All of a sudden I hear a banging noise on the board. And then I hear growling and snarling
...it knows I'm here
...It gets louder and louder...I scream for help knowing no one is going to come
"Help Me! Leave Me Alone! Go Away! Go Away! Go Away!"
I shoot up screaming, in a cold sweat, I check my surroundings... my head snapping left and right, breathing heavily
"Whoa, Hey, hey" I hear a voice say and to which I feel a hand on my back and another touch my hand. I turn my head to see Steve, and my breathing starts to slow down "Hey are you okay?" He asks in a soft, gentle voice
I nod and wrap my arms around him, not wanting to ever let go, he wraps his arms around me and leans back down bringing me with. I lay on his chest as he lays on his back looking up and rubbing my back.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" He asks breaking the silence
"No" I say to which I start to think...I should probably tell him about my nightmares about what happened in the upside down, if I'm gonna be open with anyone it should at least be my boyfriend. "I...do you remember when I was stuck in the upside down last year?" I ask him wanting to be truthful with him
"Yeah"
"Well, it wasn't the best experience... I don't wanna go into detail but all the bad stuff that happened just seems to never go away...and I have nightmares about it. I have actually had them ever since...." I say and the room goes silent "I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner, it's just-" I say to which he cuts me off
"Babe...it's okay...I mean yeah you should have told me sooner but I'm glad you told me now...and all those things are over now, you don't have to be scared...I promise" he saids to which makes me smile and I lean up to where we can look at each other and I kiss him. After we pull apart, I drop my head to where it lays right beside his.
And that's when I remember what happened last night. My face goes red... as I also realize that I only have a shirt and underwear on while Steve has Sweatpants on. I dig my face farther into the bed, not wanting Steve to see the red glow. And let's hope he can't hear my heat beating because for me that's the only thing I hear.
I feel his arms tighten around me torso and I feel at ease...I fall asleep knowing I was safe.
I wake up to Steve's alarm clock going off...I find myself in the same position we were in when we fell asleep. I struggle to reach Steve's alarm clock to turn it off since he had a tight grip around me. I finally reached it and turned it off. I groan as I see that Steve is still very much asleep.
I tap his face, attempting to wake him but he doesn't budge. I groan in defeat
"Steve..." I say "oh, Steve~" I sing and he still doesn't budge
"Steve Harrington get up" I say in a bit louder voice
"Steve!" I yell and I see his eyes blink and his grip losses a bit "Good morning" I say and smile to which he looks at me smiles
"Good morning" he saids in his low morning voice which makes my flush a red across my cheeks
"We have work, I advise that you to get up" I say and sitting up on the bed, wiggling my way out of his arms and he groans as I do so "I wish we could stay in bed all day too but we got stuff to do so come on get up" I say as I walk around the bed and over to him then grab his hands. I then pull him up to where he sits up on the bed. I lean over and give him a kiss on his forehead.
Steve, Robin and I were restocking the shelf's while Robin rambled about Vicki
"Then Vicki laughed. And it wasn't like a cheap, fake laugh either.it was like... it was a real, genuine laugh." Robin says walking to the aisle Steve and I were in
"Of course. It's my Muppet Joke. It's hilarious." Steve saids and then walks to the Next aisle
"My point is that Vicki laughed and everything was just like...it was perfect"
"But?" I ask knowing there was gonna be one
"But I'm having this problem where it's like, I should stop talking. I have said everything I need to say. But then I guess I get nervous, and the words keep spilling out, and it's like my...my brain is moving faster than my mouth" Robin saids as we walk to another aisle with the cart of movies "or...or rather my...my mouth is moving faster than my brain. And I'm digging this hole for myself, and I want to stop digging, I'm trying to stop, but I can't. And I'm doing it right now aren't I?" Robin asks then looking at us while Steve is leaning on the shelf and I have my head and arms on the shelf looking at her
"Yeah, you are" Steve saids to which Robin backs up to the wall and leans against it
"Oh, I'm hopeless, if only us three could just, like, combine."
"Combine?" Steve asks
"What?" I ask
"No, think about it. I can't exactly get what I want but you guys already have what you want."
