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Henry really needed to stop taking double shifts, especially late night ones. Not like he could really say no. His family needed all the extra cash he could get, and Jane's son was sick anyways so she really couldn't come in. God knows that woman would cover him if he really needed it. He didn't even get home from the diner until one in the morning, and by that time he was so exhausted from the late night drunks crashing in to get a burger last minute that he didn't even bother to check in Chris's room to see if he'd gotten home okay.
He regrets that now.
Getting up a little on the late side for a school day, Henry barley pulled a scratchy black wool sweater over his head before his mother poked his head into the room, without knocking might he add. "Honey, where's Chris?" she questioned, a small crease appearing on her forehead in concern. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he cocked his head slightly asking, "What do you mean? He's not here?" By the second, Henry was really starting to wake up. "No. I just went to wake him up and his bed doesn't look like it's been touched. He came home last night, right?" She pushed on. Henry brushed past her to go into the poorly carpeted hallway, pushing open Chris door. His Mom was right. Everything was the same as it was yesterday. Not super unusual, but enough that a small panicked feeling was starting to form in Henry's stomach. "I never saw him last night, I worked a double. Have you called the James's? He was there last night." His mother just shook her head, bringing her hand up to bite her nails nervously. Henry let out a long, shaky breath before running over to the bright yellow phone dangling by it's cord as it sat on the floor. Odd, maybe it fell in the night. Dialling the number to his friends house, Henry leaned up against the wall, returning his mother's worried look. Someone answered on the fifth ring with a cough. "Uh, hi, whose this?" A gruff voice answered on the other line, sounding a little worse for wear. "Mr. James? It's Henry Byrd. Hey, did Christopher spend the night last night?" There was a short pause until he replied, "I only see one kid sitting in my dining room. Give me a second." Henry had to pull the phone slightly away from his ear as he heard Mr. James yell "Wesley, did Christopher spend the night last night?" He heard a softer voice yell back, "No, why?" before Mr. James voice filled the phone line once more. "Doesn't look like it. Everything okay down there?" Henry's heart nearly dropped through his chest. Shit. Shit, shit, shit!. "Yeah, uh, he must be around here somewhere. Sorry to bother you." Henry croaked out, before hanging the phone up. Henry's mother dropped her hand for a second in question. Henry simply shook his head. Not there.
Sarah Byrd took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Okay. Okay, maybe he left. I'll call the school to see if he went there early. Why don't you go to school Honey? I'm sure he'll show up," she nervously smiled. She was worried, yes, but nothing bad ever happened in Hawkins. Right?
Henry shook his head harder, his dark curls bouncing around his head almost comically through his nerves. "I can take a day off of school, mom," he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's my fault he's gone. I wasn't there last night. Call the school and I'm going to look around the house to see if I can find anything." His mom looked ready to argue, but she knew that no matter what he said, he was going to do it anyways. "Fine. Alright," she conceded, before turning towards to phone and dialling a number. Henry nodded in a resolute manner, before slipping on some shoes and running outside. Quickly checking the area where Chris usually parks his bike, he noticed it wasn't there. He could have taken it to school, yes, but Henry just had a bad feeling. He had a bad feeling about all of this. He was sure something had happened. He could feel it in his bones, and he was terrified. Running a hand through his hair, he circled around the house once, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Then he remembered something. Henry didn't have to unlock the door yesterday. It was already open. Henry had left after Chris had gone to his friends, and he sure as hell always remembered to lock the door.
Racing back into the house, he got there just in time to see his mother hanging up the phone at the wall. She didn't turn for a minuts, and Henry's feeling of dread hit an all time high. It took only the look on his mother's face as she turned around to guess what he'd been thinking all along; Henry wasn't at school.
"I called his other friends parents to see if he was there... none of them have seen him."
Christopher was missing.
It didn't take them long at all to pile into his broken down car and race down to the Hawkins Police station. The only ever time he had entered the building was to deliver burgers to a couple of guys when he first started working at the diner at 15, and when he took a field trip here in grade school. It was an old building. The cops in it? Even older. Well, expect for the Chief. But even then, Henry wasn't sure Chief Crawford did much at all.
