Vecna's Victims

7. The Conspiracy Theory

"Where are we going?" You asked as Dustin pulled out two rusty bikes from his garage, "Are they for us?"

Dustin nodded, handing you a bike that barely functioned. "Great." You muttered, staring at the weary mechanism and the rotten frame.

"Well come on then Y/n!" Dustin yelled. The other two had already gotten on their bikes. You were behind. "We haven't got all day, Cunningham!"

"Sorry," You mumbled, climbing onto the bike and pedalling after them.

"Where are we going and what are we doing?" You asked as you cruised down Maple Street, the trees were just starting to blossom, "Please tell me."

Dustin sighed before turning to you.

"It's about your sister." He said, "Sort of."

"Go on," You encouraged, gripping onto the handlebars tightly.

"Well," Dustin continued, "Max saw Eddie Munson in the trailer where your sister died. He's the main suspect right now. But something happened, Max said she saw him running away in fear. So we know he's got nothing to do with her death and we have to protect him."

You clench your jaw, trying not to yell. "Eddie Munson probably ran because he didn't want to get caught!"

"I thought that." Max added, "But the look on his face..."

"It made us think it was connected to something else." Dustin's voice went low, "Something that you wouldn't really believe if we told you."

"Tell me!" You persisted, "I want to know. If it's to do with my sister, I want to know."

"Alright." Dustin glanced to Max for permission then rolled straight into it, "Where should I start? Uh. Do you remember Will. Will Byers?"

"Of course." You nodded, not understanding how these were related.

"Well, Will never really did go missing on November the 6th.. no... what really happened was..."

Then, Dustin told you the whole story. Everything. And you just couldn't believe it.

Kids with superpowers?

Breaking into top secret laboratories?

Flipping vans?

Keeping monsters as pets?

Sensory deprivation tanks?

Talking lights?

Monsters made from rats?

Visions of an alternate dimension?

Russian tunnels underneath Hawkins?

A... mindflayer?

Eleven?

It was all a lot to process. It sounded like one absolutely mental conspiracy theory yet it seemed like they were telling the truth.

Once Dustin had finished you stayed quiet for a second, trying to work through the details in your head.

"It's just... not possible." You managed to speak, feeling weighed down by the sudden load of information.

"I wouldn't know how to prove it to you. I hope we don't have to. Just trust us." Dustin finished, obviously feeling quite proud of himself.

"So... you think the mindflayer took my sister?" You asked, "But you killed the mindflayer?"

"This is why we need to find where Eddie is hiding. Then we can ask him what's actually happening." Dustin said, just as you pulled up outside the arcade and video store.

You didn't trust Eddie one bit but you knew if you said anything, Max and Dustin might not want to drag you along anymore.

"So.. why are we here again?" You asked.

"We need phones and all the help we can get." Max said, but Dustin finished.

"Steve and Robin."