Escape ~ S.Harrington

66} The Shire is Burning

"Not to be a wimp, but can I sit in the car for this visit?" Robin complained as the gang drove to Reefer Rick's to get Eddie more supplies, "Cause this is going to totally and royally suck."
"It'll be fine," Alice tried to comfort.
"I just can't stand to see those doe eyes of Eddie's break again. I really, really can't."
"At least he can drink himself into feeling better," Steve mumbled through a mouthful of Pringles.
"That's what my mom does," Max rolled her eyes.
Lucas looked at her with concern, but didn't push.

"Why don't we give it a trial?" Robin thought, "'Hey, Eddie. Uh, good news first this time. We got you some Dustin-approved junk food and that six-pack you requested. Oh yeah, and we found Vecna. Bad news is that he's in that other, darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about, and Jenna closed the gate so we have no way of getting to him. Like, he's entirely shut off to us, so basically you're screwed. And, no, I know you were already screwed, but now you're doubly, triply screwed.'"

"Okay, wait," Lucas said, "Maybe we don't put it like that."
"We're one step closer to finding Vecna," Nancy chimed in, "That's what we say. That's what's important."
"See, Robin?" Steve jumped in, "Positive spin can make all the difference."
"Uh-huh," she rolled her eyes.
"Oh, shit," Nancy saw something going down the closer she drove to Rick's.

Police cars and reporters covered the area around his house. They all hopped out of the car and hid behind a news van to listen in on what happened. Officer Powell was being interviewed and mentioned something about a homicide that'd taken place last night at the lake. They'd found Patrick McKinney, one of Lucas' basketball friends, disfigured in the way Chrissy and Fred had been days prior, and Powell revealed Eddie's name to the public as suspect number one.

"Dustin, can you hear me? Wheeler?" Dustin's walkie started to go off in his backpack.
The group walked off to the side so they wouldn't be heard talking to Eddie.
"Eddie. Holy shit," Dustin replied, "Are you okay?"
"Nah, man. Pretty... pretty goddamn far from okay."
"Where are you?"
"Skull Rock. Do you know it?"
"Uh, yeah. That's near Cornwallis and-"
"Garreat, yeah. I know where it is," Steve finished for him.
"Hold tight. We're coming. We're coming," Dustin told Eddie as they all zoomed off back to the car in a race to Skull Rock.

~

"Dude, I'm telling you, you're taking us the wrong way," Steve griped at Dustin who was guiding them to Skull Rock.
"It's North," He flashed his map in Steve's face, "I'm positive. I checked the map."
"You do realize Skull Rock, it's a super popular make-out spot?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Yeah, well, it wasn't popular until I made it popular. All right? I practically invented it. We're heading in the wrong direction."
"Steve. Where are you going? Steve!" Steve started to go off on his own.
"Stop whining. Let's go. Trust me."

"Okay, so apparently we're going this way now?" Max sighed and begrudgingly followed, "I swear to god, if they get us lost... Hey," She snagged Lucas out of his thoughts, "You okay?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Just... thinking about Patrick. You know?"
"Yeah."
"I mean, it's... it's like, why him? But then, I remember this one day, he- he came to practice with a black eye. He said he fell, but clearly he was lying. It's like everyone Vecna targets has something in their life. Something that's-"
"Hurting them. Haunting them."
"Yeah. I- I didn't really know Patrick, so it was easy to just look the other way, I guess. But I did know you. And I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"It's not your fault."
"No."
"I disappeared."
"No, no, you didn't. I just didn't look hard enough. Okay? But I see you now. I see you."

Other people having a moment were Robin and Alice with Nancy third-wheeling hard.
"Oh my god, they're so adorable," Robin was commenting on Max and Lucas, "I just wanna squeeze 'em, you know? I see why Jenna claimed parental rights."
"Hey," Alice got an idea, "Why don't we take the rights as aunts? I think Jenna would've approved. "
"Oh my god! TOTALLY! I'll be the crazy one."
"And I'll be the other crazy one."
"You two would make a good pairing, you know?" Nancy looked between the two.
"What!"
"What are you talking about?"
"There is nothing-"              
"Yeah, nothing..."
"Keep telling yourselves that," Nancy chuckled to herself.