Guardian Angel Pt. 2
☆stranger things masterlist☆
Pairing: female reader x Eddie Munson
Summary: Y/n thought her days in Hawkins, Indiana were over, but when she begins getting visions of threats from the Upside Down, she knows she needs to step in and help
Warnings: SPOILERS for ST4, follows the timeline/plot of season 4, drugs, smoking, death, violence, trauma, cursing, fluff, potentially more (will update for certain episodes if there’s more)
A/N: Part 2 is here! Check the master list for the previous parts and parts that come out next! Requests open (Stranger Things only atm), taglist open, inbox open! Please like, comment, and reblog! Lmk if there’s anything I need to fix!
Three hours of driving later and it was still dark out. You had made it about halfway to Hawkins if you were using the map correctly. Your eyes were dangerously droopy and you knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to keep driving. You rolled into a town you’d never heard of before and pulled up to an open twenty-four seven motel. You parked a couple spaces away from the front door of the place. It looked a little sketchy but there wasn’t anywhere else to go.
You raised your wrist up to your face so you could read the numbers on your watch. It was almost four in the morning. The plan was to spend just a few hours at the motel, then start moving again.
You dumped some stuff out of your backpack that you wouldn’t need overnight- although it was already morning and you wouldn’t be staying overnight at all. Those things were replaced with some of your snacks and drinks. Once your bag was securely on your back and your keys were in hand, you opened the door and went inside.
The first thing you noticed was the distinct smell of cigarette smoke that hit you in the face and filled your nose as soon as you stepped in.
The second thing you noticed, unsurprisingly, was the lady sitting at the desk had a cigarette lit in between her fingers. She was older, probably around fifty or sixty. She had prominent wrinkles on and around her lips, probably from smoking. Her red lipstick left a stain on the styrofoam cup she was drinking out of. Her thin brown hair was big and round and somewhat matched the shape of her face and made it look even rounder.
You walked up to the desk with your best attempt at a smile on your face. “Can I get a room? I just need it for a few hours and I’ll be gone later today.”
She looked you up and down with judgmental eyes. “Just one night?” Her voice was crackly and reminded you of tv static in a way.
“I guess,” you responded. “I won't need it overnight or anything. Just for a few hours.” You chewed on the inside of your cheek while the woman, Clarice, took a long drag of her cigarette.
She blew the smoke out the side of her mouth and pulled out a notebook. Her bright red fingernails flipped through the pages until she got to the one she was looking for. “Nineteen ninety-nine,” she said flatly. “And I need to see some identification.”
You pulled a bill out of your pocket and handed it to her then pulled out your wallet. In the first little compartment was your ID. It wasn’t real but it had fooled everyone that had seen it. There was no record of you, so you would never be able to have a real one. To the world outside of that laboratory, you don’t even exist.
She narrowed her eyes at the card and the money, scrutinizing them both. With a seemingly satisfied grunt she took the money and turned around to grab a key. Room number five. You picked up the key and your ID.
“Have a good night,” she crackled.
You nodded and smiled thinly before you walked back outside and to your room for the morning. The handle to the door was rusting just like the plaque with the number five on it. It took a bit of wiggling for the door to finally unlock, and a good push before the door screeched open.
The air inside was stale and unmoving. The curtains matched the bedspread, which was a muddy rendition of roses and other flowers. You set your bag down on the floor next to the bed and sat down. The bed was hard as a rock but you were at the point of exhaustion you could lay on the street and manage to pass out.
You unlaced your boots and took your denim jacket and flannel off, placing them next to you on the bed. You kept everything else on though and slipped under the scratchy cover and let sleep overtake you.
…
When you woke up your back was aching just as much as your head. You felt like you were sticking to the sheets and had to peel yourself off of them. You stood on the stained dark blue carpet and stretched, relieving your sore muscles.
You opened the curtains just a little to peek outside. The sky was blue and the sun was fully out. One glance at your watch and you realized it was noon; you slept way longer than you intended. With more energy than before, you splashed some water on your face before you collected your things and headed back outside.
Instead of the woman from four that morning being at the front desk, it was a younger guy. He looked up as you walked in and greeted you with a smile. That was the warmest welcome you had received since your journey began.
“I just need to drop this key off,” you said, placing the key on the table in front of him. “I was in room five. I checked in this morning.”
“Leaving so soon?” he asked. His mouth was turned up at one corner as he picked up the key and replaced it on a hook behind him.
“Unfortunately,” you said sarcastically.
