ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
Blondie.

Hiking was never a strong suit for Milly, given she prefers the comfort of being indoors than to endure hours of the intense heat of Hawkins climate, and the ironical nature of it. She could hurry around a boutique in a nine to five work hours but spending hours walking, in the heat, is where she drew the line.

As she is swatting a mosquito, a light thud of her hand connecting to her irritated blemished skin, Milly glanced in the air at the harsh sun rays beaming down. " I hate the outside. Too many bugs, I'm kinda glad I didn't wear my jeans out here. They are a designer pair and my favourite. They would be ruined by the freaking dirt if i did wear em." Melissa observed, walking between Hopper and Alexei, her sweat shirt tied in a knot on her waistband brushing her leg.

" I don't mind gettin' these shorts dirty cause they're old." Jim grunts and held a tree branch up giving a way for Melissa to walk under it.

" Thank you, Hop."

" Refresh my memory and tell me how it's you know Murray, again, mils? Cause I am trying to remember a time I introduce you to him and nothin' is coming up in my head." Jim, racking his brain for any recollection he had of being in the same room as Milly and Murray, swings his hand to get rid of the flying bugs. Alexei, in handcuffs still, briskly walked past hopper to keep pace with Milly. Melissa slightly smiled at Alexei. " I don't see you knowing someone like Murray or keeping that lunatic as company."

" Murray is not a lunatic, Hop. He is.. rational.. and an idealist man whose unique approach is on the obscure spectrum."

" So Lunatic."

" He is Not that, Hop."

" You didn't answer my question, Mils. How do you know Murray?"

Melissa slaps her hand right on the middle of her head. " We met when I was seventeen. He was the only one to have... believed me when I had experienced my first episode." Milly states, leaves crunching under the pressure of her feet stomping on the forest ground. She shifts her hands to shove them in the pockets to her jean shorts. " Murray, he... didn't label me insane when people in town did so and I felt understood. You know when I first came back, to Hawkins, I could feel the stares." Melissa bitterly recalls. " .. Mad Melissa Byers was back in town. The girl who saw shadows."

" I would have believed you if you've had told me, Mils."

" Much as I want to believe you'd believe me, I don't think you would have been as opened as minded as you are now, Hop."

In the basement of the wheeler's household is the core four group, along with Max and El, as they huddled around eleven, who's locating an arguing Melissa and Hopper. Eleven, bemused at the sight of Milly and hopper's argument ( it isn't her first time listening in on her parents or the fact hopper was starting an argument ), made a noise which Max confusingly mistook for fear. She frowns. " What's wrong, did you.. did you find something? Did you find the chief and Melissa?" She shot out, worried.

" I found them. Woods. Arguing. Momma is.. Momma is angry. But she looks sad, tired. And Hop is apologizing."

" Wait." Will said, becoming increasingly and more anxious about his sister's condition at El's statement, leaned forward. " You.. you said Milly is sad? Tired? Was it something the chief said? Can you hear them? Tell me, El." Will's voice sounded high-pitched as his voice is lace with concern. He is aware there were issues in his sister's and chief hoppers relationship, it is not a surprise things had Changed after bob's death. She blamed herself for being able to be there, to save him, in time. " El? Eleven?"

" Will. Will! Let her concentrate, dude. El, she can' tell you 'bout your sister if you shut up!" Mike, irritated at will's interruption of eleven's time to find Hopper and Melissa, snips at him. " So Shhh."

" Mike, that's rude, Man c'mon." Lucas argued.

" You don't need to be an ass to him. He's only worried about the fact Milly is going through a hard spot in her relationship with the chief! It doesn't give you the right to snap at him!"

His words caught Amanda's ears, as she came back to the basement holding baby Sarah ( She had taken little Sarah, visiting Joyce to ask if she's seen Melissa as Milly didn't leave a note.) her voice, going over the boys arguing, catches the attention of eleven who took off the blindfold.

" Boys. Boys, BOYS. Stop. Stop. Enough!" She snapped. Lucas pointed his finger at Will and said 'He started it.' Amanda wasn't having it as she rocked Sarah. " I don't care who the fuck.. I mean, excuse my language, heck started the argument. What I do mind is how El knows of Mel's location. Eleven, hon. Can you tell me, or all of us, where Milly is going?" She queried to eleven. Katherine, emerging back down from a trip to the local pharmacy buying diapers and a bottle of formula for Sarah, puts the bag down.

