Act II: Embers

Hopper flipped through the file in a quick motion. It was full of photographs, X-Rays, medical reports and some documents which were either printed or written by hand. It was a curious article, and he had no idea who had left it there. He glanced at his watch and noticed in alarm that the liquor store would close in one hour. It took him exactly one hour to drive out there from his cabin. He had to make a choice.

Hopper slammed the door as he walked inside the cabin. He made a cup of coffee and sat down on his table to read the file. The story of Eleven was not new to him, he had uncovered parts of it on his journey to find Will. But the file might throw new light on her past.'And give me closure by showing the monstrous nature of her powers,' Hopper grimaced as he argued against the nightmare that kept haunting him even now.

It took him the entire night to analyze every document that was kept in that file. He had gone through a liter of coffee by the time he finished reading the last report. Then he threw the file as hard as he could toward the couch and banged his fist on the table. He growled like a lion that was awakened from slumber, "MARTIN BRENNER. I'D GIVE ANYTHING TO DRAG YOU BACK FROM HELL SO I CAN KILL YOU WITH MY OWN GODDAMN HANDS."

The file contained a lot of information about the girl named subject Eleven. Most of it was incomprehensible to him. The medical reports looked like something written in Hebrew, and the X-Ray reports were just plain nonsense. But there were a set of documents that ignited a dynamite charge in his head. The scientific papers listed the experiments they had run on Eleven to measure her powers, and most of them made Hopper shiver to the core. He could never believe that something so cruel could be done to a child until he read that godforsaken file. Eleven wasn't a monster with supernatural powers, she was just an innocent child with a terrible curse. She was strange because they had turned her into a freak. Hopper had a chance to save her, but he had squandered it away.

Or had he?

Hopper looked towards the window and beheld a faint glow that diluted the absolute darkness outside. 'New beginning?' He jumped up from his chair and walked towards the bedroom. After going through the battered wardrobe, he picked his police uniform and went to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, a police wagon raced through the streets of the sleepy town of Hawkins, Indiana. Hopper reached the school after some time and parked the car away from the main road. The agents were still lurking around to clean the place, in reality, they were looking for the girl named Eleven. Hopper walked into the school building and carefully made his way to the classroom where the tragedy had taken place one week ago.

He carefully walked below the yellow police tapes that sealed the room from intruders. Being the local police chief, he had absolute authority to enter wherever he pleased. But the agents might notice the activity and come in his way again. He wasn't afraid of those pussies who had gone to some training grounds and thought they owned the world. They wouldn't have survived even one day in the humid jungles of Vietnam. But he was afraid of them finding Eleven before he did. He had to ensure her safety at all costs.

The room had undergone multiple bouts of cleaning since that fateful night and looked almost spotless now. He would not find any evidence here, the scientists had done a thorough job. Hopper felt dejected and sat down on the floor, just like he had found Lucas and Dustin sitting here on that cursed night.

"We went to the radio room to find Will," Dustin's voice echoed in his mind. The first thing caged animals usually did after they were taken out of their prisons was to return to them. They would get scared by the new environment and would try to return to their comfort zone. Eleven had only spent a short time here, but she knew the radio room. 'What if?' Hopper prayed as he ran towards the place where the little girl had performed her first act of heroism. He reached the room in a minute and opened the latch using the master key he had taken from the principal the other day. Then he entered the room, closed the door and brought out a flashlight. He didn't turn the light on at this early in the morning to prevent attracting undue attention. He was looking for any clue that might offer a proof that Eleven was alive and on this side of the portal. Forensics in big cities carried luminol biomarkers to highlight crime scenes, but this was the ass end of the earth. He had to get by with the flashlight and his instincts alone. He carefully started assessing the prospective hiding spot. If she had come out of the portal that night, then she must have hidden somewhere until the agents moved away from the area. Then she probably went to visit Mike Wheeler. Hopper would get to Mike later, but for now, he just needed his confirmation.

