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theladybarnes · 2 years

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“ Do you like scary movies?”

▸ summary: every story has a beginning, this one happened just one year before ▸ pairings: steve x reader ▸ word count: 4,968 ▸ warnings: stabbing, cursing, mentions of gore (MINORS DNI) ▸ series masterlist

It had been just another regular night down on the quiet street of Fier Road. Where each neighbor in the Northern California town had the distance of a living ten minutes away from each other.

For Chrissy Cunningham, she hated growing up in this home. Having spent most of her time with disdain towards the view of the tree farm that resided just outside her window. The feeling of always being watched through the large piece of glass never went away and since it was one of the few houses outside the city, she always felt the most disconnected from the world.

Thankfully, once she got into high school, things changed. Instead of having to worry about going into town to see people, eventually, people came to see her. With having such a large house with no noise pollution to her far off neighbors, her house instantly became a party spot. Especially towards Junior year when her parent’s jobs in the town began to have longer hours.

Like tonight.

“I’m telling you, Nancy! Once you get a little drink in you and that new kid Argyle plays some of his new CDs. The natural flow of the party will bring you and Jonathan back together!”

“I don’t know, Chrissy. It was a pretty big fight this time..”

The blonde had just finished setting up the kitchen counter of snacks when her friend Nancy had called. Trying to back out of the party tonight due a recent break up with her long term boyfriend.

“With you two it’s only big fights. Which means you guys don’t fight often enough to let this one fight tear you apart.”

“I wish I could see things as positively as you do.”

Chrissy giggled into the phone, leaning against the counter as she played with the set of knives dismissively before she remembered she was cutting up limes for the tequila shots. “It’s called optimism and with it I’m very hopeful to finish the rest of my Junior year with all my friends happy and together.”

“..Well almost all your friends.”

The girl stood up straight at that. Knowing exactly who she’s talking about but afraid to approach that topic. Shaking her head she decides to move past it. “When you see the place, it’s gonna bring back all the little memories you and Jonathan had together and I’m sure you’ll be sneaking away to my parent’s room before the night is over.”

“Is Jason coming tonight?

“Uh yeah,” the girl replied lamely. “The entire team is coming actually.”

“So you and your new beau will be out officially as a new couple.”

Chuckling a bit at that, Chrissy walked over towards the patio doors. Looking out into the pool as she mulled over Nancy’s words. “I guess..we’ve barely been official with each other for three weeks.”

“But you and Eddie were together two weeks ago.”

A frown etched across Chrissy’s face. “Look, it’s complicated. We were off and on and finally off. I don’t wanna talk about that right now.”

“I know, I’m sorry! We’ve all known him since eighth grade and he’s loved you since day one. It’s just weird now to think that era is over.”

A flicker of light from the pool house caught Chrissy’s attention. Walking towards the patio doors, she reached for the light switch, flicking on the flood lights to help illuminate the backyard. Nothing seemed to be outside but she found herself shuddering anyway. “Things just ended..I can’t turn back time to it now.”

“I know, I know, sorry. Suppose your good ol’ optimism rubbed off on me and I thought to ask in Eddie’s defense.”

The relationship between the cheerleader and rocker had been bittersweet. No matter how much Chrissy had tried to keep things happy between them, the differences in their lifestyles pulled them apart. “I don’t have anything against Eddie..and if I knew that he could handle seeing me at a party with another guy then I’d invite him. But..”

“..But it might just destroy him. I get it. Maybe when summer starts and we all go out, he’ll be open to the idea of you guys being just friends.”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking.” Sighed Chrissy as she finished setting up. “Anyway, are you guys going to be coming up soon? It’s already dark out.”

“Yeah, us girls are hitching a ride with our little chauffeur.”

The thought of their friend Steve going all across town to pick each girl up was enough to bring up Chrissy’s mood, causing a small giggle to bubble out. “You guys should tip this time.”

“I think one of us already gives him enough.” Nancy replied, referring to the friend they called Baby (poor girl revealed her interest in Dirty Dancing once and the group would not let it go). The two of them had been the group’s biggest will they won’t they for years and it was kind of sweet to have seen them together this whole year.

“Gosh those two are sweeter than caramel.” Chrissy laughed, moving away towards the phone stand. “I love it!”

“You should! They’d have never admitted to liking each other if it wasn’t for your birthday party.” The sound of a muffled honk perked into Chrissy’s ears through the phone. “Speaking of those two, I think they’re here now. We’ll see you soon!”

“See you soon!”

After Nancy got off the line, the silence of the big empty house returned. It was always too quiet for her taste and unfortunately, Chrissy unplugged the tv and music area for the apparent DJ speakers that Argyle had promised to bring.

Right as she had plopped down on the couch to wait, the phone began to scream.

RRIIIING

The blonde lazily laid across the cushion to reach over for the hand held before bringing the device up to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hello?” the voice of a smooth deep voice echoed. “Who is this?”

Chrissy chuckled a bit. “Yeah, who are you trying to reach?” There was an awkward pause. The man on the other line taking his time.

“What number is this?”

“…What number are you trying to reach?”

Again it’s another beat of awkward silence. “..I don’t know.”

Trying to remain kind, Chrissy calmly ended the call. “You must have the wrong number. But it happens, take it easy.” With that, she hung up and tried to ignore the feeling in her gut. She was getting tense for no reason.

RRIIING RRIIING

The phone went off again and she stared at the piece in her hand, debating just letting the call drop when she remembered her parents might check in. Pressing accept she pressed the phone again to her. “Hello?”

“I’m sorry, I guess I did dial the wrong number.”

Scoffing at the caller simply confirming what she told him, Chrissy shook her head, laughing for a second. “So why did you dial it again?”

“To apologize, of course.”

“You’re forgiven, okay? Now have a good-“

“Wait, wait! I want to talk to you for a second..”

Not believing the nerve of this mystery caller, Chrissy became mildly amused at the fact that he wanted to stay on the line. “Look, this is fun and all but I’m a bit too busy for casual chat at the moment.”

“Too busy? What plans do you have tonight?”

The girl huffed out some air before checking the watch on her wrist. “I have a party tonight. Guests I’ll have to tend to soon so-“

“A party and you didn’t invite me?”

The question threw her off for a second. Normally she’d hang up on someone pestering her like this but there was something casual and interesting about this person.

“Well..not everyone can come. You know what it’s like.”

“Do I? How would one know if they’re acceptable to join parties or not?”

Chrissy frowned at that, not too sure how to answer kindly. “Well, there’s no way to define who can come and go..if you’re from school then you’d know who comes to these kinds of things.”

The caller let out an amused laugh. “I see, you mean, the cool kids get to go.”

“That’s not exactly true! But they are the ones who usually show up.” The girl moved to sit back at the couch again, tugging at the end of her sweater.

“So you’re saying you wouldn’t turn anyone else that might want to come?”

“No, never! That’s so cruel!” The sound of the man’s laugh was a sort of relief to Chrissy as she wiped a hand over her brows.

“With that knowledge, would you be interested in having me come over tonight?”

“Yeah.” Chrissy drawed out, “You’re more than welcome to come!” There was a pleasing hum on the other end making the young girl finally feel a little bit better about her poor word choices. Sometimes her nerves got the best of her and gave her a bad sense of word vomit.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll be able to meet the girl I’m looking at.”

As if suddenly hit with ice, Chrissy felt the smile drop from her face. Maybe she heard what he said wrong. “..what did you say?”

“I said I’ll be able to meet the girl I’m talking to.”

Taking a glance behind her, Chrissy glanced around the kitchen until her eyes landed back in the living room. The large patio doors that led to the pool gave a clear view of the inside of the house. “That’s not what you said..”

Again the caller gave off a calm chuckle. “What did you think I said?”

Moving to the patio doors, she flicked on the light switches again, trying to see if she could catch someone in the backyard if she turned the light on fast enough. Again she was met with nothing but the scenic sight of her pool and outdoor patio. Checking over the locks, she sighed to herself before she remembered she was still on the phone.

