Gemma, My Gem
Chapter 20 - Vecna's Curse
Flashback
Hopper and Rudy are trapped by the laser beam that's slowly reopening the gate.
They both smile, sadly and nod at Joyce, telling her it's ok for her to close it.
"Tell Steve that I'm sorry and tell Gemma that I love her more than anything." Rudy calls out as tears stream down his face.
Tears stream down Joyce's face and she nods before turning both keys.
As the laser gun explodes, Hopper and Rudy look over their shoulders before running off.
They continue running until they reach the end of the railing.
They both scream as they jump over it, just missing the explosion.
Moments later, Hopper and Rudy gasp as they regain consciousness and share a relieved look.
Present day
The next morning, Gemma's in the bathroom, vomiting in the toilet, when she hears her alarm clock going off.
Gemma groans and rubs her stomach as she flushes the toilet and gets up.
After washing her hands, Gemma continues to rub her stomach as she heads out the bathroom and enters her room.
She shuts off her alarm clock and heads back out her room.
She heads to the kitchen and grabs a bottle of Tylenol from the cabinet.
She takes a couple pills out and swallows them dry.
She's about to put it back into the cabinet when she hears a door open.
She turns around and sees Max heading in her direction.
She hands her the Tylenol when she feels that wave of nausea again.
Gemma quickly runs to the trash can, opens it, and vomits again.
Just then, she and Max hear police sirens and share a look.
They exit their trailer and see the police approaching Eddie's trailer.
"Looks like that Munson boy's up to no good again. What do I keep telling you, Gemma? You need to stay away from him." Susan says, looking at her.
Right on cue, that wave of nausea hits Gemma again and she quickly heads back into the trailer.
Max walks over to Eddie's trailer when Gemma comes back outside.
After Max looks inside Eddie's trailer, one of the cops goes over to her and tells her to get back inside.
Max looks into the trailer once more before running off.
****
The stepsisters head to Dustin's and when he opens the door, he looks at them, confused.
"Chrissy Cunningham? You're sure it was Chrissy?" Dustin asks, pacing around his room.
"Yes, she was in her cheerleader outfit. It was the same thing she was in when I saw her with Eddie and briefly Gem." Max says.
"Did either of you tell all this to the cops?" Dustin asks, looking back and forth between the stepsisters.
"No." The stepsisters simultaneously says.
"But we...we can't be the only ones who saw them together. I mean, they stood out." Max adds.
"Eddie the freak with Chrissy the cheerleader?" Dustin asks.
"Exactly. You know, his name's not on the news yet or anything, but I guarantee you Eddie is suspect number one right now." Max says.
Gemma widens her eyes.
"That's crazy. Eddie didn't do this. No way." Dustin says.
"Exactly, I agree. He's not a killer." Gemma says.
"Well, we can't rule it out." Max says.
"Yes, we can!" Dustin and Gemma simultaneously says.
"Gem! Dustin!" Max says.
"You don't know him like I do, Max. Ok? When we got to high school, Lucas made all his sports friends. Mike and me? I mean, no one was nice to us. No one expect Eddie." Dustin says.
Gemma smiles a little before turning back to her stepsister.
"Ok, well, I mean, they said the same shit about Ted Bundy." Max says.
Dustin and Gemma furrow their eyebrows in confusion.
"Yeah, he's like a super nice guy, but then he's murdering women on the weekend." Max says before giving Gemma a 'you'll be next if you're not careful' look.
"So you're saying Eddie is like Ted Bundy?" Dustin asks.
"No..." Max starts to say.
"Yes, you are." Gemma interrupts.
"No, I'm not! I'm not saying...I'm saying...I'm saying that we can't presume anything, ok? But it doesn't look good for Eddie." Max says.
Gemma's about to respond when that wave of nausea hits her again.
She sighs and holds onto her stomach as she runs out the room.
She enters the bathroom, slams the door behind her, and vomits into the toilet.
"Gem!" Max says, a few moments later, knocking on the door.
"What?" Gemma asks before vomiting again.
"We gotta go!" Max says.
Gemma vomits once more before flushing the toilet and getting up.
"Have you guys talked to anyone else?" Dustin asks as he and the stepsisters walk down the hall.
"No." Gemma says.
