the chain

listen to the wind blow

Something shines against your eyes and you frown, stirring awake. The sunlight is warm, you sigh peacefully underneath its golden rays. You close your eyes once more before you realise. Where's Eddie? You're leant up against a rock, not him. Looking around, there's no sign of him - no sign of life. His leather jacket is draped over you and you frown, taking it as you rise to your feet.

"Eddie?" You whisper, leaning down to peer at the gap the large rocks leave, "Eddie?"

An awful sinking feeling builds at the bottom of your stomach. You begin to walk around, looking for any sign that he's near. The woods are quiet this time of the morning, it seems that the sun has only just risen. Unusually, the birds don't make a single sound. They're usually singing their vibrant songs at this point.

"Y/N?"

You gasp, whipping around to see Robin. At first, you let out a thankful sigh.

"Robin!" You grin, rushing up to her, "I've never been happier to see you." She stares at you, almost staring right through you. When you look her up and down, you narrow your eyes at her. "Why are you wearing your scoops uniform? