Us Against the World ★ Eddie Munson

Chapter 59

AN: Figured I'd do two chapters today :D Enjoy! Feedback is always welcome!

After the death of Daniel, Eddie found me crying out for him as Daniel's lifeless body lay in front of me. Eddie carried me away from Daniel as Steve, and Robin entered the room. They were shocked to see Daniel on the ground with a pool of blood around him. Steve pushed Robin out of the room to go call Hopper. I saw Steve walking over to Daniel.

"I'm sorry, Jules." Eddie said in a whisper as I clung to him crying. He walked out of the locker room, and I could see at the other end of the gym was a burned demogorgon with it's head chopped off. Eddie tried to turn me away from seeing it, but it was too late. He walked into the other locker room, and walked over to the showers. 

Eddie turned on the shower, and lowered me to my feet. I just stood there not moving. I was in shock. "You need to wash off the... you need to get clean before Hopper arrives." Eddie told me

I let out a sob, and Eddie hugged me. He was getting blood all over his leather jacket, and shirt. He was not wearing his vest. It had been left at the house that day. "Shh, shh." Eddie rubbed the back of my head to help calm me, "Let's get you clean, okay?"

Eddie helped me out of my clothes. He then took off his jacket, and shoes. He walked me over to the shower, and I got in under the hot water. I tried to wash off the blood, but I couldn't help breaking down in a sob. It was my fault Daniel was dead. If only I hadn't asked Victoria about him. He wouldn't have come running to the school.

"Shh, it's okay." Eddie said as he joined me in the shower with his clothes on. He was getting soaked, but he didn't care. He began to help wash the blood gently off my face, and then moved onto the rest of my body. 

When we were finished Eddie wrapped in a towel, and made me sit on a bench as he raided the lockers after picking some of the locks. "Jogging pants that should fit, and a school sweater." Eddie said handing them to me. I slipped them on as he picked up my bloody clothes. He tossed them in a trash can. "Sorry about the clothes, Jules." He said, and I shook my head. There was no saving them. 

"You should change out of your clothes. You'll get sick." I said quietly as he still wore his soaked clothes. Eddie nodded his head, and looked around the locker room. After he changed into some dry clothing, and found a duffle bag to put his wet clothing in, the two of us left the locker room. Eddie walked me out of the gym, and we sat down in the hallway waiting. I leaned my head on Eddie's shoulder, and held his hand. 

Robin ran down the hallway, and stopped seeing us. "Did you manage to call Hopper?" Eddie asked her as I looked down at Eddie's hand, and mine. 

"Yeah, phones are working now." Robin said, "Is uh Steve in there?" 

"Yeah." Eddie told her. Robin walked into the gym leaving Eddie, and I alone again. 

"This is all my fault." I muttered, and Eddie removed his hand from mine. He wrapped his arm around me, and drew me to his side. His other hand reached out, and grabbed mine. 

"This isn't your fault." Eddie told me, "You pushed Daniel into the room, but he chose to go back out there after you. It was his decision." 

"I shouldn't have asked Victoria about him. He wouldn't have been here... now he's... he's gone." I told him, "I know I didn't like him, and he did make me uncomfortable, but I didn't want him... dead." 

"I know, sweetheart. It will be okay." Eddie said kissing the top of my head. 

The two of us sat in silence for a while until Steve, and Robin came out to join us. None of us spoke, and just waited for Hopper to arrive. We had lost another person to the Upside Down. How many more were supposed to die? 

When Hopper arrived with Callahan, and Powell, they had the four of us go to a room, and we talked about what happened. Steve, and Eddie then took them to Daniel's body while Robin, and I sat together. 

"And this girl in the dorms, she saw the demogorgon." Steve told Hopper as they entered the room, "She's one of Julie's friends." 

"Victoria." I muttered the name. 

"Room number?" Hopper asked. 

"Second floor, room 25." I muttered. 

"Okay. You four go home now. I'll take care of things here." Hopper told us. 

The four of us left the college building, and got into Steve's car. The sun was beginning to set as we reached the video store. I was not in a good state to drive, so Eddie drove me home leaving my car there for the night. 

