𝑪𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 - 𝑬𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝑴𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒏

✧20✧

After locking the Family Video behind us, we all decide to take Steve's car since it has more seats than mine.

We arrive at Reefer Rick's house after the sun went down. Not going to lie, it looks pretty sketchy. We all get out of the car, flashlights in hand, and walk to his front door. Dustin is the one to ring the door bell.

He ring it multiple times, with no answer. 

"Okay, well that settles it, he's not here" Steve says in defeat as Dustin begins to bang on the door.

"Eddie! It's Dustin!" he yells through the door. 

"Great" Steve complains. The house is pitched black, there was clearly no one in here, and there is no car in the drive way. Not even Eddie's van. 

Dustin continues to yell for Eddie, even for Rick, but still nothing. Me and the other two girls begin to search around, look through the windows for any sign of life, but there is none. 

"Hey, guy?" Max yells from a little further away. She's pointing her light in the distance. We make our way to her and look in the direction she is pointing. It's a big metal shed, apart from the house. 

We walk down the little path that leads to the shed and try to be as discreet as we could. There is still no light inside, except for the one our flashlights are emitting through the small windows.

Robin opens the door slowly, shining her light in front of her, "Hello? Is anyone home?"

One by one, we all step inside, taking in the new environnement.

"What a dump" Steve says. He make his way on the left side of the shed and looks at the boat that was in the middle. I see him take an oar attached to the wall, before sticking it roughly on the tarps that were covering the boat.

"What are you doing?" Dustin jumps at Steve's act.

"What does it look like I'm doing? He might be in here" my brother responds.

"So take the tarp off!" Dustin whisper-yells.

"You take the tarp off if you're so brave!" the brunet spits back, but Dustin makes no move to remove the tarp.

One the other side of the shed, Max, Robin and I are still looking around for clues, "Hey, look over here" she says. Me and Robin make our way to her, "Someone was here"

There is leftover food and beer bottles on the small table she has just found. She's right indeed, someone was here and surely not too far away.

"Maybe he heard us, got spooked an ran" Robin claims. I have not spoken a single word the whole way over here, neither did I when we got to the house. I've just been in my head since we ruled out the possibility of Eddie killing Chrissy. I know he didn't do it, but I'm worried for his safety. I just want to find him soon.

"Don't worry, Steve will get him with his oar" Dustin points to Steve who is still poking the boat incase someone's hiding in there.

"I know you think you're being funny, but considering everyone in this room almost died a 100 times, personnally, I don't find it funny in the slight-" Steve never gets to finish his sentence because he gets jumped on. He was right all along, someone is in fact hiding under the tarp.

I recognize him instantly. It's Eddie. I'm relieved to see him, but a little taken back by the force he used to slam my brother into the wall.

"Woah woah! Eddie! Eddie! Stop!" Dustin yells at the boy who was pointing a broken beer bottle at my brother's throat.

The girls and I run on the other side of the shed, standing behind Dustin. Behind the girls and Dustin, I don't think Eddie sees me just yet.

"Eddie, it's me! It's Dustin" the boy says pointing his hand to his chest. Eddie looks so on edge, he doesn't know if he can trust him. "You know Steve, Eddie! He's not gonna hurt you, right Steve?"

"Right, yeah" he whispers, scared to get his throat sliced up if he moves in the slightest.

"Steve, why don't you drop the oar" Dustin suggests. Steve does as instructed and drops his 'weapon' which makes Eddie flinch and point the bottle closer to Steve's neck.

"He's cool! He's cool!" Dustin exclaims to the scared boy.

"What are you doing here" Eddie finally speaks up.

"We're looking for you" Dustin explains, "We're here to help" Robin adds which makes Eddie look back in our direction. 

"Eddie, these are my friends, you know Robin, from last year and from band", the girl does a gesture imitating a trumpet, "This is Max, you know the one who never wants to play D&D?", Max waves, "And, and back here, we have Avery, you know Aves" 

I move in front of the girl, my heart hurting for Eddie at the moment. I know he's scared shitless of whatever had happened to Chrissy.

"Avery?..." Eddie whispers as I take slow steps towards him. I know he wouldn't hurt me, but I didn't want to startle him and risk him hurting Steve. 

"Yeah, yeah it's me. You're okay" I say as I reach in front of him. He looks down at my eyes, is face softening in relief. He lets go of Steve, who's rubbing his throat instantly, before letting his arms fall and resting his back on the wall behind him. His body slides down until he's sitting down. I crouch in front of him, taking his face in my hands.

"I'm so glad you're okay", my thumb rubs his cheek, "I was- we all were, worried about you" I softly say. His eyes hold mine, he looks like he wants to cry. I try to grab the broke bottle in his hand but he flinches as I get too close, "Hey, you're fine baby, we just want to talk, okay?"

Robin crouches next to me, "We want to know what happened"

Eddie looks at her and I take the opportunity to get the broken bottle out of his hand and replaced it with my own. He sniffles before speaking up, "You won't believe me"

"Eddie, you know what we all went through together last year, huh? Please sweetheart, just tell us okay?" I speak to him again. He looks at me and I think I convinced him. 

"Her body just like... lifted up in the air and uh... she just hung up there. In the air. And her bones, uh..." he takes a moment before continuing the story. We could all see it's difficult for him and he hates being remembered of it, "Her bones started to snap. Her eyes man, it... It was like there was something, inside of her skull, pulling" his voice cracks as he tells us the story. I squeeze his hand for comfort, telling him it's okay to continue.

"I, I didn't know what to do so... I ran way", he takes a slight pause, "I left here there" he looks at all of us, who show no reaction. "You all think I'm crazy right?" he scoffs.

"No. We don't think you're crazy" Dustin answers him. 

"I mean, it should be impossible for something like this to happen, but after last year, it's not suprising" I mumble.

"The important thing is, that we believe you Eddie. You saw what happened last year, and even if the gate is closed, we need to know if those monsters from this other dimention are back" Max says to him.

"Did you see anything last night? Dark particles? Anything?"

"No... there was nothing you could see, or touch..." he trailes off, he seems to be stuck in his own head, probably replaying the scene over and over, "You know I tried to wake her man, but she wouldn't move. It was like she was in a trance or something"

"Or under a spell" Dustin suggests.

"A curse" the long haired boy continues.

"Vecna's curse", at Dustin's words, I know they were referencing to D&D.

"Who's Vecna?" Steve calmly asks.

"An undead creature of great power" Dustin dozes off.

"A spell caster..." 

"Fucking hell" I shake my head in disbelief. If this Vecna is the same one that they faced in their campaign, we are so screwed.

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Unedited. 1360 words