Aravis { Steve Harrington }

Chapter 26: Vecena's curse

Dustin was watching the news with his mother when the doorbell rang he opened the door and out of breath Max was standing there distraught.

Max and Dustin barged into the family video store "Hey Steve how many phones do you have?
"Have you heard that someone was murdered"
"How many phones do you have"Dustin asked louder "Two? Why? "Technically three if you count Keith's in the back" Robin added "Yeah three works"

Dustin removes his backpack  What are you doing? Steve asked Dustin slides it across the counter The bag drops to the floor Dustin slides on the counter to get over knocking over a stack of tapes in the process to get to the computer.
"What are you- "my pile! No No! my tapes!
"Dude, what are you doing man? Steve asked "Setting up base base of operations here" "Base of operations? Get off" "I need it" Max stood beside Dustin.

"For what Eddie's friend's phone numbers" "Oh Eddie your new best friend you think is cooler because he plays your nerdy game" "Yes, I never said that! Dustin argued "Seriously you guys maybe on Monday you can play around, but it's Saturday Robin started fixing the tapes she picked up from off the fallen counter "It's our busiest day" Robin fixed one last sign.
"Alright Robin I empathize but this can't wait"
"What calling all of Eddie's friends is an emergency?
"Correct"
"Want me to strangle him or do you want to?
"We could take turns"
"Can you fill them in while I do this? Dustin asked Max
"Fill us on what? Steve asked
"What? Maybelle is either missing or with Mudson?! Steve sighed putting his hand through his  hair out of nervousness he tried to hide it
The door opens and the bell rings signaling a customer.

"Hey guys I might have a lead," Max told them as she put the phone down
"Seriously!?
"Yeah Apparently, Eddie gets drugs from some guy named Reefer Rick and sometimes Eddie crashes there"
Sounds promising where does Reefer Rick live?
"See that's the thing no one knows he's more of a legend than someone that people actually know"

"What about a last name?
"I don't know that either"
"Bet the cops know the last name" The conversation was paused as the others looked at Steve as if he had grown three heads
"Cops?
"Cops I mean listen if this Reefer Rick is actually a drug dealer I guarantee you he's been busted at some point means he's in the system"

"The cops? Really Steve that your suggestion"
"I think they should be filled on what's going on"
"You think Eddie's guilty, don't you?
"Whoa, I believe in innocent until proven guilty all the constitutional shit I just you know don't think we can rule it out."
"That's precisely what we're trying to do Steve"

"And maybe we'd have a little more luck if you spent less time trying to find a girlfriend and more time trying to find Eddie and Maybelle"
"Somebody as to attend to the customers" Steve argued
"Hey no fair okay I attend to all customers equally babes and non-babes alike We've got a very big selection in here it can be super overwhelming for people"
"Yeah it can be" Robin went back to the computer
"What are you doing?
"Maybe we don't need a last name Twelve Ricks have accounts here"
"Lots of Ricks"
"So let's narrow it down Rick Alderman's latest rentals are Annie and Dumbo chances our drug dealer has a family?
"Not Likely"
"All right Rick Conroy sixteen candles, teen wolf, romancing the stone"
"No
"Okay Rick Joiner, Mask, footloose, and grease"
"Nah"
"Rick Kimbrough the blue lagoon and splash
"Definitely not" "No way" they laughed
"Okay Rick Lipton Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Cheech & Chong's next movie Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams Cheech and Chong's Up in the Smoke"
"Bingo"
"Lipton? Spelled like tea 2121 Holland Road "that's out by lovers Lake"  "a place in the middle of nowhere it's a perfect place to hide"
The group left the shop Robin locked up before the group went to Rick's house.

