Dray POV
We pulled her from the pool, her skin clammy, her small frame trembling. Towels wrapped around her shoulders, we led her back to the stands. The kids clustered close, their faces pale but relieved.
I crouched in front of her, holding out a familiar comfort. "You did a great job, El. Rest now." I placed a chocolate pudding cup in her hands. "Here. You earned it."
Her lips twitched faintly in a smile.
As Joyce, Hopper, Nancy, and Jonathan gathered their coats, I caught the look in their eyes—the plan already forming.
I stood, stepping aside just long enough to tell Steve, "Watch the kids."
He nodded.
Outside, the night air bit colder than before. I caught up to Hopper, Joyce, Nancy, and Jonathan just as they reached the car.
"Stop," I called. "Where do you think you're going?"
Hopper turned, jaw tight. "We need to save the kids. That's our duty, not yours. Understand that."
I let out a humorless laugh. "Seriously? You think that place is some kindergarten you can just stroll into? Get in, grab your kids, and head out? I lived in that hellhole for four years. I know what's waiting."
Joyce's eyes glistened. "Dray, we know how dangerous it is. But we have to. We can't… we can't drag you deeper into this. You've already done enough."
I stepped closer, meeting Hopper's glare head-on. "And what, you'll do better without me? Go ahead, try. You'll last five minutes."
Hopper exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You think you know what we're walking into? This isn't a bar fight, it's a fortress."
I held his stare, unmoving, letting the silence do the talking.
"You're injured. You'll just slow us down," he pressed, his voice firm—but I caught the hesitation beneath it.
"Because I'm not," I said quietly. Each word dropped like a stone.
The silence stretched. Hopper's jaw worked, like he wanted to argue more — but something in my steady stillness made him hesitate.
He broke first, grumbling under his breath. "Fine. Stay close." He jerked his head toward the car. "Get in."
I nodded once, sharp. The decision was made.
Before sliding into the back seat, I looked over at Nancy and Jonathan. They lingered at the edge of the parking lot, uncertain, their faces drawn tight.
"Forget the plans we made," I told them. "Stay with the kids. Watch them. Don't do anything stupid."
They nodded—but the look they gave me wasn't agreement. It was something heavier. Like they were already planning to ignore me.
I sighed. "Whatever you do… just stay here. Take care of the kids."
Then I turned and climbed into Hopper's car without another word.
The ride was silent at first. The only sound was the hum of the engine and the crunch of gravel beneath the tires. Joyce twisted her hands in her lap, eyes locked forward, as if she could already see the lab waiting for her.
Finally, I broke the quiet. "Chief. What's your plan? How are you getting inside the Gate with all those guards?"
Hopper didn't look at me. His grip tightened on the wheel. "We give them what they want. Then they'll let us in."
My stomach went tight.
Joyce snapped her head toward him. "What do you mean by that?"
He stayed silent, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the dark road ahead.
The pause was long enough for the air to grow heavy, for suspicion to twist in my gut.
I answered before he could. "He's going to give up El's location. That's how we walk in the front door."
Joyce's eyes widened. Her voice went sharp with fury. "What? You're going to hand her over? Hop—Dray—you're her brother! How can you sit there so calm? How are you not furious?"
I leaned back in my seat, arms folded across my chest. I didn't raise my voice, didn't move, just met her frantic gaze with steady, unblinking eyes. "Because I'm not."
Joyce blinked. "What?"
Hopper finally spoke, calm but firm. "Relax, Joy. We're not actually giving her up. We'll feed them a fake location. That gets us through the door."
Her shoulders sagged, anger turning into a shaky kind of relief. She nodded, slowly.
I leaned back, arms crossed, staring at the blur of trees as we passed them.
The lab loomed ahead, its floodlights piercing the dark sky. Security trucks sat lined near the fence, shadows of guards pacing along the perimeter.
Hopper steered the car down a side road, gravel popping under the tires, until we came to a darker stretch of chain-link. He killed the headlights.
We all got out.
Joyce glanced at him, suspicion in her eyes. "This is your plan?"
"Worked for me before," Hopper muttered, pulling a set of cutters from under his jacket.
Joyce folded her arms, eyebrows raised. "Really?"
"Come on. Trust me."
The metal snapped under the cutters with a low crunch. He peeled back the fence, gesturing her through.
But I stayed put.
"Why are you stopping?" Hopper hissed, looking back at me. "Let's go."
Joyce frowned. "Dray?"
I shook my head. "I can't go in with you. Not yet. If they see me, it blows everything. I'll come when the guards pull out to look for El. That's my signal. Just wait for me by the Gate."
Joyce opened her mouth to argue, but I cut her off, voice sharp. 'And don't screw around in there. Dr Brenner's smart—smarter than any of us want to admit.
For a moment, they both just looked at me. Then Hopper gave a tight nod. Joyce followed reluctantly, her worry plain on her face.
They slipped through the cut fence and into the shadows beyond.
I lingered behind, staring at the lab glowing in the distance, the floodlights cutting across the night. My chest tightened with something I hadn't felt in years—fear. Not for me. For them.
And I knew, deep down, tonight wouldn't end without blood.