" They are hiking to Ill-annoy."

" Illinois? As in the state of Illinois? What is in Illinois that could possibly be more important than what is going on here?

" Oh shut up, Wheeler. I'm the one asking the questions here. Not you." Amanda snaps, she sighed as Little Sarah was disturbed from her sleep. " Shh. It's okay. It's okay. Aunty Mandy is here, sweetie. Shh. Great, now I have to get her to fall asleep again. I know, I know, Sar."

" Now you've done it, Mike. Look what you did, you made Sarah upset!"

" It wasn't my fault! She is a baby. She'll cry at literally everything and anything!"

" You're not helping, Mike! Lucas! Shut up."

The sun was beginning to set behind the trees, daylight is running low and so was Milly's thin patience with Hoppers pestering. He didn't at all once shut up about the bugs biting him and Milly found it trivial to the other worries in the midst. Like how a psychotic Russian is after all of them. " Jim can you please be quiet before I use my powers to make you shut up." Melissa groans, rubbing one of her hands tiredly down on her face. " We'd be half way there if you had just listened to Alexei saying, to stop tinkering with the engine. But no." She wriggled both of her hands mockingly. " You didn't want to."

" Oh, you mean your new boyfriend? Cause he and you seem to quite tight. It's not like you've got a whole ass fiancé here, Milly, baby."

Jim, coming to a complete stop, turned to Melissa. He got to her level, hands rested on his thighs, peering down into her eyes as he started to get more in her personal space. Melissa narrowed her eyes, poking his chest.

" Oh, that is real mature of you, James. Yeah, I so like Alexei. So much so that I am risking my life for him and it's not like I am doing the shit I am doing, for him, I'm also doing for you too. So, take my advice, Jim. You should really, and I mean really, check your language while speaking to me. Cause I don't appreciate it!"

Milly's eyes blinked in surprise noticing Alexei had made a run for it. " Oh, my. He's running. I didn't think he had it in him." Hopper, alert, swung his head around and that is when he did see Alexei running off into the woods. He, in a moment of anger, shouted 'Son of a bitch' and he started to run after Alexei.

' He really.. going to make me run. Isn't he?'

Milly, groaning out-loud, had started to pick up her walking speed in a slow old fashion stride before it got faster. " I'm not running. No way, fuck that." She grumbled, tripping on an old tree stump but kept her balance. In no time she caught up to Alexei. Hopper, hand on his shoulder to stop him from escaping out of his sight again, followed his sight seeing the bold colours of a Seven eleven outlet store. He looked at Milly who had joined them. " Well. I am up for a good snack break. You boys gonna join me or do I have to drag you down myself?"

Crossing the not-so busy intersection, towards the corner store, Milly opened the door to feel a cold wave of air conditioning and she moans at the relieving sensation of the cool breeze hit her straight in her face. The freezers are stack, to the nose, with cold soft drinks. Milly chose a Cherry Coca Cola gulping down the sugary and sweet drink.

Her stomach growled, as cravings began to rise at a rate where she could eat any kind of food no matter how gross it is. Alexei, savouring the flavours of American sodas that he had wanted to taste since his time arriving in the states, tilted his head watching Melissa's back as she retrieved hoards of different types of Chip and thoughtlessly opened a barbecue lay family sized packet. Melissa, handful of the flavoured chips in hand, munched on the unhealthy snack.

" I hope you're gonna pay for those, Miss." the employee, tone bored, said. " Do you mind not making a mess on the floor. I'm the one that's gotta clean it." He muttered, not really caring if she did eat straight out the packet. ' I don't get paid enough to deal with this kind of crap.'

Milly, digging in her bra for a five dollar note, showed the money waving it in the air. She did a sarcastic smile then rolled her eyes, handing the money to 'Ricky', going back to the snacks. Her eyes landed on Alexei sneakily trying his best to taste the cherry Slurpee slushy. " Здесь. Алексей, чашки здесь причина, дорогой." Here. Alexei, the cups are here for a reason, Hon. He became more enthusiastic about finally getting to have the slurpee that he filled the cup right to the brim. He said 'Thank you' to Melissa for helping him.

Making her way outside of the seven eleven, as she smacked on a jerky stick, Milly dialled the number of her mother's house. Joyce answered after two rings of the phone. " Hey, Mom. It's me, Milly. I just want to check up on Sarah. Is she okay? I'm sorry I haven't come home yet. I wish I could tell you what's going on but even I can't fully grasp what's happening." Milly said. Her stomach began churning, and she brushed it off as her needing to go to the bathroom.

