Alexithymia | STRANGER THINGS [ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE]

thirty | the dive

And while Eddie wrapped his own arms around Dustin, he said to Dustin, "Yeah, me too, man. Me, too."

It wasn't long after Dustin and Eddie had pulled away from each other and Steve had simply nodded his head at the older metalhead that Steve suddenly let out a groan when he found himself being tackled onto the ground.

And in response to being tackled onto the ground, Steve said with a groan, "Oh, come on. What the hell, man?"

It was then that Steve heard a voice say from right above him, "Sorry. Believe it or not, Harrington, but I actually really do miss you after the shit that went down at the lake. Never thought I would, but there I was– missing you." While Steve only repeatedly blinked to himself once he saw that it was Matthew Wheeler that was crouched over him and realized that it was the seventeen-year-old boy that had tackled him to the ground, Matthew turned his head to look away from Steve as he asked, "Where the hell's Valerie?"

Then– after hearing a voice say his name– Matthew quickly jumped back up and onto his own two feet before he had to find some way to balance himself when Valerie came running at him and nearly made him fall once she had practically thrown herself into his arms.

And in response to just how tightly she had her arms wrapped around him, Matthew simply let out a sigh before he wrapped his own arms around her and let out a chuckle as he listened to her muffled threats about what she would do to him the next time that he disappeared on her without at least giving her some form of a warning of just where he was going to.

* * *

While Matthew did everything that he could to keep himself from humming another Metallica song, Eddie said, "When we got to the shore, we tried calling you guys, but, uh... my walkie was busted, man. Drenched." Then he glanced over at Matthew as he said, "And, uh, Little Wheeler's bag was drenched, too. So, his walkie was a bust, too. So, uh, I did the thing that I do now, apparently. I ran. And, uh, I tried to get Little Wheeler to find his way back to you guys, but he, uh, refused to leave me on my own and we've been on our own ever since– you know, up until you guys showed up here."

With a wave of one of her hands, Nancy asked them, "Do either of you know what time this was? The attack?"

With a nod of his head, Eddie told her, "Yeah, no, I... I know exactly what time it was. My walkie wasn't the only thing that got soaked."

After barely catching Eddie's watch, Nancy said, "9:27."

In turn, Robin said, "Same time our flashlights went kablooey."

With a shake of his head, Steve asked them, "Which means what, exactly?"

Nancy told him, "That that surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick."

With a sigh, Robin said, "Well, we're one step closer. We know how Vecna attacks."

Then Lucas said, "And where he attacks from."

With a shake of her own head, Max said, "So now we just need to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart."

In turn, Robin said to her, "If he even has a heart."

With his eyebrows furrowed, Steve asked them, "A stake? Is he like a vamp? Is he a vampire?"

While Matthew only let out a sigh and merely glanced over at Valerie after she had wordlessly squeezed his hand, Max told Steve, "It was a metaphor."

Then Eddie asked them, "A bullet should work on him, right?"

With a mere raise of his eyebrows, Lucas said, "I say we chop his head off."