“Did I lose you there?”

“Look, I’m sorry. I have to go.” Chrissy mumbled into the receiver, pulling her body away from the window. “People are coming and I should probably be ready.”

“Come on, don’t go just yet. Don’t hang-”

Not bothering to hear the rest, she hung up the phone and quickly checked the locks on both the back and front before the phone rang again. This time, she couldn’t find it in herself to pick it up. Her friends would come soon enough and she’d be able to deal with a creep on the phone.

Five minutes passed and still no sign of her friends left Chrissy alone with the incessant ringing that built up of her anxiety. She thought about calling Jason but he already told her practice would run late and he’d show up later.

The small sting of tears pinched at her eyes and she felt like the beginning of a scary movie with how nervous she was getting. Getting fed up, she reached for the phone again, pressing the accept button before speaking finally. “Yes?” she asked timidly.

“You hung up on me…”

The voice sounded colder, shocked with her actions. “I had to! P-please stop calling. I’m busy and I need to go!” Hanging up quickly, she looked down at the phone and prayed that the caller would give up on harassing her. But just like before, the phone rang again, sounding oddly angry in its blaring pitch.

“I’m going to call the pol-”

“You hang up the phone on me again and I’ll cut your fucking head off, bitch!”

The blood in her veins ran cold. Making the only sound out of her was a soft whimper. But that seemed to make the man on the other line happier. His chuckle itching inside the canal of her ear. “..please tell me this is a joke.”

“Oh sweetheart, it’s more of a game now really. Do you think you can handle that, blondie?”

For some reason, the question caused Chrissy to shrivel down to the ground. Crawling towards the island in the kitchen, she used the large space in the middle to conceal her body as she tried to calm herself down.

“Oh Chrissy, I need you to answer me in order to start the game.”

“Please..I don’t want to play anything.”

“Well, hate to break it to you miss Queen of Hawkins High. But it’s either you play or Jason does.”

The mention of her boyfriend caused the hair in the back of her neck to stand up. She gripped the phone tighter as she spoke again. “W-what do you mean?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t notice, I just placed him out by the pool for you.”

She’s surprised she’s able to get up from the floor, but she does. And when she reached the patio doors, she slowly inched her hand up to the lights. Praying to every God in existence that when she flicked the lights on, her friends would be on the other side and laugh at the vicious prank they just put her through. “Go ahead, sweetness..turn it on.” urged the voice.

With a flick, she met with the horror of what was laid outside for her. Instead of the sight of an empty poolside, Chrissy’s green eyes met with the body of Jason. Knocked out and tied up to a chair. His usual green jersey stained with dark red spots as his head was leaning forward, casting his face downward to his lap.

A bubbled up surge of fear poured out from within Chrissy as she suddenly began to yell at the sight, nearly dropping the phone on the floor. “What is this!?” she cried, reaching to unlock the doors, but at the turn of lock, Jason’s head snapped up. Giving Chrissy a view at the beat up appearance of his face. Whoever had taken him hostage had roughed up his face, enough so that blood trickled from the top of his head and nose. A tight strip of duct tape had been placed over his mouth to silence him. It took only a quick second for his eyes to land on hers, worry flickered over his blue eyes.

“I wouldn’t step out if I were you.”

Tears pooled over her eyes, making his vision begin to turn blurry. Sounds of his panicked screaming were muffled by the tape as he tried to call out to her. “Why are you doing this?” she asked softly, hand still ready to push down on the handle.

“Well like I said, either you play or Jason does. And I'd decide quickly, I'm getting impatient here.”

Locking the door again, she took a step back, shaking her head to Jason as his muffled cries grew more intense. “Good girl. Now turn off the lights again and we can play.” Through her tears she slowly shut off the light, stepping fully away from the door as she returned to the kitchen island. Using it as coverage once more.

“Let’s begin, shall we?”

“How do I play?” Chrissy gritted, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe off the tears that were beginning to block her vision. The sound of Jason calling out to her was nearly driving her crazy before the caller finally replied back.

“I’ll keep it simple for you, pretty thing. It’s a good ol’ fashion game of truth or lie. Three rounds and then that’s it! You and the lover boy get to leave. Sound easy?”

“It’s not like I have any other choice..” she scoffed, sniffling a bit as she checked over towards the patio doors again. The light from outside still showed a shadow of Jason on the chair. “What’s the question?”

“Exactly, let’s start! Truth or lie, the three people closest to you are; Nancy, Robin, and that sweet, Baby.”

It was clear to anyone who went to school with Chrissy that those three girls were the ones who were by her side from the start. No one could mess with her when she had them behind her. “Yes, Truth! They’re my best friends.”

“Correct! See? You’re doing so good, sweetness.”

“Okay, so please let me go help Ja-”

“Nuh uh! We’re still not done yet. Just two more.”

Her stomach dropped. She knew it was too hopeful that the caller would release Jason but she couldn’t just leave him out there. It was killing her inside.

“Truth or lie,” the caller continued. “You’ve recently been appointed head cheerleader.”

Again this was a true fact, something that Chrissy had been working hard on this whole year. When she was given the title after the recent game, she was beyond happy. But again, this was a fact that everyone knew. It was announced to the whole crowd. “Truth!”

The caller chuckled at her reply, making her worried about where this was going if he was asking such type of questions. “Last one and if you get this right, you’re free to get Jason.”

Chrissy gripped the phone tighter, determined now to get Jason inside. Maybe in some sick way this was still a prank and her boyfriend’s friends had set this up in some sort of hazing thing. It’s the only thing that would make sense now.

“Truth or lie, you were cheating on Eddie Munson for two weeks before you broke up with him to date Jason.”

“That’s a lie!” Chrissy cried quickly. Her shame and fear built up on her all at once. That piece of information was not public knowledge. Not even Eddie knew about that and here this stranger was using it to toy with her. “People spread that rumor to make me look like the bad guy.”

The caller made a small sigh of disappointment. Tutting into the receiver tauntingly. “Oh Chrissy,” he cooed. “I thought you understood the rules. You have to get the answer right in order to win.”

“That is the right answer! I didn’t cheat..I didn’t.”

A familiar sound of a tape rewinding could be heard through the other end before it played back its audio. “I guess..we’ve barely been official with each other for three weeks…..But you and Eddie were together two weeks ago… Seems you’ve been up to an awful lot of no good fun.”

“NO! Please don’t do this! Just give me one more chance. One more question.”

“Sorry, sweets. I’ll give you a bonus round. But I'm afraid our dear Jason is out of the game.”

At that, all the lights in the house turned off. Capturing Chrissy into the darkness. The only thing that echoed within the walls was the sound of the girl’s screaming as she watched a dark shadow cover over Jason’s body. The glint of metal flew in the air as it crisscrossed in front of Jason.

The noises had Chrissy frozen in fear as she could hear the sounds of cloth and something else being sliced. A muffled cry of agony following every slash. Without realizing, she had begun to crawl over, needing to see for sure that this was a reality and not some nightmare.

In some sick twist of fate, the lights flickered back on to reveal the outside to her again. Still in the chair was Jason. Head back as he stared up in the sky, eyes gone and cold. The front of his shirt was torn open to reveal the gushing pieces of his intestines falling out slowly from his stomach. It was too real, the blood would not stop flowing out and Chrissy could barely let out a whimper as she stared at the horror before her.

Jason was dead. And it was all her fault.

The chilling sound of laughter could be heard through the phone. The tears seemed to be endless as she crouched back down, staring blankly as the pool lights were being shut off again. Most likely now being controlled by the man on the phone. “I don’t want to play this anymore..” Chrissy whispered into the phone.

Again the caller merely chuckled again. “Final question..are you ready?”

“Please..”

“TRUTH OR LIE,” he yelled, “You forgot to check one more door in your house.”