He laughed and nodded, understanding what you meant. “Well we’re sad to see you go.”
You hummed and nodded, unsure of what to say. You turned around and started making your way towards the door, only pausing to wave when he told you goodbye.
The midday sun blinded you as soon as you stepped outside. The air in this random town was different from Burns Harbor. It didn’t have that hint of moistness that came from Lake Michigan. You honestly missed it.
Once you were back in your Jeep you picked your map up and checked the route. You should arrive in Hawkins in two and a half hours.
You shuddered a little. This town which you had vowed never to go to again was just a drive away and you were willingly going. For the sake of the people of Hawkins, you had to go. Why did you care about the people of Hawkins anyways? It wasn’t like they had done anything for you. But they couldn’t have known what was going on either. They were innocent. You weren’t religious but you at least had a heart and some morals, and if something could be done you would do it.
It was a Saturday and most of the schools were out for spring break. That meant people were actually on the roads now. Traffic wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t nearly as smooth as the first half of the drive had been. To be fair, it was the middle of the night though. Nobody in Indiana was going anywhere at that time of day.
The traffic, plus a stop at a drive-thru had added more time to your drive, and now you were stopped at a gas station only a few towns away from your destination filling up for the last time. You were in the home stretch with less than an hour- give or take- left in your drive. You were mentally preparing yourself for whatever was ahead of you.
It was, without a doubt, going to be dangerous. Anything dealing with the Upside Down was. What happened at the lab was too, and they were definitely connected. You didn’t know all the details about what had gone down in the past few years since you were only learning things through visions, but it sure seemed like the lab was a big part of the “curse” that riddled Hawkins. The lab had created a plague, and it spread from within the walls outwards to the rest of the town.
Driving with one hand and chewing on a beef stick with the other you drove towards the “Welcome to Hawkins, Indiana” sign. You took in a deep breath and shut your eyes momentarily- but not for too long- and steeled yourself. The sign disappeared in your rear view mirror as you drove deeper into town. It felt like a weight was pressed against your shoulders and chest as soon as you had passed the boundary into Hawkins.
To dispel the heavy feeling that was seeping into your car and filling your lungs you popped in a Cyndi Lauper cassette and turned the volume up. It was different from everything else you had been listening to on the drive, but you wanted something upbeat and bubbly that you could sing along with to distract you.
You made it into the main part of town and looked around. People turned to watch as an unfamiliar vehicle- yours- drove past. Unlike residents of Burn Harbor, the people of Hawkins were nosy. They didn’t even try to hide how hard they were rubbernecking. Without a doubt they would go home and mention to their friends and family the young girl that they’d never seen before in a bright red Jeep in town.
You didn’t know where anything was located in town. It had been years since you’d last stepped foot in Hawkins, and even then it was the middle of the night when you had escaped. Despite living there for much of your adolescent life, it was like seeing everything for the first time.
You drove through town until you spotted a small motel. You didn’t want to stay at another motel, but it didn’t look like you really had a choice. You didn’t know anyone in town and you sure as hell weren’t about to go asking around for a place to stay. You had enough disposable money that you could afford to stay for a couple nights and it not kill you. If there was anything you had learned in the past couple years, it was the importance of saving. You never know what could happen.
On the outside the motel looked a little nicer than the one you had stayed at earlier in the morning. You could only hope it wouldn’t be as dingy on the inside as the other one was.
You pulled into the parking lot but left your bag in the car this time. You could put everything up on your way to the room. The only thing on you was your wallet, which was in your jacket pocket, and your knife, which was in the back pocket of your jeans. You could never be too safe.
You stepped into the motel and were greeted by a kinder face than the woman that checked you in earlier that day. This lady was clearly older than her, but smaller in stature and build; a classic grandma. She wasn’t smoking, nor did it smell particularly like cigarettes in the room. It was cleaner and smelled like coffee.
“Hello dear, how can I help you?” the woman asked. A smile was on her face, accentuating the wrinkles in her cheeks.
It was hard not to return her smile when you approached the desk. “I need a room. I’m not sure how long I’m going to be staying though…” you trailed off.
“Well that’s no problem,” she nodded her head and picked up a pen to write in her log book. “I can start you off with two days and then go from there.”
You nodded. “That sounds good.” You pulled out your wallet and opened up the compartment with the bills. “How much is it?”
“Twenty-five a night. You can just give me fifty for now,” she answered sweetly.
