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Hopper let out a long breath, leaning back into his chair as he rubbed his forehead. A pen and a small notebook were still in his hand, the pages inside completely untouched.
He had listened to everything Will said, every detail, every word but none of it made sense. Not in any way he could explain.
It was absurd.
Attacked by a monster?
How was that even possible? How could something like that exist outside of a nightmare or a story meant to scare children?
What kind of report was he supposed to write? Monster lurking in Hawkins? The thought alone sounded insane, even in his own head.
Joyce and Jonathan clearly felt the same. Neither of them openly dismissed Will, but the silence between them said enough. They stood there, caught between concern and disbelief, watching Hopper struggle to make sense of it all.
"…Could it have been a bear?" Jonathan finally said, his voice careful, measured, like he was testing the idea more than believing it. "Bears have long claws, right?"
He wasn't just speaking to Hopper. He was trying to give Will something or anything that didn't make him sound like he was losing his mind.
Joyce glanced at Hopper immediately, clinging to that possibility, hoping and desperately that it could be something real or something explainable. Something they could hold onto.
Hopper exhaled through his nose, slow and controlled. "It's possible," he said, though his tone lacked conviction. "We're still investigating the area. I'll send a team to check the location Will mentioned."
He avoided looking directly at Will, missing or perhaps choosing to ignore the frustration building in the boy's eyes as his story continued to be brushed aside.
"Joyce," Hopper added after a brief pause, shifting slightly in his seat, "let me talk to you and Claudia for a second."
Joyce nodded, then turned to Jonathan. There was guilt in her eyes with quiet, unspoken words. She knew she probably owed Claudia an apology after all this.
"Take care of Will for a second, alright?" she said, her tone firm and more of a command than a request.
Jonathan simply nodded and moved closer, taking a seat beside Will without another word.
Hopper and Joyce eventually stepped out of the room and made their way down the hall to where Chris was being treated.
As soon as they arrived, they saw Connie already inside with Dustin and Claudia. There was a subtle shift in the atmosphere, Claudia seemed to treat Connie with a certain level of gratitude, a quiet acknowledgment of how much she had helped.
"Claudia," Hopper called, his voice steady as he stepped closer.
Joyce, however, froze the moment her eyes landed on Chris.
Her entire body trembled.
He looked worse than she had imagined….far worse. His body was covered in injuries, layers of bandages wrapped tightly around him, pale skin barely visible beneath them. An IV drip hung beside the bed, its slow, steady rhythm marking each fragile second of his survival.
The guilt inside her twisted sharply.
Before she could stop herself, she reached for Claudia's hand.
"I…I am so sorry… Claudia… I don't know… I can't…" Joyce stammered, her voice breaking apart under the weight of everything she was feeling.
Claudia could only offer a small, trembling smile, tears slipping down her cheeks once again, she didn't even know that she could cry again after crying a lot before.
"It's okay… it's okay…" she murmured softly, it's clear that her voice is trying to convince both of them that everything is okay.
Hopper remained just outside the room, giving them space. He leaned slightly against the wall, waiting in silence as the two women tried to steady themselves. Minutes passed before Joyce and Claudia finally stepped out into the hallway again.
"Alright…" Hopper began, straightening up as they took a seat. "It's not really appropriate to discuss investigation details out here… but I need to ask both of you a few things."
His eyes shifted to Claudia first, his expression firm, direct.
"Did you know your son has guns?"
Claudia nodded slowly.
"He often goes to shooting practice since we moved here," she said quietly. "I don't know why he started… but I knew about it."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"I also know he owns a few firearms. It's not like he kept it a secret. He showed them to me."
Hopper gave a small nod and jotted something down in his notebook.
Pro Shooter.
"What about the molotovs?" Hopper asked, his tone sharpening slightly. "Why would he need to make those?"
Claudia shook her head, confusion clear in her expression.
"I don't know."
Hopper studied her for a moment, then continued.
"Does he have any enemies? Anyone you can think of?"
"…I don't know," Claudia admitted after a brief hesitation. "Since we moved here, nothing strange has happened. No one has had a problem with him."
Her expression softened slightly.
"If anything… we've become friends with the families of Dustin's friends."
She glanced toward Joyce, offering a faint, reassuring smile. Joyce nodded in agreement.
"She's right, Hopper," Joyce said, her voice quieter now, laced with shame. "I don't know why I thought like that before."
She swallowed hard.
"He's friends with my son… and I know my son doesn't have many friends."
Hopper asked a few more questions about Chris, about Will, before finally stepping away. There were still too many pieces that didn't fit, too many things that didn't make sense.
What he didn't realize…
…was that the conversation hadn't gone unheard.
Inside the room, Dustin stood silently, his eyes fixed on his older brother lying unconscious on the bed.
His jaw tightened.
He hadn't known.
Chris had been training with guns… carrying them… keeping all of this to himself. Even their mom knew and she hadn't told him!.
A flicker of frustration rose inside him, sharp and restless.
He couldn't help but curse under his breath.
What Dustin didn't know is if….If Dustin had known…
He would've followed Chris.
No matter what. And their mom never wanted that, because Dustin was still a little boy.
