Royal Pain || Stranger Things

twenty-eight || super ears

     Joyce's eyes closed with a sigh.

     "What?" Hop asked. "You didn't think I'd find out about that? Gary called me. He said he's fixing up your house to put on the market." He let out a light puff of air, walking about the room without intention. "The kids know yet?"

     Joyce looked away, her soft shake telling him that no, the kids had not been informed that they were moving.

     Hop walked to the work bench, sitting on the concrete platform in front of her. "After Sarah...I had to get away. I had to get the hell out of that place, you know? Outrun those, uh, those memories, I guess." He sighed. "I mean, why do you think I ended back up in this shithole?" He smiled lightly up at her. "But you have something that I never had. You have people that know what you've been through. You have people that care about you. Right here. In Hawkins."

     "You mean..." Joyce, on the verge of crying, sputtered out, "You mean, people like Scott Clarke?" She sighed, shaking her head. "That was a joke."

     Hopper rolled his eyes before letting out a sarcastic agreeance, chuckling.

     They were drawn out of a peaceful moment by a startled gasp from Tatum, her head shooting up from the trance she had fallen into as she stumbled back from the wall.

     And just nearly covered by the teen's awakening, a clattering of metal in the distance.

     Hopper grabbed Tate by the arm and pulled her to the group, all of their lights focusing out towards the sound.

     "What was that?" Joyce asked, the idea of questioning where Tatum had went internally disappearing.

     "Let's find out," he said, guiding the trio back the way they came through the observatory only to stop them at the plastic paneling covering the door out into the hall. "Wait here."

     "Oi, no way!" protested Tatum. "That's never a good thing to say in Hawkins."

     Hopper refenced the handgun holstered to his hip. "I've got this," he assured before disappearing through the plastic.

     Tatum focused on the sounds that Hopper created, the clap of his heavy feet on the floor joined not long after by a door down the hall creaking to a close.

     "What do you hear?" Joyce whispered, gripping her flashlight so tight it had begun to turn her knuckles white.

     "I don't think we're the only ones here," replied Tatum, resting her back against the wall next to the doorway, only a step away from being able to slip out into the hall if needed. "But it could be something small, like a rat."

     "Rats aren't so scary," she said aloud, more for herself than anyone else.

     A series of clatters and scraping followed, so distant only Tatum could pick it up and the aggressive thunder overhead wasn't helping her keep the signal.

     "This is Hawkins Chief of Police! Come out with your hands up!" Hopper called. "You hear me? Hands up!"

     Tatum lightly recoiled at the suddenness of a door being kicked in, Hop no doubt against waiting for a response. But it was the sudden sound of knuckles hitting flesh that caused her to shoot up from her reclined position. "There's someone here," she said, looking to Joyce. "Can you run to the truck?"

     "What about you?" Joyce asked as Tatum pulled her out of the observatory and into the hall.

     "I can take care of whoever it is," she assured, stopping shy of the open door Hop had gone through. "I can retrace his steps. Go to the car. There's a crowbar in the back if you need it. Go!"