The whole house grew deadly quiet until the only sounds were Chrissy’s panting. Her eyes wide as she went over everything she did before the calls got weird. She locked both doors. The windows weren’t open since no one had been home all day; it was all locked! She was safe!

“LIE!” She yelled, getting up from her spot. He couldn’t get in, she was sure of it. Standing up, she walked over to the patio door again and confirmed that it was locked. That is until the sound of a door creaking open rolled down the hall.

“Are you sure about that?”

Gripping onto the phone tightly, Chrissy made the decision to arm herself with a knife from the island before she ventured out towards the rooms of the house. Any bit of comfort she had was gone out the window as she stepped forward.

It wasn’t till she looked at the two rooms by the front entrance that she felt herself begin to panic. Her Father’s office door was always locked. She never in her whole time living there ever needed to go in. But that also made her forget the fact that it led out into the patio.

The killer was in her house and finally making himself known

Not risking the check, she immediately ran up the stairs to the second floor, catching just a glimpse of something reflective coming from the doorway. Once at the top, the mystery caller himself decided to shoot out of the room, causing the door to hit against the way as he raced to the end of the staircase.

Chrissy gulped as her wide eyes stared down at the man. He was decked out in a black cloak that concealed his whole body, hands covered in matching gloves and covering his face, a haunting ghost mask. He looked up at Chrissy, tilting his head to the side as he took her in.

With the phone still clutched in her hand she took a step back and glanced towards the directions of rooms. “I thought you said I could come in for the party.” chuckled the voice from below. The sound of it was almost robotic in person now, making Chrissy realize it was a disguised voice.

“Y-you stay the hell away from me asshole! My friends are coming and the fucking cops are gonna give you the god damn chair!” she yelled, returning her gaze to the man. “You better just leave now!”

He reached down into his cloak and pulled out a hunting knife. The blade glinting in the overhead lighting showed its long body before it was being pointed towards her. “If your friends are coming, I say we give them a good welcome present.” A step up and he waved the knife playfully. “From you and dear ol’ Jason.”

Turning around, Chrissy dashed over towards her parents bedroom. The only thought being that if she locked herself in, she could find a way to get over the balcony that faced the front of her house and flag down her friends sooner.

But the killer was quick, it was barely when she pushed down the lock on the door of the bedroom that she heard the hard piercing sound of the knife being hit against the wood. “Open up, bitch!” the man yelled, causing Chrissy to let out a scream as she scrambled to push her Mother’s dresser against the door.

The man on the other side let out an enraged yell, banging possibly his body against the wood to try and get the door open. “STOP IT!” Chrissy yelled, picking back up her fallen weapon as she scrambled over to the balcony.

Looking down the road, she let out a happy cry when she noticed a pair of headlights coming down the long drive down. Her friends were here and their presence would scare off the man. Waving her hand out, she began to yell out towards them! “GUYS! PLEASE HURRY! PLEASE!”

At the sound of her cry, the killer had burst through the door with all his might. Angrily pushing away the dresser that had held him back as he stormed over towards the balcony. Screaming, she reached for the handle of the sliding door, only to gasp at the killer stopping her. The grip of his hand tight as he pulled her inside the room.

Her other hand tried to hit him with the knife, attempting to stab at him when he pulled back enough to throw a punch against her cheek.

The hit was hard enough to have her vision go blurry. “W-wait!” she whimpered, attempting to push herself away. That’s when she felt the hard pressure of the knife going into her chest. A hot liquid trickled out of front of her chest, wetting the thin material of her sweater instantly.

No pain had ever felt like this. A mixture of throbbing pain and panic coarsed through Chrissy. But before her hand could even reach up to the wound, another stab was being pushed through her stomach. Again and again the killer dragged his knife through her. Making the pain worse with every push against her body.

The light in the room was so dim, the sound of her heartbeat was up in her ears. Despite the feeling of her body growing weaker, Chrissy reached up the man’s mask. Letting her fingers glaze over the mask before she pulled it off, revealing the face looking down at her. She wanted to ask him why, get an answer, but all she mustered up was a small puff of air.

He reached for the mask back, slipping it back on before he dragged her body to the balcony again, the world was fading and Chrissy wished she could stay longer. See the people she cared about one more time. This wasn’t fair, this wasn’t right.

The sound of her friend’s car rolling down the driveway was the last she heard before the man tore the knife along the expanse of her stomach. Soon enough the world faded to black and Chrissy felt herself finally pull away into eternal sleep.

Not wasting a second longer, the man began to pull out parts of her intestines, matching it up to look like Jason’s out back. The sounds of wet squelching noises were happy to the man’s ears. Reaching deep into the cloak’s pocket, he pulled out a long rope and quickly began to tie it around Chrissy’s body. Making sure every knot was tight before he pulled her up from the floor.

The stiffness of her body added a bit of a struggle, but he managed to push the blonde over and watch as her body hung against the balcony railing with a harsh drag. Just in time for the audience to arrive.

“This morning I woke up with this feeling! I didn't know how to deal with it and so I just decided to myself. I'd hide it to myself and never talk about it. And did not go and shout it when you walked into the room! I think I love you-” Three familiar voices sang out.

“Will you three shut up!” Huffed the voice of a man below.

Peering over the balcony, the man noticed a group of four teens coming down the long driveway. Steve Harrington being the man in front who had his hands on his hips. “I’m really gonna have the song stuck in my head now.”

His eyes cast over to you, rushing to push past the girls so that you could catch up to the boy. “Sorry, Steve.” you smiled sweetly, lacing your hand into his. “Robin’s been singing it all day and we can’t help but get into it.”

Steve’s glare turned slowly into a smile the longer he stared down at you, reaching up to place a loving hand against your cheek. “I like it when you sing, but Statler and Waldorf here are going to annoy me to death.” he chuckled.

The man watched as you coyly batted your lashes up at Steve, leaning up in your tippy toes to press a kiss against his lips. The knife in the man’s hands felt heavier than ever and he found himself gripping it tightly. His eyes watched the way Steve’s hands moved to wrap around the expanse of your lower back, pulling your body closer to his.

“Oooh!” Cooed the other two girls in the back. Making you turn suddenly shy as you part from Steve. The boy didn't seem upset that the kiss had ended, in fact, he looked over at the other two girls with a bigger grin now before he threw his head back. “I think I love you so what am I so afraid of?! I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for!”

The girls all laughed and began to join in the song again, finally going back to making their way towards the front entrance of the home. Taking that as his cue, the man rushed off the balcony towards the room now. Tonight wasn’t the plan he had hoped for, but soon enough he’d be able to see things through.

“Omnes una manet nox (One night awaits everyone).” he chanted, running through the house till he was out the patio doors. The sight of Jason brought hope to him as he noticed the beginning of a black sludge slowly creep into the blood that coated Jason’s organs.

The last thing the man heard as he climbed over the back fence of the land was the echoing screams from the group of teens.

A/N: And we’ve officially begun this storyline! If its too graphic or uncomfortable I do apologize since it’s not my usual type of posting but this is specifically for Halloween so please understand that. I hope you guys enjoy the mini series!

#stranger things imagine #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfic #stranger things au #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x female reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington imagine #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #(soon to be for those two)#this is just a prologue #rrh

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theladybarnes · 2 years

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CHAPTER FIVE: BEAUTIFUL LIFE

“You can do what you want just seize the day What you're doing tomorrow's gonna come your way Don't you ever consider giving up. You will find, oh oh oh”

▸ summary: welcome to the final act. ▸ characters: eddie & steve, and the plot twists ▸ word count: 8.5k ▸ warnings: angst, (MINORS DNI) murder, stabbing, satanic cult vibes, daddy vecna ▸ series masterlist

11: 50 PM

“Tie her down. I don’t need her running off.”

