Chapter 7

I woke last night to the sound of thunder

How far off I sat and wondered

Started humming a song from 1962

Strange how the night moves

Hopper shut off the radio. He was nearing Hawkins. Joyce sat in the passenger seat, an anxious look on her face. The pair were out of town on a grief counseling retreat. The fact it fell on Valentine's Day weekend was just a coincidence, but they did get a decent discount. Joyce hadn't been the same since Bob died, and if Hopper was being honest, he never quite recovered from Sara's death. The day and a half they spent there was great. Then when Hopper called to check on El, he wondered why she didn't answer. When Joyce tried to call Will, they wondered if they were all at one house.

But when Hopper tried to call the station, he couldn't get an answer. So the pair left early and headed back to Hawkins. Hopper had one destination in mind. He knew Mike's parents were out of town and Nancy was camping with Jonathan. So that would be a tempting place to go.

They turned down Maple Street and both let out a sigh of relief. Jonathan and Steve's cars were in the driveway, along with all the kids bikes. Hopper hoped he was just being paranoid. He pulled up to the curb and both exited the car.

Hopper was met at the door by Nancy before he could knock. "You two are back early." She said. Hopper nodded. "We got worried when we couldn't get a hold of anybody." He said. She nodded at that. "Yea, a freak storm came through. Rained me and Jonathan out. Came home and all the kids were here. Steve was watching them." She said. Hopper was trying to enter the house. "Look, I just wanna make sure El is okay." Hopper said, giving Nancy a pointed glare. Nancy moved out of the way.

"They are in the basement. Barely slept all night," Nancy said. "Oh don't worry, we'll be quiet." Joyce said moving past her. Hopper opened the door to the basement and carefully walked down the stairs. The pair were greeted by the sight of everyone asleep. Mike and El were on the couch, with Mike asleep on El's shoulder. Hopper wondered what the bandages were for. Dustin and Will were on the floor in sleeping bags, looking peaceful. Lucas and Max were sharing a chair, both also looking peaceful but also having bandages on each other.

Hopper and Joyce quickly left the basement. Hopper saw Steve on the couch, sound asleep, but his face looked like he went twelve rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard. Hopper motioned for Nancy to the kitchen.

"You want to revise what you just told is young lady?" Hopper said growling. Nancy looked down at the floor.

"Maybe I can help with that Chief." A voice came from the back door. Hopper and Joyce turned to face a stranger. He was wearing a suit, drinking from a cup of coffee he seemed to take from Karen Wheeler's cupboard. He looked to be Hopper's age, but more worn out.

"Who the hell are you?" Hopper growled. He flashed them a smile. "Major Gordon Becker, Department of Education." He said. Hopper's eyes narrowed. "Since when does the Department of Education need a trained assassin?" Hopper asked. He could tell a trained killer when he saw one. "We take truancy very seriously." He said, motioning for them to sit at the table. "We have a few things to discuss. Namely about what happened last night." He said.

The man explained the events of the previous night with Hopper and Joyce getting angry that Brenner had returned. "How dare that son of a bitch lay a hand on my daughter!" Hopper growled in his head. He also felt a sense of pride when he realized Mike got injured protecting El. When the man finished he took another drink of coffee. "So we are still moving into Hawkins Lab. Kind of need a base of operations." He said.

"Yea, but why there? It's supposed to be shut down?" Joyce asked. "Well Mrs. Byers, it's just perfect. It's supposed to be abandoned. And it's in a good random location nobody will think twice that we are there." Gordon said.

"Ok, but how am I supposed to not feel paranoid that another secret lab is working out of there," Hopper asked. Gordon nodded, expecting that. "Come on in Cryon." He said. An alien stepped through the back door and both Joyce and Hopper were on their feet. "Relax, he is relatively harmless." Gordon said. "Relatively?" Hopper nearly shouts.

"Look, we just want to use the lab as a base of operations. We keep to ourselves for the most part. Also, we have no interest in your daughter." Gordon said. He hoped he was believed. He was honest with Mike about not wanting to use her for anything.

"Oh, yea and I also brought this back." He said putting El's backpack on the table. "Crazy night." He explained.

Hopper looked it over, he saw a red envelope inside. He pulled it out absentmindedly and saw it was addressed to him. Not as Hopper, but as Dad. A small smile formed and he opened the envelope. It was a hand made card that said "Love you lots Dad" in her handwriting. Hopper put the card down and saw Gordon had an amused look on his face.

"We can also keep an eye on things. My boss is putting me into the high school as a guidance counselor. " He said. He looked uncomfortable at the thought and Hopper was amused by that. "I am guessing you prefer field work." Hopper said. Gordon nodded while also rolling his eyes.

The basement door opened and out came Mike and El. Both looked exhausted but El perked up seeing her dad. She rushed to him and almost knocked him down with a tackle hug. Hopper laughed a little while returning the hug. "I was scared I wouldn't see you again." She said, near tears.

"Well, it's a good thing Mike came for you." Hopper said, giving a wink to Mike. "Although, kid, you really need to learn how to fight." The room let out a laugh as Mike looked embarrassed.

Satisfied everything was in order, Gordon left and headed back to base. The town was in good hands.

Brimborn Steel Works

The steel factory was abandoned for many years. Nobody really came over except to throw rocks at windows or dance away their frustrations. It was perfect for him.

Mind Flayer they called him, something to call the instrument of conquest. It did not care for silly things like names, but it suited him fine. What they called him was unimportant. What it planned was.

It was so close to stepping into their world and beginning the conquest. But the monster stopped them. The monster who opened the gate. The one who let them in. It needed to do away with the monster, the only one who could stop him. It just needed a new host.

The child was out of the question. The tiny agents it used saw the monster was close with the child. In it's weakened state, the monster would easy defeat him. So, it waited for a perfect opportunity.

A vehicle came through, two ants were performing a mating ritual. The Mind Flayer was disgusted. It would soon kill them of not for the license plate. They came far just for a mating ritual. It said "Illinois" on it. From his time with the child, Illinois was far from where the monster lived.

"Yea, my dad would freak. I'm glad we drove a state away." The female said. The male was not paying attention. He was touching her and kissing her neck. "This place is so creepy, it's kinda hot." The female said.

"Yea, I saw the hotels in town, they kinda suck." The male said. The Mind Flayer reached to his tiny minion. A small rodent. He had it go by and make noise. The two looked around. "Hey, is anyone there?" The male said. He stopped his mating ritual to check the noise. "C'mon baby hurry up. I need some attention." She said.

The male walked to the area the minion was knocking things down at. It was dark, perfect for him to move silently. The male looked and just saw a rat making nose. He huffed and began turning around. As he moved, the shadow leaped at him. Before he could make a noise, the shadow entered his mouth, silencing him as he entered. The bond was complete.

The Mind Flayer returned to the female. Face determined. "About time you came back. How about we continue…" Her words were cut off as the Mind Flayer grabbed her throat. "Try very hard to stay still." He said. He placed a piece of himself inside her. He saw her memories. Her father was a man of faith, with a large following. Perfection.

The two got into the car, turning the A/C up all the way. They drove off. The next time they would return, it would be with an army. And they will end the monster and take this world for their own.

AN: Sorry this was short. Just wanted to make an ending real quick. I am taking a hiatus for a while. I would like to work on a sequel to this and a few other projects but I don't wanna burn myself out. I hope you guys liked this. Leave a review telling me how you liked or disliked it.