Andy Hopper had enough to deal with. She hated her mom's new boyfriend, she was still grieving the death of her sister, and she hadn't seen her dad in years. The last thing she needed was to be packed up and shipped off to the small town of Hawkins...
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THE LAB LOOMED OVER THEM LIKE A VICIOUS NIGHTMARE. Its glass, concrete walls repelled anyone from entering as the entire place had been plunged into darkness. The only light came from a single dimly lit street lamp and the flickers of orange emergency lighting from within. Despite the thick walls, the shrieks, and roars of the creatures lurking inside could still be heard. Andy noted the many abandoned cars in the parking lot that would never have their owners returning to them. A bitter, sickly taste rose in her mouth but she swallowed down, ignoring it.
Taking a few steps ahead next to her father, Andy noticed Eleven had not moved from the spot she stood in. Andy peered over her shoulder to see the girl staring up at the lab in overwhelming fear. Of course, she hadn't been back to the place since her initial escape and was nervous to return.
Knowing the girl needed support, Andy walked back to her. "You're alright." She said gently, rubbing her upper arm. "The bad men are gone now and I won't let anything bad happen to you. Ever."
Eleven gazed up at her, eyes still wide with fear. "Scared?" She said in a way that was a statement as well as a question, as if she needed permission to feel such a thing and wanted to know if Andy felt the same.
"That's okay," Andy responded. "Me too, but you cannot have courage without fear. That's what makes us so brave, because we go on even though we're scared and then we conquer that fear."
"Conquer?" Eleven questioned, features crinkled in uncertainty.
"Win." Andy smiled with conviction and a smirk took over Eleven's face. With a small surge of confidence, she nodded, so when Hopper joined them she was more than ready to go. "You let us do the heavy lifting upfront, all right? You save your strength till we're below."
Eleven didn't answer, simply took a deep breath and powered forward. Andy adjusted the strap of her gun over her shoulder then followed. Crossing the windy parking lot her surge of confidence gained from Eleven persisted. That was until she reached the saliva covered main doors, remembering not what was on the other side, but who... Or what remained of him.
Hopper clasped his daughter's shoulder before they stepped through the entrance. "You don't have to do this." He said, noticing her growing worry. He was more than happy for her to turn away and wait in the truck where she'd be safe, but Andy fiercely shook her head. "I'm going to."
Alarms blared around them as they entered the lab. Andy focused on looking and moving forward, eyes averting anywhere but Bob's body. She couldn't be made to remember his graphic death, it would be too much.
The strap to her gun now swung freely at her side as she held the piece out in front of her, poised and ready to use if needed be. While she hoped she wouldn't need to as that would mean a much easier task, she doubted it would be that way.
