PHOTOGRAPHS▷ J. Byers [ Stranger Things ]

F O U R

ALYCIA ROSS WATCHED AS POLICE SWARMED THE HOUSE SHE HAD COME TO LOVE.

The cops hadn't even looked at them before they pushed past her and Jonathan on the porch, both of them stunned. They hadn't said anything but Joyce sprung into action. She followed them into the house, Alycia and Jonathan not far behind her. Alycia shut the door behind her and watched as Hopper set the bike down in the house.

"So it was just lying there?" repeated Joyce, looking at Will's bike again.

"Yeah," Hopper said, pointing one of his officers in another direction, beginning to walk through the house. Alycia stayed close to Jonathan as Hopper slowly walked, Joyce rambling on behind him.

"Well was there blood on it or. . .?" Joyce began.

"No." Chief Hopper said flatly. These one word answers were not a good sign in Alycia's eyes. She didn't know what they meant, all she knew is that either a.) the police knew something they weren't telling Joyce or b.) the Hawkins police still had no fucking clue on what happened to Will Byers.

Alycia was guessing option B.

"If you found the bike out there, then why are you here?" spoke up Jonathan, following the two through the kitchen.

"Well, he had a key to the house, right?"

Jonathan eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah. . ." he agreed with Hopper, confused on the point Hopper was trying to get at.

"So," Chief Hopper began. "What if he came home?"

Alycia's eyebrows raised at the thought. Surely it was possible, but it didn't seem like Will to come home and just leave or something. Had someone taken him? Alycia still shuddered at the thought. Oh Will, she thought, where could you be?

"You think I didn't even check my own house?" Joyce stammered.

"I'm not saying that." Hopper replied, inspecting the kitchen as the three of them stood there. He looked at a hole in the wall, one that Alycia hadn't noticed before. He touched the handle of the door, gently knocking it up against the hole. It was a perfect fit. "Has this always been there?"

Joyce looked as the small hole, furrowing her eyebrows. She had never seen it before. "What? I don't know." She shook her head. "I mean probably, I have two boys. Look at this place!"

Hopper swung the door gently, showing Joyce the knob of the door matching the hole. "You still not sure?"

Alycia was about to pipe up when a dog barking caused her not to speak. The room fell silent and Hopper turned his head to where the dog was coming from. Hopper walked outside with Joyce followed him, Alycia took this opportunity to take Jonathan by the hand and pull him into the hallway.

"What do you think they're here for?" Alycia whispered to him, worry filling her eyes. "Do you think they know something they're not telling us?" Alycia kept her voice quiet, because she knew there was still some officers searching this house. "Are they trying to get more information?"

"I honestly don't know what to think anymore." Jonathan mumbled softly, looking down at the ground.

Alycia gulped. "Are you going to talk to Lonnie?" She brought up the subject hesitantly because she knew it was a very sore subject. Jonathan had a very rocky relationship with his dad, so rocky that he didn't even call him Dad really, just Lonnie.

"Does he even care?" Jonathan replied as he shook his head.

Alycia scoffed. "Of course he cares. . ." She sighed as he looked at her, not entirely believing her, because they both knew Lonnie and they both knew just how much of an asshole he could be.