The bell rings throughout the store and a man walks in, catching the attention of Ms. Beckett who was sitting at the front desk waiting for a certain curly haired boy.
"Mr. Kate, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Ms. Becketts voice was soft, she was hoping to cheer the poor man up.
Franklin sends her a small smile before walking to the desk. He was holding papers in his hands.
Missing persons posters.
Holding one out to her, Franklin nods his head at the poster. "Could you maybe put this up?" He asks.
Ms. Beckett nods immediately, softly taking the photo of Marilyn from his hand. "Of course." She whispers.
She turns around and pins it onto the board behind her back, looking over the photo of Marilyn.
"She looks beautiful in this photo." The lady says and Franklin nods.
"Thats my little girl." He says, trying to sound happy. But the saddened look in his eyes tells Ms. Beckett otherwise.
"They'll find them Franklin." She whispers.
The man nods, clenching his jaw. He knows They'll find his children. Alive? He's starting to lose hope on the scenario.
"Yeah," He clears his throat. "I'm going to start knocking on people's doors later today. The police are useless." He says.
Ms. Beckett sends him a smile before an idea clicks in her head as the bell at the front door rings once again, a familiar blond teenager walking through and heading right to the Pinball machine.
"Vance!" The woman calls, causing the boy to turn around with an annoyed look.
"Yes?" He asks with attitude. He just wants to play pinball. Get his mind off things.
"Watch your tone boy." The woman says and Vance sighs, making his way over to the man and woman.
"Sorry." He mutters before looking at the two confused.
"Vance, you know Mr. Kate right?"
Vance nods at the woman's obvious question.
Ms. Beckett smiles before leaning her palms on the counter. "He needs help going to people's homes. I'm sure you know the reason." She says.
Vance clenches his jaw.
He knows the reason.
"What does this have to do with me?"
Ms. Beckett roles her eyes. "You're helping him." She says in a thats final tone.
Vance looks at Mr. Kate before looking back at Ms. Beckett. "Fine. When?"
Franklin smiles lightly before patting Vances exposed shoulder. "Thanks son. Put a shirt on won't you? You shouldn't be wearing singlets on this type of day."
Vance shrugs.
He likes the cold. He likes showing his muscles off. He doesn't give a shit what kind of weather it is.
Franklin holds out his arm to shake the boys hand, waiting for a reply.
Vance looks at the hand before slowly raising his own and shaking the man's arm.
Mr. Kate sends him a nod. "Firm grip you have there—" The man cuts himself of when he looks down at Vances wrist, spotting a familiar piece of jewelry.
"Where did you get that?"
Vance looks down confused before spotting the necklace around his wrist and thumb. "Oh– I uh..." This was the first time Vance had ever felt nervous about something. This necklace belongs to the mans missing daughter. Who knows that he'll think.
"I'm gonna ask again." Franklin's words were as sharp as a knife, his own eyes narrowing at the boy infront of him. "Where did you get that necklace?" Franklin did a small pause in between each word to make his point clear.
Vance gulps, trying to think of a reason that wouldn't count crazy.
What was he supposed to say? That Marilyn was right outside his window and he was too naive to notice? Yeah, no.
"I gave it to him." Ms. Beckett buts in, both boys turning to her confused, Vance more than Frankin.
"Why?" Mr. Kate asks.
Ms. Beckett looks at Vance. "Marilyn asked me to fix it before she...." The woman clears her throat before continuing on with her lie. "Since she wasn't here to get it once it was done, I asked Vance to give it to her at school, but she didn't show up to school. He's had it ever since."
Vance hides back his own smirk. He's not used to seeing the woman disobey her own rules.
No lying. The words ring through his head as he watches her. The only person he has to blame for the influence is himself.
Franklin looks at Vance before nodding. "Sorry son. It's just– I get a bit paranoid in these types of situations."
Vance nods, understanding where the man was coming from. "Its alright."
The man nods. "I'll come get you when I'm starting, you'll be here?" He asks.
Vance nods back. If he's not at school or at home, he's here.
Franklin smiles lightly before backing away and heading towards the door.
"Bye Lucinda."
Ms. Beckett waves. "Bye Franklin." She watches him leave the shop before turning to Vance with a small smile.
"Aren't you jolly today?" She says sarcastically.
Vance shakes his head with a small smirk before it drops when he spots what was pinned to the board behind the old woman.
Ms. Beckett notices the boys stare, causing her to turn around confused as to what he was looking at.
Looking back at Vance she grows confused when she notices he's no longer infront of her, instead he was making his way over to the pinball machine, his steps fast.
Sighing, the woman shakes her head.
They better find Marilyn soon.
+++
The phone rings throughout the silent room, waking Marilyn from her slumber.
She had decided to sleep the day away, not finding any motivation to find a way to escape. She's lost hope. After getting caught last time, she doesn't think she'll be able to get out again.
Groaning, Marilyn gets up from the disgusting mattress and walks towards the phone, picking it up.
"Hello?" She whispers.
"You're too late." A voice says and Marilyn gasps lightly, recognizing the voice.
"Robin?" She asks.
"Hey Mari." He says.
Marilyns eyes tear up lightly, looking around the room. "So you're..."
"Yeah." He says into the phone and Marilyns lip quivers.
"Is Casper—" She couldn't bring herself to say the words.
"Yeah." He whispers sadly. "He's been with you the whole time. We both have."
Marilyn let's her tears fall, a small sob escaping her mouth. "Oh my God." She says.
There's static in the phone for a second before Robin speaks again. "You're too late Mari. The grabber. He's going to try and kill you. Tonight."
Marilyn gulps, looking around the room. "So this is it? I'm gonna die?" She says, her voice cracking.