"Yeah? So?" I ask
"So if we combine, I mean nothing changes for you but then all my problems will be solved, Because, I mean, alone, let's face it... I totally and utterly suck"
"Okay" I say and walk behind the counter
"Ohh, I think I found our morning movie" Robin saids running to the other side of the room and picks up a movie "Doctor Zhivago"
"Ugh, you know I don't do double VHS." Steve saids waving his hands
"But it's about doomed love" Robin saids
"Oh, well, that's relatable" Steve saids
"Precisely. Also, Julie Christie is b-b-bonkers hot in this" Robin saids as she walks behind the counter "like, seriously, the most beautiful creature, I have ever seen in my life" she saids and turns on the TV
"We're in the Forest Hills trailer park in east Ariana County." A reporter saids as Steve also walks behind the counter "We don't have a lot of details now, but we can confirm that the body of a Hawkins High student was discovered early this morning" the reported continues
"Holy shit" I say and I see Steve and Robin turn to me as I turn to the phone on the counter and dial a number it rings a few times then finally someone answers
"Hello" I heard Maxes mother, Suzan, say on the phone
"Hello, This is Y/n Henderson, um, is Max home?" I ask
"Oh, no actually she just left to go to a friends house because she said she didn't feel safe here after what happened this morning" and I sigh in relief
"Oh thank god, I actually just found out what happened and I wanted to make sure Max was safe"
"Oh, well thank you for checking up on her, it really means a lot"
"Your welcome and thanks for letting me know"
"Of course, bye-bye now"
"Bye" I say and put the phone down and sigh in relief again "So it wasn't Max at least" I say turning to the two "she apparently went to a friends house"
"That's good" Steve saids giving me a smile to which so does Robin
"Ever since that girl, Barb, died a few year ago," another lady began gaining my attention to which I see is Suzan and my heart feels like it drops after remembering my old friend Barb "it has been one thing after another" and I just stare blankly at the TV and I feel a tear fall "I'll tell ya, you start to believe all those things they say, that this town is cursed, that the devil lives here in Hawkins."
"Many of the residents we spoke to voiced similar concerns to us. Grief, shock, disbelief, anger. Everyone wants to know the same thing, how can so many tragedies befall a once-peaceful town? All eyes are now on the police for answers. Is the new chief of police, Powell, in over his head? Or is he the very savior this town needs? We'll be here the rest of the day right here on channel nine, where we'll keep you posted on all the latest developments. In the meantime, we recommend you keep your doors and windows locked tight. This Beverly Moss, signing off."
"Do you think this has to do with-" I start
"No, No way" Steve saids taking my hand
"I mean Joyce did close the gate so, this has to be just some killer....right?" Robin saids in a low voice not wanting people to hear us
"But what if it's not I mean the gate has reopened before who says it can't again" I say quietly
"By Russians, and they were stopped so this has to be something else." Steve said rubbing his thumb over mine but I couldn't get the thought away, I mean what if there was something greater going on here. We then hear the door open so I decide to stay quiet
"Hey, sis?" I hear Dustin say behind me so we three turn around to see Dustin and Max and a wave of relief hits me
"You see this?" Steve asks
"How many phones do you have?" Dustin asks
"Someone was murdered."
"How many phones do you have?"
"Two. Why?" I say and look between Steve and Robin then back at Dustin.
"Technically three, if you count Keith's in the back." Robin saids to which Dustin and max look at each other
"Yeah, three works." Max saids to which Dustin takes off his bag
"What are you doing" Steve asks then Dustin throws it over the counter
"Whoa, what are you-" I start to say but his bag then knocks stuff off on its way almost hitting us
"My pile!" Robin exclaims
Dustin then throws his body over the counter also knocking stuff over on his way
"No, No, No! My tapes! Dude" Steve saids putting his hands on his head as Dustin goes to the computer and max just runs around the counter over to him
"Dustin Henderson, what the hell are you doing?" I ask
"Setting up base of operations here." Dustin saids as I help Robin pick up the tapes
"Base of operations?" Robin asks picking up her tapes
"Stop, get off of that." Steve saids
"No, I need it" Dustin saids
"Need it for what?"
"Looking up Eddie's friends' phone numbers."
