SPLITTING UP
March 23rd, 1986
⏰ 3:00 pm, 📍Hawkins, Indiana
༺♥༻ The five are back at Reefer Ricks house for Eddie.
He asked for food so Steve and Stephanie went out before everyone met up to get him enough to last a few days.
The problem is Eddie wasn't exactly warned that they're coming so when everyone basically runs through the door, Eddie almost falls to the ground, holding the infamous broken beer bottle.
Dustin walks in with the biggest smile. "Delivery service!"
Eddie sighs and rolls his eyes as Max snd Stephanie give awkward waves.
Dustin gives the bags to Eddie and he tears through them like a raccoon digging through the trash.
"So we got, uh, some good news and some bad news." Dustin sighs, sitting down on a nearby stool. "How do you prefer it?"
"Bad news first, always." Eddie says through bites of food.
"Alright, bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they're definitely looking for you." Dustin sucks through his teeth, not wanting to actually say the bad news.
"Also, they're pretty convinced you killed Chrissy." Stephanie adds, the same twisted up expression as Dustin.
Max nods. "Like, a hundred perfect kind of convinced."
Eddie turns back to Dustin. "And the good news?"
"Your name hasn't gone public yet." Robin answers for Dustin. "But if we found out about you, it's only a matter of time before others do, too. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for you."
"Hunt the freak, right?" Eddie looks up to Robin.
"Oh, speaking of hunt, uh, I talked to Lucas this morning and apparently Jason and his goons are you know, hunting you down." Stephanie adds to the conversation. She realizes that everyone had gone quiet, meaning that it probably wasn't the best time to break the news. "Not that that's...the good news." She clears her throat and looks around the room to avoid the stares.
Dustin breaks the silence. "So, before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence."
Eddie gives a disbelieving smile. "That's all, Dustin? That's all?"
"Yeah, no, that's pretty much it." He shrugs, definitely not getting the hint.
Stephanie turns to Max and whispers, "That doesn't really sound like good news to me."
"Because it's not." Max shrugs, rolling her eyes at Dustin.
"Listen, Eddie," Robin starts, preparing for a long speech. "I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we've actually been through this kind of thing before. I mean, they have a...a few times, and...and I have once. Mine was more human-flesh-based, theirs was more smoke-related, but bottom line is, collectively, I really feel like we got this."
"But El isn't here." Stephanie argues. "We would be dead right now if it weren't for her."
Eddie gives a look of confusion. "We usually rely on this girl who has super powers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so..."
Stephanie scrunches her nose.
"So we're technically in more of the-"
"-Brainstorming phase." Max tries and looks to Robin for approval
Steve snaps his fingers. "Brainstorming. Yes."
"There...There's nothing to worry about." Dustin splutters.
Dustin leaves the group in silence, until sirens come wailing by the house.
"Oh, shit." Steve whispers.
"Tarp!" Robin points to the boat. "Tarp. Tarp."
Eddie dives under the tarp, with help from Stephanie with covering everything.
Everyone else runs towards the increasing sound of sirens and see...firetrucks? Firetrucks wouldn't come for Eddie.
"Let's follow them." Steve pants, already almost halfway out the door.
Once they get into the car and follow the firetrucks, Stephanie sees almost ten police cars and a shit ton of ambulances. But the only thing she really notices is Nancy talking with the Chief, looking as though she's about to cry as she notices her friends exiting the car.
————
༺♥༻ Nancy, Steve, Robin, Dustin, Max, and Stephanie are sitting at a picnic table in the trailer park exchanging information.
Stephanie looks over her shoulder at the caution tape wrapped around Eddie's trailer.
All she can think of is who would do something like this? To Chrissy? To anyone? It was something definitely beyond everyone's comprehension.
Nancy is still determined to figure it out herself, though. "So, you're saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it's from the Upside Down?"
Fred is Vecna's second victim and counting. He was apparently friends with Nancy, but even though Stephanie only knew Fred as the second grader who peed his pants on the school bus, she still knew that Nancy definitely does not seem the type to be friends with him.
"Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse." Dustin squints, unsure of his own words. "Now whether or not he's doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don't know."