You were flipping through bills when a door opened behind the lady at the desk. The man that came out immediately noticed you as a newcomer and began to scrutinize you. He was old, and had very tan, wrinkled skin. You could barely see his eyes under his hat but you could tell he was sizing you up.
“You chose a bad time to come here young lady. We’ve got a killer on the loose,” he warned loudly. With one last warning look he stomped past you in heavy work boots and went out the door.
The lady laughed awkwardly, staring after the older man. “Don’t mind Earl dearie. He loves scaring people.”
You raised your eyebrows and nodded, but you knew there was some truth to what the old man had said. You finished counting the bills and slid them over, then you pulled out your ID- which she hadn’t asked for- and slid it over too.
She quickly glanced over the card and flipped through the money, verifying that it was enough. She placed it next to her and opened a drawer in the desk. From there she pulled out a silver key and dropped it into your open hand.
You were about to turn and leave when your stomach growled. You hadn’t had a real meal in hours and it was dinner time. “Do you know any place to eat close by?” you asked.
“Oh yes! Just a few buildings down my friend Patty owns a little diner.” She pointed to her left, which was your right.
You nodded and thanked her before you walked outside, key and wallet dragging down the pocket of your jean jacket. You unlocked your Jeep and grabbed your backpack and the plastic bags that held your snacks.
A few doors down from where you had parked was your room. You carried your things and dropped them on the ground below the number plate so you could get out the key. With some wiggling it gave purchase and the door drifted open.
The first thing you noticed was the scent of citrus and fabric freshener hitting you in the face. At least you knew the furniture had been cleaned recently.
Your expectations weren’t high, and it was a typical motel- something modeled right out of a magazine. There was one bed with a nightstand on each side, lamps with yellowing shades sitting atop them. Opposite the bed was a little wooden desk with a bible and black landline telephone. You would have looked at the room more but your stomach growled in protest.
The diner truly was only a few buildings down. It was styled after a fifties restaurant, fit with the red and white neon signs and on the inside the black and white checkered tile, retro booths, and stools at the red vinyl counter. There were a couple people inside eating and they all glanced at you when you came in, but most didn’t make it obvious.
You took a seat at a booth near the door and sat down. A waitress, Betty, quickly came and handed you a menu. “Hello there, welcome to Patty’s! What can I get you to drink?” She waited eagerly with a pen and pad of paper in hand.
“Um… just a water please.”
She scribbled something on her pad and nodded. “I’ll be right back with that and then I’ll take your order!”
“Thank you,” you gave her a small smile and watched as she disappeared through a door.
You looked around, surveying all the diner-goers. It was all middle aged people- other than you- including the waitresses. They were all talking and having conversations. They all knew each other. A man and a woman sat in the booth next to yours and you could hear most of what they were saying. You would have ignored them if their conversation hadn’t piqued your interest.
“I heard it was that Munson boy,” the woman tsked. “I knew he was trouble, jus’ like his daddy.”
“Where’d you hear that from?” the man asked in a hushed voice.
“Samuel called me this morning and said cops were swarmin’ ‘round Munson’s trailer, and Eddie’s been missin’ since last night. Nobody knows where he’s at,” she answered. “Wayne swears that his nephew could never do something like that but I don’t believe it for a hot second. If you ask me-“
“Darlene!” he whispered fervently, cutting the woman off. “There’s Wayne.”
A gush of air came from behind you, signaling that the door had been opened. To your left you saw an older, slim man walk by. He was wearing a hat and kept his head down as he took a seat at the counter.
It seemed to you that this man’s nephew- Eddie- is the so-called “murderer” the man from the motel mentioned earlier. If the “murder” they’re referring to is the girl from last night then maybe this Eddie was the guy in the vision you saw-the one you tried to reach out to. You needed to find him.
Betty came back with your water, cutting off your train of thought. “Here you go…” she set the drink down in front of you and pulled a straw out of her apron. “Do you know what you’d like to eat yet?”
You were so busy listening in on Darlene and her male friend’s conversation that you didn’t even look over the menu. There was one thing that almost all American eateries had though. “A burger please. And fries,” you added.
“Alright…” she wrote it down on her pad. “Is that all?”
You nodded.
“Alrighty! I’ll be back with your food in a few minutes.” She smiled and walked off to tend to other customers.
You picked up the straw and took off the white paper, balling it up and setting it aside. You stuck the plastic straw in your water. It was nice to take a long sip of something cold for once after only drinking room temperature sodas.
