WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
Bon Jovi

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Four times Melissa's heart pounded.

Four times it banged in her chest, while her eyes remain on a monitor while hopper snuck his way through both those imperceptible green walls of the prison hallway. The plan is to lure the DemoDog back inside the pit, turn back on the powers main frame control system to prevent it from escaping. To finally kill it. Her first instinct is to run out, to help hopper, and bring him back but she needs to able to trust him with the plan itself.

She needed to trust him.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

She needed to trust him.

Hopper began to re-appear, in the frames of the live security footage, this time he isn't alone but is being hunted. The chase excited the DemoDog. Its chitters and torment of the human it chased, in the dark halls of the prison, becoming more than a simple game to it. Milly could practically hear it think of its reward, once he captured hopper, and it sickened her.

Her breathing is shaken while her eyes remain trained on Hopper, muttering words of encouragement for him to keep running.

Run. Run. He is running for his life.

Her heart beats roaringly in her ears, finding any clue of hope to help Jim instead of waiting for the next DemoDog to possibly ambush him. The plan needed to work. It couldn't go wrong. Milly knew what needed to be done for the plan but she can't sit back and risk the love of her life being mauled. Their next meal.

Her eyes closed, she felt powerless. Even with her energy mist she could conjure, nothing made her feel more weak than to stand there while her love risked his life. You couldn't even save him. The malignant, crisp, voice whispered in her ears.

How could you let the love of your life risk his life for you? It continued, it became distorted by the seconds past. Now you must watch him die. All because you couldn't be brave, enough, to do the one thing you originally went on the trip for. He will die. And that will be all on you, Melissa. It will be you who'll kill the one man you love. It grew more malicious, deep is its voice as it growls its words. Just like how it was Always suppose to be.

Milly's first instinct is to take an electrical poking stick, the guards would use to keep prisoners in check in the case they were out of line, ignoring the voice in her ears which followed her as each of her eyes glinted with a eerily grey hue. She strode out to the hallway the DemoDog cornered hopper flashbacks of bobs death hitting her with full force as she let out a cry of pain knocking it off hopper. She flung the rod, having no more use for the useless instrument, and her palms opened hatred clear as the day she laid eyes on one of the monstrous creatures in the first place.

You fear the truth, Melissa. But we both know it. We both know you don't deserve to be the one to have the label hero. Because it was you. It's you who sent the man you supposedly love to death.

Melissa, having her arm being tugged on by Jim to get her to follow back out to the courtyard the plan involved then luring each of the creatures in, let out the loudest scream Jim had ever heard out of her mouth and grey Vapor spontaneously exits her chest making Jim fly back out of the room he ran from the demogorgon in. Lucky for him the Vapor kept him safe, cushioning the blow, as the DemoDog vaporised out of thin air. It is as if Milly made a force field, using her vapour protecting him, subconsciously while killing the DemoDog.

All those pent up emotions exploded. Everything bad, every memory that haunted her, rushed up to the surface and shattered the entire world of pretend facade she made to convince herself she is okay. She snapped.

Jim recovered, the quickest he ever did, running to Melissa as she turned her gaze to him as Jim's arms force themselves to bring her into his body. " Milly, Mils." He hushed, not one single drop of fear for the woman he loves, coddling her tightly.

" Are you all good? You 'okay? Not hurt?" Hopper checked her over, patting her down for any signs of external bleeding or injuries she might've had. Demogorgon snarling broke the temporary seal of silence, its flower flesh face opened to reveal a row of needle teeth intended to rip into a human.

" We gotta go, now! C'mon. Baby!"

Milly and hopper ran back out to the pit, behind them were a pair of demogorgons whose shrilled and twisted screeches were getting closer, Milly's heart thumped louder each time she'd hear it as the demogorgon corners the couple in a section of the courtyard the guards would watch over the inmates. In the moment they faced death head on and awaited the crucial seconds, before it would land the fatal kill shot, a voice of saviour came to the rescue. It is Murray, out for vengeance, as he activated the flame thrower. " Hey, Assholes!"

He let loose an awning, canopy, of fire on the beasts. His manic laughter proving his satisfaction as he watched the inter dimensional monsters fry to a crisp. " That's what you get for messing with my Missy, you fleshy assholes! And I don't even feel sorry for your deaths!"

He yelled at the top of his lungs over the roar of fire. Milly, much as she wanted to celebrate Murray's arrival and coming to their rescue, held on to hopper for safety. The sweltering heat of the flames Murray unleashed licked their bodies from behind them. Burning each and every of the bodies to the floor.