Stephanie scoffs. "A spell?" She looks around, realizing she created a pretty awkward silence. "This isn't Dungeons and Dragons, Dustin. If Vecna is attacking with a spell then it won't be rainbows and glitter." She pauses, thinking of the right words. "It could be something like a...a sickness, what if Chrissy and Fred had something like symptoms before they got killed?"
"But why Fred and Chrissy?" Nancy asks to the table, probably directing it to Stephanie as she seems to have all the answers at the moment.
Stephanie shrugs. "I don't know, I don't work here."
Nancy ignores Stephanie's joke, indicating that it's definitely not an appropriate time and continues with her questions. "I mean, why them?"
"Maybe they were just in the wrong place?" Dustin suggests with a shrug. "They were both at the game and near the trailer park."
"...We're at the trailer park." Steve looks around.
Silence.
"That's a good point." Stephanie hesitates, not sure why she keeps talking. "I don't think we should be here."
"There is something about this place." Nancy shivers as the wind blows on this unusually cold day. "Fred started acting weird the second we got here."
Robin shakes her head. "Acting weird as in...?"
"Scared, on edge, upset." She shrugs, listing out different words.
Dustin's eyes shoot up. "Max said Chrissy was upset too."
"Yeah, but not here." Max shakes her head. "She was crying in the bathroom at school."
"She left practice early one day, too." Stephanie recalls, remembering the day. "Everyone heard her yelling in the locker room, we had just assumed she hurt herself."
"Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right?" Robin starts, immediately grabbing everyone's attention. "So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman-"
"Vecna." Dustin corrects with an eye roll.
Steve sighs, considering the possibilities. "I don't know about you guys but if I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone."
"Maybe they did." Stephanie could almost see the lightbulb appear above Max's head. "I saw Chrissy leaving Ms. Kelley's office. If you saw a monster, you wouldn't go to the police. They'd never believe you. But you might go to your-"
"Your shrink." Robin finishes.
Max nods and suddenly Stephanie's being pulled along by Max, holding her head, heading to the car.
Nancy, however, passes Steve's car and heads to her own. "Woah, Nance! Nance? Where are you going?" Steve walks up to Nancy.
"Oh, there's just something I wanna check on first." She continues walking and points to the car.
"Something you maybe wanna share with the rest of us?" Dustin adds, shrugging.
Nancy looks to the ground. "I don't wanna waste your time. It's a real shot in the dark."
"Yeah, okay." Steve scoffs. "Are you out of your mind? Flying solo with this Vecna creep on the loose? No, it's too dangerous." He shakes his head. "You need...You need someone to..." He turns around, throwing the car keys to Robin. "Here. I'll stick with Nance, alright? Take the car, check out the shrink."
"I don't think you want me driving your car." Robin gestures to the car.
"Why?"
"I don't have a license."
"Well, why don't you have a license?"
"I'm poor."
"I can drive." Max offers, looking between Robin and Steve.
Steve immediately shuts it down. "No, never again. Please. Anybody but you. No."
"Why can't Robin go with Nancy?" Stephanie suggests, seeing Nancy's eyes go suddenly wide.
"Yeah, okay." Robin nods, grabbing a walkie out of Dustin's backpack and handing the keys back to Steve. "Us ladies will stick together. Unless you think we need you to protect us."
Steve gives a look of defeat as Robin throws up a peace sign and walks to the car.
"You're just gonna stand there and gawk?" Dustin chuckles, looking at Steve who is intensely staring at the two girls walking away.
"Shut up" Steve scoffs, waving Dustin away. "Get in the car."
The three open the doors and get into the car.
"Wipe your feet." Steve sighs.
Dustin continues to rub his muddy shoes on the carpet inside the car.
"On the outside, not the inside!" Steve turns the car on. "Always the babysitter. Always the goddamn babysitter!"
"Cool it, lover boy." Stephanie shoots from the backseat.
————
༺♥༻ Steve pulls up to the front of Ms. Kelley's house so Max can hopefully find out what similarities that were between Fred and Chrissy before they died.
Stephanie watches as Max rings the doorbell, looking back once she walks into the house.
"Okay." Steve stares at the closed door. "She's in."