You began to think again, getting your train of thought back on track. So apparently Eddie was missing. This was a problem. Luckily for you, there was a possibility that you could find him. Through a mindlink you would be able to see some of his surroundings but last time you tried it seemed like he could see you, maybe even hear you too.
On the off chance that he could, you could just do a mindlink again and ask him where he was. If that plan just so happened to succeed, it wasn’t a guarantee that he would even tell you. He would probably think he was going crazy. Only time would tell.
While you waited for your food you watched Wayne, the man that was this guy’s uncle. He was quiet and didn’t really look at anyone, keeping to himself. If you were in his position, and your nephew was being accused of murder you would probably act the same. But he says it couldn’t possibly be Eddie. Did he know where his nephew was? Was his nephew still alive? It was possible that the Upside Down had gotten to him too.
Suddenly your vision went black and your senses were clouded. A scene appeared in front of you. A boy was rising up out of a lake, just like that girl had in your last vision. His limbs warped at odd angles, his jaw unhinged, his eyes sucked into the back of his head, and then he fell back into the water.
As quick as it had come it was over. You looked around and you were still in the diner. Betty was headed your way with a plate in her hand. “Here you go,” she said, setting the burger and fries in front of you. “If you need anything just flag me down.”
“Thank you,” you managed to smile, but were still frazzled from the vision. While you replayed the vision you’d just had you started eating. It was good, but the image in your head wouldn’t go away. If you were any normal person your appetite would’ve ceased immediately at the grotesque scene. But you were starving, and the abilities of the Upside Down weren’t anything new to you.
So another person was going to die. You knew the vision wasn’t happening just then since it was lighter outside the diner than it was at that lake. It could be in a few hours, or tomorrow. There was no way to tell, but you needed to try to stop it.
You tried to eat quickly while also listening and watching around you. No one other than waitresses talked to Wayne, but you saw the man and woman at the booth beside you casting glances at the back of his head. Since he had walked in they hadn’t dared talk about his nephew at all. Before you were finished eating they ended up finishing and leaving. In no time your plate was cleared and the sun had set in the sky, leaving it a dark gray. It wasn’t sunny there in Hawkins like it was in that last town or Burns Harbor, it was cloudy. The gloomy atmosphere outside matched the town’s overall aesthetic.
Betty passed by and she noticed you had finished your food. She handed you the bill, which you paid, and then you left. You drove the few blocks back to the motel and got back to your room without talking or running into anyone.
You were finally able to take a look around the room. Everything generally looked nicer than the last motel. The carpet wasn’t even a fraction as stained as the other one. You stepped onto the tile in the bathroom and looked around the bathtub and shower combo. You could smell the cleaning products that had been used, and there wasn’t anything questionable on it so you decided to take a shower before you went to sleep. You would explore the town more tomorrow and try to find more clues to the whole situation.
After a nice, long, refreshing shower you changed into some makeshift pajamas and crawled into the bed. Sleep came easy to you thankfully.
…
The next morning you woke up earlier than you had the previous day. When you checked your watch you saw that it was nine in the morning. You brushed your teeth in the bathroom and got dressed before you headed outside. You weren’t sure where you were headed, but it wouldn’t hurt to drive around.
You drove past the police station, the arcade, the mall, the high school, the Family Video. None of it seemed like it would help you in your search. What exactly were you searching for? Any signs of what was going on and how you could stop it. You really needed to find that lake. Or you could try talking to Eddie through a mindlink.
You figured that would be your best option. There was a chance that it wouldn’t work, but it was worth a try. You pulled into a random parking lot and turned around so you could head back to Family Video- the last thing you drove past.
When you opened the door to the shop you were greeted by a cashier who seemed to be your age. As soon as he laid eyes on you his jaw went slack. At that moment he was suddenly grateful his coworker Steve hadn’t showed up for work. Just like all the other customers you probably would have flocked to the most popular worker at the Family Video. At least that’s what Keith thought.
“Can I- Can I help you?” he asked, struggling to pick his jaw up off the floor because of you. He’d never seen you in town before; he would definitely remember if he had.
“Um… yeah. Do you have a bathroom?” you asked. You were aware of the way he was looking at you, but you weren’t interested.
“Yeah- um, it’s back there,” he pointed to the back of the store where the bathroom was.
You nodded and started heading back there. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” he breathed out, eyes trailing after you even when you’d disappeared behind the bathroom door.
