CHAPTER TWELVE — THE MASSACRE AT HAWKINS LAB
PART ONE
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JACKIE WONDERED if the Wheelers were going to start charging rent. Because somehow, after Dustin had gotten snatched up by the police, that was the house they ended up at, despite none of the Wheeler family actually being with them. Each set of parents were present, excluding her mother, and she was trying to think of every possible way to get her and Max out of this situation.
Because there was no way Susan would allow Jackie to see her sister if either of them got arrested. She'd claim Jackie as a bad influence and ban her from seeing Max. She knew it. But could they even get arrested for something like that?
"What exactly were you all doing at the lake?" Powell questioned, staring each of them in the face. The four were crammed together on a three-seater couch—how they had physically managed to pull it off, Jackie didn't know.
They shared a look, as if speaking through their eyes would clarify what answer they'd be going with.
"It's compli—"
Max interrupted him. "We were just going for a walk."
"A walk?" Callahan repeated, unconvinced. "At nine pm?"
"To the lake!" Dustin's squeaky lie voice answered. "We were gonna... take a little swim."
"Yeah," Jackie nodded. "I dared them. You know, the waters freezing. I didn't think any of them would do it. Guess I'll never find out, since you all kidnapped us," she shot a sour look at Callahan.
"Dusty!" Mrs. Henderson shook her head. "Someone was just murdered there. And you're daring my son to go out on a crime scene?"
"Murdered?" Jackie's shock was faux. "Mrs. Henderson, I- I had no idea. You know I'd never put Dustin in harm's way. Who was murdered? We haven't been home all day..." She looked to them. "Right? You guys haven't heard about this, have you?"
They all immediately denied it.
Bad liar her ass. Robin and Nancy were still totally full of shit.
"Was Nancy with you at this night swim?" Mrs. Wheeler asked.
Jackie spoke first, or she was attempting to speak first, but the others opened their mouths to speak, too.
"Yes."
"No."
"We're not sure," Lucas finally said. Jackie crossed her arms, giving them each a look.
"She was there," Dustin told them. "Then she left. It's all a little confusing."
"That's when you guys came."
"Right!" Max nodded. "Then, they dared me to say what I said, because I was the only one who didn't swim."
"I thought your sister just said none of you got the chance to swim," Powell interjected. Jackie refrained from face-palming. If she ever needed to commit a murder, she would never do it with this group.
"You're lucky you didn't get shot," Mr. Wheeler cut in.
"Have you had any contact with Eddie?"
"Eddie who?" Jackie wondered in reply. "I've never met an Eddie in my life."
"You mean the psycho freak killer?" Dustin asked. "God, no."
"Nope!"
"Absolutely not. We haven't heard from him."
"Don't even know who this man is," Jackie shrugged. "Is he cute?"
"We barely know the guy!"
"Oh, that's a bunch of bull," Erica Sinclair stepped into the conversation. Her parents yelled her name in protest. "I mean, you realize they're lying. The whole couch is on fire! Just the facts."
"Are you lying to these police men, Dusty?"
"No!"
"Lying to the cops is a crime, son."
"I'm not lying."
"Isn't it only a crime if we're under investigation?" Jackie asked, and all heads turned her way. "Not that I am! I'm just wondering... Are we under investigation?"
"The fire is consuming us," Erica stated.
"Hello, former Scoops-Troop member," Jackie shot Erica a hopeful look. "What would we have to lie about?"
"Threaten them with a little jail time," Mr. Wheeler said. "Maybe that'll loosen their lips."
"This is why Karen is the favorite parent," Jackie muttered. "Dick."
"You wanna send our kids to jail?" Mrs. Sinclair demanded.
"They need to take this seriously."
"He didn't mean it like that," Mrs. Wheeler defended.
The room broke out into a large chaotic argument that had the four on the couch sharing an exasperated glance, until Chief Powell shouted for everyone to shut up. "We're going to try a more civilized approach. One at a time. You first," he pointed at Max.
"What?" Her sister blinked. "Why me? I'm not even in the Hellfire Club!"
"Do I need to cuff you?" Callahan asked.
Max huffed, and stood. Jackie glared at the back of him. "You know, I used to think you were cool! Also, we have a really good lawyer!" She fell back into the couch, feeling a headache form from the stress. "Shit."
They did not spend much longer in the living room with the hard stares of their parents, instead they migrated to the kitchen. Jackie anxiously tapped her foot against the tiled floor, and Dustin came back from the bathroom after trying to contact the others.
"Anything?"
"Nothing."
"You don't think they went through..."
"Through Watergate?" Dustin scoffed. "Without us? Without a plan? Without weapons? They wouldn't be that stupid."