The feeling of your hands being bound together stirred you awake. You tried to blink your eyes open but the darkness of wherever you were in did nothing for your vision. Though you’re down on the ground, the sound of shuffling feet kept going around you.

“How long do we have?” said one familiar voice.

“Just a couple of minutes now.” A voice you definitely recognized to be Eddie replied.

“Dump him and help me bring in the rest of the stuff.”

Another body was being pressed against you. Despite the rope that held your hands together, the tip of your fingers wiggled to try and feel what it was. The calloused hands you were familiar with laced together with yours.

“..Baby?” Steve whispered next to you.

You waited until you heard the sound of footsteps receding before quietly answering back “It’s me.” There was on telling when Eddie would return

His fingers tightened around yours before he leaned back, letting his back press against you in some way to feel you more. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“No, other than knocking me out I’m okay. What about you? Are you okay?”

He cleared his throat slightly, sounding a little choked up before he squeezed your hand again. “It all happened so fast. At first Dustin kept insisting we stay inside to be safe. But eventually I couldn’t wait, I had to find you and that’s when..”

There was a reluctance in his voice, a pain that he didn’t want to show but couldn’t cover up. “He tried to choke me with a rope..I didn’t even see it coming.”

“Steve..”

“When he got me down, he forced this drink down my throat..God Baby it was vile. Liquid death. I managed to fight him off, God I didn’t want to hurt him. But I ran and ran through the trees until I heard your voice.”

You struggled against your binds, needing to hold onto Steve and comfort him. But the bits of his story combined with what you just saw and went through made you all the more confused. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t think any of this is gonna make sense, babe. Our friend is trying to kill us.”

There’s a second of silence and it dawned on you that you were missing someone. “Do you feel Robin beside you?” you asked softly, hopeful that she’s still alive. It sounds like shuffling for a second before he sighed.

“No, I don’t feel anyone.”

Your stomach turns and you can’t help but feel despair at the idea of them killing your best friend. Not when you two had been holding out for so long. “God, we’re going to die.” Tears seeped out from the sides of your blind fold and you felt your body begin to shake as the emotions took over.

The only warmth you could feel was Steve beside you.

“Baby, don’t cry, please.” croaked Steve, sounding as desperate as you were feeling. “I’m not gonna let them hurt you, okay? We’re getting out of here.”

“Steve, we don't even know where here is.”

“You’re in the cave just outside the camp.” muttered a familiar voice. “And honestly, I’d love to hear how you plan to get the two of you out.” The mirth in his tone gave away who had joined in now. It was the type of cheery tone you’d hear whenever he’d tease you before.

A rough hand tugged your head to the side before it gripped onto the blindfold. Flashes of orange lights and burning incense flood your senses instantly. Blinking slowly, you’re able to take in the renovations that Eddie had done to the cave after he knocked you guys out.

Candles were scattered around various parts of the cave, giving an ominous orange glow to the space. You weren’t by the entrance but further in, making you wonder how much time it took for all this to be set up.

Glancing beside you, your eyes quickly check over Steve. The bruising around his neck had already darkened up and he looked like he’d been dragged through the dirt. You try to squirm closer before he urges you to look over to the ground before the two of you.

The sight alone haunted you even more. At first glance you thought it was a pentagram, but the shape of the star was changed into what looked like two different arrows. Around the circle were dark blankets covering up long bundles. It’s not until you’re looking hard enough that you make out their shapes.

“It’s a witch’s mark.” Eddie mused. Your eyes flicked to your left to find Eddie sat upon a rocky throne. His dark eyes were on the ground where the mark was. “Reaching out to the devil is a lot harder with just a prayer. Turns out I needed a little bit of help.”

There’s a heavy set of footsteps and hold back the small building scream in your throat when you see another person adorning the cloak that’s been haunting you all night come in. But who laid in their arms is what stopped you from doing anything brash.

Robin, still seemingly breathing, was cradled into the killer’s grasp. A trickle of blood seemed to ooze out the side of her head but the slight groaning gave away her status.

“Set her down with the rest.” Eddie instructed, pointing over to the mark closest to his seat.

“It’d have been lovely to have some help.” replied the killer sarcastically. For a second you think you don’t know who’s under when all of a sudden it hits you.

“..Murray?”

The two figures shared a moment to glance at each other. Eddie gave a simple shrug as a reply before he waved his hand dismissively. “Not like she’s gonna be able to spread word.” The killer placed Robin down in front of you before reaching over for the ghost mask that hid his face.

“Was hoping I wouldn’t need to wear that stupid thing any longer.”

Murray, now removed of his cloak, looked very much alive than what you had been told earlier. He chucked the dark cloak over his shoulder and moved over to stand beside Eddie, placing a hand gently against his shoulder.

“Is this the part where we give our villainous monologue?”

“I think that’s fair. Poor baby here is still trying to put the clues together.” Eddie smirked, catching your eyes.

You can’t help the scowl that took over your face. “Why are you doing this, Eddie? W-we’re your friends..”

The two men chuckled, before Murray moved towards the circle. With a nod of approval from Eddie, he pulled back the blankets from the ground. Exposing the horrors underneath.

“You mean these friends?” Chuckled the boy as Murray took off the rest one by one. Each reveal showed a fallen friend. The first, a pale, Fred Benson, with a gaping slash to his throat. His regular blue eyes were white with the death that filled them.

Next was Heather, Billy, and Mike before it got really worse. Dustin, who still had the look of fear in his eyes was covered in dark splotches. Jonathan, whom you had seen earlier was brought over, body just as pale as the others. Next to him was Nancy, whom you wished you didn’t have to see, her whole body was still covered in red splats. Not yet darkened like the others.

“Please.” Steve begged, hand gripping onto yours like a vice. “Whatever it is you think you’re going to achieve out of this. Don’t. All you’re doing is killing innocent people!”

“Innocent?!” Eddie scoffed. Murray looked over at the boy almost scared before he continued on with his tasks. “Tell me, are any of the people here in this cave innocent?”

“We’re just a bunch of high schoolers. Not even Billy did any real harm. The only thing he did was run his mouth. Doesn’t negate his life!” Steve argued. Meanwhile, you couldn’t help but keep an eye on Robin, urging her to wake up by pressing your feet against her side.

She groaned slightly but still didn’t wake up.

“The two of you are so blinded by your own ideals that you can’t even see what’s been happening around you.” Eddie grumbled as he stood up from his seat. Avoiding Murray as he placed down jars filled with a dark goo, he sauntered over to where the three of you were before he crouched down in front of you. Dark eyes almost black with how he looked.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me that each and every one of you is innocent. Hmm?”

Having Eddie up close left you feeling nauseous. This guy was supposed to be your friend, you’ve known him for years, and thought up until now that he couldn’t hurt a fly let alone hurt your friends.

But that former softness is gone and all you could see now was the hatred that Eddie had towards you.

“Get away from her.” Steve whispered, trying to drag you back with him. That only seemed to amuse Eddie, making him extend his hand out to grip at your chin. You tried to pull away from his touch but his hands gripped tighter against your skin. Forcing you to look at him.

“Answer me, baby. Are any of you innocent? You have nothing to atone for?”

“I don’t! None of us have done anything to deserve death!” you spat in his face.

Murray, who was still setting up the dark jars by each person, began to laugh. “It’s just like kids these days to not even realize their own mistakes.” He walked over to you and Eddie briefly, giving your head a pat before continuing on. “They just expect the world to forget all that they’ve done. Completely juvenile.”

“Yes, Murray. Do enlighten us.” Eddie sighed, standing back up from the ground. He waltzed over to his rocky throne again. Giving his accomplice the go ahead.

“Teens today become so unaware of their own actions,” he sighed. “It’s like what they say. ‘The juvenile delinquent does not feel his disturbed personality.’ They’re completely obtuse!” He reached into his bag to pull out the last jar. “Safe to say I’m more than glad to be rid of this group of imbeciles. Don’t you agree?”