He couldn't find jack shit even after half an hour of searching. He felt the fuse going off inside his head. There was only one thing left to do; go to the lab and hold the lead scientist at gunpoint to get some information out of him. He was about to leave the room to make the one-way journey when he noticed something peculiar about the bookshelf to his right. There were twenty-six volumes of encyclopedias carefully arranged on the shelves. They were numbered one to twenty-six, one for each letter. But the letter P was slightly off position as if a kid taken it out and then struggled to put it back at that height. 'The eleventh letter from the end' Hopper thought as he ran to the shelf and took out the volume and opened it under the flashlight. Something was stuck between the pages. The book fell from his hand as he found a small piece of torn cloth hidden inside the pages. It matched the dress Eleven was wearing the night she surrendered to her fate.

"She left clues for Mike! Fuck!" Hopper wanted to shout but cursed instead as he predicted the repercussions of her act. He became aware that the agents could find some other breadcrumb and dedicate maximum effort to finding her. He needed to discover her quickly and erase the clues before someone else did and that included Mike Wheeler and his gang. They wouldn't be able to protect her, but a decorated war veteran might. Hopper left the school and drove to the Wheeler residence.

Hopper reached the house an hour later and pressed the bell. Karen opened the gate a few minutes later and made a face, "You?"

"Is Mike around?"

"He's sleep..."

"Mom?" A soft voice surprised them both.

Mike Wheeler had come down to the door and was staring at Hopper with a strange longing in his eyes.

'Did you expect someone else?' Hopper's eyes met Mike's before he could ask that question. The dark hollow encircling the kid's eyes spoke volumes about the massive typhoon that was spinning endlessly in his little heart. He wouldn't find any evidence here after all, Mike was apparently unaware of the fact that Eleven had survived and was present in this part of the world. Hopper felt the piece of cloth in his pocket.

'Now's not the time. I'm sorry kid, but you have to fight this one on your own until I find her,' Hopper thought but spoke something different, "Just checking. Thought he might be ready to go to school."

Karen nodded her head sadly, "In a few days. He needs time."

Hopper nodded and turned around to go back to his car.

A broken voice rang behind him, "If... you find her... you bring her to..." The voice choked up.

Hopper hardened his jaw and walked towards the car. Earlier, he was trying to find the girl to save two souls, now he needed to find her to save three. Mike Wheeler was just a kid but was oddly attached to that girl for some reason, and her absence was eating him alive.


Hopper had no luck finding Eleven in the next few weeks. He had zeroed in on a few possible locations, one of them was that goddamn forest which grew like a maze. He was slowly getting frustrated, but there was one silver lining in that dark cloud. Mike Wheeler had apparently recovered and started going to school. That took away a bit of stress, and he was back to saving two souls again. But he was making no progress at all. One day he was going through some old newspaper clippings of MkUltra program when he heard a strange commotion outside his office. Hopper sighed and slowly walked towards the door. It was probably that old guy and his haunted pumpkin patch again, he couldn't remember his name.

"Three boxes of waffles. One box every week," the old shopkeeper was leaning over the desk and trying to sell his story to Florence.

She was having none of it, "You're telling me, someone broke into your store, didn't take cash or anything else but just waffles?"

"I'm telling the truth. Three damn boxes of Eggo..." His speech was cut short as Hopper growled, "What's this?"

Over the next five minutes, he pretended to listen to the story with complete disinterest as the old shopkeeper repeated his fantasy. In short, someone was breaking into his store and stealing Eggos on a regular basis. The man finished the story, and Hopper stifled a laugh, "Florence. Lodge a complaint."

"What?"

"An Eggo thief is running arou..." Hopper broke into laughter. The others in the station started laughing too as the old shopkeeper started cursing them. There was one small difference between the behavior of Hopper and the other police officers. Unlike others who were laughing at the comedy, he was smiling in relief. He had found his marker at last. Eleven was hiding in the woods a short distance away from that store. It was time to get her and bring her home.

He was about the leave the station when he found an odd pair walking towards him. An old man with a bandage on his forehead was leaning on a youth as they slowly made their way to the desk. Other days, Hopper would have left without spending a second on their touching stories about family feuds and bar fights, but something caught his eyes. The old man was carrying a hunting rifle, but the rest of the outfit was missing. He still had his hunting trousers but didn't bring his jacket, or cap or shoes. It was as if someone had taken only the things required for survival from him.

'Damn, this is getting out of hands. Soon someone will find out,' Hopper thought as he met the pair.

Like the story of the shopkeeper, he listened to their narrative but with complete attention this time. He wanted to project the idea that he was considering this seriously. Otherwise, the man might take his account elsewhere. Then he directed them towards Florence and almost ran to his car.