'It's done. It's actually over.'

Milly thought but it retracted before she could claim satisfaction.

One had survived, it's severely damaged and burnt by the intense fire power of the flamethrower, body weakened however it didn't stop its tenacities for blood. Dozens of its burned hive mates were scattered, flames fresh in their lungs burning them from the inside, and the demogorgon's rasped chitters became angrier as it stood to its full height of eight feet.

Bullets were nothing but a simple inconvenience to it, while it sustained the half a dozen bullets Jim fired in its body. Its feral roar sent chills through Melissa's veins as she watches as hopper picked up a metal sword. It glinted in the pale of the yellow fluorescence of the pits watch cell.

Hopper charged into battle with the demogorgon. It's let loose another unstrained, predatory, and violent snarl as its elongated finger claws dragged its body forward with the intent to kill Hopper by itself. Milly watched, fingers lingering at her side ready to intervene when possible if he needed her to. Jim, in one smooth glide of his sword, sliced the creatures arm off causing screech of anguish to release out of its ghastly mouth. He's winning.

The beasts slashes are uncoordinated, prying at an open to try and get it's grotesque claws on hopper wanting to avenge its own hive counterparts. That allowed Jim to avoid its deadly fingers as he landed the final slice beheading the demogorgon. Its head bounced across the snow riddled floor.

It's dead. It's finally gone.

Jim, tossing the sword, exhaled a breath sighing.

It's all over. It's all over. Milly thought, as a first thing to mentally say, all the while she ran back to the comfort of hoppers arms standing in the midst and results of the brazen act of bravery she committed with the help of Murray and hopper. Whirling helicopter blades echoed in the breeze, As Katinka became more visible to the American trio stuck in the prison.

Murray, loudly, cheered. The flamethrower tinks while he convulsed, ecstatically. They were on their way home. They're all going to back home together. Dimitri, widely grinning, waved coolly at hopper and Milly chuckling.

Melissa, celebrating the win of freedom she could finally have with Jim, went on her tip toes sealing it by leaving a passionate kiss on his lips. He held her face, using his hand, while Yuri pointed them out to Antonov awing.

" KATINKA! WE'RE GOING HOME, MISSY!"

Indeed they were.

DEAR MILLY,

I don't know where to start. Really, I don't know why writing this is more difficult than the others I've written. I think it's because you are so much more different than the others, that it's taken me longer to come up with the right words to tell or make clear what I feel. But I think I know, now.

I hesitated writing this letter to you, as I know it didn't seem plausible or make any sense why I'd do it in the first place considering who we are to one another, however something in me told me I needed to do it.

I wanted to thank you, Milly. To thank you for all those days you were kind to me, when I knew I shouldn't have deserved the kindness you gave. To thank you for sticking up for me, for Lucas as well, and just us kids in general.

I know dealing with our immature, kid, drama is punishment in itself and I hated that you needed to take time to deal with our problems.

I just wanted to say I'm sorry, I'm sorry for being a burden on you and I am sorry for how Billy treated you. It was not fair on you to deal with his harassment.

You did something no one had to courage to do. That was to stand up for what you believed in.

That being the love you have for us, you took that and made it into courage, a courage to look Billy in the eye and fight him. That night when I watched you stand up for us, as you stood above Billy with those awesome powers you have, that was also the moment I knew I would follow you.

Thank you for welcoming me into a small part of your life and into your heart.

You didn't have to accept me, the sister of the psycho who tried to hit on you multiple times a day, but you did. I am glad, so, so, glad to have met you Melissa on the night of Halloween.

You, Kathy and Mandy. You girls showed me what it's like to have three, cool, older sisters. 'Cause that is what you are to me.

You were, and still are, my sister Milly.

You were the sister I never had the privilege of ever calling mine.

So you are the hardest to say goodbye to. For it I say thank you, again. Thank you for treating me like I wasn't someone who burdened you.

Sincerely,
Max.

Hawkins. Where it all first started, and where it'll most likely end for those that remain in the small town, now is falling.

Half the population were fleeing the town they deemed safe from anything related to natural disasters or a simple scandal of relation to the mystery disappearances in the last four years. Melissa dreaded her return, she didn't feel welcome in the town she came to call home.

It didn't feel like her home no more. Hawkins is doomed and she sensed it the minute she crossed into the city limits. The sign welcomed her back.

Sam Owen's had connected her to Chris, back in New York, to give the green light it would be okay for him to make his travel plans back to Hawkins. Robert tagged along, he never left his husband to his own prerogatives— he made Chris's business his too.

