-Steve's perspective-
After we got into the car with meeting with Nancy about the updates on the whole Vecna thing I hear static from the walkie-talkie.
"Steve! Steve pick up please!"
I went running to the walkie almost tripping over myself to get to it.
"STEVE PLEASE"
"Yeah I'm here Henderson what's going on?"
"Vecna has Eddie. At least I think so. He's not listening to me and his eyes are rolled back and..."
Shit. shit. shit. shit.
Nancy walked over casually not hearing the conversation "what's going on?"
"Vecna has Eddie."
I grabbed Nancy and threw her in the car "buckle up it's going to be a bumpy ride."
Nancy gasped and looked at me sternly for manhandling her.
"Sorry for being rough I just... you know stuff that I don't and we need to find a way to save him so please talk with Dustin."
I quickly started the engine. Robin awkwardly stood with Max and Lucas. "Watch the kids please!" I yelled while driving past them.
Robin lifted up her hands and looked to the kids "guess I'm the babysitter for now."
"Nance what's the game plan."
Nancy fumbled with the walkie-talkie to press the button "Dustin you there?"
There was static before a shaken Dustin "yeah I'm here. He's... not doing great."
"SHIT!" I yell while hitting my hand on the steering wheel making Nancy flinch.
"Is there any uh music in the shed?"
"NOWS NOT THE TIME FOR MUSIC NANCY." Dustin yells back into the walkie-talkie.
"Yeah I know but... I just spoke with someone that I think survived Vecna and... he said that the voice of an angel helped him. That angel was from a song." Nancy probably didn't make any sense to Dustin but put on the spot no one makes sense.
"Shit okay uh I'll look for music I guess." Dustin says back into the walkie-talkie.
I'm speeding down every road I'm on to try and get there as soon as possible. Please don't die. Don't die.
I pull up to the corner and leave my car still running as I run into the shed leaving Nancy behind. Eddie's floating...yeah that's... that's not good.
"Henderson! Did you find anything?!" I yell not knowing where he was.
Dustin came running back over. "Well... yes... but I don't think he even knows this song."
"Did you find a way to play it?" I frantically grab the tape
"yeah, he has a boom box... it's not exactly discrete though."
"I don't care give it to me." I say before Dustin scoots the boom box to in front of me.
I hurry and put the tape in and slam it shut to hit the play button.
...of course it's this song.
🎶I wanted to be with you alone
And talk about the weather
But traditions I can trace against the child in your face
Won't escape my attention🎶
Dustin looked at me awkwardly and shrugged "it's all I could find dude."
I sighed and got closer to Eddie. "Please... if you can hear me...come back. There's still more we need to do. You haven't...shown me any of those other movies... remember Halloween? We only watched like three... you said you had a lot. We could...we could watch them together."
I grabbed Eddie's hand and squeezed it tightly "please. I need you to wake up."
-Eddie's perspective-
Between the yells of the shells of people that I knew I heard a faint song. I knew this song.
Where did I know this song?
🎶You keep your distance via the system of touch
And gentle persuasion
I'm lost in admiration, could I need you this much?
Oh, you're wasting my time
You're just, just, just wasting time🎶
Oh...it's... the song I... it played when I realized...
I heard a familiar voice in the distance
"Please... if you can hear me...come back. There's still more we need to do. You haven't...shown me any of those other movies... remember Halloween? We only watched like three... you said you had a lot. We could...we could watch them together."
Steve?
Things slowly turned a darker red as I heard a pounding sound growing closer and closer.
"They don't need you Eddie. Let me end your suffering."
I shook my head "It sounds like they do."
As I turned around I saw a creature that looked like the flesh had been ripped off of them. "You inconvenience them Eddie. They would be better without you."
I felt my breath start to pick up. This... this can't be it... I... Henderson. I need to for Henderson.
I tried to look around for an exit.
All I could see was a bright light. And then... I faintly saw them. Henderson and Steve.
"please. I need you to wake up. We need you to wake up."
I felt myself running towards them. The creature didn't even try to catch up. It's like...he knew I would fail.
Memories flashes through my head as I ran.
Steve's first D&D night.
Defeating Vecna for the first time as a group.
Defeating him again while the team put everything on the line.
My uncle taking me in and telling me that I never had to worry again.
Meeting Chrissy again in the woods.
Our movie night.
Steve calling me handsome.
Playing my guitar for the first time and sucking the life out of everyone because of how bad I played.
Playing our first gig as a band.
I still have so much to live for. I haven't graduated. I've never even kissed anyone. I'm tough talk until it actually is the time to do something.
I need...I need to do those things. I'm going to do those things. I need to be...who I wanted to be. Who I can be.
I'm coming you guys. I'm coming. I'm running as fast as I can.
Things were crashing down around me but I didn't care. I needed to see them. At least one more time.
🎶Something happens and I'm head over heels
I never find out until I'm head over heels
Something happens and I'm head over heels
Ah, don't take my heart, don't break my heart
Don't, don't, don't throw it away🎶
I was overwhelmed with light as I leaped.
I felt pain in my back as I thudded to the ground. I felt someone brush the hair out of my face and caress my cheek.
"Please be alright..."
I gasped for air and lifted the upper half of my body causing me to bump heads with Harrington.
"Oh shit... sorry dude."
Harrington was holding onto his head but quickly stopped to hug me. "Don't scare us like that again."
I awkwardly hugged him back. "I'll try not to. It wasn't something I enjoyed"
Henderson sniffled in the corner.
"Dude are you crying?" I tease while getting up.
"I thought you were a goner! Of course I'm crying."
I laughed and hugged him lightly "I'm not going anywhere, Henderson."