The old man was a seasoned hunter and Hopper could easily follow his instructions and find the location where the hunter was knocked out by a young witch who could do magic. He carefully made his way to the spot while making as much noise as he could. He wanted to give enough warning so Eleven could run away. There was no way he could capture her by force, she would snap his neck even before he could lay his arms on her. The first step to handle a wounded animal was to give it as much space as it needed. He found the spot with the charcoals and spent the next ten minutes returning it to its natural state. The burnt wood was a dead giveaway to Eleven's location, and if he had to disprove the man's story, he needed to get rid of the signs. Once done, he stood up and scanned the woods around him from the corner of his eyes. He was sure about one fact, no matter what the reports had said, Eleven was just a child and children are curious.

'There,' his eyes caught a barely camouflaged shape behind a bush a few meters to his right. Hopper inhaled sharply and grinned as he turned his face towards the other way to hide his expression. She was alive and standing right next to him. Now, he needed to earn her trust and bring her home before she got hurt, or probably end up hurting someone. And he was pretty sure that Eggos and Squirrels were an utterly unbalanced diet and she would be suffering from malnutrition soon.

Hopper went back to his car to fetch the supplies that he had picked up from three different stores on his way here. He was not sure about the agents and took precaution to avoid suspicion. Then he slowly entered the wood and pressed his foot against a fallen tree branch and shattered it. The dry branch broke in two with a loud crack that was probably heard from more than a dozen meters away. Hopper started walking towards his right in a slow gait while focussing on his surroundings. A minute later he heard soft footsteps a few meters behind him. He smiled as he sauntered towards a location that he had discovered a few years ago while trying to locate a missing hunter. It was a secluded spot not far from the road but covered from all the directions by large trees. Hopper reached the spot and stood there for some time. Then he placed the heavy duffel bag on the ground and yawned as if he was oblivious about his surroundings. He felt like an absolute idiot, any sane person would see through his acting, but there was no other way. From the duffel bag, he brought out supplies one by one and arranged them in a line. The first was a small sleeping bag, suitable for a child. It was the most essential survival tool at this time of the year for someone who was hiding in the cold forests at night. A tent would have been better, but Hopper was sure that Eleven wouldn't be able to set it up, neither would she trust it if Hopper set it up instead. To her, it would appear as a trap. Next was a small bag containing a mix of both nutritious but boring foods like peas and sandwiches and exciting stuff like candies and chocolates. After placing five bottles of mineral water on the ground, Hopper brought out his trump card; a box of Eggos. Did he hear some rustling behind him? Hopper smiled, she was only a child after all. There was no reason to keep pretending anymore, Eleven must have figured out why he was here. It was time, to tell the truth.

Hopper stood up slowly and spoke, "If you start fires they will attract attention. Neither you nor I want that."

He waited for a second to receive feedbacks if there were any. Nothing came, so he continued, "If you feel cold then open that bag. There are small packets inside it."

He held up a transparent packet filled with clear liquid in his hand. Then he spoke as if he was giving a demonstration to the rookies back in Vietnam, "You hold the pack like this and press here."

Hopper pressed a metal disc inside the pack, and it made a clicking sound. Within seconds the liquid transformed into solid and generated a substantial amount of heat. He dropped the package beside him and continued, "This will give you plenty of heat. When the night falls, get into that sleeping bag, put some packs inside and break the small metal disc to make heat. You'll stay warm through the night."

He turned around to return to his truck but kept speaking, "Eat the food I've placed there. It won't all taste good, but you need it for your health. You can have the Eggos for dessert."

Hopper was almost at the edge of the forest now, and the footsteps behind were slowing down. He spoke his last words for the day, "You don't have to come out. But, if you're okay then give me a sign tomorrow. Same place, same time."

Then he drove away from the woods. His eyebrows were furrowed all the way, he kept thinking about the dangers in the forest. Eleven could fight against animals and humans, but could she escape the fangs of mother nature? A simple bout of Typhoid or another disease could kill her in days. He needed to get her home quickly.