Eddie and Maybelle sat in the boat the pair sat in silence Maybelle sighed heavily her head was pounding she leaned out of the boat laying down on the dirty cold floor hoping it would help her headache "Are you alright? Eddie asked anxiously his voice scratchy Maybelle hummed "headache" she mumbled "your nose is bleeding" Eddie pointed out Maybelle sat back up using the sleeve of her shirt to clear the blood "thanks" Maybelle mumbled "there's the boat you can lay in I don't bit" Eddie offered Maybelle nodded before laying down in the boat and before she knew it she was out like a light.

Maybelle groaned hearing the door creak open but kept her eyes closed Her headache calmed down "Is anyone home? Maybelle knew that voice it was Robins she was about to sit up but was pulled back by Eddie Maybelle opened her eyes noticing they were both under a tarp "what a dump"Steve voice echoed as other walked through the creaking door with flashlights flashing around Maybelle jumped as something hit the tarp "what are you doing? Dustin cried out "he might be in here" Steve spoke Maybelle but her tongue at how big of an idiot he was "So take the tarp off" Maybelle flinched as the ore hit her legs that were covered by the tarp "If you so brave, you take off the tarp off.

"Hey look over here someone was here" Maybelle heard Max's voice "Maybe he heard us and got spooked and ran" "Don't worry Steve will get him with his ore" Dustin sarcastically reassured "I know you're being funny Henderson but considering everyone in this room has nearly died hundred times personally I don't find it funny in the slight- Steve was cut off as Eddie quickly got up from the boat removing the tarp and charged at Steve with a battle cry Steve was backed into a wall as Eddie had a broken glass bottle to Steve neck.

Maybelle quickly got up to stop Eddie. "Eddie stop! Maybelle and Dustin shouted Eddie turned around looking between Maybelle and Dustin with wild panicked eyes "Eddie it's me Dustin This is Steve He not gonna hurt you right Steve? "Right yeah? Steve croaked "Steve why don't you put the oar? Steve dropped the oar and Eddie pressed the broken bottle closer to Steve's neck "he's cool he's cool" "I'm cool man I'm cool"Steve whispered "What are you doing here? Eddie asked "We're looking for you guys," Dustin told Eddie "We just want to help" Robin added "Eddie, these are my friends You know Robin from the band" Robin pretended to play the trumpet This is my friend Max the one who never wants to play D&D Max waved you know Maybelle she your  friend "we're on your side I swear in my mother! Right guys.

"Yes we swear on Dustin's mother" After a second Eddie released Steve Eddie slowly sat down the bottle still in his shaking hands Maybelle sat beside him she slowly took the bottle from Eddie's hands "Eddie we just want to talk okay? Dustin said very slowly Robin kneeled beside Eddie "we want to know what happened Eddie sniffles "you won't believe me" Maybelle gently pat Eddie back "try us"

Maybelle felt the sickening feeling of goosebumps rise in her arms "Her body just lifted in the air and, she just hung there in the air and her bones she... Eddie whimpered Maybelle ignored the feeling and rubbed his arm in comfort "her bones started to snap her eyes man it was like there was something like inside her head pulling I didn't know what to do, so I... ran away I left her there" Eddie weakly scoffed "you all think I'm crazy right? "No, we don't think you crazy" Dustin tried reassuring "Don't bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds" Eddie panicked.

"We're not bullshitting you  "we believe you" "Look what I'm about to tell you might be a little difficult to take okay, you know how people say Hawkins is... cursed? They're not way off there's another world hidden beneath Hawkins sometimes it bleeds into ours "like ghost and shit" "There are some things worse than ghosts" "These monsters are from this other world we thought they've come back before that's why we need to find you "if they were back again, we need to know" Maybelle told him softly "it would almost look like dust, swirling dust" Dustin describes it "no, man there was nothing you could see or uh... or touch "you know, I tried to wake her up man she couldn't move it was like she was in a trance or something "or under a spell "a curse? "Vecna's curse
"A spell caster"
"A dark wizard"

"I want you to join me"

Maybelle's eyes widened her body becoming colder She looked around the room trying to find who's voice belonged to