On the other side of the room, Connie remained quiet, her gaze unreadable as she listened to everything. Every word, every detail, carefully stored away.
Something she would report later.
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Hawkins schools sat close to each other, the middle school and the high school side by side, so every morning, the area filled with movement and noise as students of middle school and high school poured in from every direction.
High schoolers with driver's licenses leaned against their cars, talking and laughing, some lingering longer than they should before class. Others arrived by bus, on foot, or skating across the pavement with easy confidence. The air outside the school felt alive this morning.
On the other side, middle school students arrived in their own way. Some pedaled in on their bikes, others were dropped off by their parents at the curb, backpacks bouncing as they hurried toward the entrance.
Mike and Lucas rode in on their bikes as usual, heading straight for their usual meeting spot.
But Will wasn't there.
Neither was Dustin.
They waited for a moment longer.
A few minutes passed, then a few more. Students kept moving around them, the crowd thinning as the bell time drew closer.
Lucas shifted his weight slightly, glancing toward the school building. "Mike, we should go."
Mike hesitated, looking around one more time.
But Dustin…
He should've been there.
Dustin had taken Will's bike the night before and promised he'd return it at school. There was no way he would just skip meeting them without saying anything.
Still, after waiting long enough, they didn't have much choice.
They started toward the school.
Both of them scanned the area as they walked, searching for any sign of Will or Dustin or even Jonathan's car or motorcycle but there was nothing.
No familiar faces. No sign of them anywhere.
They reached the bike racks and parked their bikes in their usual spot.
Will's bike wasn't there either.
Mike frowned. "That's weird…" he muttered, glancing at Lucas, who looked just as confused. "I don't see them."
Lucas looked around again, squinting slightly as if that might somehow help. "…They probably just went to class early."
Mike exhaled, shaking his head. "Maybe Will would do that… but not Dustin."
There was a pause.
"Should we go find them?"
But before Lucas could answer, the school bell rang.
The sharp sound cut through the air, leaving them with no real choice.
Lucas just shrugged, the gesture saying enough. They had to go.
Mike sighed under his breath. He didn't want to risk getting in trouble, his mom would definitely not let that slide. Besides, there was still a chance Will and Dustin were already in class. And today was Mr. Clarke's lesson.
The equipment he'd been talking about… it might've arrived today.
That alone was enough to make skipping unlikely.
Reluctantly, Mike followed Lucas toward the school entrance.
But of course…
Nothing ever stayed simple.
"Oh no… what, did your two friends die or something?"
The voice made both Mike and Lucas grit their teeth instantly.
"Freak," Troy added, a cruel smirk spreading across his face as he looked at them.
Beside him, James, bigger and heavier, stood with a faint, almost amused smile, watching the scene unfold.
"Where are your friends, Frogface?" Troy said, his eyes locking onto Mike.
Mike glared back, irritation flashing across his face but beneath it, there was still fear.
Even after everything that had happened… after Chris stepped in for them… the bullying never really stopped.
Chris had told them more than once, 'stand on your own feet.' Fighting back, in any way, was the most effective way to deal with people like Troy.
But knowing something… and actually doing it… were two very different things.
Only Dustin had managed to change, even a little. Influenced by Chris, he no longer listened, no longer obeyed, no longer bent under pressure. He didn't fight physically but he refused to be controlled.
Mike… wasn't there yet.
"I don't know," Mike said, forcing a bit of courage into his voice as he met Troy's gaze.
"I dwon't knwow," James mocked immediately, exaggerating the words in a childish tone that made Troy burst into laughter.
"Well," Troy continued, still smirking, "you better make sure they're not dead or something… because we're not done playing with you yet."
"…Dustin's brother will kill you…" Lucas muttered under his breath.
But not quiet enough.
Troy's expression shifted instantly.
"What did you say, Midnight?" he asked, stepping closer, too close.
Lucas lowered his head, his body stiffening.
"I'm the one who's gonna kill him first," Troy added, his teeth gritting as he jabbed a fist hard into Lucas's chest. "You understand that?"
The impact knocked the air out of Lucas, sending him stumbling backward before he fell to the ground with a pained groan.
"Lucas!" Mike shouted, rushing to his side.
Troy only snorted, looking down at them with cold amusement before turning away, James following right behind him as if nothing had happened.
They knew what they were supposed to do.
They knew they should stand up for themselves. But knowing didn't make it easier.
Not when fear still sat heavy in their chest.
Not when they still felt like a bunch of cowards… a bunch of weird kids who didn't belong.
Chris kept telling them.
But they hadn't found that courage yet.
"Asshole…" Lucas muttered, wincing as he pressed a hand against his chest.
Mike helped him up carefully, his grip steady despite the frustration building inside him.
"Why would you say that?" Mike whispered, glancing around nervously. "It's not like Chris is gonna save us again."
The words felt bitter even as he said them, like he already knew part of the problem was himself.
Lucas exhaled slowly, shaking his head.
"Don't worry about it," he said quietly.
Then, after a brief pause, "Let's just go find Dustin and Will."
Without waiting any longer, the two of them headed inside the school.