" Sarah's fine, Baby. You sound out of breath, Honey. Are you ok? Why... do I hear arguing in the back? Is hop there with you, is everything okay with you... and him? You are starting to really worry me here, Milly."

Melissa goes to answer. Her attention is focus on Hopper commandeering a business man's, Todd his name is, automobile pushing the fuel lever back in the unleaded gasoline chamber to make sure it didn't spill out petrol. " Todd. You see, listen to me. That man in there, I know he doesn't look it, but he is one of the most and I cannot stress this enough dangerous men in the world. He's uh.. murdered many children."

" What is going on here?" Milly called out. She put her hand on her hips, stopping in front of hopper, overhearing Jim telling 'Todd' about how 'dangerous' Alexei is. " Is there a problem going on here? Talk to me." Alexei waved, one of his free hands, the cherry red syrup stained his teeth as he brightly smiled at Melissa.

" Ah, Detective Byers. Uh, this is Todd. Todd is kind enough to loan us his vehicle to transport our prisoner here. And I was just telling him to be proud that he is lending us his car so we can freely transport this man, to prison."

" Oh, Yes. Correct.. he is.. very dangerous. Uh. What my partner said, he's dangerous. Yeah."

" yeah! dangerous child murderer."

" Child Murderer?"

" Thats correct, Detective Byers. Murderer."

'That's a bit excessive to label him. He couldn't be far from a heartless murderer. Look at him.' Milly thinks then crinkled her nose hearing the familiar sound of a burp come out of Alexei. ' I forget, sometimes, he is still a man.' She waves a hand redirecting the wind of the burp away.

Arriving at an off the grid Compound, Murray lived in, Melissa got out of the 'todfather' and gazed at the number of satellites on show he'd installed over the years. They were connected to the power stations he had scattered around. She shook her head at how many of them were on site. Hopper, urging Alexei to get out of the vehicle, grabbed his arm roughly. " Be careful. You don't want to hurt, more, Hop. He is here, still, isn't he? He hasn't tried running again." She certified her claim in Alexei's favour all the while hopper made Alexei move to the front.

She pressed on the buzzer, alerting Murray of their presences, and Murray's voice came over the loudspeaker hostilely. She was becoming a bit too irritated to be dealing with Murray and his paranoia.

" look at the camera please. The camera, above you to the right." A annoyed Milly looked directly up in the Len's, all while tapping her foot impatiently. She put a hand up as if to exclaim 'what the fuck.' Milly shot an eyebrow up. " identity yourselves."

" Murray, I know you can see me. It's me, Milly Byers. I'm here with Jim, and we brought you a new friend to meet his name is Alexei. So, are you going to let us all in or do I have to use my powers to bust in through that door?"

"..."

" Murray! I am in no mood to play your games. I am tired, annoyed, and entirely done with all of the bullshit that has went down today. You need to open door, Mar. please."

No reply. Melissa throws her head back, sighs, and goes to further snap at the invincible man behind the monitor when the heavy-set door is opened. The barrel of a sawed off shotgun was pointed at Alexei, Murray stood a few feet off of his front door.

" Hello, Mil-Mil. Nice to see you again, how is little Sarah? You can answer that after I get the name of this one right here."

Murray grins shoving the double sided barrels in Alexei's face. " Answer me."

" Get that gun out of my face, Bald American pig."

Alexei vocalised his disgust, making aim at Murray's side burns and his balding head, as Murray showed his Buck teeth.

Milly, hating at the moment how she could understand Alexei, tried her best at not laughing at Murray and he parlayed Alexei's point by answering him with an equal amount of sarcasm. " I may be bald. But you're the one in handcuffs, Soviet Scum."

Melissa puffed her cheeks out. 'This is going to be an interesting afternoon.'

JASMINE SPEAKS;

Murray is officially back! I love him and how he was with Alexei. They were so much fun to watch, with Murray showing him how to play the carnival games at the 4th of July fair.

It is a lot closer than I want it to be and I don't like it.

That will mean I have to write Jim's 'Death.'

How did you like this chapter? Hopper and his jealous moments?

Milly is so funny this chapter, her whole mood is off and her being cranky is what I usually do when I am frustrated. Be snappy and bitchy. I think her mood is actually so relatable.