Once home I went straight to our room, and collapsed on the bed. Eddie followed me, and lay down next to me. I wrapped my arms around him, and rested my head on his chest. I listened to his heart beat as tears fell down my cheeks. Eddie began to hum a metallica song that ended up lulling me to sleep. 

A few days after the demogorgon attack, news about Daniel being found mauled by a bear in the forest next to the parking lot at the college spread like wild fire. The school was closed early until the new year. The professors gave everyone three months worth of work, or tried due to the short notice. It was claimed they had to search for the bear, and to repair the gym floor that someone had burned. Of course it was a cover up. 

The truth was that Hopper and the government were snooping around the place for any signs of Vecna, or a portal. So far nothing has been found. 

"Ready?" Eddie asked walking into our room as I sat on the bed in a black dress. I looked at him, and nodded my head. Today was the day that Daniel would be buried. Eddie wore black, not a suit, just black jeans, and a black button up. Joanna was with Mom, and Wayne in our living room. The both of them decided to take her out for a stroll. 

I would have been against it, but with both of them there with Joanna, I trusted them to keep her safe. "We don't have to go." Eddie told me as he drove to church. 

"I know, but I feel like I owe him this." I told Eddie, "We were friends once." 

"You don't owe him anything, Jules." Eddie told me softly, "But if you want to do this, then okay." 

I nodded my head, and remained silent as Eddie turned the radio on. When we got to church, I got out of the car with Eddie. Eddie held his elbow out for me, and I linked mine with his. We walked to the church, and saw Jeff with Victoria. She was crying into Jeff's chest. I looked around for James, and saw him with Daniel's parents. I had met them the day before during the wake. 

They were sweet, and happy to have met me. They told me Daniel had talked their ear off about me, and Joanna. Which made me feel even worse with guilt for his death. I could tell that his parents were putting on a brave mask, but I could tell they were hurting. A parent losing their child was a pain that no one should go through. 

Eddie pulled me lightly into the church, and we sat down towards the back. Both of us do not like being there. I kept my eyes down to Eddie's hand that I held. I didn't dare to look up at the open coffin of where Daniel lay. People were getting their final visit, before it would be closed, and taken off to his final resting place. 

The preacher spoke a few words once everyone had come inside. He spoke a bit about Daniel, and how he was a kind boy. Cared for the people in his life, and his community. He then read a few scriptures from the Bible, before it was over. Eddie, and I followed everyone outside so they could put the coffin in the hearse. 

"Hey guys." Jeff said coming over to us. 

"Hey man." Eddie said, and pulled Jeff into a quick hug, "I'm sorry about Daniel." 

"Me too. I just can't believe a bear did that." Jeff said shaking his head. I remained silent, and took hold of Eddie's hand again. 

"Could have happened to anyone." Eddie told him. 

"Yeah. How have you been, Julie?" Jeff asked looking at me. 

"Okay, I guess." I told him as I looked up, "Just never expected this." 

I glanced around, and saw Victoria hugging James. Both of them cried into each other's shoulders. The three of us stood there waiting for the hearse to leave, and when it did. We got into our cars, and followed behind it with the others. 

At the cemetery Eddie, and I walked over to where everyone was. I looked around at all of the headstones as people chatted around us. "You okay?" Eddie asked me in a whisper as he leaned over to my ear. 

"Yeah. I'm fine." I told him quietly. 

When everyone was there, and the coffin was set up, the Preacher stood at the head of it. That's when Daniel's mother broke down. She screamed out Daniel's name, and sobbed loudly. Her husband hugged her, and broke down. 

I walked away from the grave, and Eddie. I couldn't stand watching them. Guilt filled me. I stopped by a headstone, and raised my hand to my mouth to cover the sound of a sob. Tears fell down my cheeks as Eddie came over to me quickly. He pulled me into a hug, and rubbed my back as we stood there. I cried into his chest. 

"Let it out, Julie. I'm here, I'm here." Eddie said softly as we stood there. 

By the time I had calmed myself down, they managed to get Daniel's mother back in her seat, and she just cried for her son. Her husband held onto her tightly as the preacher spoke. Eddie, and I just stood there by the headstone watching from the distance. 

"Goodbye, Daniel." I whispered as they began to lower him into the ground. I wiped a tear away, and turned away to walk back to the car with Eddie trailing behind me.