Mike
The moving truck started to pull away and with it all semblance of Will, El, Jonathan and Joyce's life pulled with it. The white frame of Cal's van passed by me as the sun reflected off its shiny polished surface. The engine continued into the distance as we turned our attention to the empty house where I had so many memories, good and bad. The infamous baseball bat with nails immediately came to mind as I remembered Steve flailing it about, protecting us at all costs. Playing D&D with Lucas and Dustin in Will's living room, spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. These were the memories that I would never forget I told myself. Cal had promised to accompany them as well as be there driver but even with a weapons god I was still frightened.
We'd lost too many people in recent times and I didn't want to lose anyone else. Billy, Sophie, Hopper. I didn't want to add to that body count. Seeing Will and El drive away was one of the most painful experiences of my life and I've seen some shit. I lost her once, promised not to lose her again and here I was literally eating her dust as she sped off into a new town, a new life but hopefully a good one at that. But while the loss of El was devastating for me, losing Hopper had affected us all, El most of all. I had my differences with him, but he was the chief. The one person everyone trusted, knew and respected. I know we had our differences, but I'll never forget what he did for El, Joyce and this town in general. I respected him now more than I did when he was alive, which hurts, but hopefully wherever he is, he knows.
Hopper
The brick walls and the steel door in front of me and the screams were the only company I had as I looked around the rectangular cell block for the millionth time. I had a toilet and that's about it. The toilet wasn't flushable by myself, I had to get the guard to come and flush it. That was humiliating. I got two meals a day, but at what time I didn't know. My concept of time had diminished long ago. But I knew by now not to ask the guards questions. When I first got here, they beat me if I even made a sound. They drowned me in water and one time, they even electrocuted me the bastards. The screaming came and went, occasionally ending with faint growling noises and Russian voices. It didn't take long to figure out what those growls were. The same growls I heard in the tunnels. The demo-dogs…
El
I sat in the car next to Will and Jonathan as we and the truck pulled past the 'Leaving Hawkins. Come again soon' sign. The forest rolled on, seeming never-ending. The forest appeared to break stride as we went around a turning, but I was quickly disproven as the trees once again emerged a canopy forming, blocking the sunlight.
'Which way are we going?' I asked Joyce.
'We're just going south on I-65' Joyce said.
'What's I-65' I asked.
'It's a big road that will take us to our new home in Lafayette' she said back to me
'But why do we have to live so far away from Hawkins?' I asked. 'Mike told me that 50 kilometres is a long way. And I wanted to stay there, the memories I have there are too painful for me to leave behind… I want to stay in the town where he lived, where Sophie lived…'
Joyce
At the mention of her name my mind flashed back to that cold night near the construction site of Starcourt mall. The gunshot, the raging lights, the blood… My mind was pulled back to the present moment as a car horn raged passed us as I realised, we had drifted into the next lane. We pulled over to the side of the road and I looked El dead in the eyes
'El, we've had this conversation so many times' I said to my daughter. 'Lafayette will be a new start for us all, away from Hawkins. We've all been through hell in that town.' At this statement, Will and Jonathan both looked over at me. I continued talking.
'We have so much history in that town, me more than all of you combined, I must do what's best for my children. Your safety is my top priority and I am prepared to compromise, even sacrifice everything to keep you all safe.'
A solitary tear rolled down my face as Cal stopped his van and came over.
'Everything alright, Joyce?' he asked.
'Yeah Cal, sorry' I said as I restarted the car and her attention was once again fully focused on the road ahead. We pulled away from the side of the road and kept on driving towards our new home.
Robin
Steve and Dustin showed up to my house around 3pm. Nothing new as we agreed to see each other on weekends. But even I knew today was the day Joyce Byers and her family moved out of Hawkins. Steve looked like his usual self, I could smell his hairspray from a mile off, but Dustin looked sad. He had told me all about their adventures from start to finish and the amount of shit they've been through is unparalleled. That's why today was such a bad day for all around. We all lost friends today.
But to get Dustin in a good mood, I asked him to tell the now infamous baseball bat story. The way Steve acted like a father figure to them after what he did to Nancy is remarkable and his turn around only makes me admire him even more, even if he can be douchey at times. But you know something ever since we got high with each other, I've felt an unusual sense of calmness and trust around him, one I haven't felt in a very long time. I might just be deluded, and this is something I never thought I'd say about the guy but he's a good person, and an even better friend to everyone, including me.
Steve
We showed up to Robin's house around 3. Dustin was pretty bummed out so Robin got him to tell the baseball bat story where I act like a total badass even though some of the details may be sketchy. The way Robin can make anyone feel better, including me, only makes me admire her more. She's so smart, funny and even though she can be douchey at times, she really helped us at Starcourt, and for a bunch of kids, we sure kicked the Russians right in the balls.
But I have noticed something. Ever since we got high together, I've felt a weird feeling of trust and calmness around us, like we can tell each other anything and it would be okay, like we could solve any problem, or get out of any situation. Call me an idiot but for someone I didn't even notice until Scoops Ahoy, she's a good person, and an even better friend to everyone, including me. Let's hope nothing more paranormal happens around here, although I've said that before and I haven't exactly been successful in those hopes.
Max
Lucas and I sat on his bed looking at each other, trying to contain the emotions we were feeling. I had lost my two best girlfriends in a matter of a year. We were like a trio of friends. We went out on trips together as I showed EL and Sophie how to act like a regular girl, go shopping and stuff. But when the mall opened and El told Mike to basically suck it, we both wished Sophie had been there to see it. This town would never be the same without them, that's for sure. But I can't blame them for moving. From what I've seen and heard they've been through some tough shit, but they got through it together. Now we were apart and with El losing her powers, should anything happen to her, it's gonna be tough on them. Lucas noticed me in deep thought and picked up my hand to squeeze it.
'It's gonna be fine. They'll come visit' he said, trying to be positive. A forced smile appeared on his face as he continued looking at our intertwined hands.
'Let's go try and piss Dustin off about his Neverending Story duet with Susie.'
