EAT OR BE EATEN ✮ STEVE HARRINGTON

Making a Deal With God.

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"Guys, maybe we should knock-"

Dustin and Max ignored Robin, shoving the door shed open and scaring Eddie in the process. All of us peaked our heads inside and waved awkwardly.

"Delivery service!" Dustin smiled, holding the chips up while Steve held up the beer Eddie requested for.

We all stood around, watching him inhale the chips for a couple minutes then I lit a cigarette that Eddie and I shared. Dustin explained everything we knew thus far, to Eddie as well.

"So we got, uh, some good news and some bad news. How would you prefer it?"

With a mouth full of chips Eddie responds with,"Bad news first, always."

"This is disgusting." I mumbled causing Eddie to chuck an empty beer can at my leg.

"Alright. Bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they are definitely looking for you. Also they are pretty convinced you killed Chrissy." Dustin says, getting back on track.

"Like, 100% kind of convinced." I added. "The morning I got a call from Chief Powell, who was asking about you. I didn't tell him much just that we worked together at Starcourt, that you weren't a violent person and to bite me but he didn't exactly seem convinced. About the nonviolent part, not the 'bite me' part."

"And the good news?" Eddie asked.

"Your name hasn't gone public yet." Robin answered. "But if we found out about you, it's a matter of time before others do. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is going to be gunning for you."

I hated the thought of the whole town picturing Eddie as some serial killer but how would we be able to prove his innocence? He doesn't exactly look like it and hiding out here wasn't helping.

"Hunt the freak, right?" Eddie's voice saddened all of us.

"So, before that happens we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence." Dustin says, oversimplifying things.

"That's all, Dustin?" Eddie says sort of sarcastically.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Listen, Eddie, I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we've done this before. A couple times actually." I added, trying to help Dustin out. "We know what we are doing."

"Johanna is right." Steve jumps in. "We usually rely on this girl, Jo's sister, she's got these super powers."

"I thought your sister died?" Eddie asked, looking at me.

"My adopted sister." I explained.

"We're sort of in a um..." Robin continues, not letting us stay on that topic for too long.

"Brainstorming phase." Max answers.

Steve snaps then points to the red head."Brainstorming. Exactly!"

"There... There's nothing to worry about." Dustin smiles while Eddie looks at all of us with wide eyes.

From a distance there's a sudden sound of sirens going off. Steve and I throw the tarp back over Eddie while everyone else goes to the window. Cops and Ambulances down past the street, all of know where we need to go next.

"Guys, is that Nance?" I asked, looking out the window at the girl down the road, talking to Chief  Powell.

"Yeah." Steve agreed, pulling the car over on the side of the street.

Once Nance spots us, she gives a small wave. At first look you wouldn't notice but she looked shaken up by whatever had just happened. There's a large group of people behind her and a body bag on the ground in front of her.