"Oh, your new best friend you think is cooler than me and y/n because he plays your nerdy game"
"Eddie, yes....I never said that"
"Seriously, you guys, maybe on a Monday you can play around in here like toddlers, but it's Saturday. It's our busiest day" Robin saids going to stand by Dustin
"All right, look, Robin, I empathize, but this cannot wait until Monday." Dustin reply's
"What because calling all of Eddie's friends is an emergency?" I ask and
"Correct!" Dustin yells
"Want me to strangle him or you want to?" Steve asks me as he walks up to me helping me get the rest of the things that fell
"We could take turns." I say and smile to which he does too and turns back to kids seeing how I am done
"Can you just fill them in while I do this?" Dustin asks
"Fill us in on what?" I ask walking over
"So...the high schooler that died was Chrissy Cunningham and she was in Eddies trailer...um but the thing is that I saw her go home with him and then I saw Eddie run out of his trailer yelling and then driving away like a maniac....but the thing is before I did the lights in my trailer were flickering and Eddie looked scared like really scared I think he saw something happen to her and fled because he didn't know what to do and was terrified but we don't know so we are trying to find him so he can tell us what happened." Max explains
"I told you" I said looking between Robin and Steve then back at Dustin and Max and them giving a confused look
I watch as Robin, Max, and Dustin call people and Steve assist customers to which I am currently watching him considering he is assisting a girl a pretty one to that...I can't hear what their saying though. I turn my head not wanting to get more jealous then I already am
"Hey, guys, I might have a lead." Max finally saids
"Seriously" Dustin says turning around
"Yeah, Apparently, Eddie gets his drugs from some guy named Reefer Rick, and sometimes Eddie crashes there."
"That sounds promising. Where does this Reefer Rick guy live?" Robin asks
"See, that's the thing. No one knows. He's more of a... a legend than someone that people actually know."
"Well what about a last name?" Dustin asks
"I don't know that either."
"Bet the cops know the last name" Steve saids from behind us to which we turn to see him stocking a basket of tapes
"What?" I ask as we all look at him in disbelief
"The cops, I mean, listen, if this Reefer Rick is actually a drug dealer." Steve saids turning around and walking over to the counter then leaning on it "I guarantee you he's been busted at some point. Means he's in the system."
"The cops?" Dustin asks "Really, Steve? That's your suggestion?"
"I mean I think they should be filled in on what we know, what's going on"
"You think Eddie's guilty, don't you?"
"Here we go" I quietly say
"Whoa, I believe in the innocent until proven guilty, all that constitutional shit. I just, you know don't think we can rule it out."
"That's precisely what we're trying to do here, Steve." Max saids
"And maybe we'd have a little bit more luck if you spent less time trying to flirt with girls when you have the best girlfriend you could ask for right in front of you" Dustin saids pointing at me "and more time trying to find Eddie"
"Oh well, somebody has to attend to the customers."
"Especially if they're babes, right" I say
"Hey, not fair. Okay? I attend to all customers equally, babes and non-babes alike." Steve saids as he ignores the customer that just came in "we've got a very big selection in here. It can be super overwhelming for these people."
"Yeah, it can be." Robin saids and goes over to the computer to which max go to her side and I stand behind her
"What are you doing?" I ask
"Maybe we don't need a last name" Robin saids and Steve runs around the counter while Dustin stands beside Max then Steve stands on Robins other side Robin keeps typing and then names start to pop up
"Twelve Ricks have accounts here." Robin saids
"That's a lot of Ricks." Max saids
"So, let's narrow it down." Robin saids "Rick Alderman's latest rentals are Annie and Dumbo. What are the chances out drug dealer has a family?"
"Not likely" max saids
"All right. Rick Conroy, Sixteen candles, Teen wolf, and Romancing the Stone"
"No" Steve, Max, Dustin, and I say
"Okay Rick Joiner. Mask, Footloose, and Grease"
"No" we all say again
"Rick Kimbrough. The Blue Lagoon and Splash" she saids and we all laugh and say No
"Okay. Rick Lipton. Fast times at Ridgemont high, Cheech & Chong's Next Movie, Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams. Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke"
"Bingo" Dustin saids
"Lipton?" Max saids
"Spelled like the tea. 2121 Holland Road." Robin saids
"That's out by Lovers Lake" Dustin saids
"Middle of Nowhere" I say
"It's a perfect place to hide." Robin saids
They all rush out of the building running to Steve's car while I was about to buy heard a clock sound
"Y/n" Robin says getting my attention "Come on" I look back where the clock sound came from then ran out the door to Steve's car
Robin locks the door and changes the sign to "Closed" I hop in the passenger seat and everyone else gets in the back except Steve who drives
We pull up to a house with the mailbox that had Lipton on it
Dustin rings the doorbell, but then no one answers so Dustin rings it again and then rings it multiple times