He glanced over at Eddie, who like you and Steve, had become irritated by his berating lecture.

“Well, don’t ya boss?”

“Yes, Murray.”

He chuckled at that before he glanced down at the last jar. “That’s weird.” Holding it up, he looked down at Nancy. “The blood didn’t move in here like the others..” he muttered. “What’s the deal?” he asked, glancing back at Eddie.

The boy gave a small smile, giving his friend a shrug. “Seems like we’re missing some. Think you could give me a hand?”

“Give you a hand? What the hell do you mea–”

His words were cut off instantly. A hand had popped up from the bag below him and plunged a knife into his throat. Causing the man to gag as blood began to trickle out of his mouth and neck. Slowly rising up from the floor, Nancy pushed the knife deeper into Murray’s neck until the man fell back on the ground.

Steve stiffened up beside you and tried to scoot away from the two as Nancy chanted in Latin.

Your eyes widened when you noticed the blood that began to seep out began to turn black. The empty jar magically began to fill with the same liquid that spilled out of Murray’s neck before it reached the top. Nancy, seeming satisfied, pulled herself off from his lap and stood up from the ground.

“God, he was just bullshit wasn’t he?” she chuckled, wiping the dust off from her legs. Your jaw nearly hit the ground as you stared over at Nancy. You saw her die! You saw Mike stab her.

“It’s like seeing a ghost huh?” Smirked your friend as she pulled up her shirt. Underneath the cotton that had been splattered with red blood was a large plastic bag filled with blood and something else. “Looks nasty, right?” she asked, pulling off the tape that held it onto her skin. The bag slunk to the floor before she kicked it away from her. “Tough meat, corn syrup and food dye go a long way when it comes to staging a death.”

Her gaze turned over to Mike’s frozen body. For a second, it looked like there was a hint of remorse before scrunched her nose. “I’m glad you went through the hassle of taking care of Mike. Wouldn’t understand that he’s not part of the deal anyway.”

Your stomach turned and you had to tear your eyes away from her. This was not the girl you’ve grown up with. The coldness in her voice was too much to handle and you felt yourself begin to shake.

“Aw, would you look at that? She’s scared, Ed.” Nancy cooed as she moved over to stand by his side. “Do you think we should be nice and give her the full reason why? They’re as a part of this as we are.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Nance?” Steve spoke up. “We didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Oh but you did already.” Eddie chimed in, his fingers fidgeting with the rings wrapped around his fingers. “Do you not remember today? What happened so long ago?”

The two of you glanced beside each other as you tried to scramble what Eddie was referring to.

“God, they really don’t know.”

Anger began to bubble up inside of you. “Don’t know what!? Get on with your damn story!”

Eddie chuckled at your outburst. His hands at the side of his hips as he looked at you. “Let’s take it back ten years. Camp Night’s former glory known as Camp Know Where was running its sixth successful summer.”

“Two best friends had attended that camp for years.” Nancy joined, wiping her knife against the hem of her shirt. “Always bunked in the same cabin, always placed in the same groups. Just good ol’ summer fun!”

“Yes, little Nancy and Quinn had been friends for as long as they could remember. Unfortunately, they didn’t live in the same town. They only had the chance to see each other when their parents sent them into camp.”

“Quinn?” Steve repeated. “As in the same Quinn that–”

“Yes, Harrington.” Eddie interrupted. A cold sharpness in his tone as he glared over at Steve momentarily. “The very same Quinn that died here at the camp.”

There’s a beat of silence and you try to remember back to that fateful summer to think about if you saw the girl any time before the incident was reported. You couldn’t even picture her face let alone remember seeing her with Nancy.

“You were friends with the girl that died and never said anything?” you asked Nancy, looking over at the girl as she sauntered towards the passed out Robin.

“Best friends, actually.” Nancy muttered mournfully. “The only person on this earth who understood me and loved me unconditionally.” Her blue eyes glanced at you before she shrugged. “It was supposed to be after that summer that she’d be able to move into Hawkins with her family.”

“Family?” you asked.

Eddie moved up from his seat to join Nancy at her side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder while he kept his gaze on you. “See, Quinn was only out of town because her parents had gotten divorced when she was just a little kid.”

“Her Dad was an asshole and her Mom decided she was going to take Quinn with her when she finally left him.”

Nancy paused the story to glance up at Eddie, reaching to place her hand on top of his when she noticed he looked more solemn. “The thing is, she had a brother. Just a year or so older than her.”

“The only reason her old man didn’t try and get her to stay was because he was satisfied with having just a son around. But the dead beat ended up getting locked up anyway and the boy moved in with his Uncle. That gave Quinn and her Mother a chance to come home and be a family again.”

They both looked over at you expectantly, hoping you’d figure out where this was going. But your silence only seemed to anger Eddie. “Quinn had gone around with her Mother’s maiden name. Jones.” Nancy added, giving you a slightly amused smirk.

“Her brother on the other hand..had to regrettably keep his family name.”

Steve seemed to catch on faster than you did. His head snapping up at the last comment before he spoke up. “Munson.” he sighed. “The brother’s last name..is Munson.”

“Well, well, well,” Nancy clapped, looking at Steve curiously. “I wouldn’t have thought it, but it looks like you do actually have a brain, Steve.”

“So the girl that passed was both your best friend and Eddie’s sister?”

Eddie clapped his hands, looking at you with a grin. “You’ve got it now!”

You shook your head, still trying to wrap your mind about it all. “I still don’t understand why we’re all in this if she was just your sister.”

The pair exchanged a passing glance before Eddie finished up the story. “The night my sister died was the very same night that you were saved by Mr. Prince charming here.” He reached into his pocket to pull out a knife, large enough to plunge deep into any body it came into contact with. “You see, the cabin your pretty little head rested in that summer happened to be the neighboring one to Quinn’s.”

Nancy shifted, seeming to get more riled up the further the story progressed. “I didn’t hear when Quinn had left the cabin, only the arguing.”

You tried to remember back to that night, the night that usually was more of a thrilling memory than a dark one. But all you could remember were the parts that Steve had told you. Shaking your head, you looked at her to continue.

Nancy reached over to Robin, looking down at her almost lovingly. “Quinn wasn’t the best athlete. But she did her best...” she sighed, letting her fingers run gently across Robin’s face. “By the time I reached the dock, I was too late.”

Her eyes watered up as she glanced back at you. But instead of the regular sad look you expected, something dark flickered across Nancy’s face. The click of her jaw could be heard even in the cave as she gritted out the next words. “She tried to save you! She was attempting to wake you up and you fought her! You shoved her in that damn lake!”

“No!” you gasped. “No one else was there!”

“But there was! You think Steve got to you so quickly? You think he heard everything?��

You thought back to the car ride from the other day. Steve’s words echoing in your mind.

“I run over to see who the hell is swimming in the middle of the night and notice Baby just sinking further and further into the water. Something inside me told me to jump in after her, so I did!”

It was Steve’s turn to jump in, trying again to get out of his bindings as he pleaded with the two. “I swear to God there was no one else there. Don’t you think I would have seen her if they were both in the water?!”

Eddie leaned forward, using the tip of his blade to get Steve to back up from all the wiggling he had done. “They found her in the water, Harrington. She had sunk so deep in the lake that her body became bloated.” He flicked his brown eyes to you, keeping the blade close at Steve. “It wasn’t until the year after that I’d meet little Nancy. We got to talking and came to the conclusion that there was only one person to blame for all this.”

“But I couldn’t control what had happened! I wasn’t even awake until Steve pulled me out!”

“If it wasn’t for you and your parent’s negligence, she wouldn’t have gotten up from that bed and tried to save your ass! All she got back was being murdered!”

There’s no answer you can think of. All you can do is reel in the new information they’ve given you. It wasn’t like there hadn’t been cases of people fighting back when sleepwalking. But you would never hurt someone intentionally. How could you have known? Your silence only seemed to anger the two people as they shared a look.

