Chapter Text
The road into Hawkins Indiana was a lonely one. The next town was miles back in the review mirror and all they’d seen for the past half hour it seemed were trees, road kill, and the occasional car making their escape from the small town.
“Are we there yet?”
“We would be if you didn’t have to stop every hour on the hour to pee and refill-” Benny was cut off by the sound of slurping as his daughter sucked the last of the root beer from her big gulp cup- “That.”
“Holding it for too long can result in kidney damage.” Lou Rodriguez quipped, putting the cup, larger than her head, into the cup holder.
“I’ve seen you hold out an entire baseball game.”
“That’s different. I could miss something important then.” She shrugged one shoulder and picked the cup up yet again, pulling the lid off and shuffling the ice around.
“They’re the same danger to your kidneys- and don’t chew ice.” Benny reached over and took the cup from her, putting it down in the cup holder again. The pair drove in silence for a little longer before they saw it- the bike abandoned on the side of the road.
“Hey what’s that?” Lou asked. Benny slowed, sticking his head out the window of the truck to get a better look.
“It’s a bike.” He stopped the truck and hopped out. “Stay in the car.” He ordered. However, a moment later he heard the other door open and close.
Benny rolled his eyes but he headed for the bike, it looked- not new necessarily but it wasn’t something that had been sitting there for years for sure.
“Hello?” He called out into the woods. It was silent- not just quiet but silent- the only sound was the crunch of their feet against the dried grass and the truck running behind them. No crickets, no screaming cicadas. He glanced back at his daughter who stood next to the bike. “Don’t touch it.” He ordered. For once, Lou seemed to listen, her hands sliding into the back pockets of her jeans. She stepped around it and walked closer to the tree line
“Anyone there?” She called. Benny felt- what he could only describe as a sense of dread settling in his stomach as the two of them looked out into the darkness but received no reply.
“Some kid must have left it.” He decided- stepping back. “We can check tomorrow and see if it’s still here.” He promised, turning to go back to the truck. Lou nodded and turned to do the same when they both heard a shriek. Lou jumped, stumbling away from the trees.
“Hello?” Benny did the opposite, heading into the trees. “Is anyone there?” He repeated the question from before. It was impossible to see anything through the trees, and the silence was still breathtaking- not so much as a squirrel squeak. For someone who spent his whole life in the LA area, the silence was terrifying. Still, no response came. He made a note to check on the bike in the morning and if it was there to find local law enforcement and ask them about it.
“Alright let's head back to the” Benny’s voice died in his throat when he turned and realized he had no idea how far into the trees he had gone- all around him it was nothing but trees and the trees led to nothing but darkness. “Lou?” He called- his heart pounding. He knew he’d been heading forward into the trees so a full 180 should take him back in the direction of the truck, he headed that way- still calling his daughter’s name and hoping she hadn’t followed him into the woods
He felt like he’d been walking for damn near twenty minutes when he heard something behind him, A branch snapped- a screech- not a scream like before, the scream had sounded human this- whatever it was- was decidedly inhuman. Benny’s heart jumped into his throat. “Lou!” she shouted into the darkness as he started to run on instinct. He went from hoping to praying that his daughter was safe by the truck and not running through these damned woods without him. He could hear whatever it was behind him getting closer and closer- He could practically feel hot breath on the back of his neck- a claw against his back-
The shine of the truck’s headlights nearly blinded him as he fell out of the tree line, stumbling over a root and hitting the ground. His chest heaved as he rolled onto his back to face whatever had been chasing him to find- nothing there. He scrambled up.
“Lou!” He yelled.
“What?” He turned, wild- to see her sitting in the truck. He hurried over and ripped the door open.
“Are you okay? Did you go into the woods?” He asked, his voice harsh. She raised one dark eyebrow.
“No. You ran in the woods and I started to get freaked out so I got back in the truck.”
“You didn't come looking for me?”
“No, why would I?’
“I was gone for half an hour, Lou.”
“Dad it’s been like- five minutes.” Lou reached out to grab his hand and pull it towards her. “Oh- your watch is broken. That’s why.” She let his hand go. He looked at the watch and sure enough- the ticking second hand just kept bouncing back and forth. It had been working in the woods, he was sure of that.
“I didn’t- It wasn’t…” It had been dark and creepy in the woods- and with the scream… it was probably just some kids messing around.
“This is why we shouldn't have left the city.” Lou rolled her eyes and propped her foot up on the dash of the truck. “I need to pee.”
“Hold it, we’re almost there.”
—---
There was no routine in the Smalls house. It seemed like every morning was a new series of chaos and struggles that somehow eventually ended with the two kids wrangled to the end of the driveway just in time to hop on the bus before it would drive off and abandon them.
Today was no different.
“Dad! I can’t find my science project.” Phillip called from the bathroom.
“Why are you looking for it in there?” Scott called back, pouring batter into the waffle maker.
“Because- that’s where I last had it.”
“What in the-” Squish- “Phillip- what exactly was your project?” He closed his eyes as he felt unidentified cold wet something seeping up into his sock. The moment he looked down it would be real and something he had to deal with- but until then-
“Fish eggs- Oh no!” Phillip cried out in distress as he appeared in the doorway- shirtless- and staring at his dad’s food.
“Where did you get fish eggs?”
“I know a guy at the pet store.”
“You’re eight, how do you-”
“The waffles are burning.”
“Shit!” Scott opened the waffle maker and sure enough, the first waffle was smoking.