So that is how they found themselves at hopper's old cabin in the woods, exiting the town car Sam hired to escort them privately to the location, and Chris flashed a relived smile at Melissa who came bolting to the town car that stopped behind hers and hopper's. She cried out in relief, finally being able to reunite with her daughters.

" Come here! Come to Momma, my sweet girls. Oh my sweet, sweet, girls. Shooo. Shoo."

She takes Sarah out of Chris's grasp, her soft cries turned louder while it dawned on her she could've died. She could have lost the most important thing in the world and it is to be the girls, to be el's, mother.

" Milly? Is that... you.. MILLY!"

Amanda hollers, her face drowning in tears as she cannot believe her eyes and the fact her best friend is back here in Hawkins, she came leaping in bounds over to Melissa. Katherine, stepping out of Joyce's beetle Volkswagen she purchased off Joyce herself, who drove them to the cabin herself began crying as it dawned on her she got to see Milly again. A once torn apart group of friends brought together after a whole nine months. Mandy, careful of Jocelyn's fragile premature body, silently breathed a gasp.

" Is this... can I..?"

Mandy, seeking permission to hold her niece she is meeting for first time since she was born, looking to Melissa. Milly nodded, a gentle smile on her lips while allowing her newly born daughter to be held by her friend.

Katherine gave Melissa a proper hug, they didn't say words to one another but the meaning of the hug was in the way Kathy tightened her arms around Milly.

Josie started to wail, Robert winced at how loud the cry is.

" I think Josie wants to be back in her mommy's arms."

He commented, amused at Amanda failing tremendously trying to keep her cries quiet, rolling his eyes while Mandy glared in disbelief at Robert prying Jocelyn back in his own hold. Chris takes Sarah, from a reluctant Melissa, and Milly eagerly brought Josie close to her chest automatically rocking her small girl in her arms.

Milly looked in the direction where hopper went. It's time to meet your daddy, Honey. Wiping the tears clean, Melissa spoke up hushed. " Chris, can you carry Sarah and help me bring the girls inside. It is time for Jim to meet his daughters, properly." Chris nodded, he wanted to formally introduce himself to Hopper considering he is Milly's fiancé and the father of his nieces. He fell in step beside Milly.

Hopper paused in the middle of his conversation he is having with eleven, after two executive firm knocks are heard on the door, and eleven looked in the same line of vision to her dad. El's quiver of her lips were more intense as she realised she got to see her mom, again. Josie is revealed to her stunned father, as Milly moved to sit on the bed.

Sarah shyly reached for her mom. Milly, sniffling while her face's gaze turned softer each time she's spending next to her kids and hopper, smiled and finally spoke up. " Say hi to Jocelyn. Hop." Milly, arms cradling Josie like she is the most delicate of porcelain, hands hopper his newborn daughter knowing he wished to hold her. Melissa is given Sarah, thanks to Chris who remained back at the door giving the family time to make up lost time. Milly embraced Sarah while leaning her head on Jim's shoulder, Eleven grasped Milly's hand.

There is commotion outside, which caused Milly to promptly make herself scarce back to the front porch— Sarah on her hip. Amanda is being held by her arms, thanks to the help of Jonathan and Kathy with an equally petrified but impressed in her strength Dimitri.

He held a hand to his face. She is yelling at him, and Milly could imagine the context of the confrontation. He began flirting and it didn't sit well with Amanda cause she didn't like how he had to be a 'Hot, commie, bastard'. She giggled.

" Milly! Oh my god, Honey!"

Joyce, in another one of the government town cars she was brought back to Hawkins in, cried for joy as she sprints to her daughter on the front porch.

Milly felt her heart becoming whole, as she came to see she had her family back permanently, while resting her eyes closed.

DARKNESS HAS FALLEN.

HAWKINS WILL FALL.

THIS ISN'T THE END.

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

LIVES WILL BE TAKEN.

SOME WILL BE SACRIFICED.

BUT ONE THING MUST BE KNOWN..

MELISSA BYERS IS THE KEY TO ITS END.

JASMINE SPEAKS;

This is the ending of season four.

Oh my gosh, I actually did it. I finished all the seasons until it's time for season five. I have much planned, I hope you will like and hope you won't hate me for the things I do wanna write for Melissa's journey in Out of time.

What are your theories on what will happen, in season five?

What will happen with Melissa and Jim?

What did you think of this chapter and the Byers-hopper family reunion?

©️ Jasmine 2025