Stepping into the building, they were greeted by a fifty-something lady, smoking a cigarette at reception. "I-I need to speak to Crawford," his mother stumbled her words, her hand visibly shaking. Henry grabbed it and gave it a light squeeze, in hopes it world calm his nerves as well. "Don't we all," the lady mused, before pressing a button on some intercom and saying, "John, you have visitors.". A voice staticked back saying, "Tell 'em I'm busy and send them to someone else." The receptionist looked back at them with a deadpan face and repeated, "He's busy, see someone else." That wasn't good enough. Henry gave the woman a hard look as he let go of his mothers hand. Feeling a sudden burst of bravery, he hopped over the counter, much to the older woman's shock, before he clicked a button on the intercom. "It's Henry Byrd. Chief, my brothers missing, you need to help us because I swear if anything has happened to him-"
"Jesus, I get it. Get in here," a voice cut him off, as a dirty blonde haired man stood in his office doorway. Henry let go of the intercom speaker, the receptionist lady giving him a rather nasty look. Sarah just mumbled a small, "thank you," before moving into the office, Henry close behind her.
As soon as the door closed behind them, John Crawford thumped down behind his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. "Alright, so missing kid? How long has he been gone?" Both the Byrd's sat in front of his desk. Sarah glanced at Henry before saying, "last night. We think. We woke up this morning and he wasn't home; we called his friends houses and the school, no one has seen him." Henry chirped in adding, "his bike isn't home either, and I noticed that our house was unlocked last night when I got in. It's not like him to leave the house unlocked." John nodded, as he scribbled something down on a note pad. Clearing his throat, he set his pen and paper down as he said, "You don't think he just wandered off for a night? As a kid I would spend a couple nights outdoors by myself just to get away. Kids do it all the time." Henry shook his head. "No, he wouldn't. He's not the type of kid to do that. Trust me, he's missing, something's wrong." John didn't seem overly convinced, but honestly at least this gave him something to do today. For a bit. "Give me the name of his friends and I'll go talk to them at the school," he huffed out, pushing himself out of his chair. Sarah rattled of the kids's names. Going over to the coat rack, john slipped on his jacket and put his hat on. Just as he was about to leave, he turned to Sarah and said, "Sarah, go home and I'll give you a call if I find anything out." John then turned his gaze to Henry and grunted out, "and you. Get your ass to school, kid.
He regrets that now.
Getting up a little on the late side for a school day, Henry barley pulled a scratchy black wool sweater over his head before his mother poked his head into the room, without knocking might he add. "Honey, where's Chris?" she questioned, a small crease appearing on her forehead in concern. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he cocked his head slightly asking, "What do you mean? He's not here?" By the second, Henry was really starting to wake up. "No. I just went to wake him up and his bed doesn't look like it's been touched. He came home last night, right?" She pushed on. Henry brushed past her to go into the poorly carpeted hallway, pushing open Chris door. His Mom was right. Everything was the same as it was yesterday. Not super unusual, but enough that a small panicked feeling was starting to form in Henry's stomach. "I never saw him last night, I worked a double. Have you called the James's? He was there last night." His mother just shook her head, bringing her hand up to bite her nails nervously. Henry let out a long, shaky breath before running over to the bright yellow phone dangling by it's cord as it sat on the floor. Odd, maybe it fell in the night. Dialling the number to his friends house, Henry leaned up against the wall, returning his mother's worried look. Someone answered on the fifth ring with a cough. "Uh, hi, whose this?" A gruff voice answered on the other line, sounding a little worse for wear. "Mr. James? It's Henry Byrd. Hey, did Christopher spend the night last night?" There was a short pause until he replied, "I only see one kid sitting in my dining room. Give me a second." Henry had to pull the phone slightly away from his ear as he heard Mr. James yell "Wesley, did Christopher spend the night last night?" He heard a softer voice yell back, "No, why?" before Mr. James voice filled the phone line once more. "Doesn't look like it. Everything okay down there?" Henry's heart nearly dropped through his chest. Shit. Shit, shit, shit!. "Yeah, uh, he must be around here somewhere. Sorry to bother you." Henry croaked out, before hanging the phone up. Henry's mother dropped her hand for a second in question. Henry simply shook his head. Not there.