“That’s a-”
“I will put a dollar in the swear jar- just- go put on a shirt, wake up your sister, and- bring me a new pair of socks.” Scott hopped on one foot to the table so he could peel the damp sock from his foot. “And come up with a reason as to how the fish eggs ended up on the floor under my feet.” He added as he used the other, clean, sock to clean up his foot.
“Sure but I’m not waking Emma up, she’s scary.” Phillip scrambled down the hall to his room to get a shirt on.
“Fine.” Scott sighed and tossed the socks in the general direction of the laundry- wondering in the back of his head if it was safe to wash fish egg socks, poured another waffle out, and then grabbed a rag to clean up the rest of the goo from the floor. By then, Phillip still hadn’t come out of the bedroom so Scott padded barefoot down the hall, his fist connecting with his daughter’s door on the way.
“Em, time to wake up.” He called. “Phillip do you have a shirt?” He pushed open the boy’s door and Phillip was sitting on the bed with a shirt on. That was good at least, he was furious writing in a notebook, which he quickly closed when he realized his dad was there.
“It’s nothing.”
“I don’t have time to worry about it. Breakfast.” Scott pointed and went to get fresh socks. Phillip ran out past him to the kitchen and sat down. Scott knocked on Emma’s door again on the way back to the kitchen. “Emma Bear I need some kind of sign of life.”
“I’m up.” Came the irritated answer.
He nodded and went back to the waffle maker just in time to save another waffle from a fiery death. He plopped the slightly darker-than-normal waffle onto a plate, adding a bit of butter and syrup before sitting it in front of Phillip.
“Why are we having waffles instead of cereal?” Phillip asked, grabbing his fork.
“Because I wanted to make something to take to Benny and Lou. They didn’t get in until late last night- speaking of…” the door opened and a tired-looking Emma came out- tying her hair off into a braid. “You didn’t get in until pretty late.”
“We were having a really good session.” Emma shrugged and sat down. Scott poured another waffle and popped it in front of Emma when it was done. The two kids ate as Scott prepared a few more waffles. He jumped when the timer went off to let him know it was time to run out the door.
“Okay- let’s go. You can tell me about the session when I pick you guys up from school.” His heart twisted at the look of excitement in Emma’s eyes that he wanted to hear about it. As they walked out the door he heard the phone ring- but he didn’t have time to pick it up- he could see the bus.
“Go.” He urged the kids and the three of them ran to the end of the driveway- The two kids got on the bus and he watched as they drove off.
This was a pretty good morning.
He was heading back in and realized the phone was still ringing. He hurried to grab it- holding the receiver to his ear.
“Smalls residence.”
“Scott? It’s Joyce-”
—-------------------
“There is no way we actually own this much stuff- they must have given us some shit from another family.”
“Language,” Benny called out as if it made any kind of difference. Lou had been raised around Baseball players the kind of guys who cursed worse than sailors and thought it was the peak of comedy to encourage the little girl playing with dolls in the dugout to do the same. “and I think you might be right- did you have a secret subscription to home and garden?” He dropped a massive box of magazines on the floor.
“Oh- no those are ours.” She walked into the kitchen- pulling her dark hair up into a ponytail. Last night they had gotten in so late they both stumbled into the house- filled with cardboard boxes- and passed out in bed- no blankets or sheets necessary.
“Since when?”
“Katie’s mom offered them to me as packing material.”
“You know you’re meant to rip the magazines up to do that right?”
“We were already packed when she offered.” Lou shrugged.
“Then why did you take them?” He paused taking in the guilty look on her face. “She sent her son to bring them.
“No.” Lou scoffed but the blush dusting her cheeks said otherwise. Benny bristled at the idea of his daughter taking things they didn’t need just to see a boy but before he could dwell on it too much- there was a knock at the back door and a moment later- Scott Smalls poked his head in.
“Morning, Rodriguez’s.” He pushed the door all the way open and sat a baking sheet covered in foil on the only open space on the counter. “You guys read home and garden?”
“No, but hormonal teenagers are apt to take the weirdest things if they think they’re going to get a moment alone with Derek Smith.” Benny looked to Lou who gave him a dirty look.
“who-“
“No one important.” Lou interrupted the man’s question. “What on the tray?”
“Oh! I figured you guys wouldn’t have stopped to get groceries on the way here so I brought waffles.” He peeled the foil off revealing the pile of homemade waffles. “Oh!” He produced a stick of butter and a small container of syrup from his pockets. “I was out of hands.” He explained to Benny’s strange look.
“You could have called one of us out to- you know what never mind, thanks, Smalls.” Benny reached out and took the butter and syrup.
“He was starving me,” Lou informed Scott as she slipped past them both and grabbed a waffle, she snagged the butter from her dad and added that and the syrup to the top of it- folding it like a taco and biting in. “What? We don’t have plates out yet.” She shrugged and took another bite, heading back to the living room so she could continue unpacking.
“You okay?” Benny asked.
“Huh? Yeah- I guess. Just the mom of one of Emma’s friends called this morning and said she couldn’t find him, they were all out late last night and I guess she was working or something and didn’t know that he hadn’t come in- she was still making calls to friends but I’m worried.”
“You’re worried? It’s a kid- he’ll turn up.”
“Nah- Will’s not like that he’s a good kid, he’s more like me than you.” Scott insisted. Benny paused an odd itch in the back of his brain- not his head- his brain. There was something there but he couldn’t quite reach it.
“That’s too bad- if she needs any help looking- I don’t know the area but an extra pair of eyes never hurts.” He finally concluded. Scott still didn’t look relaxed but he let it go and washed his hands before going to help with putting things away.