"Okay. Well, that's settled. I guess he's not here." Steve saids and then Dustin starts to knock on the door continuously
"Eddie! It's Dustin!" Dustin yells
"Great! Great!" Steve saids
I ignore the two and shine my light into the windows to which I don't see anything and then continue down the side of the house when I turn the corner I am met with a shed beside the lake
"Hey, guys!" I say getting their attention "you might wanna see this" I say and they run over and look towards the shed
We walk down to the shed and shine our flashlights in the window to see nothing but darkness then Robin opens the door and walks in to which we all follow
"Hello?" Robin calls "is anyone home"
"What a dump" Steve saids
I see Steve turn his flashlight off and pick up a oar then starts to hit the tarp
"What are you doing?" Dustin and I ask in unison and Steve continues to stab the tarp
"What are you doing?" I repeat
"He might be in here" Steve saids
"So take the tarp off" Dustin saids
"If your so brave, you take the tarp off" Steve remarks
"Fine I will" I say and start to walk to the corner but Steve takes my arm and pulls me back
"I wasn't being serious" Steve saids and I roll my eyes
Steve then continues to stab the tarp making his way down to the end
"Maybe he heard us. Got spooked and ran" we hear Robin say
"Don't worry. Steve will get him with his oar." Dustin and I say in unison again to which I slap him in the arm and he glares at me
"I know you think you're being funny Henderson, but considering everything in this room has nearly died a hundred times," Steve starts and turns to Dustin and I "Personally, I don't find it funny in the slight-" Steve is then interrupted by a black shadow jumping out of the tarp to which I pull Dustin back while Steve jumps back
"Wait, wait, wait, wait" Steve yells as the shadow appears to be Eddie and he pins Steve against the wall with a broken glass bottle to his neck "whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa"
"Eddie, Eddie!" Dustin yells "Stop! Eddie! Eddie!" And Eddie looks at him "it's me. It's Dustin. This is Steve." Dustin saids pointing at Steve "he's not gonna hurt you right, Steve?
"Right yeah" Steve saids
"Steve, why don't you drop the oar?" I say and he drops it to which Eddie presses the glass deeper into Steve's neck and he groans and I was about to put my hand up to push Eddie away but Robin held my hand down
"He's cool. He's cool" Dustin saids
"I'm cool, man, I'm cool" Steve saids
"What are you doing here?" Eddie asks
"We're looking for you." Dustin saids
"we're here to help" Robin saids
"Eddie, these are my friends. You know Y/n, she's my sister, she played D&D with us like twice. You know Robin, from band" and Robin inmates the clarinet "this is my friend Max. The one who never wants to play D&D." And max gives a wave
"Eddie, we're on your side." I say
"We swear on our Mother!" Dustin saids
"On our Mother" I say "Right, guys?"
"Yes, yes we swear." Max saids
"On their Mother" Robin saids
"Yeah, their Mother...their mother." Steve saids then Eddie let's go to which Steve sinks and bends over and I run to him
"Are you okay?" I ask looking in his eyes frowning my eyebrows and looking him in the eyes
"No, not really" Steve saids and sits down leaning over to which I take his hand
"Eddie" Dustin saids "we just wanna talk." He reaches his hand to take the bottle but Eddie pulls back "okay." Robin and Max slowly walk over and Dustin puts a hand up telling them slow down
"We want to know what happened" Robin saids
"You won't believe me" Eddie saids sniffing. I let go of Steve's hand and walk over
"Try us" I say as I stand behind Dustin
"Her body, just like, lifted up into the air and, uh... and she just, like, hung there. In the air. And her bones...uh, she.....her bones started to snap. Her eyes, man. It...it was like there was something, like, inside her head, pulling. I... I didn't know what to do, so I... I ran away. I left her there." He explains and then looks at us then scoffs "you all think I'm crazy, right?"
"No. We don't think your crazy at all." Dustin saids
"Now don't bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds." Eddie saids and his voice breaks
"We're not bullshitting you" I say
"We believe you" Robin saids
"Look, what I'm about to tell you might be a little... difficult to take" Dustin yells Eddie
"Okay" Eddie saids
"You know how people say Hawkins is...cursed? They're not way off. There's another world, A world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours"
"Like ghosts and shit?"
"There are some things, worse than ghosts." I say "These monsters from this other world... we thought they were gone. But they've come back before."
"And That's why we needed to find you." Dustin saids
"If they're back again, we need to know." Max saids
"That night, did you see anything?" Robin asks
"Dark particles, maybe?" Max asks
"It would almost look like dust, swirling dust." Dustin saids
"No man, there was nothing you could see or, uh... or touch" Eddie saids "you know, I tried to wake her, man. She couldn't move. It was like she... she was in a trance or something." Eddie saids
"Or under a spell" Dustin saids
"A curse" Eddie saids
"Vecna's Curse" I say
"Who's Vecna?" Steve asks
"An undead creature of great power." Dustin saids
"A spell caster." Eddie saids
"A dark wizard" I say
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