The Monsters Within // Eddie Munson

iv. Reefer Rick

"I found something!" 

Max called out after hanging up her phone, making the group huddle around her. "He usually hangs out with some dude named Reefer Rick, but he is in jail right now." "Perfect place to lay low. What's his last name?" Steve asked. 

"I think the point of a dealer name is so that people don't know who you are." Robin stated, rolling her eyes at him. "I bet the cops know his last name." Steve told them. "Cops? Really Steve, that's your suggestion?" Dustin rolled his eyes.

They didn't have Hopper anymore, therefore no cops were allowed to be involved, and even worse, they would have no access to inside help. "You think Eddie is guilty, don't you?" Dustin asked, stepping towards him, "Don't you?"

"That's not what I'm inferring-" Katherine cut Dustin and Steve's argument off. "Lipton."

The group paused and turned to look at her, "Now it is not the time for tea Kat." Steve rolled his eyes. "No, uh. Like, Rick Lipton. That's probably where Eddie is." Robin raised an eye at the girl, with a small smile. "Well, uh. Let's go, I'll show you the way." Steve watched after her in shock, before they all ran out locking the video store behind them.

~~

Steve pulled into Reefer Rick's driveway, and they piled out of his car. Katherine rolled her eyes as they went into the house, walking to the shed down by the water instead. She lightly knocked on the door before going inside. 

"Eddie?" She called out, "It's Kat, we met the other day. Me and my friends we are here to help you." She looked at the coca-cola cans and a bag of chips laying on the workbench. "Eddie?" She called out again, as the door swung open behind her. 

"Jesus!" "Nope just Dustin." The kid grinned at his joke, before walking further in the other trailing behind. "Katherine, you can't just wander off alone." Steve told her. "I'm fine, Steven." She replied, pointing out the trash. "Someone has been here."

Steve grabbed an oar, sticking it around in the tarp covered boat. "What are you doing?" Robin asked him. "Checking to see if anything is in there." "There is nothing in there, just move your tarp." Dustin argued with him. "You lift it up!" Suddenly the tarp sprung up covering Steve and a body slammed Katherine against a wall. "Kat!" Max screamed. She looked up and saw Eddie had pinned her against a wall, feeling glass against her neck. Katherine stayed as still as possible against the wall. 

"Hey! Hey Eddie! Look it's me Dustin, from Hellfire yeah?" Eddie watched them as they tried to calm him down. "We know you didn't do it! Okay Eddie? We know you didn't kill Chrissy." He told him. "Look! Look at what you are doing, that's Queen Kat remember? She defeated Vecna on Friday, remember?" Eddie looked at who he had against the wall and immediately let go of her. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

She slid down the wall before she ran over the Max who gripped her tightly. "It's okay."

"What are you doing here?" Eddie asked, his voice cracking as he avoided Katherines eyes. He was obviously scared and confused. "We're looking for you." Dustin stressed. "We are here to help." Robin added, trying to keep him calm. "Eddie, these are my friends. Max, Robin, Steve, and you already know Katherine." Their eyes met briefly before he looked away. "We're on your side, we swear. Right guys?" "Yes, we swear." Max said quickly. "Yeah, on Dustin's mother." Steve nodded slightly.

"We want to know what happened." Robin spoke softly, staying still in order to not frighten him. "You're not going to believe me." Eddie sniffled, roughly wiping his cheek. "Try us." Katherine responded, nodding reassuringly to him with a smile.

"Chrissy. Something happened to her." He whispered. "What happened?" Steve asked, from where he stood behind Dustin. "Her body just froze. I couldn't see her eyes, and she wouldn't respond to me. Nothing I was saying would make her move, it was freaking me out. Her body lifted into the air." Eddie took a deep breath and as remembered the previous night, "and uh she just,, like hung there in the air. And her bones, she uh. Her bones started to snap." A tear fell down his cheek, "It was like there was something I don't know, like inside her head. I didn't know what to do, so I ran away.. I don't know. I left her too.." He stopped and looked up at the group, "You guys think I'm crazy right?" He asked, rubbing his face with his hands.

"No, we don't think you are crazy." Dustin quickly disagrees with him. "Don't bullshit me, man!" Eddie screamed, holding back tears. "We believe you, Eddie." Katherine said, stepped out of Max's hold and kneeling in front of him, putting her hand gently on his knee.

"Look what I'm about to tell you may be difficult to understand." Katherine started. "Okay." He responded shakily, she looked back at the group who nodded for her to continue. "You know how people say Hawkins is cursed?" He nodded slowly, watching her as she spoke. "They aren't far off. There's another world, hidden, beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours."

"What you mean like ghosts and shit?" Eddie asked, confused. "There are some things worse than ghosts." Max told him, knowing Katherine didn't know what exactly to say at that moment. "These monsters, from the other world, we thought they were gone. They have come back before, that's why we needed to find you." Dustin continued on, crouching next to Katherine.

"If these monsters came back, we need to know Eddie." Katherine told him, rubbing his knee when she saw his panicked look. She thought back to it all, the demogorgon, demodogs, the mind flayer. She already lost two very important people to her to the Upside down, she couldn't stand to lose anymore.

"That night did you see anything?" Robin asked. "Dark particles, maybe?" "A shadow in the sky?" Eddie shook his head. "It would almost look like dust, swirling dark dust." Dustin continued. "No, man. There was nothing I could see, or touch." He tried to explain it to them, "There was nothing I could do, she couldn't move, it was like she was in a... trance or something." He finished, shaking his head.

"Or under a spell." Dustin suggested, looking at his friends nervously. "A curse." Eddie said suddenly, looking between Dustin and Katherine.

"Vecna's Curse." They said in unison. Boy, were they just absolutely fucked.

Words: 1093

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Okay Kathrine being pushed against the wall by our man. I'm glad for her.

Thoughts or Suggestions??

Love y'all!