Hopper picked up the supplies the next day and drove to the forest. He felt worried as he walked towards the designated spot. What if he couldn't find her? What if she didn't take the supplies? What if she... his thought process hit a wall as his eyes fell on the location where he had placed the supplies last night. The sleeping bag was gone, but the food wrappers were there, empty. The hollow box of Eggos was there too. 'She ate all that in a day? She must be hungry.' He also found the used chemical heat packs. She had utilized them all. It must have been too cold here last night. It was the sign he was waiting desperately for, now he could execute his plan.

This time, Hopper left a substantial amount of supplies there including more heat packs and a small book with pictures. He had thought hard about what a girl like her might desire and couldn't come up with any ideas. So, he had picked up a comic book on his way here and hoped it would help him earn her trust a little faster. Winter was arriving with her fangs made of ice to steal the life away from this land, surviving out here would be impossible without extensive training.


It took a few more weeks of regular supply drops to the forest to earn her trust. Apart from providing food and occasional gifts, Hopper had also instructed her about hiding herself in the forest and removing traces of her activities by using techniques developed by the military. Hopper once dreamt about going camping with his daughter, and now he got the chance at last. But it wasn't exactly like how he had imagined it would be because she had stayed out of Hopper's sight so far. But the last time she had made sounds to let him know that she was around. Hopper was getting frustrated at the cat and mouse game, but he had no options left. The agents had decreased their activity in Hawkins but were observing Mike Wheeler on a continuous rotation. A week ago, he had met Dr. Sam Owens and delivered an ultimatum, "If anything happens to that Wheeler kid, I'm gonna burn the facility down..."

"But."

"...with everyone inside."

It had worked well so far. They kept observing him but didn't try bugging his house anymore.


It was Christmas Eve when Hopper decided to make the final move. Time was running out, and winter had finally arrived in all it's destructive grandeur. He left the police station early that night and made his way to the hiding spot. By that time, he had made some small improvements to the supply drops. To protect them from the elements, he had arranged a wooden box. He reached the location, opened the box and put an Eggo inside. Then he got up and delivered the speech he had been planning for some time, "Hey kid. I hope you trust me by now. I have been providing you food for a long time, I could have brought the agents here."

Something rustled in the bush behind him. It sounded like agitated footsteps. Hopper continued at a rapid pace, "But I didn't. I want to save you. I want to protect you from the bad men. I have a home where I can hide you."

The rustling stopped. Did she leave? Damn. Hopper gritted his teeth in frustration, "Please give me a chance. I am not a bad guy. I saved Will from the upside down."

There was absolute silence. She must have left. Hopper wanted to shout in frustration, but he sighed and dealt his trump card, "Mike is waiting for you. If you stay here, you'll die and won't be able to return to him. Come with me, and I'll save you so that you can meet him one day."

There were no sounds. She was gone from the area. Hopper sighed and turned around to return to the car. He would bring Mike here tomorrow. It was a horrible idea because the agents would surely take notice. But better be imprisoned than be dead. He would think of something later.

Hopper had almost reached the car when he heard the soft footsteps behind him again. He couldn't believe his ears. They did not fade away but increased in loudness, and then finally stopped. Hopper turned out and lost his shit. The girl was standing right in front of him, wearing the clothes she had stolen from the hunter weeks ago. It was late, and the moonlight was sparse, but he could see her eyes clearly. They were full of apprehension and hope. Hopper took off of his hat and held it against his chest in respect. Surviving in the woods was not an easy task for even full-grown men, and she was just a child. But she had finally learned to trust someone other than those four kids. He had finally won the first battle.

The girl spoke in a muffled voice, "S... S... Save me? Take t... to.. Mike?"

She was shivering from the cold, but that wasn't the reason why she had given up. She came to him to because she wanted to meet Mike Wheeler at all costs.

What the hell was this girl made of? And who was this Mike Wheeler?

Hopper spoke with a hoarse voice, "I promise."

The girl smiled and nodded. Then she slowly walked towards him, one small footstep at a time. Hopper nearly lost his balance when the figure of the girl transformed for a moment. 'Sarah?' Hopper couldn't believe his eyes. Then he hardened his jaw and swore an oath to the heavens, "I will always protect you no matter the cost."


Back the present, the police van broke through a barrier and the sudden vibration jolted Hopper back to reality. He didn't bother looking at the figure strapped to the seat beside him. He was Eleven's father and could sense her presence without having to look at her. This time, he couldn't feel it anymore.

Hopper couldn't keep his promise, Eleven was dead.