Hopper Accidentally Aquires a Son...
The camaro gave a final jerk, its engine letting out a mournful wail as the car shuddered to a stop at the bottom of a hill. Billy let out a string of curses as he glanced down at the gas gauge. Empty.
Just his fucking luck the car that had brought him through literal hell would die in God fucking nowhere. Billy slammed his palms against the steering wheel in a flash of anger, he was trying to be better, but every once in a while, the old angry Billy popped out. Of course, after recent events, that side was showing up more and more.
With a final slap to the wheel, that left his palms stinging with a sick satisfaction, Billy pulled himself out of the car. As soon as he opened the door, a blast of fall air rushed into the camaro's cabin, sending Billy into a fit of shivers. He tugged his jacket closed and ruefully thought of Max- if she had been there, Billy had no doubt that she would mercilessly tease him for dressing like it was constantly summer time.
Unfortunately, she wasn't there with him, but back home. Hopefully asleep and safely tucked away from Neil's fists. He didn't want to consider what he had left her to face; and while Max always insisted that she was old enough to take care of herself, Billy only ever saw the twig with a board two sizes too big under her arm, always asking him to 'please, Billy. Teach me? I can do it this time!'
Fucking Max and her big fucking mouth.
He flinched away as something darted through the trees in a rush of snapping twigs. Great, now he had to deal with huge ass bears, Billy huffed and fiddled with the door. He debated whether it was better to walk and see how far it took to get to town or whether there was a high possibility of a car coming across him. He glanced meaningfully down the road in both directions, but when no cars magically appeared, Billy sighed in resignation.
Walking it was.
He stopped his internal juggling and yanked the door open. He'd take his chances with the bear over starvation, and as he leaned down to grab the spare coat and emergency blanket, Billy saw something shiny reflecting against the beams of the camaro. Curiously, Billy leaned over, flicking the high beams on to get a better look.
Hawkins, Indiana
Population: 1053
'Welp, guess that makes 1054,' Billy shut the lights off and tucked the keys into his coat pocket before pulling on the spare one. It was only a jean jacket, but Billy always made sure to be prepared, his mom always said it was better to expect the unexpected. He never went anywhere without some kind of extra layer or fleece.
On the other hand, Billy figured his mom never really meant for the situation he faced now. Homeless, with only a pocket of lint to his name and a car with no gas, Billy wasn't even worth a dime.
The icing on the cake was being stuck in Hawkins fucking Indiana in the middle of fall.
Huffing, Billy stomped his way towards the town sign, his nerves on a tight wire with every noise that came from the woods. It was right fucking next to him and if he had to hear one more owl or twig snap, Billy was gonna lose his damn mind.
Bypassing the sign, Billy made it no more than a few steps before his entire world lit up. His vision went spotty, like a TV with no antenna. Raising a hand, Billy peered between his fingers, calmly wondering if this was how he was gonna meet his end. Murdered in butt fuck nowhere.
What a way to go. Neil would be so proud.
"The fuck you doing out here, kid?" A voice called out. It was gruff and deep, the tone oddly calming on Billy's frayed nerves.
"Uh-" he fumbled over himself, entirely unprepared for someone to actually be out at this time of night. His usual charm abandoning him in the face of the strangers headlights.
"Do you know what time it is?" When Billy didn't answer, the man hopped out of his truck, his high beams turning off, leaving them only in the warm glow of his day lights.
The decrease in light finally allowed Billy to see the person, well, the outline of them. The stranger stood tall, well over six feet, with broad shoulders and a thick chest. He had a hat on his head, the shape of it vaguely familiar. When Billy dragged his eyes down, he noticed an all too familiar logo on the man's car door.
Hawkins Police Department.
Fuck.
"- listening to me? Hey! Hey, kid!" Billy jolted, fumbling his car keys and jamming the end into his thumb.
His hands were shaking so bad Billy had to shove them into his pockets. His key stabbing a little deeper. "Yeah?" He finally croaked out, his sudden dry mouth making it impossible to form words.
The police officer closed his door with a slam, the metal screeching on rusted hinges. The noise was like a rebound affect, the owls that had been on his nerves not even ten minutes ago, were now as silent as a grave. The twigs he had heard snapping were now gone. "You got a name?" Billy swallowed the sudden flood of saliva.
Should he lie? Tell the truth? Did Neil's reach stretch this far East? No, it couldn't. But...he'd seen Neil find his mom before- before. He'd barely lifted a finger to track her down the one time she managed to escape. They had been in New England then. So who's to say he wouldn't? Should he trust this officer, who had only been out here hoping to catch late night speeders and underage kids? Lie or truth? Truth or lie? Heads or tails? Neil or this unsuspecting stranger?
"Billy," he gasped, praying it came across as the growl he tried to push out. He wasn't sure his forced posturing was bought. The officer looked suspicious, or maybe that was the trick of the light. Maybe Billy was seeing the way the man took a half step forward, half step back. A funky dance that went unfinished.
"Well Billy, why don't you come with me," Billy wasn't dumb. The guy hadn't offered his name nor his badge, which left a sour taste in the back of his throat.
"My car‐"
"We'll get it tomorrow. It's locked right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "It's freezing out here and it's only gonna get worse, kid, so move your ass and let's go. My shifts about over anyways."
Billy moved before he realized what was happening, his instincts demanding he comply. Slowly, cautiously, Billy edged his way around the side of the truck, keeping his eyes peeled for any sudden movement. He wouldn't be taken by surprise, not by this asshole.
The heat from the trucks cabin was a balm to Billy's chapped skin. He tried to swallow the relieved breath, muffling it behind a cough. He didn't even care about the mess of takeout wrappers and cigarette buds that littered the dash and floor. His own seat had a few coffee stained napkins that he had to brush to the floor.
"Sorry. Fuck." The guy lumbered in after Billy, rocking the cabin with his movement. The added weight had the truck groaning and sinking down by a few inches. 'What the fuck?'
"The name's Jim Hopper. I'm the chief of this town," he started the engine with an aggressive twist of his wrist. The car came alive with a groan, echoing Billy's own sentiments. "You hungry?"
I've been on hiatus for over 2 years, but I happened across this little gem in my Harringrove folders and decided to write a little. Comments and thoughts are always welcome.
You can find the original post here...
Instead of the whole Hargrove/Mayfield family coming to Hawkins, it's just Billy. Neil does get fed up and decides that Billy needs to go, t
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