"I'm missing collarbones, not eyes." Dustin remarks, giving Stephanie a look.
"Hah, good one." Stephanie chuckles, offering Dustin a high five to which Dustin accepts with a smirk.
"So...we gonna talk about...it?" Dustin hesitates, still focused on the back of Steve's head.
"Huh? Sorry." Steve shifts his focus back to Dustin. "Talk about what?"
Dustin gives Steve an over dramatic shocked face. "Your temporary insanity earlier today when you basically threw yourself at Nance?"
"Okay, that's not what happened."
"Pretty sure that's what happened." Stephanie comments from the backseat.
"It was pretty public." Dustin continues. "There were, like, a lot of witnesses."
Steve rolls his eyes. "Are you implying that I still have a thing for Nance?"
"No, I'm not implying, I'm stating." Dustin corrects, making Steve more impatient. "And, as it relates to your steadfast refusal to date Robin, it's pretty much the only logical explanation."
"I don't think Robin would date Steve." Stephanie scrunches her nose. "Just a guess, I mean."
"Exactly." Steve points to his sister and gives Dustin a smug look. "And as for Nance, I was just trying to protect a friend."
Dustin nods with an overflowing amount of disbelief.
"A friend, Henderson. Okay?" Steve repeats, engraving it into Dustin's head. "I don't wanna find her in the morning with sucked out the front of her skull by the Vecna creep."
"Ew, Steve." Stephanie cringes. "We didn't need an explanation.
"You're like, bright red in the face right now." Dustin chuckles, probably only talking to irritate Steve.
"I'm not!" Steve scoffs. "I don't wanna talk about it, alright? I'll punch you so hard in the face your teeth will fall back out."
Stephanie stops laughing, sitting in the uncomfortable silence. "Woah."
Dustin frowns. "Too far, man."
"Not cool." Steve shakes his head. "Sorry."
"Not cool." Dustin repeats. "It's okay."
The two boys fist bump and continue waiting for Max.
After only two minutes of waiting, Max walks out of the house and hurries to the car, with a smile on her face.
"What'd she say?" Dustin asks, leaning his head back.
"Nothing." Max shows the keys. "Just drive."
"Nothing?" Steve repeats.
Stephanie sighs. "Steve, drive!"
Steve speeds down the road towards the school as a voice comes through the walkie.
"Dustin? It's Lucas. Do you copy? Dustin?"
"Lucas?" Dustin confirms, looking around the car. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Just listen. Are you guys looking for Eddie?"
Dustin rolls his eyes. "Yeah, and we found him, no thanks to you."
"You found him?"
"A boathouse on Coal Mill Road. Don't worry, he's safe."
"You guys know he killed Chrissy, right?"
"That's bullshit. Eddie tried to save Chrissy."
"Then why do all the cops say he did it?"
Dustin was about to answer but Max takes the walkie from him. "Lucas, you're so behind it's ridiculous, okay? Just meet us at the school. We'll explain later."
"I...I can't. I think some real bad shits about to go down."
Stephanie takes the walkie from Max. "What are you talking about? What bad shit?"
No response.
"Lucas? Lucas?"
"It's whatever." Max sighs. "He'll be at the school."
Steve pulls into the parking lot and the four exit the car, heading towards the conveniently unlocked doors to the school.
"Dustin, do you copy?" Robins voice asks.
"Yeah, I copy."
"So, Nancy's a genius. Vecna's first victim date back all the way to 1959. Her shot in the dark was a bull's-eye."
"Okay, that's totally bonkers, but I can't really talk right now." Dustin pants.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Breaking and entering into school to retrieve some confidential and extremely personal files."
"...Can you repeat that?"
Stephanie grabs the walkie. "Just get your ass over here, stat. Or I will set you up with Steve again."
Max turns the key and takes a deep breath before opening the door.
"Why is everything scarier when the lights are off?" Stephanie sighs, shining her flashlight around the room.
༺♥༻
chapter 39 mhmmmm
if you didn't read my announcement then read it here: i edited a bit of chapter 29 (ich liebe dich) and it's pretty important to the plot of season 4 so please consider rereading it
thanks pooks byebye
6/26/23