"We can't find Lucas or Nancy and Mike's in..." Max trails off.
"California. Shit, shit, shit." Dustin says.
"Dusty, where are you going?" Claudia asks as Dustin opens the door for the stepsisters.
"To see a friend." Dustin says.
"You heard the news. It's not safe." Claudia panics.
"Good point, we'll be extra careful. Thanks, Mom, I love you, bye." Dustin says before shutting the door behind him.
Flashback
After Rudy and Hopper climbed the ladder, they sprawl across the floor, trying to get up.
They look up and see a group of Russian soldiers towering over them.
"Where do you two think you're going?" One of the soldiers asks in Russian.
He's about to knock Rudy out with his gun first since he's closest to him, but Rudy rolls over to the side, dodging it, and the gun knocks Hopper out instead.
Rudy looks at Hopper, horrified, when the gun hits the back of his head, knocking him out.
Several minutes later, the Russian soldiers leave Hopper's interrogation room and heads over to Rudy's.
Rudy's handcuffed to the ceiling and he grunts as he tries to struggle out of them when the two soldiers enter the room.
"Get the fuck away from me." Rudy says in Russian.
The soldiers smirk, evilly as they walk closer to him.
"I said get the fuck away from me!" Rudy yells in Russian.
He swings himself and kicks the first soldier in the area.
The second soldier grabs his face but Rudy bites his finger off.
The soldier screams as he stares at his hand, horrified and Rudy spits his finger out and smirks as blood drips down his chin.
The first soldier grabs Rudy's throat and chokes him.
"Enough!" The soldier says in Russian before letting him go.
"Fuck you." Rudy says in Russian after catching his breath.
"Who do you work with?" The soldier asks in English.
"Nobody! I'm a goddamn teenager!" Rudy yells in English in his face, some spit hitting him.
The soldier glares at him as he wipes his face before pulling out a picture of Joyce.
"This woman...who is she?" The soldier asks.
"Your mom." Rudy says.
The soldier shakes his head before looking over his shoulder at the second soldier who's still looking at his hand, horrified.
"Get the other elephant!" The soldier instructs in Russian.
A group of soldiers force Rudy onto a chair and handcuff his hands and feet.
They then put a mask with a hose sticking out the front over his head.
"You want to die for this woman too, young American?" The main soldier asks, getting in his face.
"Wait, I know who she is!" Rudy says, his voice muffled.
The soldiers share a look before the main one takes the mask off Rudy's head.
"Who is she?" The soldier asks.
"Your grandma." Rudy says.
The soldier lets out an angry grunt before putting the mask back on Rudy.
He backs up and another soldier crouches down and squeezes the hose.
Rudy struggles to breathe and after a few moments, he passes out.
Present day
Dustin and the stepsisters bike to Family Video and quickly heads inside.
"Hey Steve." Dustin says as he and the stepsisters walk up to the front counter.
"You guys see this?" Steve asks, pointing at the tv playing the news.
"How many phones do you have?" Dustin asks.
"Someone was murdered." Steve says.
"How many phones do you have?" Dustin asks again.
"Two. Why?" Steve asks.
"Technically three, if you count Keith's in the back." Robin says.
"Three works." The stepsisters simultaneously says.
"What are you doing?" Steve asks when he sees Dustin taking his backpack off.
In response, Dustin throws his backpack over the counter, knocking some tapes over.
"My pile!" Robin says.
Dustin jumps over the counter, knocking the rest of them over.
"No, no, no! My tapes! Dude! What are you doing, man?" Steve asks as he goes over to Dustin who's now on the computer.
"Setting up base of operations here." Dustin says.
"Base of operations?" Robin asks.
"Stop. Get off of that. Steve says.
"No, I need it." Dustin says.
"Need it for what?" Steve asks.
"Looking up Eddie's friends phone numbers." Dustin says.
"Oh, Eddie. Your new best friend you think is cooler because he plays your nerdy game?" Steve asks.
"I never said that." Dustin says.
"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 says, setting the tapes back on the counter.
"Alright look, Robin, I totally emphasize, but this cannot wait until Monday." Dustin says.
"What, 'cause calling Eddie's friends is an emergency?" Robin asks, rolling her eyes.
