Complete Chaos

063

Erica was not faced and continued drinking her juice. "Especially Tina, I... will smother you in your sleep. Do you understand?"

Erica wasn't intimidated by Lucas' little threats. She had finished her juice. The empty juice box was on her left side.

"Hmm" She rested her elbow on the kitchen island, her hand on a fist as her chin was on top of it.

"Erica? Do you copy," he said through gritted teeth.

"The smothering in my sleep part, but not much else," she responded.

She had questions of her own. "Why would they open up a gate at Lover's Lake?"

Noticing that the boys were looking at her with questionable looks, she rolled her eyes and said, "The commies."

"The commies didn't," Lucas responded to his young sister. The siblings went back and forth, arguing about who opened up the gate.

"So it just opened up for fun," she fired back.

"Erica, you have no idea what you're talking about."

Dustin interrupted the disagreement with the siblings as he said, "No, she doesn't, yet she raises an essential question. How did Watergate open up?" Dustin looked at Lucas.

Dustin lifted up two fingers. "Only two gates have opened, so far as we know. One by El, one by the commies. But it's not the commies or El this time."

He walked around the kitchen island, "There's one thing we've never understood. Which is why Vecna's killing people."

Eyes were on him as he continued walking, "What's his motive? Killing teens? It always just seemed too random."

He stopped walking, "Too prosaic."

He looked back at his friends. "On top of that, how does the Mind Flayer figure into all this? Maybe this is it. This is the answer."

He didn't continue leaving them confused. "What is the answer," Lucas finally asked.

Mrs. Wheeler walked into the kitchen with an officer following her. "You sure you just want water?" We have Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper." She listed the drink as she opened up the refrigerator.

"Coke works. Thank you," the officer answered.

Dustin went quiet and pointed his head discreetly to the side. Lucas and Erica followed him.

Julia carried Melody dropping the cup on the sink. Before she followed the others, Julia walked to Mrs. Wheeler, who was closing the refrigerator.

"Mrs. Wheeler, could I have a Sprite?"

Hearing her name, the older woman turned her head as her hand was still on the door handle of the fridge.

"Of course. I also have snacks for Melody if you want any. They are Hollys, but I don't think she would mind sharing," she said with a warm smile.

The woman handed Julia the can of Sprite. Melody was fast and grabbed it before Julia, but Mrs. Wheeler didn't let go of it until Julia got the can.