✓ | 1. subject thirteen [STRANGER THINGS]

ten.

CHAPTER TEN:
CASTLE BYERS

[ THE BATHTUB PART II ]

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Chief Hopper was a big man. When he stepped onto the bus, he made the whole thing rock slightly beneath his weight, though that was partly due to the vehicle's rusted nature. He was wearing a beige uniform that was tight around his tall, burly body, and his hair, while still brown and visible, was receding and fading with age. Some part of him, an aura of some sort, commanded obedience, so when he shouted impatiently at them to follow him, even THIRTEEN found himself doing so without hesitance.

He had arrived alone. His car, a truck the same shade as his uniform, speckled with dirt around the tyres and the underside of the vehicle, was parked hazardously at the entrance to the scrapyard and came into view as they climbed up the slight hill toward the open, rusted gate. "Get in," the man ordered gruffly, sliding into the front seat.

Eagerly, ready to go home, or at least get to somewhere safe, the three boys piled into the back of the vehicle the moment he asked of them, leaving just ELEVEN and THIRTEEN standing outside of the car, hand in hand.

Hopper peered at them as he leaned out to pull his door shut, halting mid-lean to stop and stare at them. "What's wrong? Come on. We gotta go before your friends find us."

Hesitantly, THIRTEEN shook his head. This man had done nothing to prove he was a reliable source of safety and comfort. Despite the fact he had come alone, and he was with Mike's sister, and he was the Chief, he had done nothing to earn THIRTEEN's trust, and THIRTEEN's trust had to be earned.

Especially by adults. He wasn't going to risk trusting someone he didn't know, now that he knew Brenner was after him — and ELEVEN. Besides, even if this Hopper was a good guy, he couldn't risk getting him into trouble, not after what he'd seen happen to Benny, the owner of the diner.

Sighing, Hopper climbed from his car and slammed the door shut behind him as he started toward them. Bending at the waist and leaning on his knees, he met THIRTEEN's gaze, eye to eye, face to face. "You can trust me, kid," he said softly. His hands reached out and grasped THIRTEEN's shoulders. "You're a very brave kid. I know you've done everything to find Will and to keep these boys safe; me and Joyce, Will's mom, have been tracking you."

"Tracking?" THIRTEEN asked quietly.

He saw Hopper's expression of determination and sincerity slip to reveal a gaze of sadness, before it was gone in a split second, maybe less. The man straightened with a sigh and it was like the soft, pitiful stare had never been there at all. "It means we've been following you," he explained. "We know you're a good kid. Both of you are. And we're going to help you. We're going to keep you safe." He paused, and then said, "Do you understand?"