STARCROSSED ▷ steve harrington

04. vecna's curse - part two

CHAPTER FOUR — VECNA'S CURSE
PART TWO

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IT WAS dark by the time they reached Eddie's location, (if he was even there) and the drive was silent. Max was burning a hole into the back of Jackie's head, and Jackie was too busy staring out the passenger side window with a clenched jaw to even notice. Steve had tried to come up with some commentary along the way, but Robin enjoyed silent car rides, and Dustin had given up on being the only person responding.

The driveway was made up of dirt, and it was uneven. They rocked back and forth in their seats until Steve finally put the car into park. They examined the house as they exited the vehicle.

"Definitely doesn't look like anyone is home," Jackie commented, watching Dustin approach the front door. "Or he's just very good at hide and seek."

Dustin was not one to give up easily, as he'd begun to repeatedly ring the doorbell until Jackie was convinced the battery was dead.

"That settles it," Steve concluded once Dustin started to pound on the door. "I guess he's not here."

"Eddie!" Dustin shouted, Jackie reeled back before he could yell in her ear further. "It's Dustin! Look, we just wanna talk, okay? No cops, I swear. We just wanna help. Eddie!"

"Yeah, just tell the whole town we're here," Jackie muttered, following after Max who had began to walk the line down the house. Argument or not, she'd still keep her safe. No matter what. They both paused at the edge, sharing a look at the new building they had just discovered. "Guys, get over here."

"There's another house," Max said, peering past Jackie. The others joined them quickly. Their flashlights illuminated the shack as they searched through the windows for any sign of life. Nothing inside moved—it looked like nobody was occupying this place, either.

The door was unlocked. Robin entered first, the rest close behind. "Hello?" She called out. "Is anyone home?"

There was no answer. The floorboards creaked underneath their feet, and that was the only sound. Other than Steve's disapproval. "This place is a dump."

That made Jackie even less convinced to let him see the inside of the trailer. She'd never been insecure about something like that before, and her stomach started to twist. What if he saw her differently now?

Fishing nets were strung up along the walls, there were a few life jackets scattered. It looked like a basic man-shed. There was something in the middle of the room covered with tarps, but Jackie strayed off to the side, looking inside of boxes and anything else Eddie could be hiding in.

She watched as Steve grabbed a paddle from the wall, only for him to aggressively start to hit the tarps with it. "What are you doing?" Dustin questioned. "What are you doing?!"

"He might be in here," Steve replied, faltering for only a moment, before returning to what he was doing.

"Look at this," Max said, gesturing to the food wrappers. "Someone's been here."

"Maybe he heard us," Robin quipped. "Got spooked and ran."

"Don't worry," Dustin told them. "Steve will get him with his oar."

"I know you think you're being funny, Henderson, but considering everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times, and that my girlfriend can't walk without wincing, I'm not taking the chance. So, personally, I don't find it funny in the slightest—"

Jackie, about ready to share an exasperated glance with Robin, froze when the edge of the tarp flew up, and watched in horror as Steve was shoved up against the nearest wall, a broken beer bottle with a sharp edge held to his neck.