"Correct!" Dustin says.
"Alright, do you want me to strangle him or do you want to do that?" Steve whispers to Robin.
"We can take turns." Robin jokes.
"Can one of you guys fill them in while I do this?" Dustin asks the stepsisters.
After sharing a look, Max turns to Steve and Robin and Gemma goes to the phone and dials Reefer Rick's number.
Flashback
The Russians throw an unconscious Rudy to the ground.
The old Russian soldier crouches down and checks his pulse.
"Still alive. But he is barely breathing. More of this and he will die." The old soldier says in Russian.
"You are strong, young American. Just like the old one. Perhaps the Motherland could use both your strengths. Send them to Kamachatka!" The other soldier says the last sentence in Russian.
As Rudy is being dragged away, he regains consciousness.
He looks over to the side and sees Hopper who's still unconscious, being dragged as well.
Rudy bites one of the soldier's wrist and the soldier screams as he lets go of him.
Rudy screams as he elbows the second soldier's chin, freeing himself completely.
Rudy gets up from the ground and after he turns around, he's about to punch the soldier when the first soldier grabs him from behind.
The soldier throws Rudy into the brick wall before grabbing him and slamming him against the ground over and over until he's knocked out again.
After Hopper gets thrown into the back of the van, Rudy gets thrown in after him and the soldier slams the door shut.
Present day
For the next several minutes, Dustin, Max, and Robin make phone calls, Gemma's in the bathroom, vomiting again, and Steve tries and fails to flirt with the customers.
"Hey guys. I have a lead." Gemma hears Max say as she exits the bathroom.
"Seriously?" Dustin asks as he and Robin turn to her.
"Yeah. Apparently, Eddie gets drugs from some guy named Reefer Rick, and sometimes Eddie crashes there." Max says.
Gemma presses her lips together, knowingly as she walks up next to her.
"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." Max says.
"What about a last name?" Dustin asks.
"I don't know that either." Max says.
"I do. It's Lipton." Gemma says.
"What?" Dustin asks as he, Steve, Robin, and Max turn to her.
"Reefer Rick's last name is Lipton. And I know where he lives. He lives right by Lovers Lake." Gemma says.
Everyone but Max looks at her, surprised, and Gemma furrows her eyebrows.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go." Gemma says before walking off.
Max raises her eyebrows before going after her and Steve, Robin, and Dustin follow them.
Flashback
In a Kamachatka prison, Hopper and Rudy get their hair shaved off.
After they get hosed down, they change into their prison uniform and heads to where the other prisoners are.
"You are no longer men. You are cogs in a machine. A machine in service of our great Motherland. And if you are foolish enough to attempt escape, you will be hunted down. You will be captured. And then you will suffer greatly as you perform your final act for the Motherland. There will be no second chances." The warden says to the prisoners in Russian.
He walks up to Hopper and Rudy who are staring at him, blankly.
"Run, you die. You hear, Americans?" The warden asks in English.
Hopper and Rudy nods and the warden smirks before going back to the other prisoners.
Present day
It is nighttime by the time the group arrives to Reefer Rick's house.
They walk up to the front door and Dustin rings the doorbell.
He rings it a couple times before ringing it, rapidly.
"Ok, well, that's settled. I guess he's not here." Steve says.
"He's here. I know he is." Gemma says before walking off.
"Gemma? Gemma, where're you going?" Steve asks, going after her.
Dustin, Robin, and Max share a look before going after them.
Gemma leads the others over to the shed before turning to them.
"He's probably in here. Shh, be quiet." Gemma says, putting a finger to her lips as she quietly opens the door.
"Hello? Is anyone home?" Robin calls out as she and the others follow Gemma inside.
"Robin! What did I just say?!" Gemma whisper yells.
"Sorry." Robin whispers.
"What a dump." Steve mutters.
After he turns his flashlight off, he grabs an oar and pokes at the tarp in the canoe.
"What are you doing?" Dustin asks.
"He might be in here." Steve says, still poking the tarp.
"So take the tarp off." Dustin says.
"If you're so brave, you take the tarp off." Steve says before continuing to poke at it.
"Hey. Look over here." Max says.
Gemma and Robin go over to her and sees a table full of wrappers and empty beer bottles.