Nancy reached over at her side for the knife again, chanting something underneath her breath before she looked back at you. “It’s only fair, Baby. You took away my best friend, now I’m taking away yours!” Extending her hand up, she plunged down the blade of her knife into Robin’s unconscious body.

“NO!” You yelled, watching in horror as Nancy stabbed at Robin again and again. The girl beneath her let out guttural noises, almost trying to wake up to react to the attack. But the hit to her head kept her unable to wake up.

“Nancy please! Don’t hurt her!” Steve cried out, eyes rimmed red as he tried just as hard as you to get out from his ties. Eddie placed a hard hand down on his shoulder, putting the blade in his hands against the base of Steve’s throat.

“Take it easy, lover boy. You might miss out on the fun if I have to take you out next.”

Nancy seemingly finished with her work, pulled the jar from behind her and watched gleefully as the black ooze began to fill it inside. Once it was at the right amount she wanted, she pushed away Robin’s body like nothing. Making it sag over to your side.

All you could do is reach out and gently brush your fingers against her hand as she gave out weakened breaths. “I’m so sorry, Robin.” you whispered, hearing her grow quieter and quieter. The other two chuckled at your reaction, making a hot flash of anger fill inside of you as they became amused by your torment.

The watch on Eddie’s wrist beeped and he suddenly became excited. “It’s time. It’s a minute to midnight!” The two stood up quickly, looking around to make sure that everything was perfect and set before they turned to the two of you.

“With you as our final sacrifice, we’ll be able to summon Lord Vecna and grant our deepest wishes.” Nancy giggled, moving to stand next to Eddie while he chanted softly into his blade. “Are you ready to get her back?”

“Absolutely.” he grinned, “but there is just one last thing we’re missing.”

“What’s that?” she frowned.

Without another reply, he plunged the knife deep into Nancy’s stomach. Causing the frail girl to fall forward against his chest. He twisted the knife roughly, causing the blood to ooze out faster before he pulled out and stabbed again at her side. “Your blood.” he finished, pushing the girl to fall back.

Her body landed with a hard thud and she watched with eyes wide with fear as he pulled a remaining jar from his bag. The black blood filled inside as he gently laid it beside her. “W-why?” she whimpered, trying to hold the palm of her hands against her front wound.

“Because Vecna’s ritual needs twelve victims for every hour. And you, sweet Nancy, are hour number eleven.”

The girl stared shocked at her accomplice, looking around the room and realizing her place in all of this. “You son of a–” he didn’t let her finish as he slashed the knife across the throat, leaving her words to drown in the dark blood that oozed out from her throat.

“You’re sick!” Steve screamed, watching as Eddie wiped the blade on his pants.

“I’m determined.” he shrugged, pushing at Nancy’s body to lie down like the way they placed the others.

A small weak groan came from beside you and you held in a gasp when you noticed that Robin was still breathing. Her blue eyes barely able to open up before she glanced down towards her hands. You followed her gaze and noticed that she was pointing to her pocket. Using Eddie’s distraction for presentation, you scooted forward enough to try and get your hand towards her pocket. The rope made it hard to reach in but your fingertips were able to brush against a cool metal.

Mike’s pocket knife.

You completely forgot you had thrown it to her in the middle of the fight.

Pulling it out quickly, you mouth for her to be quiet before you scoot back into your spot, moving your body in just the right angle so that you could cover your hands from Eddie’s gaze and use the blade to cut at your ties.

Steve straightened up when he felt the blade touch his skin, staying still as you tried to cut through the rope. But when Eddie suddenly turned to face you both, you stopped your work.

“At last, my twelfth sacrifice. It’s time for your turn.”

You dropped the blade into Steve’s hands once Eddie grabbed for your arms, dragging you with him towards the middle of the witch’s circle.

“PLEASE!” Cried Steve, sounding more panicked than ever. “Take me! I’ll be your sacrifice!”

Eddie pulled you up from the floor wrapping his arm around your waist as his other arm placed the blade of his knife at your side. “It has to be her, Harrington.” He pressed a kiss against your cheek, making your face turn sour as you held in a gag. “Besides, I have better plans for you.”

Steve grunted, turning his body slightly. You watched his hands disappear behind him and caught on that he needed time.

“What plans?” you asked quickly, trying to get back Eddie’s attention.

“Well, obviously I’m not going to get out of this alive and think I’d get away with it scott free.” he chuckled, pressing his cheek against yours as he explained. “You see, I have it perfectly planned that the lover boy here is the one who takes the fall.”

“And all this is after Vecna or whatever grants you a wish? Do you hear how insane that sounds?!”

He simply chuckled at that, straightening up behind you as his blade raked up your side until it was placed right at the base of your throat. “You saw the blood, Baby. And truthfully, even if this all doesn’t work out, I’ll have the satisfaction of having taken you out.”

“Yeah, about that..”

He peered over you with a glare. “What?”

“You can’t exactly get away with all that with Steve gone.”

He shoved your body slightly, peering over your shoulder to look at the spot where he left Steve. Instead of his body tied up to the ground, all he was met with was a bundle of ropes on the ground.

“Hey, freak.” muttered a voice behind you two. “Get the fuck away from my girlfriend.”

Eddie barely has a chance to look behind him before Steve swung at his face. The force of the hit caused the two of you to fall over, but give you a perfect chance to get away from his grasp. Instantly the two boys began to fight with each other.

Steve climbed on top of Eddie’s waist to keep him down as he used one hand to keep the knife down and the other to lay punches against his face. You clamber out of the way and rush over to Robin’s side. There’s still a pained wheezing noise and you’re thankful that she’s still breathing.

“Come on, Robin. Stay with me.” you whispered, dragging her as gently as you could away from the fight. The two boys are still yelling at each other.

Steve gripped onto the knife finally and threw it away from the other boy’s reach. But that just motivated Eddie to fight harder, now using his fights against Steve. Eddie seemed to bare a secret strength that he never used with you guys.

The force of his punches were sending Steve back, making him let go enough that Eddie switched their positions. Eddie’s mouth spread out into a bloody grin as he threw fist upon fist against Steve’s body and face.

Between looking at Steve losing the fight and Robin barely breathing, you just couldn’t take it anymore. Standing up from the ground, you reached out for the discarded knife and held it tightly in your hand.

Steve’s eyes glanced at you for a second, worry filled in his brown hues. You knew he wanted for you to go, to leave while he was still able to distract Eddie. But you couldn’t just leave him. Not now, not after all the people that you’ve lost already.

So without a second thought, you rushed forward towards the two boys. Using all the strength left inside you to raise your hand up and plunge the knife into the middle of Eddie’s back.

A gasp sputtered out from his lips. As if all the air inside his body had been forced out. Steve stared up at shock, still struggling under Eddie’s grasp before he managed to wiggle out. Eddie was practically frozen when you backed away. It’s not until Steve had you in your arms that he finally turned around to face you both.

“Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur (The world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived).”

He took one step forward before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell forward onto the ground.

The two of you stayed still, anticipating for the boy to get up any second. But he didn’t move. Even as Steve stepped forward to kick at his body, there was still no movement from Eddie. “I think it’s over..” he whispered.

You reached to pull him back to your side as you kept your gaze hard on the body still. But there was no movement, no breathing, nothing. It’s not until the sound of weak groaning that you both turned back to your friend.

“Robin.” you whimpered, feeling the tears come back out as the adrenaline began to wear off. Kneeling at her side, you held her hand tightly in yours while Steve moved to hold the other. “You gotta stay awake, Robin. We gotta get you out of here.”

“Help me.” Steve whispered, gently reaching down to lift up her neck. After a bit of a struggle, you’re able to help get Robin into Steve’s arms.

You grab onto one of the lanterns that Eddie and Murray must have used to light their way in and lead the way out of the cave. The floor is uneven and the rock pathway made it hard for you both but you managed to get out of the cave. The cool air felt rewarding on your skin as you continued on towards the camp.

