Chapter Eight: A New Duo

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Joyce had told Mrs. (L/N) to meet her back at the Byer's house later that night. Joyce had to retrieve a new phone. The ominous call from the children somehow made the device inoperative. Hopper blamed this on the storm, however, Joyce knew that wasn't the case.
(Y/N)'s mother grabs her purse, one which looks modest as to not show off in front of Joyce. She knows that the Byers aren't as fortunate. Mrs. (L/N) pulls on her winter coat and makes her way towards the door. She moves in a brisk fashion to avoid any possible mishaps involving her husband.
Just as she grabs her car keys there is a jiggling of the door knob. The person at the door has realized that it's locked so they pull out their own set of keys. No. No, why now? Mrs. (L/N) pauses in her actions and stands completely still. Mr. (L/N) comes in through the front door.
He shuts the door and locks it before noticing his frozen wife, who stands only a few feet away from where he's just entered. He looks up, almost startled, and furrows his eyebrows.
"Where're you going?" He doesn't move away from the door.
"Out," Mrs. (L/N) knows that she shouldn't feel frightened, but nevertheless she does.
"Where?" His position straightens and he has a slight grimace plastered across his face. It's obvious what he thinks she's doing. There isn't exactly a reason for her to stay faithful to him. But still. He's dominant; he's in charge. His ego tells him he has to be.
Mrs. (L/N) knows that he suspects her of going out with another man. He's never been fully trustful of her. But, she doesn't exactly want him to know that she's going to be with Joyce Byers either. He has certain opinions of people who seem to have a poor notoriety. "I'm going out with some girl friends," She gives him a small smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. (Y/N)'s mother makes her way for the door and reaches her hand out to turn the knob.
Mr. (L/N) smashes his hand into the doorknob, the door creaks because of the shift in pressure. "Maybe," he sighs and touches Mrs. (L/N)'s elbow gently, "Maybe, you should stay here," He gives (Y/N)'s mother an intimidating look, although he tried to look comforting.
"No. We already had this planned," Mrs. (L/N) stares timidly up at her husband, being careful not to move for the fear of him grabbing at her harshly.
"I noticed your car is parked differently," Mr. (L/N) says and shifts his grip to his wife's forearm. A greater panic enters her system. "Where were you today?" His tone is monotonous yet she can still feel the malice dripping from each word.
Should I tell the truth? I think it would hurt me more if I didn't. Mrs. (L/N) backs up swiftly and breaks the contact between her and her husband. "I was with Joyce Byers," her tone becomes strong and steady. Nothing is going to stop her from possibly finding her daughter.
Confusion reaches the features of Mr. (L/N), "Joyce Byers? Why're you hanging around with Joyce Byers?" He cannot understand why a clean-cut wife like his would be hanging out with the rumored crazy woman of Hawkins.
"She feels," Mrs. (L/N) trails off. Can I really tell my husband this? He'll think I'm crazy? But I'll really go crazy if I can't find (Y/N), "She feels like she has a lead. A lead to finding the children," Her voice is still strong but quivers at the presence of her husband's face which grows with concern.
"Hanging around with her won't do any good," His face comes closer to hers and he shifts his grip so that his hands are enclosed on her upper arms.
(Y/N)'s mother becomes frantic and attempts to pull back out of her husband's grip. "She could help me find (Y/N)! We can find (Y/N)! We might--"
"She's insane! You're really going to give into her stories! How naïve are you?" Now Mr. (L/N) is yelling at his wife. Cords stand out on his neck. He cannot stand the disobedience. His brain is slightly foggy, alcohol hindering him from being a decent human. He's been drinking more to forget. To forget that (Y/N) is missing. To forget that it's his fault, "You're going to stay here and-" His grip is tight on her arms.
"You're hurting me!" Mrs. (L/N) bucks her arms back and forth to loosen the grip, it's no use.
"And..and! Stay here! You're staying here, do you understand!" She's frozen. His breath is hot in her face. The smell of alcohol wafts to her nose. His eyes burn deep into her skin. His hands hurt. They're hurting. "I said, do you under--"
"No!" A final yank is given and Mrs. (Y/N) comes free of her husband's grip. She rockets backwards and hits her lower back on a sharp corner. However, at the moment, she pays no attention to that. "Don't you dare touch me! Don't you dare!" She stands hunched at the shoulders. Her words are flooded with an onslaught of heavy sobs. "I'm going out that door," She thrusts her pointer finger forward. "And...and," Her words trip on her own whimpers, "And I'm going over to Joyce Byers house!" Mrs. (L/N) rushes forward towards the door and prys her husband's hand away from the knob. "And d*mn it, I'm going to find my daughter!" She unlocks the door and swings it open so forcefully that it crashes against the wall with a Bang!
Mr. (L/N) watches his wife storm down the driveway and get into her car, each movement she makes is embedded with a fleck of anger. He's stunned almost to the point of pure terror. He'd lost control. Now what? He's supposed to be the leader. He's supposed to be the alpha. That's all he has. But, that's almost been stripped completely away from him. He should be able to control himself, to have some dignity. But, he chose to drink. A mistake he wishes he'd stop making. But, he knows he can't. He feels helpless. Just as he'd made his wife feel. He's lost to addiction. A slave to it's properties. And resisting would feel just as bad.
Mrs. (L/N)'s car speeds away as Mr. (L/N) stands adjacent to the open door, darkness flooding into the home. He is in this moment, entirely stunned.

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Hello friends! I'm sorry for the wait! The next chapter will be out next weekend, I have a plan for this one so it'll be in the making very soon. Thank you so much for the reads and votes!!! The support is amazing and I'd love to see what you have to say! ~WoodCeiling♡

*THE CHARACTERS, THEME, AND SOME DIALOGUE BELONG TO STRANGER THINGS AND THE DUFFER BROTHERS*

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