"Someone was here." Max says.
"You mean, he was here." Gemma says.
"Maybe he heard us. Got spooked and ran." Robin suggests.
Gemma shakes her head.
"No. We would've seen him. He's in here." Gemma says.
"Don't worry. Steve will get him with his oar." Dustin says, sarcastically.
"I know you think you're being funny, Henderson, but considering everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times, personally, I don't find it funny in the slight..." Steve starts to say.
Eddie jumps up from the canoe and slams Steve against the wall, holding a broken beer bottle to his throat.
"Eddie! Stop! Eddie! Eddie!" Dustin yells, running over to Eddie.
"Don't hurt him, Eddie!" Gemma yells, running up next to Dustin.
Eddie looks at them with a mixture of anger and terror.
"It's us. It's Dustin and Gemma. This is Steve. He's not gonna hurt you, right Steve?" Dustin asks.
"Right. Yeah." Steve says.
"Steve, why don't you drop the oar?" Dustin asks.
Steve does what he's told but Eddie holds the beer bottle closer to his throat.
"Eddie, no! Stop!" Gemma yells.
"He's cool. He's cool." Dustin says, desperately.
"I'm cool, man. I'm cool." Steve says.
"What are you guys doing here?" Eddie asks.
"Why do you think?" Gemma asks in a calming tone.
Eddie looks at her and his eyes soften.
Dustin furrows his eyebrows at this but brushes it off.
"We're looking for you." Dustin says.
"We're here to help." Robin says.
"Eddie, these are our friends. You know Robin, from band." Dustin says.
Robin imitates playing the trumpet, nervously.
"This is my friend and Gemma's stepsister, Max. The one who never wants to play D&D." Dustin says.
Max waves awkwardly.
"How exactly do you know him, Gemma?" Dustin asks, looking at her.
"Dustin. Not the time." Gemma says, rolling her eyes at him.
Dustin sighs, knowing she's right before turning back to Eddie.
"Eddie. We're on your side. I swear on my mother. Right, guys?" Dustin asks.
"Yes. Yes, we swear." Max says.
"On Dustin's mother." Robin says.
"Yeah, Dustin's...Dustin's mother." Steve says.
"Eddie...let Steve go. Please." Gemma says.
After a moment of tense silence, Eddie does what he's told and goes to the other side of the shed.
Robin and Max check on Steve and Gemma glances back at him as she follows Dustin over to Eddie.
"Eddie...we just want to talk." Dustin says.
He slowly reaches for the beer bottle but Eddie jerks it back.
"Ok." Dustin says, holding his hand up.
He looks at Gemma who sighs.
Robin goes over to them and crouches down.
"We want to know what happened." Robin says.
"You won't believe me." Eddie says, shaking his head.
"Oh, yeah?" Gemma asks.
"Try us." Max says.
Eddie lets out a shaky breath before telling the group what happened.
"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 didn't know what to do, so I...I ran away. I left her there. You all think I'm crazy, right?" Eddie asks, facepalming.
"No. We don't think you're crazy." Dustin says.
"Don't bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds." Eddie says.
"We're not bullshitting you." Max says.
"We believe you." Robin says.
"Look...what I'm about to tell you might be a little...difficult to take." Dustin says.
"Ok." Eddie says, hesitantly.
"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." Dustin says.
"Like ghosts and shit?" Eddie asks.
"No." Gemma says.
"There are some things worse than ghosts." Max says.
"These monsters from this other world...we thought they were gone. But they've come back before. That's why we needed to find you." Dustin says.
"If they're back again, we need to know." Max says.
"That night, did you see anything?" Robin asks.
"Dark particles, maybe?" The stepsisters simultaneously ask.
"It would almost look like dust. Swirling dust." Dustin says.
"No, man, there was nothing you could see, or, uh...or touch. You know, I tried to wake her, man. She couldn't move. It was like she...she was in a trance or something." Eddie says.
"Or under a spell." Dustin says.
"A curse." Eddie says.
"Vecna's curse." Dustin says.
"Vecna?" Gemma asks.
"Who's Vecna?" Steve asks.
"An undead creature of great power." Dustin says.
"A spell caster." Eddie says.
"A dark wizard." Dustin finishes.