𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 ━ max mayfield

4│JUST BEAT IT

"The truth is always helpful."

Sirens wailed unexpectedly in the distance and rapidly grew closer as the group jumped into motion. Eddie quickly hid under the tarp as they raced to the windows to watch the vehicles approach. Thankfully, they didn't stop at Reefer Rick's place but kept going to zoom past them and up the road.

.・。.・゜✫・.・✫・゜・。.

When they arrived at the crime scene, Jessie was unsurprised to see Nancy Wheeler already there. While the others were rather stunned, she knew their group well enough to expect them to be in the worst place at the worst time. The older Wheeler looked unsettled as she spoke the police and kept getting distracted by their arrival. She waved subtly to them and Steve returned the gesture.

Once she was finished sharing her side of the story, they drove back to the trailer park and occupied a picnic table. Nancy explained what had happened and the clues she'd gotten from Eddie's uncle. Apparently, her coworker, Fred Benson, had travelled with her to dig up dirt on Chrissy's death. While she'd been talking to Wayne Munson, the teen had wandered off and she hadn't seen him leave. Then, his body had been found this morning in the same distorted position Chrissy's had been.

In turn, they filled her on Max's and Eddie's story. When they finished, she asked, "you're saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it's from the Upside Down?"

"Uh, do you think new dimensions pop up every couple of years like summer fashion trends?" Jessie replied sarcastically.

"Well-well no, but I thought we closed the gate. Wouldn't it be over?"

The brunette sent her a disbelieving look. "This is Hawkins. Nothing is ever really over here."

Dustin nodded in a rare moment of agreement. "Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse. Now, whether or not he's doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don't know."

"All we know is this is something different," Max spoke up for the first time.

"It just doesn't make sense."

"It's only a theory."

"No, Fred and Chrissy don't make sense. I mean, why them?"

Jessie shrugged. "Why anyone? Why Will?  Why was Eddie chosen to see Chrissy's death?"

"They were both at the game," Dustin offered.

"And at the trailer park," the redhead added.

"We're at the trailer park," Steve pointed out uneasily.

"There is something about this place," Nancy admitted. "Fred started acting weird the second we got here."

"Acting weird as in. . .?"

"Scared, on edge, upset."

"Max said Chrissy was upset too."

"Yeah, but not here," Max said. "She was crying in the bathroom at school."

"Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right?" Robin started quietly. "So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman—"

"Vecna."

The brunette wasn't convinced. "I think otherworldly monsters are a lot more dangerous than serial killers. Instead of stalking their prey, maybe it's like symptoms of a disease. First the fear, then the paranoia. . ."

"No matter what it is," Steve put in, "if I saw some freaky wizard monster I would mention it to someone."

"Yeah, because telling the police the truth always goes over well," Jessie replied in a deadpan tone.