The two of you barely brushed past the tree lines when a bright light flashed over your face.

“FREEZE! PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!”

Staying frozen on the spot you drop the lantern at your feet and held your hands up. “Help us!” You cried out.

“Please! We can’t lose her!” Steve followed trying to keep Robin still in his arms while trying not to be blinded by the light.

“Put your guns down!” A deep voice called out.

Out of the lights emerged a worried Jim Hopper. The town’s police Chief that practically knew all of you since middle school. He quickly glanced at the bloodied Robin before he cupped his hand at the side of his mouth. “We need a medic!”

Two men rush over, gurney in their arms as they instantly take Robin away from Steve. That’s when Hopper moved over to check you two over. “God, we’ve been looking for you kids all over the place. Where are the rest of you hiding?”

You felt your stomach turn at his question. He didn’t know the horrors just yet.

“Chief,” called an officer from behind you three. “You better come check this out.”

2:38 AM

It’s after hours of questioning and discovering plans of the murder found with Eddie and Nancy’s belongings that you and Steve were able to make it to the hospital. While they managed to keep Robin alive during the drive to the hospital, there was no telling if she’d make it through her surgeries. Which is how you found yourself in the private waiting room with Steve.

The two of you cleaned up a bit from the woods and while you wished you could have a quick shower. You needed to know how Robin was doing.

“It’s been like forty minutes.”

“It’s been an hour, actually.” Steve sighed, sitting in his chair with his eyes closed.

“The clock says forty!”

“The clock stopped moving twenty minutes ago. My says we’re nearly at three.” he peeked his eyes open to look at you. “Will you please sit down? I feel like I’m going to vomit watching you pace around more.”

You stopped mid walk to glare over at Steve momentarily. It’s not that you were angry with him, in fact, you had been pretty worried about him the whole night since he refused to see any nurses for his injuries. Despite looking paler than you had ever seen him, he insisted that he was fine.

“You should be just as upset as I am. They haven’t told us anything! They said they would!”

He pinched the space between his eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh before he shrugged. “The officer said he’d come in and get us when we could see her. I can't just make them let us in, Baby.”

“They’re never going to tell us anything, Steve! They wouldn’t even let me see his body!”

“The bastard is dead. We checked when we left the cave.”

You looked out the window of the room, feeling completely overwhelmed as the night’s events plagued you.

“I can hear you thinking from here,” Steve noted. “Wanna share?”

“There’s just some things that aren’t adding up to me.”

“Like?”

“Why didn’t Eddie just kill us both? Why was he so focused on keeping you alive?” Turning around you crossed your arms over your chest. “Why did Dustin tell me not to touch you? Why did he say he was using you? None of their plans made sense!”

“Is murdering your friends in the name of a satanic ritual ever supposed to make sense?”

“I don’t know! I just want to know why!”

“It’s too late for that,” he scoffed, sounding tired.

Marching over, you squat down in front of him, trying to get a good angle of his face. The bags under his eyes had grown darker and he looked dehydrated. “Steve, honey. Are you sure you don’t want someone to ch-”

“I’m fine!” he snapped. The sudden outburst has you stumble back for a moment, shocked to have him become so upset with you. Your reaction had him change suddenly. A look of panic flashed over his already stressed out expression. “God, I’m sorry. My head is pounding, you’re panicking, and I just can’t shake off the feeling that something is going to happen.”

Reaching out slowly, you placed your hands to wrap at the sides of his face. “I know, I’m sorry.” you whispered gently to him. “We’re exhausted, we’ve been chased, and Robin isn’t waking up any time soon. I’m just worried too.” He rubbed into the palm of your hands, nodding slowly before he opened his eyes at you. The regular brown hue is darker than ever.

“Will you let me get a nurse, at least she can give you an ice pack?”

“Okay.” he gave in.

Leaning in, you pressed a small kiss to his forehead before leaving the room. The halls were practically empty at this hour and you felt a chill run down your spine as you made your way to the nurses station. The lonely nurse nearly rolled her eyes the moment she saw you. It wasn’t your first trip there that night.

“Miss, how many times do I have to tell you the same thing?”

You defensively held your hands up. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m here for another reason.” you sighed, pointing down the hall with your thumb. “My boyfriend finally gave in to my worries and is willing to have a nurse check him out. I think he’s dehydrated and might have a concussion.”

Relief spread over her face before she nodded her head. “Alright, sweetie.” she smiled, tone changing now that it was something different. “Why don’t you get him some water from the machine by the waiting room and I’ll send someone in a bit, we’re kinda understaffed tonight and I have to man the desk by myself.”

Nodding your head, you thank her for the help before doing as she said. Getting two water bottles, you glance over the time again down the hall, noting that at least that one had been moving forward before you entered the room.

“Someone should be here soon.” you murmured, closing the door up behind you.

Steve gave no response back to you, making you stop mid drink before you glanced at him. He was facing the window of the room, looking out into the night while giving you his back. “Steve?” you tried again, setting the water on the small table by the chairs. “Honey?”

Taking a small step over, you placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, urging him to face you. Just as quickly as you touched him, he swiftly turned. Causing you to stumble back. “Steve?” His face is completely stoic, eyes straight ahead, almost looking past you.

Slowly, you reached up to cup at his face. The tip of your finger barely grazed at his skin when he suddenly wrapped his hand around your throat. The other moved to wrap around your hand, keeping you from being able to properly push away from him.

“W-what are you doing?!” you croaked, feeling the tip of his fingers dig in deeper. But any emotion did not appear on his face. In fact, the more you looked the more you noticed he wasn’t even blinking. It was almost as if he were in a trance-like state.

“Steve, please, stop this!” Pushing your free hand against his chest, you tried to slap at him to stop. That’s when you noticed a figure appear on the window behind him.

“I wouldn’t wake him up if I were you. It's bad to wake up a sleepwalker.”

A chill ran down your spine and momentarily Steve loosened up his grip as the person came up behind him.

“How the hell are you alive?”

Smirking over at you, was Eddie, freshly cleaned up, and dressed in dark suit as he came up behind Steve, resting his chin on his shoulder as he looked at you warmly. “Well, that’s the thing about making deals with the devil. You get benefits.”

Steve did not flinch, he did not react, nor did he acknowledge that Eddie was there. All he did was keep his brown eyes focused on you. Sensing your confusion, the man behind him rubbed his ring clad finger against Steve’s jawline, admiring the shape before he smiled. “Dustin’s handy toxin. It was the perfect thing to bewitch Steve into following orders.”

“Non ducor, duco (I am not led, I lead).” He grinned, tapping at Steve’s cheek lightly. “He’s going to listen to anything I say from now on.”

“You won’t get away with this.” you gritted, still trying to get out of your boyfriend’s grasp. “They’ll find you’re alive and hunt your ass down!”

“Maybe, or maybe they’ll find Steve in here with your dead body in his hands and figure out that it was him all along. Especially when I command him to take the fall.”

As if on cue, Steve returned to gripping tightly at your neck, picking up from the floor before he slammed you to fall back. The cold floor hit hard against your back, making you gasp out a puff of air as he pressed his fingers harder.

The pain was spreading all over your body and you tried with all your might to push against Steve. But every punch or scratch did nothing. The air was quickly leaving you and your head became lighter and lighter. “Please!”

Eddie kneeled down, pulling out his pocket knife, leaning in to press it gently against your neck. The hold remained tightly against you, keeping you in place for Eddie to stick the knife in when ready. Glancing down, you noticed your position and quickly brought your knee up hard, hitting Steve enough in the groin that it caused his body to lurch forward.

“Shit!” Eddie hissed, scrambling to reach out for you. Thankfully you’re quick enough to roll away and shove Steve hard enough that he fell onto Eddie. “Grab her you idiot!” he commanded.