Sarah Byrd took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Okay. Okay, maybe he left. I'll call the school to see if he went there early. Why don't you go to school Honey? I'm sure he'll show up," she nervously smiled. She was worried, yes, but nothing bad ever happened in Hawkins. Right?
Henry shook his head harder, his dark curls bouncing around his head almost comically through his nerves. "I can take a day off of school, mom," he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's my fault he's gone. I wasn't there last night. Call the school and I'm going to look around the house to see if I can find anything." His mom looked ready to argue, but she knew that no matter what he said, he was going to do it anyways. "Fine. Alright," she conceded, before turning towards to phone and dialling a number. Henry nodded in a resolute manner, before slipping on some shoes and running outside. Quickly checking the area where Chris usually parks his bike, he noticed it wasn't there. He could have taken it to school, yes, but Henry just had a bad feeling. He had a bad feeling about all of this. He was sure something had happened. He could feel it in his bones, and he was terrified. Running a hand through his hair, he circled around the house once, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Then he remembered something. Henry didn't have to unlock the door yesterday. It was already open. Henry had left after Chris had gone to his friends, and he sure as hell always remembered to lock the door.
Racing back into the house, he got there just in time to see his mother hanging up the phone at the wall. She didn't turn for a minuts, and Henry's feeling of dread hit an all time high. It took only the look on his mother's face as she turned around to guess what he'd been thinking all along; Henry wasn't at school.
"I called his other friends parents to see if he was there... none of them have seen him."
Christopher was missing.
It didn't take them long at all to pile into his broken down car and race down to the Hawkins Police station. The only ever time he had entered the building was to deliver burgers to a couple of guys when he first started working at the diner at 15, and when he took a field trip here in grade school. It was an old building. The cops in it? Even older. Well, expect for the Chief. But even then, Henry wasn't sure Chief Crawford did much at all.
Stepping into the building, they were greeted by a fifty-something lady, smoking a cigarette at reception. "I-I need to speak to Crawford," his mother stumbled her words, her hand visibly shaking. Henry grabbed it and gave it a light squeeze, in hopes it world calm his nerves as well. "Don't we all," the lady mused, before pressing a button on some intercom and saying, "John, you have visitors.". A voice staticked back saying, "Tell 'em I'm busy and send them to someone else." The receptionist looked back at them with a deadpan face and repeated, "He's busy, see someone else." That wasn't good enough. Henry gave the woman a hard look as he let go of his mothers hand. Feeling a sudden burst of bravery, he hopped over the counter, much to the older woman's shock, before he clicked a button on the intercom. "It's Henry Byrd. Chief, my brothers missing, you need to help us because I swear if anything has happened to him-"
"Jesus, I get it. Get in here," a voice cut him off, as a dirty blonde haired man stood in his office doorway. Henry let go of the intercom speaker, the receptionist lady giving him a rather nasty look. Sarah just mumbled a small, "thank you," before moving into the office, Henry close behind her.
As soon as the door closed behind them, John Crawford thumped down behind his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. "Alright, so missing kid? How long has he been gone?" Both the Byrd's sat in front of his desk. Sarah glanced at Henry before saying, "last night. We think. We woke up this morning and he wasn't home; we called his friends houses and the school, no one has seen him." Henry chirped in adding, "his bike isn't home either, and I noticed that our house was unlocked last night when I got in. It's not like him to leave the house unlocked." John nodded, as he scribbled something down on a note pad. Clearing his throat, he set his pen and paper down as he said, "You don't think he just wandered off for a night? As a kid I would spend a couple nights outdoors by myself just to get away. Kids do it all the time." Henry shook his head. "No, he wouldn't. He's not the type of kid to do that. Trust me, he's missing, something's wrong." John didn't seem overly convinced, but honestly at least this gave him something to do today. For a bit. "Give me the name of his friends and I'll go talk to them at the school," he huffed out, pushing himself out of his chair. Sarah rattled of the kids's names. Going over to the coat rack, john slipped on his jacket and put his hat on. Just as he was about to leave, he turned to Sarah and said, "Sarah, go home and I'll give you a call if I find anything out." John then turned his gaze to Henry and grunted out, "and you. Get your ass to school, kid.