Jackie turned at the sound of a knock on the front door, but no one stood up to get it. It honestly didn't even seem like anyone else had heard it over all the commotion.
She sighed, and climbed off the barstool, walking towards the entrance. What was weird about it, though, was that Dustin and Lucas disappeared from the kitchen the second she left it. They must've been called in by Callahan, she figured.
"This isn't even my damn house," Jackie muttered, pulling it open, but freezing upon seeing her mother. "Mom?"
"Oh, honey!" Susan enveloped her into a tight hug, which Jackie returned, but she was confused. The last time she'd seen her, she got thrown out. And now they were on hugging terms? It didn't make sense. "Oh, God. I'm so glad you're alright!"
"You're... you're not mad?"
"Mad? Sweetheart, I've been so worried!"
"Did Powell call you? Do you know what's going on?"
"Powell?" Susan repeated. "Why would Powell call me?"
"Because we were just-"
Jackie blinked, and they were suddenly standing outside of the trailer, and the sky was dark, almost dusty. She'd felt like the air had just been sucked out of her, and she slowly raised her eyes to her mother, who was still smiling down at her like nothing had happened, like nothing was wrong. Like they hadn't literally just teleported across town.
Tears started to form when she realized, and she yanked her arm out of Susan's grasp. "Where are you going, honey? Don't you want to stay with mama? It's all you've been thinking about."
"You're not real." Jackie squeezed her eyes shut. "You're not real. You aren't here."
"Aren't I though?"
Her mother's voice had dropped octaves drastically. Then, she watched in horror as the figure before her warped into something different. Something terrifying. This creature before her looked like he was made up of vines, or sticks, or all of the above. His face was caved in weirdly, and he was certainly not human.
Jackie recoiled, nearly stumbling back into the picnic table. "What the hell are you?"
"Jacqueline," the thing cocked its head to the side. His voice was just as ugly as him. "I've been waiting a very long time to meet you."
"I don't even know who you are."
"You will," he answered darkly. Vecna took a step closer to her, but Jackie moved back. "You were so incredibly hard to get to. You're much stronger than the others. You fought off my other attempts so easily. All but one. You're exactly what I need."
"Stay the fuck away from me!" She sneered, backing away.
Vecna raised his long hand, as if to grab her, and she narrowly avoided it. "Do not run. You will only make things harder for yourself. I do not plan on losing you as I did your sister."
He neared closer, and Jackie spun on her heel to sprint away. Her ankle throbbed, and her chest burned. A clock chimed somewhere in the distance. She hurriedly reached to snatch up the closest stick she could find, and stuffed it into her pocket. Vecna made a sound, and sent a vine flying after her. Somehow, she managed to jump over it before the damned thing caught her by the shoe, and she didn't slow her pace.
She didn't think she had ever run so fast or so far in her life. Her eyes were still clouded with tears. If she died here—Steve would think she didn't love him. Nancy would still live on believing Jackie was angry with her. Max would be alone. Her vision blurred, but her steps quickened.
"You cannot outrun me, Jacqueline." Vecna's voice rang out in her ears. "You weakened my strongest soldier two years ago. You must suffer the consequences."
Jackie leaped over a tire, dodging some weird bat thing that lunged up at her from the ground. She smashed it with the heel of her shoe, the tail crunching with the pressure, sending blood squirting everywhere. It squealed in pain, but she hastily resumed back into her jog.
"If the Mind Flayer is your strongest soldier, I'm embarrassed for you. Eleven tore that bitch into two with her mind."
Jackie felt the impact of the hard, slimy wall behind her before she realized what was happening. Vecna appeared before her, and hissed in her face. "Do not say her name!"
She flinched, struggling against the vines that were wrapping against her wrists. Jackie gasped when she felt one tangle around her neck. "I'm stronger than the others?" She repeated his words back. "And I'm exactly what you need? So why are you trying to kill me? We could-" she coughed. "We could work together."
"Stupid girl."
"I could help you."
"I do not need your help."
Someone screamed in the distance. It sounded distinctively familiar. Her head snapped in the direction, the movement causing the thing on her neck to tighten. Even if this was Vecna's doing, even if he wasn't real, she could pretend. Pretend he was there. Nothing could happen to her if he was there. "Steve?!"
"He can't save you," Vecna said. "No one can."
Suffocating had officially been added to the list of things Jackie never wanted to experience again. It was like claustrophobia, just inside your own body. It was horrible.
"You want Eleven, don't you?" She rasped, tilting her jaw up for more air. "You've always been after her. I know where she is. Let me go, and I'll show you. You'll never find her on your own."
