Below and Beneath -Jim Hopper-

004

Hopper and I sat in the room in silent for a while. I sat back in my seat trying to process everything he just explained to me, if I'm honest I could barely keep up with what he was saying. It all sounded like a scary movie. There was so way that something from a toxic, alternative world bit my arm this morning. But, what? Was I supposed to not believe him.

I took a deep breath, looking down at my feet. "Okay... just to see if I got this right. So, this place you called the upside down is under us, like a mirror. And, these monsters live there and they aren't good news. Right?"

"Right. In a nutshell." He shrugged.

I stood up. "But, that doesn't explain what you said about a lab and how I'm risking my life?" I began to ramble.

"Hey." He cut me off. "I said no questions, remember? I tell you everything you need to know, nothing extra." He said.

I crossed my arms, saying nothing else. 

"Alright, now that we understand each other," He said, standing up, grabbing his keys and his coat. "I'm going to take you back to your car, and you're going to go home and stay put." He said.

I looked up at him in surprise. There was no way in Satan's asshole I was going to go home and pretend like nothing happened.

"What? No, I'm not going to go home just to sit there. What if this thing comes back? What are you going to do? I mean, I could-" he cut me off once again.

"No." He barked, putting his coat on and heading for the door.

"I am not going to act like this didn't happen... what about my arm? I can't go to the hospital?" I felt fear washing over me as all of these questions came to mind.

One thing I know very well about myself is that I am a wimp, I am not a tough girl. I am independent and can take care of myself, of course. But, I am a crybaby and a worry wart. I am not ashamed of it, it's just one of my flaws. And knowing that that thing that attacked me is running around Hawkins, the thought of being alone right now terrified me.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and sighed, turning to look at me. "Look, nothing is going to happen to you, okay? I'll check up on you and I'm a phone call away. I have other shit to do and I can't babysit all day. So, you are going to go home, take care of that arm and wait until I say anything else." He said, jerking the door open and waiting for me to walk out first. "No if's, and's, or but's about it, got it, kid?"

Pft, kid. I'm a whole ass adult.

I huffed, walking in front of him, saying nothing else. He jerked on my shoulder, turning me to face him as he toward over me, suddenly making me feel a lot smaller.

"Got. It?" He said in a low tone.

I chewed on the inside of my lip in anger before answering. "You got it, chief." I snapped.

He let go of me, shutting the door behind us, and walking me out of the station. I followed close behind him. He was frustrating me to no end. Yes, I have a little bit of a better idea of what's happening, but I still can't wrap my head around it. Monsters, an alternate world, government secrets. I get chewed on by a monster, told all of this stuff and now he is sending me home. I mean, there isn't much else I could do in this situation.

I got in the passenger seat of the truck, wincing in pain from my arm once I was in. Hopper got in, starting up the truck, and quickly whipped it out of the station parking lot as if he was in a hurry. He headed in the direction of the nursery, staying silent the whole way there.

I know he said no questions, but I had so many running through my mind. I literally couldn't help myself.

"So, are you going to try and find that thing? Or let it run around all over Hawkins?" I asked quietly.

He didn't answer. I glanced over at him when he stayed silent. He caught me by surprise when he actually spoke.

"I got this under control." He said blankly.

Of course. I wasn't expecting much else from him. Didn't seem like it was under control.

"So... why was Joyce Byers and those kids there?" I asked, hoping for another answer, maybe a better one.

He took a minute to answer again, his attention not leaving the road. "They know just as much about all of this shit as I do- didn't I say no questions?" He said.

I rolled my eyes, looking out my window, saying nothing. How could this man expect me not to have questions.

From that point it was silent, which I was fine with. He wasn't exactly a huge ray of sunshine. He wouldn't answer any of my questions anyway. About five minutes away from being back to my car at the nursery his walkie started to go off. A man started talking over it.

"He chief?" The voice said.

He took the walkie from his belt, speaking into it. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Do you remember that call we got about a Russian girl the other day? I got a woman here on Oak saying the same exact thing." The man spoke.

Hopper put the walkie to his mouth. "Don't you move, I'm on my way, stay there. Have her tell you absolutely everything, Powell. " He snapped.

He seemed extremely affected by this, I mean he was in a shitty mood before but by the look on his face he was beyond shitty now. He made a "U" turn in the middle of the road, speeding in the opposite direction from the nursery, turning his sirens on.

I sat up in my seat. "What are you doing, we were right there?-"

"This is more important. Sit back, and shut up." He said under his breath.

I did as he said, not saying anymore. We were five minutes away, why couldn't he had dropped me off? I mean, I don't care. I didn't want to be alone anyway. 

He flew through the turn, jerking the truck with every turn. I wasn't prepared for one and I slammed into the door, hitting my arm, squeaking from the pain as it sent the burning pain through my body. Hopper looked at me right away in response. 

"Sorry, sorry. You okay?" He asked, looking me up and down quickly before looking back at the road.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just, ya know, sore from being a monster's chew toy for a second." I said sheepishly.

Hopper only scoffed in response, with a small, quick smirk. I glanced at him as he smirked, seeing it quickly go away, back to his grim concerned expression. I smiled a tiny bit when I saw him smile. Didn't know he could.

Soon enough we were heading to the other side of town, along the outskirts. He took a turn onto a smaller road to led into the woods. It was a long, narrow, twisting road. He was speeding down it as fast as this poor truck could go. He had turned his sirens off as we approached a small cabin. All sorts of new questions were being added on top of the old ones. Was the kid kidnapped or something? Why else would we be at a small cabin in the woods.

The truck skidded to a stop in front of the Cabin, Hopper quickly put it in park, opening the door.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking at him as he got out.

"My house." He hopped out of the truck. "Stay put, I'll only be a second." He said, slamming the door shut.

I watched him as he walked up onto the porch, banging on the door as soon as he reached it, He knocked and he knocked and knocked. No answer. He then caught me by surprise when he started to ram the door with his shoulder, barging into the house once the door flew openI stayed put, and waited for him to return.