You didn’t pay much attention to what the restroom looked like, you just needed somewhere to sit and focus. Why it always ended up being a bathroom: you didn’t know. You put the lid down on the toilet and sat there. Your eyes squeezed shut and you tried focusing on the face of the guy whose mind you wanted to enter, possibly Eddie. You thought of his brown eyes, his frizzy brown hair, his full lips. His frame suddenly came into view and you focused harder so you could get to him.
The two steps you took towards him left ripples in the black water beneath your boots. He was standing, cooking something on a stove. You walked closer and said his name. “Eddie?”
He froze for a second and swallowed, then continued stirring the food in the pot. It seemed like he heard you. He reacted to your voice. “Eddie,” you said again. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. He could clearly hear you but was choosing to ignore you. You couldn’t say you blamed him. If you were hearing voices in your head you would try to pretend they weren’t there too.
“Eddie,” you said one last time.
This time he tilted his head back and looked up to the ceiling… then he talked. “God if that’s you please, please know that I didn’t do it. You must have seen it! I didn’t kill her.”
You bit back a laugh. So he thought you were God. As much as you wanted to pretend you were the man in the sky you just couldn’t. “Eddie, I'm not God.”
He swallowed again and looked around. His gaze settled on you, or at least your direction. He leaned towards you slightly and reached forward. You watched as his hand went through you. He pulled it back and let his hand dangle by his side. “I can’t see you. Who are you? How- How are you talking to me? Am I going crazy? Oh my god, I am going crazy.”
You let out an amused breath through your nose. As serious as the matter was, it was quite funny seeing how he was reacting. There was no way this guy could kill someone. “No, you aren’t going crazy.”
“How do you know my name then? How can I hear you? What are you?” Boy was he full of questions.
“I’ll explain at another time. For now all you need to know is that my name is y/n. But I need you to tell me what happened to that girl,” you said.
He started shaking his head quickly. “No, no, no, stop! I didn’t- I don’t know!”
You opened your eyes and you were back in the bathroom at the Family Video. “Fuck,” you muttered. Eddie had pushed you out of his mind, but you couldn’t really blame him. If you were in his shoes and had witnessed someone dying in such a brutal way, and an unexplainable way at that, you would be on edge too.
You would have to be more careful with your wording next time you tried, but for now you would have to leave him alone. You did actually need to use the restroom so you did it quickly then washed your hands and walked back out into the main area of the store.
Since you were there you might as well look around and see if the cashier will talk about anything of use to you. He was waiting behind the counter when you came around the corner. He visibly jumped when he saw you again, for what reason you aren’t sure. He knew you were back there.
“Everything go okay?” he asked.
“...yeah,” you answered. What an odd question. You felt bad for him though; he was obviously nervous.
“Um…” He wasn’t sure what to say, but he didn’t want you to leave just yet.
Before he had to struggle to find something to say to you, you spoke. “Can you show me some movies?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Oh! Yeah- yeah I can.” He walked out from behind the counter and started walking towards aisles of movies. “So what are some movies you like?” he asked.
“I like Star Wars, Terminator, Poltergeist, and The Breakfast Club to name a few,” you answered, scanning over all the movies on the shelves.
“The last one’s a bit different from the others,” the guy said, laughing awkwardly.
“Yeah, it's my roommate’s favorite movie. She rents it all the time so I’ve seen it a bunch.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “Have you seen Back to the Future? It came out last year.” He picked up a VHS tape and showed it to you. Marty McFly was printed on the front along with the DeLorean.
“I watched it in a theater whenever it came out actually,” you told him. You realized then that every movie he recommended to you would be something you’ve probably already watched. Watching VHS tapes and listening to cassettes were your top two pastimes. You had a feeling that if you told him you’d watched all these movies already he would probably spend all day trying to find one you hadn’t watched and you didn’t feel like being at the video store all day. “I would love to watch it again though.”
His face lit up. “Okay, sounds good. Um- come over here and I can get you checked out.” You followed him over to the counter and he set his fingers over the keys of a computer but didn’t type anything just yet. “So first I need to know your name.”
“Oh it’s y/n y/l/n.”
“Okay…” He squinted at the computer screen while he typed out your name into its database. “Can I get an address?”
You paused for a second and weren’t sure what to say. You were only going to be in town for a few days and he didn’t really need your address back in Burns Harbor. “I’m actually staying at a motel right now so I don’t have one. Could I just give you the money for it and return it on time?” You gave him your best puppy dog eyes and the sweetest smile you could muster without being too much.
