Love And Hellfire

Chapter 27: Avila

Thunder clapped and lightning continued to strike above her as Avila made her way to Hawkins High. Despite being almost surrounded by 'zombies', she'd never felt more alone. She was scared, apprehensive. God only knew what she was about to walk straight in to. A small part of her feared she'd never see her friends again. Robin. Eddie.
This could be it, she thought. The end was in sight.
"Come on Avila." She whispered to herself, breathing heavily as she approached the steps up to the school. "You can do this."
Bounding forwards, she took each step one by one before coming to an abrupt stop right at the top. Glaring towards the wall just to the left of the entrance, Avila saw something familiar hidden between the vines that covered it.
"Jonathan?" She mumbled, approaching her friend who had become so entangled within the vines she struggled to notice him at first.
"Hey." He faked a sheepish smile, managing to force his face out from within the covering. His arms and legs completely restricted, he couldn't move.
"Oh, shit." Avila cursed, rushing over to join him now in an attempt to free him. Alas, no matter how much she pulled and teared at the verdure it was no use. He was trapped. "Don't worry Jonathan, I'll go find the others. We'll get you out."
"That's not why you're here though, is it?" He stopped her, mid-thought. Staring deep into his eyes, she was surprised at how calm Jonathan was. Gently, he smiled once again.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine here." He reassured her. "But what I do need you to do Avila.... is go and find my brother for me."
"Where is Will?" She asked quickly. "And El?"
Shifting his eyesight in the direction of the doors, this told Avila all she needed to know.
Taking a step back from Jonathan, she glanced over at the entrance for herself.
"It's gonna be okay Jonathan. I'll find Will." She told him. "I'm going to put a stop to all of this. I promise."
Displaying one final smile, Avila gave Jonathan a gracious nod before leaving him and heading on inside Hawkins High.

Meanwhile, as Avila took her brave steps towards Vecna's defeat, Robin remained alone in the house.
"Shit." She muttered to herself, attempting to move her wounded leg. With each motion, she inflicted more and more pain upon herself in an effort to leave this place. To become some sort of good use to the others, she thought. All of a sudden, from within the deafening silence she could hear voices approaching from the distance.
"Robin?! Avila?!" The voice called out, distinctively. Steve.
Upon entering the room and discovering her condition, Steve dashed over to Robin's side whilst Eddie followed swiftly behind.
"Robin, oh my god!" Steve panicked, slumping beside her as he waved his arms around and above her wound, unsure of exactly what to do or say. "Shit, shit shit!"
"Steve, I-"
"Jesus, Buckley." Eddie interrupted, crouching by her feet to inspect the injury. "Can you feel anything? Can you move it?"
"I hardly doubt she can frickin get up and walk around!" Steve snapped at him, placing his hands upon his head in alarm. "Jesus Christ!"
"Steve.." Robin began, only to be interrupted yet again by the boys trepidation.
"Where's Avila?" Eddie asked her, looking around the room hectically in dismay. "Robin she came in here to you, where is she?!"
"If you would both stop fussing over me for one, god damn minute!!" Robin blurted out, shocking the pair of them into silence. Despite the wound, she was her normal Robin-self it seemed.
"Thank you." She smiled patronisingly, lifting herself to sit up carefully between the two boys.
"How are you so calm right now?!" Steve laughed nervously. "Your leg is-"
"Screwed? I know." Robin smirked, trying to ease the tension a little. Make this whole situation, plus what she was about to tell them, a little more bearable. "There's more important things happening right now besides my little injury-"
"Little?!" Steve scoffed, bewildered by her attitude. "Robin-"
With great force, she shhh'd him harshly. Silenced instantly, Robin now turned her attentions away from Steve and back to Eddie who, with tears in his eyes, still awaited a response to his question.
"She's not here." Robin began to explain, taking deep breaths as she found herself becoming tired and weary all of a sudden. "She's gone to him... to fight."
"She's gone to Vecna?" Eddie quizzed. "Wh-why would she do that?"
"All this time, she's the one he's been after." Steve slowly began to understand. "She can stop him, right?"
"Stop him or not, why would you take that risk?" Eddie spat, becoming enraged. "Why would you let her just walk away?"
"I'm hardly in the position to run after her!" Robin bellowed suddenly, wincing as Steve aided to her side whilst she re positioned herself. Taking deep breaths, she looked on as a single tear fell down on to Eddie's cheek. Behind all the anger and rage, he was clearly scared. Scared to lose Avila.
"But you can." Robin added simply, glancing over to him once again.
"What?" Eddie sniffled, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his black jumper.
"I had to let her go because, believe it or not my cousin can be quite strong headed and either way she would have gone all by herself." Robin continued. "There was no way I could stop her, so instead I sat here and watched as she left... not knowing if she'll ever come back."
Beginning to get upset, Steve placed his arm gently across her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug.
"Believe me, if I could get off this floor and chase after her, I would." Robin wept. "But I can't, Eddie. So I'm gonna need you to do it for me."
Reaching down beside her, Robin placed her hand upon a metal spike that had come loose upon her impact into the fireplace. The spike itself made a excellent weapon to be wielded in battle. Pushing it with her hand, she managed to slide the object towards Eddie.
"I need you to go and save my cousin." She instructed him, another tear leaving her eye as she spoke. "Go and get her Eddie."