𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐘 𝐍𝐔𝐌𝐁 | 𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

☆ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 12

           

      

                  SAM SNAPPED out of her memory with a smile.

She looked around, realising that she could recognise the path they were taking and when Steve walked through bushes and Dustin complained but followed anyway, Sam immediately realised that they made it to Skull Rock.

"Boom!" Steve shouted. "Bada bing, bada boom! There she is, Henderson! Skull Rock!" Sam and the rest followed through the bushes and were soon met with the enormous rock that looked like a skull which was of course why it had that name. The rock was supported by two other rocks that looked like they were piled over each other and they could almost pass as a cave. "In your face, man. In your stupid, cocky little face."

"Doesn't make sense." Muttered Dustin, looking at his compass and the rock in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah. Even with it staring you in the face, you can't admit it." Steve mocked. "You just can't admit you're wrong, you little butthead."

Just as he said that, a figure jumped from behind the rocks and the group yelped back.

"I concur." The figure, Eddie, said. "You, Dustin Henderson, are a... total butthead."

Sam stumbled a little back, eyes glued to Eddie. Robin's words kept replaying back to back in her head. Eddie looked even more messed up than the first time they found him after Chrissy's death. His hair was messier than usual, his eyes were drained of color and full of fear, his face was a bit pale and he looked like he hasn't slept in days.

"Jesus, we thought you were a goner!" Dustin replied with a smile, coming to give Eddie a big hug.

"Yeah, me too, man." Eddie replied, a smile creeping onto his face as he hugged Dustin back. "Me too."

As Eddie said that, his eyes landed on Sam's and then on the plaster on her cheek.

When Eddie and Dustin separated, and before anyone could say anything, Sam took a step forward, not quite yet registering what she was doing. Eddie's eyes met hers and before she knew it, she was running towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. She felt Eddie stumble a bit and tense up before sighing and hugging her back, his hands wrapping around Sam's waist.

The height difference made it a bit difficult for Sam to reach Eddie fully so she was standing on her tippy-toes as Eddie leaned down a bit. Sam could smell the faded cheap cologne on Eddie mixed with the smell of nature, weed, wet ground and pollen.

To Sam, Eddie smelled like the earth and life. He smelled a little bit more human than the rest of them.

"Sammy," Eddie whispered, his breath tickling Sam's neck. "That was quite sudden of you." His voice held the reminding shock from before and a bit of teasing.

Ignoring that, Sam hummed and nodded slightly. "I'm glad you are okay. That's all."

She tried to play it cool, telling herself that Eddie was her friend and that it was normal to be worried this much. But even then, even as she used her nonchalant tone and cool voice, even after telling herself that she could let go now, she didn't.

She didn't know how to let go.

But Eddie didn't seem to mind and the group around them kept their mouths shut.

"That's all?" Eddie repeated, lips dangerously close to Sam's ear. "Why aren't you letting go yet, then?"

It didn't sound like a tease, nor an annoyed statement. It was more like he was just trying to understand the situation better. Sam could hear the confusion in his voice and the slight... fear? Was that really fear Sam heard? She could be wrong, of course, but her ears had barely ever deceived her.