His eyes looked all over your face, not sure where to look before he gulped and had to look away. “Yeah that- that’s um, fine. Actually I can just put it under my name, it’s no big deal. I work here so you know… just come back and it’s fine.”
“Okay thanks.” You smiled at him. Were you actually going to watch the movie? Probably not, but you made a mental note to return it before you left Hawkins.
“Uh, here you go.” He slid the VHS across the counter. “Come again, to return the tape you know.”
“Thank you; I will.” You picked it up and waved at him before you walked out the door.
Half an hour later you were back in your car and driving around again- after you had lunch-, this time further outside of Hawkins. You needed to find that lake now. You should have asked that guy about it but it completely slipped your mind after that absolute failure in the bathroom. You hated how much time you were wasting.
While you were searching for the lake you found something more intriguing. Your Jeep crawled past a trailer park where two cop cars were parked. You pulled up as close as you felt was sane without seeming like you were up to something. You raised up in your seat and could see yellow police tape around one trailer. That must have been where the first murder took place. You couldn’t get out and start knocking on doors; that just wasn’t logical.
You backed out of the gravel road and back onto the paved one and drove a little further down on the road. To your great surprise they had the road blocked off with police tape too. Was there another murder you didn’t know about? You hadn’t heard of that one yet.
Right there in the middle of the road your sight went black. You saw a girl rising up into the air at a cemetery. She had red hair and had on headphones. On the ground it looked like three people- guys- yelling and encouraging her. She dropped. Her limbs didn’t start breaking. Her eyes were completely fine. She survived it.
You gasped and you were right back in your car on the same road you were before, looking out at the police tape. You had seen three victims through your visions so far. One had died for sure already, that you were pretty confident about. The other two though… you couldn’t even be sure they were in order. And this girl, she survived. What about the crime scene in front of you? Was that a victim too?
So far there were either one or two victims dead already, and you knew of two others, but only one of them dies- at least for now. You weren’t going to be able to do this by yourself, that you were sure. That girl… you could try finding her through a mindlink, but she probably doesn’t even know she’s going to be a victim yet. Neither does the boy you saw last night.
Your visions were helpful, but you liked to think they loved to challenge you. They gave you barely any information and told you to work with it. It was only twelve and you still had a few hours left to spare but you weren’t sure what to do next.
Driving around wasn’t getting you anywhere. You could feel the stares every time you passed by people, could practically hear their thoughts wondering who you were. You realized it didn’t look good to just be lurking around town forever, popping into random stores and coming out with nothing, but you needed more to go off of.
You ultimately decided to go back to the motel. Maybe the lady at the front desk would tell you something. If the conversations at the diner told you anything, people had some opinions.
You pulled your Jeep into a parking space closer to your room and walked down to the office. Once again the little old lady was sitting there, this time doing a crossword puzzle. It took her a minute to notice you standing there but a kind smile appeared on her face when she did.
“Is there anything I can help you with dear?”
“Well I was thinking about what that man said earlier… Earl was it? He said there’s a murderer around here right now?” You tried to seem genuinely concerned.
She shook her head, the smile dropping from her face. “Hawkins has had a lot of tragedies. It’s gotten worse these past couple years. A girl died a few nights ago, but it wasn’t right. And what I hear people say… I just don’t believe it.”
”What do they say?”
“A boy, Eddie Munson, he lives in that house with his uncle. He’s disappeared. I know his uncle though- known him for a long time. The boy is a good kid. Not the brightest in school but can you blame him? It’s not everyone’s strong suit. And Wayne speaks so good of him. I don’t see him hurting anyone.” She paused for a second and set down her pen and crossword book. You could see her hands shaking before they disappeared in her lap under the table. “I don’t know who, or what, did those horrific things to that girl, but Hawkins isn’t safe. I don’t know what you’re here for, but I don’t suggest staying long.”
She gave you a lasting look, deathly serious. She wanted you to heed her words, even if it meant she lost business. “I make sure that it’s safe here; to the best of my ability. Earl too. He won’t let any harm come to any of our guests. I’ve roped my son into being security during the night time so Earl and I can get some shut-eye. You have nothing to worry about here, but I can’t say the same for when you leave. You be careful now.”
You nodded, “Yes ma’am, of course. Thank you.”
She didn’t verbally respond but watched as you walked out of the motel office, continuing with her puzzles. Her words felt heavy on your mind. Maybe not all, but some people in Hawkins had their suspicions. The wiser ones surely couldn’t believe that people were just up to no good.
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