She doesn't want to die. She doesn't want to leave her dad. She doesn't want to leave Vance.
"No." Robin says. "You're not. I'll make sure of that. We'll make sure of that."
Marilyn sucks in a breath before nodding. "Tell me what I gotta do."
There's a few seconds of silence before Robin speaks up again.
"You're gonna need a weapon." He mutters and Marilyn looks around confused, trying to spot anything.
"Wait—" She says before dropping the phone and running to the extra room, heading right to the toilet.
Smiling she takes the lid off the back part of the toilet, holding it in her hands before swinging it into the air in slow motion.
Running back to the main room, she throws the lid on the mattress before picking up the phone. "Will that work?" She asks.
"Perfect. You remember what i taught you?" He asks.
Marilyn thinks back to when Robin and Casper forced her to learn self defense in case of anything.
"Yeah, step back, forward, back, swing." She says.
"Yeah, thats it." She could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, his tone holding pride.
Marilyn smiles to herself before looking around. "Hey, can I speak to Casper?"
"Sorry Mari, he said he don't wanna." He says.
Marilyn looks around, saddened. "Oh." She whispers. "Why?" She asks.
Why wouldn't her brother want to speak? There was so much she needed to say. So many things she had to tell him.
"He won't say."
Marilyn nods lightly, looking down. "Can you try convince him? Please?"
"I will."
The line goes silent and Marilyn realizes that he hung up.
Why did he hang up?
"Wait, Robin-"
The sound of a click echoes from the door and Marilyn flinches at the sudden sound.
That's why.
"Hello Marilyn." The gravely voice of the grabber mutters.
Marilyn looks at him, her eyes holding disgust and fear as she stares at his half mask.
She doesn't say anything. Just watching him stalk towards her. The girl was terrified. She has no idea what he's going to do.
"You've been a bad girl Marilyn." He mutters, getting closer and closer. "A very bad girl."
Marilyn gulps before backing away.
"But, I'm not going to kill you just yet. I have to get supplies for that." He says, stopping.
Marilyn watches him back up before making his way to the door. "You be a good girl now." He says before walking through the door and closing it.
Marilyn doesn't hear the lock after he closes it and she rolls her eyes.
"I thought we were done with that shitty game." She mutters before flopping onto the mattress.
+++
Vance knocks on another door, waiting for them to open it.
Him and Franklin having been knocking on people's houses for what Vance has felt like forever. The two were together at the start but eventually decided to split up so they could get through more houses at once.
The door opens and Vance looks at them annoyed for not answering sooner.
"Yes?"
"Have you seen this girl?" He asks, holding up a photo of Marilyn.
The woman who answered the door looks iver the photo before shaking her head. "No sorry."
Vance groans before rolling his eyes and backing away. "Useless." He mutters, walking down the porch.
"I hope you find your sister!" The woman calls out and Vance turns around and flips her off.
"She's not my fucking sister."
Each house was making Vance more and More annoyed by the second. He wasn't getting any closer to finding Marilyn and the sky was getting darker.
The clouds were also starting to flood in, meaning it was going to rain. Which was fucking great.
Walking down the road, Vance comes to a stop infront of a brick house.
Sighing, he turns and walks up to the porch, knocking on the door.
+++
The grabber sits on a stool in the kitchen, holding a belt in his hand.
He didn't like the way Marilyn played Naughty boy– or in her case, Bad girl.
He liked beating the kids. He didn't get that opportunity with her. So he's going to keep trying until he does.
He made sure to say that he was heading out to 'get supplies' so she'd think he accidentally left the door unlocked. But that hasn't seemed to work as he's been sitting there for hours.
Thankfully, Max had decided to go back to his own house, giving up on looking for the kids after the detectives ignored his calls for the hundredth time.
A knock breaks the grabber from his thoughts, his head snapping towards the door behind him.
Clenching his jaw, The man keeps his mask on, walking towards the door.
Opening it, he's met with a teenage boy with a wild mane of hair.
Vance Hopper.
The grabber had seen him around when he was watching Marilyn. He's here for her.
"Yes?" The man asks, his voice teasing.
Vance looks at him confused, his eyes scanning the man up and down. Vance was weirded out by this guy almost immediately.
"Have you seen this girl?" Vance asks, holding up the photo of the girl he had just below them.
"No." The man says.
Vance takes note on how his tone changed, as well as the look in his eyes.
"You're lying." Vance accuses.
The man grows a snarl, clenching his jaw. He steps forward and pushes Vance away from his house, pushing his down the porch.
"Don't come back."
Vance groans heavily, before quickly raising from the ground and running to the door.
The man closes the door on his face, slamming it in the process.
"Hey mother fucker! I know you have her cuntwad!" Vance screams, kicking the door with as much force as he can.
The grabber glares at the door from the inside. This wasnt good for him. His plan was failing. Vance knows. There's only one way to fix it.
Clenching his jaw, the grabber steps toward the kitchen table, grabbing a knife.
+++
"I'm sure of it Finney! The balloons took me right to it." Gwen says.
Finney looks at his sister. He's lost hope on finding Marilyn. He's trying to stay as hopefully as he can for his little sister, but the more and more time that passes the more hope he loses.
Gwen looks down. She's sure this is the house. The balloons popped all the way there. Sure, it scared her. But it was worth following. That brick house is the house.
She knows it.
Sighing, Finney nods. "Alright. We'll call them." He says.
Gwen nods before running to the phone in the kitchen.
Shes 100% sure that the house the balloons led her too was the house Marilyn is in.
"Don't worry Marilyn." Gwenny grabs the phone. "I'm gonna find you." She whispers.
Finney, who was standing behind her gave her a small nod, proud of how far his sister is willing to go for this.