The idea of losing Eleven always reminded him of what he had already lost. She'd become his surrogate daughter in the time spent hiding away from the world in the name of protection.

"Who's Sara?" Now, that did surprise Ana. It hadn't occurred to her that Hopper wouldn't have mentioned her to Eleven at some point over the last year they'd spent together.

Hopper almost seemed surprised too, realizing that Eleven didn't know about his daughter and what had ultimately befallen her. "Sara? Sara's my girl. She's my little girl," he said sweetly, the words rolling gently off his tongue as he was reminded of sweeter memories.

"Where is she?" Eleven inquired with tears still streaking down her young face. She probably thought the girl was just somewhere else, away from her limited sight, but the reality was harsher and more biting than simply being elsewhere.

"Well, that's kind of the thing, kid," Hopper started though his voice shook at the end. "She, uh...she left us. The black hole. It got her." Why did Ana repeatedly find herself intruding in on this particular conversation? Was it purely coincidental, or was Hopper trying to make her understand as well?

She couldn't ruminate on the prospect, though, because Hopper continued on, illuminating the two of the rationale behind his actions. "And somehow...I've just been scared, you know? I've just been scared that it would take you, too. I think that's why I get so mad. I'm so sorry. For everything. I could be so...so..."

Ana offered a gentle hand on his shoulder as a show of solace, but Eleven offered up the answer. "Stupid?"

That brought a chortle to the man's lips. "Yeah. Stupid. Just really stupid."

Eleven reached over the front seat and connected their two hands. It was a touching moment and one that should be entirely their own. So, Ana went to withdraw her hand from Hopper's shoulder to sink back into the rear seat, but she was stopped in her retreat.

"Stay," Eleven commanded, catching Ana's fleeing hand within her free one. There they were, just the three of them, sitting in the quiet of the cab with interlocked fingers and interconnected affections.

But, all too quickly, the trio were parking in front of the damned Hawkins Laboratory. They filed out silently, steps heavy with dread, and Ana met Hopper at the trunk to receive his ancillary rifle, which she shouldered hastily.

Without speaking, the two met Eleven at the front of the vehicle where she was gazing upon the building wearily, no doubt flashing back to her time spent as a prisoner in the place.

"Alright. You let me do the heavy lifting up front. You save your strength till we're below. Try and stay as close to Ana as possible, alright?" They both nodded deftly at his instructions, too consumed with worry to disagree.

When he asked if she were okay, Eleven stomped off in the direction of the building defiantly. Well, she guessed they had their answer. Hopper and Ana had to jog behind to catch up with the girl's confident steps.

The scent of death hung in the air of Hawkins Lab. Bodies of the deceased workers still lay where they had fallen on the floor. It was a gruesome sight, one which would linger in nightmares or whenever their eyes closed. The alarms echoed continuously as the lights overhead flickered. Thankfully, though, they didn't encounter any demo-dogs as they made their way through the halls with Hopper leading, Eleven in the middle, and Ana covering the back.

Their first surprise came in a stairwell, in the form of Dr. Owens, who was slumped on the ground, barely clinging to life. Hopper kneeled next to the older man and inspected his badly mangled leg. "Those suckers got you pretty good, huh?" The doctor tried to say something, but Hopper halted his attempts. "It's okay, don't talk. Don't talk. I got you. I got you." He took off his belt to create a makeshift tourniquet, trying to stem the bleeding.

As Hopper worked, Owens finally noted the two companions standing behind him. Ana wasn't much to consider, but the younger girl was unexpected.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to tell you," Hopper started, nonchalantly. "This is Eleven. Eleven, Doc Owens. Doc Owens, Eleven. She's been staying with me for about a year, and she's about to save our asses. Maybe when this is all said and done, maybe you could help her out, too, you know? Maybe you could help her lead, like, a normal life. One where she's not poked and prodded and treated like some kind of lab rat, you know? I don't know, it's just a thought." A harsh tug on the belt securing his wound should have told the doctor that it wasn't just a thought nor a suggestion coming from Hopper. "But, uh...think about it."

As Hopper moved away from the man, Ana moved in. "He means that's definitely what you're going to do once this is all done," she whispered as she wrapped an arm around Owens' lower back. "Alright, up we go, Doc," she said, and hoisted them both to their feet. It wasn't easy dragging the injured man along, but as far as Ana could figure, three somewhat non-disabled adults were better than two.

The hallway they traveled along then was all too familiar for those in the party, and they knew they were getting close when the distant sound of demo-dogs screeching could be heard.

Hopper forged ahead alone, only to discover that the room they needed to be in was crawling with the monsters. He intended to go in, guns a-blazing, but something changed. Before he could get a shot off, all the monsters turned tail and ran back into the tunnel systems below.

Their pathway was suddenly clear for Eleven to do her thing. Jonathan even called through the radio, giving them the go ahead.

Ana would have to stay behind with Dr. Owens in the control room, given they would operate the lever that lowered Eleven and Hopper down into the portal. She didn't like it, them going on without her, but she knew it was what needed to be done.

And, while there wasn't much time left before the creatures returned, Ana found enough time for some final words. She squatted in front of Eleven and encased the girl's face in her hands. "You're stronger than all of us. You can do this. Easy peasy." The two shared a small smile before Ana kissed her atop the head and stood. When she was fully upright, and facing Hopper, her words didn't come so quickly.

After watching Ana noticeably struggle for the right thing to say, he finally decided to put her out of her misery. His large hand reached forward and wove through her hair, his fingers tangling in the long, dark locks. With his palm cradling the nape of her neck, Hopper pulled Ana towards him, so their foreheads were pressed against one another. "Tell me when we make it back," he said before placing a chaste kiss to her lips and releasing his hold on her.

Once Eleven and Hopper had been lowered slowly down into the hole, there was no way of telling whether or not things were going well. The air around them pulsated, and the ringing only became louder and louder the longer they were gone. After what felt like hours, the lights in the office surrounding Dr. Owens and Ana suddenly shone incredibly bright, burning with an intensity to rival the sun.

Then, just as quickly as they had changed, things returned to normal. The lights reduced to their previous dim glow, the ringing stopped, and the air around them was still once more.

Eleven had done it, she had closed the gate and saved them all.