The vines loosened, but only slightly. "Go on."
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Jackie watched the wall behind the trailer open. She could see right through. And she was... she was looking at herself. Sitting in the Wheeler's kitchen, no longer in the barstool, but up in the air. Somehow, none of the adults from the room over had noticed. It was either a blessing in disguise, or something that would only worsen things for Eddie.
Lucas and Dustin were trying to keep Erica quiet, and Max was standing on one of the chairs that could reach her, a set of headphones on Jackie's ears.
Thank God. She had stalled long enough. She knew it would only be a matter of time before her friends came to her rescue.
Caught in a landslide,
no escape from reality
"No!" Vecna hissed. He raised one of his claws to her face.
She could see the others rocking in anticipation, trying not to draw attention to themselves. It was a lot different for Jackie than it had been for Max, their cheers were silent, and they were desperately clinging to her. Dustin put his hands together like he was praying.
Open your eyes,
Look up to the skies
and see
***
"I don't mind," a younger Dustin said, Lucas smacked his arm.
"Me either. Your sister is so cool, Max."
"I know right?" Max replied, nudging Jackie's arm. "She taught me everything I need to know about skating. I ended up pretty lucky in the sisters department."
***
"Oh, shit," Jackie watched herself from two years ago widen her eyes after bumping into a different version of Steve. Her heart thundered. This had been their first ever encounter. "I'm sorry."
"All good," Steve replied, turning to her. "Oh, you're the new girl aren't you?"
"One of my many aliases," Jackie said nonchalantly, taking a sip of her punch. "Along with carrot-head and sexy beast."
"Sexy beast?" He repeated, a grin on his face. "Interesting."
"Oh, what? You disagree?"
***
Scoops Ahoy flashed before her. Redheaded Jackie from the last summer was walking in, her hair tied into ponytail, wearing her brand new shorts, grinning at the familiar face sitting in a booth, who she hadn't seen in a month.
"Dustin!" She called, and the curly-haired boy hopped out of his seat, running over to her for a hug. "I missed you, dipshit."
"I missed you too, dumbass."
***
"What're you supposed to be? James Dean?" Nancy asked, the night of the Halloween party, the party that had started everything.
"You look like the Virgin Mary so don't judge me."
Nancy laughed. Jackie realized, strung up against whatever the hell that thing was, that Nancy had been the easiest friend she'd ever made.
***
"I'm sorry!" Robin was laughing, even though she was tied up to a chair. Jackie recognized that place anywhere, the spot that was so many miles under the mall. "I'm so sorry—it's just. I can't believe I'm gonna die. In a secret Russian base with Steve 'the hair' Harrington. It's just too trippy man!"
Jackie let out an obnoxious snort. Robin could make anyone feel better, no matter the situation.
***
"Are you sick?" Jackie asked, her face swollen, and her pupils huge. "I'll make you feel better!" She puckered her lips to kiss Steve, who also looked stoned out of his mind, but he immediately put his arm on her shoulder and pushed her away.
"I have a girlfriend."
"I am your girlfriend."
"Oh. Even better. You're gorgeous..." he trailed off, his gaze unfocusing as he stared up at the ceiling. "I think I'm in love with you."
***
Steve.
She opened her eyes, glaring now.
I'm just a poor boy
I need no sympathy
"Stupid girl?" Jackie repeated, feeling for the stick in her pocket. She inched her fingers further into her jeans, before pulling it out. Her blue eyes darkened, and she thrusted it forward. The vines around her fell as Vecna stumbled back, the stick in the center of his chest. "Foolish creature."
Because I'm easy come, easy go
Jackie ran like hell. Vecna screeched behind her. Her heart felt like it was going to burst in her chest.
Any way the wind blows,
doesn't really matter to me
She ran even with the buildings around her collapsing. She ran until she felt like her lungs were going to burst. She ran until she was sure she'd be able to feel the comfort of Steve's embrace again.
To me...
And she ran until she felt herself drop onto the cold floor of the Wheeler's kitchen.
"Jackie," Max cried, cradling her. "Jackie. Oh my God."
Jackie gripped her back, Dustin, Lucas and Erica appeared in her vision seconds later. Dustin had red blotchy eyes, like he'd been crying.
"I'm okay," she whispered, repeating the phrase until she could believe it. "I'm okay."
"Oh, God." Max's eyes were as big as saucers. "Vecna's got you too."
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authors note
fully think i am a genius for choosing bohemian rhapsody specifically for the opening line, because jackie had absolutely no clue that the conversation with her mother where she got thrown out hadn't been real & she couldn't tell what was real and what was FANTASY god i <3 myself sometimes