Stranger Things: Book 2

Chapter 22.2: He's Back.

<<•••>>

StarCourt Mall

Robin grabs the tips out of the tip jar and runs off.

"Robin." Steve says watching her leave. 

"Hey, Robin! Hey, what--what are you doing?" Steve says catching up to her.

"I need cash." Robin says holding the money.

"Well, half of that's mine! Where're you going?" 

"To find a way into that room, a safe way!" Robin says to Steve slowly walking backwards.

"And, in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up! I'll be back in a jiff!" Robin says running away again as Steve goes back behind the counter. Dustin gets ice cream with Steve's scooper and licks it right off. 

"Oh, dude. Come on, man, not my scooper." Steve says taking his scooper from Dustin.

<<•••>>

The Hawkins Post

Nancy and Jonathan are waiting outside Tom's office nervously. Bruce looks at them and grabs his tie pretending to choke himself, then laughs walking away. They look at him in disbelief. 

"Dunno if they'll go through with it, but I just thought you should know." Officer Callahan says walking out of Tom's office. He gives Nancy and Jonathan a saddening look. 

Tom walks out of his office and looks straight at Nancy and Jonathan.

"Nancy. Jonathan." Tom says to them, then goes back in his office.

"I've worked at this paper for twenty-five years. Twenty-five..years. Now, we're a small town paper, but we have something the big papers don't have: trust. The trust of our community." Tom lectures.

 "Tom, if you just--" Nancy tries to tell Tom something but he interrupts.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW I BUILT THAT TRUST?" Tom yells and kicks his desk.

Nancy looks up at him frightened. 

"By placing my faith in something the two of you don't seem to value a whole lot: facts. Facts. So, while we're here, let's go over the facts. Fact one: you disobeyed a direct order to STOP pursuing this story. TWO: you falsely identified yourselves as reporters, REPEATEDLY LYING to an elderly woman. Three: you broke into her home, committing TRESPASS. FOUR: she almost DIED en route to the hospital!" Tom shouts at them.

"She would've died if we hadn't shown up! Whatever disease that rat had clearly passed to her-" Nancy shouts back.

"FIVE. MS. DRISCOLL IS A PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIC."

Nancy and Jonathan have shocked looks on their faces.

"You didn't know that, did you? Now..disease-carrying rats? The second coming of the plague? Does this sound credible to you, or perhaps does this sound more like the delusions of a very sick old lady?" Tom says sarcastically laughing then going back to all seriousness.

"I didn't know that." Nancy says to Tom looking down.

"Her family's furious. So furious, in fact, they've threatened litigation."

"Litigation?" Jonathan says stunned.

"That's crazy." Nancy adds.

"For once, we agree. This is crazy. In fact, in my entire professional career, I've never dealt with anything quite like it. But hopefully..." Tom says furious, then sits down on his chair.