𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 ⟿ s. harrington

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝

NOW OR NEVER

☀︎

WITHIN THE WOODS, THE GROUP STAYED CAUTIOUS OF ANY DANGERS THAT LURKED IN THE SHADOWS. Convincing the group she was fine to walk on her own, Alex fell back behind the group as she kept her own pace. Feeling obligated to stay by her side, Eddie Munson kept sneaking glances at her, wondering how any of them could act as if this was natural. No one even seemed to take an interest in the bats' grab for Alex while the rest had to fight for their lives to not be eaten.

Seeing as they walked alone, Eddie allowed his curiosity to get the best of him. He was new to the group and frankly, he needed a lot more than simple blind trust to know this was a good idea. Keeping his eyes shifting among the trees surrounding him, Eddie gravitated towards Alex until he was able to nudge her in the side. "No one's gonna say it, but those bats didn't even consider taking a bite out of you back there. Care to explain?"

Sending him a playful smile, she raised her brows at him, "If I could tell you, I would. We sort of just live in this idea that the monsters from this world have a thing for me. Unsure why, but I'm sure Vecnas dying to spill his secrets when those bats bring me all the way to him."

"We don't... we don't know they'd bring you to him," he said hesitantly. Truly, there was nowhere else anyone could think they'd bring Alex. He was the only one out there they knew that was currently digging around in her mind.

Even Alex gave him a look. "We do and I think you know that. No use trying to make me feel better." Looking down, she gave a small shrug. "Guess I'm sort of used to it anyways. Bad shits been happening for three years and I really don't expect it to get better until he's dead."

"Well, I guess I can promise you that we won't let those things touch you, take you, or whatever the hell they want with you. You guys wanna protect me from Hawkins playing hunt the freak, I guess it's my turn to keep some psycho creatures from playing hunt the freak with you." He glanced over at her and immediately felt guilt weigh on him. "Least I could do."

At the mention of the manhunt raging in Hawkins, Alex felt the guilt come straight to the front of her mind. They had been so caught up in discovering more on Vecna that she hadn't stopped to consider how Eddie felt through all this. He was hurting all the same, running and hiding from a town that now hated him. "I'm really sorry, Eddie," she said gently. "A lot of this is on me, man, and you don't have to act like it's not. You told me to tell Chrissy no to seeing you and I made you talk to her. Now you're wanted and-and stuck in this hellhole all because of me. You saw people die, dude, and you don't even get to catch a break."

"Say what you want, but apology unaccepted," he stated, her sad eyes turning over to him. "I can't blame you. I would've found myself here with or without you annoyingly worming your way into my life. I asked Chrissy to come back to my place and I'm the one who chose to follow you shitheads straight into Mordor. If anyone's to blame, it's me, your fellow freak." Bowing, he played this all off as some joke. It's what made him feel better and he knew Alex needed that kind of humor as well. None of it was easy and it certainly wasn't going to get any easier.