You manage to climb up from the floor in time to stand above Steve. He barely got on one knee before you used your leg to swing at him and knock him over again. Causing him to crash into the row of chairs against the wall.

“Get the fuck away from me!” you yelled, balling up your fist. It feels futile against the two boys but you had no other choice.

Eddie chuckled darkly, cracking his neck to the side before he pointed over at you. “Harrington, hold her down again.”

There was no response from the man as he slowly emerged from the floor. The closer they got the more you felt yourself being trapped in. It’s not until your back was pressed against the cold window that you knew your time was up.

“Hold her tight.” Eddie ordered. “She’s not getting away this time.”

Steve stepped up, raising his hands to grip at your shoulders. Pulling you in towards him so that he could turn you around and press your back against his front. Eddie groaned slightly as he climbed up from the floor, reaching out for his discarded knife while Steve slowly leaned into your ear.

“Run.” he whispered softly.

Relief and fear filled your senses when you realized that Steve came back to himself again. You weren’t sure what exactly he was going to plan on doing but as soon as Eddie was back to facing you both, he returned to looking stoic again.

“No more fuck ups!” he cried, bringing the blade back up. “You die now!” Raising his hand up, he’s about to slash at your exposed throat before Steve quickly moves his arm to stand in the way. The blade slashed against his forearm, causing him to cry out in pain before he quickly pushed you out of harm's way.

“Go now!”

“No!” Eddie yelled, jumping in to grab you. Hands gripped at your arms in a tight grip before he pulled you in front of him like in the cave. His breath hit heavy against your neck as he pulled you close. “I have one last chance to finish you off for Lord Vecna to give me what I really want.”

“One last chance?” You asked, trying to pry his hands off.

He tilted his head at you, pointing his chin out to the wall before you. “Three am. The witching hour. I have at least fifteen minutes to offer you up.”

For the first time today, you actually laugh.

Eddie behind you stiffened up and you can tell he’s confused by it before he began to shake you lightly. “What? What’s so funny?”

All you could do is point over to the clock in the room. Getting the attention of both men to follow your finger before you answered back. “You missed your mark, asshole! The clock is broken!”

“No!” Eddie scoffed in disbelief. “You’re lying!” He hissed, shoving you forward. He glanced over at Steve, pointing his blade over at him before he pointed to his wrist.” “Harrington, show me!”

Steve held his hands up, slowly turning his wrist to show the face of the clock on his watch. “You’re about twenty minutes late, freak.”

A look of pure panic edged onto Eddie’s face. The paleness made him look sick as the truth hit him. “No no no no. This can’t happen! You’re supposed to be dead and bleeding!” He pointed to you.

As if by magic, the room began to turn dark, lights going out all around you as a red hue seeped in.

Steve slowly moved at your side, pulling you closer as you both watched the atmosphere change.

Eddie began to really panic. Spewing out any curse word he knew as he tried to flicker the lights back on. “This can’t be happening!” He cried out. “It can’t end like this!”

The sudden deep trill of a clock ticking began to engulf the room. Making your heart jump with every ring. From the corner of your eye you notice a tall dark figure slowly emerge into the doorway.

“Oh my God.” You whispered.

“No,” answered back a deep voice. “Not God. Lord Vecna.”

Eddie, who had begun to whimper, fell down to his knees as the looming figure came into the room. The small light that peeked in from the window’s moonlight barely gave you and Steve sight of the creature.

His skin looked almost burned, as if he’d been in flames recently. The front of his nose burnt away to barely open holes where his nostrils should be. You would have figured for a second for him to be a human if not for his otherworldly limbs.

The length of his arm and fingers went past his hips and his hair replaced with what looked like tentacles. It was a sight you wish you never had to see.

Beside you was a just as shocked Steve. His fingers dug into your arms as he took hesitant steps back to keep the two of you a safe distance.

“Edward Munson..” bellowed the voice. “You have failed to complete the ritual for your wish.”

The boy clapped his hands together in a prayer, looking up at the figure with water eyes. “You don’t get it! I have her here! Your twelfth sacrifice! If you would just let me finish..”

“SILENCE.” growled the creature. The walls of the room shook as his voice echoed. “Your time is up. It is time to claim my final victim.”

Raising his claw-like hand in the air, Vecna raised Eddie up from the ground. The boy had resulted in screaming as he attempted to wiggle out of the room invisible hold Vecna had on him.

With a flick of his wrist, Eddie’s legs and arms began to crack. Twisting unnatural ways. You didn’t think that his screaming could get louder but with more pain he just became blaring.

“Don’t look.” Steve urged, using his arm to cover your vision. But even without the sight you could still hear his body being twisted in ways that not only had him in pain but slowly bleeding onto the floor. The blood trickled loudly as it turned into the familiar black ooze.

You grip onto Steve tightly until the sound of Eddie’s screaming stops.

Peeking through Steve’s arm, you notice the body has crumpled into the ground. Shriveled up like a balled up piece of paper. In the corner of the room still stood Vecna. Hand extended over the body as the blood began to rise up and soak into his skin.

The creature’s eyes slipped close and he hummed contently. That’s when the room began to shake.

“What the hell?!” Steve yelled out, trying to keep you both balanced.

The floor underneath Eddie’s body opened up and a red glow emitted from the ground. You stared wide eyed as the sounds of pained screaming and moans came from beneath the earth. Dark fleshy vines came from the ground, tugging the body into its opening.

The bones crunch again as it rugged into the earth. Nearly making you faint. The last thing you see of Eddie is his jarring open mouth and burst eyes dissolve into the red flames.

“You may have his wish.” Vecna groaned. Turning to face you both. His dark eyes immediately stared into yours.

“We don’t want it.” Steve frowned, gripping onto you tighter.

“You can have untold riches, child. Even bring back the dead.”

“Go to hell.” you replied back.

He hummed softly at that. “So be it.” With a wave of his hand, the pit in the middle of the room opened up wider, nearly making the two of you fall forward as it began to suck up the large creature.

Harsh wind swirled around you both as Vecna slowly descended down into the ground. Dragging all the splatters of black ooze from the floor and walls until he had every last drop sucked in. Slowly the earth floor began to shake and the pit began to shrink and shrink until it was merely a cracked line on the floor.

“Alrighty! I heard there was a certain fellow ready to be checked out?” Said a chirpy voice. An older man dressed in pink scrubs entered the room, wheeling in a med cart alongside him. It’s not until he’s closed the door behind him that the nurse finally looked over to find you and Steve still holding each other tightly.

“Am I interrupting something?” he asked, raising a brow.

Steve cleared his throat, letting you go gently before he led you over towards the chairs. “No, it’s fine,” he said softly. Urging the guy to come forward.

The room fell into a silence, Steve holding onto your hand while answering questions the nurse was giving to him. You rested your head down on his shoulder, feeling the fatigue slowly come in.

“I think after a couple of painkillers, some rest, and a good shower, you’ll feel better Mr. Harrington. I’d recommend another check up in the following week just in case, but it seems to me like you’re doing okay.”

“Thanks, I’ll be sure to do that.” Steve nodded, resting his head on top of yours.

“By the way, I’ve been informed that your friend made it out of surgery. She’s being cleaned up but pretty soon you two will be able to visit her.”

Finally, after hours of being scared and hunted, you have some good news. The night of terror was finally over. Leaning up, you pressed a kiss to Steve’s cheek, watching as he allowed his eyes to slip close while he rested against you.

“Will you two be okay?” he asked, standing at the doorway.

You glanced out the window, smiling a bit at the early morning light that began to peek through.

“We will be.”

A/N: So that’s it! i know this was a long read so thank you so much to anyone who was patient to wait around for this and hopefully this ending is good for you guys. I feel a little bit like Bill Denbrough who can’t writing good endings. But thank you again for all the love and support.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #Steve Harrington x female reader #steve harrington fic #Eddie munson fic #stranger things au #stranger things fic #rrh

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