-Steve's Perspective-
Everything was how it should be. Eddie was safe. Henderson was happy. I was happy. I awkwardly joined the hug. I was a third wheel but who cares.
"Truly touching." I hear from a mysterious voice near the door frame.
I turn to see the one person who shouldn't have known about the hideout. Jason.
He casually walked towards us picking up dust with his finger. What was his game plan here? "Whatever devil worshipping shit you guys got on here...I'm putting an end to it. I don't give a damn if Eddie was floating. He's going to pay for what he did."
"Well you don't really have an army to back you up." Eddie jokes pointing towards behind Jason.
Jason smiled and whistled. Shadows of others came from around the corners of the door frame. The basketball team. Damn it. How did they find us?
"Thanks for the music, boys." Jason smiled while bringing his bat to his shoulder. "Really helped us find you. Not everyone plays music around here."
I sighed and palmed my forehead. Of course. How could I be so dumb? This is my fault. I should have found another way.
"Look man, it's not what it looks like." Eddie says while lifting his hands up. "We can talk this out."
"I disagree. This is EXACTLY what it looks like. Satan worshipping freaks sacrificed Chrissy for their sick game. Now you're gonna pay."
The small shed soon started to be cramped by jock frames. We soon were backed into a corner. There was no way out.
Eddie sighed and picked up a crowbar before bashing a window in next to him. "Run."
We hurried through the broken side window of the shed. At this point we didn't care if glass got on us. It was way less harm than whatever Jason had in mind.
As we ran through the woods I looked behind me to see Eddie making sure that we were always ahead of him in pace.
"You're so DEAD!" Jason yelled before jumping through the window as well getting glass in his hair.
"Guys run faster!" I yell as I see the jocks catching up to Eddie.
I feel myself starting to hold my breath. They can't get him. They just can't.
"We're trying our best!" Dustin yells basically panting while holding his chest.
"Do better then!" I yell trying to find a way out of this.
As I felt water start to soak through my shoes, I realized. We're by the lake.
I frantically look for a boat.
There's one around the corner, but it would mean more running. Can they do it?
"There's a boat!" I yell while gesturing to follow me.
The boys hurried and followed my lead.
Somehow we got into the boat before they got to us... but the boat wasn't starting. Damn it.
Eddie grabbed a paddle from the side and started to paddle as fast as he could. Dustin followed suit.
I think we're going to lose em. We're halfway in when I hear a splash.
"Not getting rid of us that easy, freaks." Jason says before starting to swim closer. His friends holding onto his varsity jacket and clothes.
Soon some of his friends followed him.
Christ...we're not going to get out of this one alive, are we?
The sound of a canon ball hit our ears as we turned around to see something we wouldn't imagine for that group.
A jock was floating. Not on water. In mid air. Vecna.
"Stop it." Jason says while rocking the boat angrily.
"We're not doing this." Dustin says matter of fact. Pulling up his hat to look at the boy floating.
"I SAID STOP THIS." Jason says while pushing the boat hard out of frustration.
Soon my field of vision went dark. My body felt light. There was a loud splash.
Are...we in the lake?
I soon feel a hand on my shoulder pulling me up. "Harrington, I hate to say it but this is our time to run."
-Eddie's Perspective-
Pulling Steve by the hand we got out of the lake. So much happened in the span of what felt like less than a day, it didn't feel real.
Part of me wished it wasn't real. I would wake up in my bed to get ready for school. This was real though. This was my life now. A fugitive on the run.
"Where's Dustin?" Steve cuts my train of thought off with a panic in his voice. He started to look around anxiously.
"I already got him dude. He's at skull rock. I had to come back for you." I say while patting his shoulder. "Dustin is safe."
Steve took a sigh of relief and started to wring out his clothes. Wow..he's soaked. His hair hanging in his face as he tried to wring out the excess fabric on his body.
"Take a picture it'll last longer." He frowned.
"Sorry...just haven't seen your hair be well..." I shrugged before starting to walk forward. "Perfect I guess? You always style it."
"Dude I'm anything but perfect."
"Now, Now Harrington I never said that. I said your hair was perfect."
Steve's face turned a light red as he caught up with me in pace.
"Are you cold? We could try and get a fire going at the rock"
He sighed and flipped his hair out of his face. "It's best we stay discrete."
I nodded and continued to walk. I knew Harrington probably wasn't in the mood so we just walked in silence for a bit.
"I don't think I ever realized how long your hair is." Steve says out of the blue.
"What? It's not that long..." I say while grabbing it self consciously.
"It's not bad it's...unexpected. Your curls make it look shorter....that's all."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Did Steve want to be my friend? Was it because of Henderson that he gave a damn about me? Did he mean what he said at the party?
"I gotta admit." I nervously state "I don't know what you want with me. I mean... we get close and then you push me away."
Steve stopped in his tracks and squatted while putting his hands to his forehead in a praying position. "Honestly, Eddie...I don't know."
I awkwardly squatted next to him putting my hand on his shoulder. "Well...when you do figure it out. I'll be willing to hear what you want."
Steve looked up at me quickly. His eyes shinning with the moon hitting them. God...Steve... don't look at me like that.
I feel my face warm up as I stand up quickly. "We gotta keep moving, yeah?"
Steve dusted himself off and started to walk again.
The walk was awkward after that until we met up with Henderson.
"Oh, come on! We narrowly escaped death and you guys still hate each other? What's up with that?" Henderson says before slouching on the rock.
"That's not it we're just uncomfortable." Steve states before slouching with Dustin as well.
I nodded and sat on the ground. "So what's the game plan now...?"
Steve looked at Dustin and I for a while before stating "the same. We save as many people as we can."
Dustin's eyes lit up by how heroic Steve was. To be honest, mine were probably as well.
Steve was a badass.