Hell & Back

Chapter Six

Arriving at the Wheeler house, was an answered prayer. The mile over to it had felt like hours with the earthquakes and trying not to fall against the breathing vines. The cuts around Chrissy's ankles were bleeding even more, the shirt she had torn up was soaked through with blood. Nancy told her where the bathroom was and that there should be peroxide and bandages in the medicine cabinet. 

She didn't want to feel like a burden anymore than she already had. They all would have been out of here already had she not been dragged here. She hadn't even thought to look for a way out on her own. Damn it, why are you like this? Scared of everything.  She thought to herself while she sat one the toilet and unwrapped one of here ankles.

The cuts didn't look to deep and they couldn't have cut anything important or else she wouldn't be able to walk. She stretched her leg up on the counter and over the sink. Chrissy poured the peroxide and had to hold her breath from yelping. Both wrapped all the way around, making the cleaning processes take longer than expected. "Hey, do you need a hand?" Steve had walked into the bathroom. Chrissy only nodded and handed him the bottle. 

"Bats did a number on you." He said looking her over. She was suddenly very aware of all the tares in her shirt and her disheveled hair. Chrissy looked down and noticed the piece of cloth he had wrapped around his waist. "Did they get you too?" She asked stopping herself from reaching up and touching the cloth. "Just a bite." He said and began putting the gauze pads around followed by the white bandage wrap. 

He did the other one in silence, that one hurt move. The tail must have gone a little deeper and everything he did hurt. I tried not to whine or show that it bothered me but he could tell, he kept apologizing. "I can clean your side out if you want." Chrissy said after Steve had finished both of her ankles. He looked down at her and smile nodding. They changed places but just as he sat down he jumped back up. "Do you hear that? Dustin." He said and almost pushed her out of the way. 

She followed him but couldn't hear anything. Steve ended up in the kitchen yelling for Dustin. Chrissy didn't know what to do, she knew that he couldn't be under Vecna's control because you didn't yell out or move, it was all in your mind. When everyone else came downstairs she let the other two girls try and stop him. "Dustin, he's here." Steve said excitedly to Nancy. "When will was here, he could talk to Joyce through....through the lights." She said understanding whatever he was saying. 

There was no power here so she didn't understand what the lights had to do with anything. She watched though without saying her doubt as Nancy held up her hand and touched the chandelier overhead. The light came on and everyone moved closer to it. "Does anyone know Morris code?" She said and they each looked at each other. "Does SOS count?" Eddie said and everyone looked at him in amazement "Is that good?" He asked and Chrissy took his hand reassuringly. 

Eddie let go of Chrissy's hand and the rest of them moved back leaving him alone with the chandelier. No chance of their energy interfering. He put his hand to the light and started signaling. He did it over and over about six times before they could hear Dustin's voice. They listened as he hand an idea that they would talk through a litebrite  that Nancy had in her room. 

They all raced upstairs, while Nancy set everything up Steve and Robin sat on either side of her on the floor beside her bed. Eddie and Chrissy stood behind them and for the first time he noticed she was shivering, damn he should have realized, instantly he shrugged off his leather jacket and handed it to her without speaking. Nancy was writing on a toy that they couldn't see but they could hear Dustin. 

This whole damn thing was strange like a dream that he would wake up from. A week ago his only worry was whether or not he would pass his Spanish final, now he was in an alternate dimension, fighting monster bats with Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler, and he was kind of sort of with Chrissy Cunningham. Oh, him and Steve were also agreeing on things which was probably the weirdest part of all to him. 

"How many time do I have to be right before you guys trust me?" Dustin had yelled to them. "That kid has such an attitude problem." Steve said out loud. "It's his tone, right." Eddie said to which Steve agreed. They made both looked at each other startled but it wasn't anything bad. As much as he hated to admit it, Steve was an okay dude and he didn't mind hanging out with him. 

Chrissy could now hear Dustin's voice which was strange. She wondered if they could hear everyone depending on the house they were in or only certain people. Like did you have to want to hear them or find them for it to work, or did you have to have some connection to them? It was all way to confusing for her to think about. 

Everyone else seemed perfectly fine without an explanation, so she tried to calm herself. Eddie seemed to be lost in thought beside her but she was thankful that he had given her his jacket. He seemed to fit in with this group better than she did. She was grateful that they had all come to save her, even though they didn't know her but she didn't know how to talk to them. 

Ten minutes later the plan was set they would use the bikes in Nancy's garage to go to Eddie's house in order to try and get back. Dustin and the people with him would also go to make sure it was open on their end. Nancy only had four bikes which left Chrissy riding on the back of Eddie's. That didn't bother her though. Her ankles hurt and she wasn't sure she would be able to keep up with the rest of them. 

They road the seven miles to the trailer park and once there Chrissy got a terrible feeling. This is where it had began. This place is where Vecna first tried to get her and almost succeeded. She stepped down off the bike, Eddie did the same after her letting the bike fall to the ground. Everyone did the same thing, they started off into the house. She took hold of Eddie's hand and was unable to move. "I don't know if I can go in there." She said low so only he could hear her. 

Eddie was caught off guard by this, he thought she would be the first one to want to run through the door, we'll hole, to their own world. But when he looked at her, he saw that she was looking at the trailer, of course she wouldn't want to go in there knowing that we are in that things world. "Hey, he's not in there. And I will be right beside you." He said putting a hand on her shoulder. "You broke away from him twice, survived plugging through a lake, came through a gaping hole followed by being attacked by bats and survived here an entire night. You are the bravest person I know and this" he said motioning to the house "this will not break you." 

He felt a little embarrassed by that whole speech but no one had ever depended on him or turned to him for comfort. Honestly though he wouldn't blame her if she laughed at him for it. Thankfully she didn't, she took a deep breath and nodded. They walked into the trailer together and the red gaping hole was right there. The other three were standing there and than he heard why, something was trying to get through. Nancy, always prepared, took the knife out of her belt and held it up ready to strike. 

So there was light peering through. They could hear the faint sound of a voice. The hole opened more and standing on the other side, literally upside down was Dustin, Synclairs disinter and Max. Eddie let out a breath and everyone else around him seemed to do the same, he didnt even hear what Dustin said but soon enough they pulled a mattress out of one of the bedroom and a rope which they made by tying sheets together. 

The mattress in question was stained and he felt himself get extremely embarrassed. No one had asked or even looked his way but he felt the need to say something "Those stains are...Yeah I don't know what those stains are." He said and fell silent. Strangely enough when Dustin through they makeshift rope through it hung down on both sides strongly. 

Robin volunteered to go first, they watched her climb and than fall to the mattress below. Chrissy went next and he followed closely behind her. Nancy came through next followed by Steve. But when Nancy came through she didn't move, causing Eddie and Dustin to have to pull her out of the way so Steve didn't land on her. Eddie stood holding Nancy in his arms, Dustin had let her go and he had picked her up so she wouldn't fall back. They all knew instantly what happened.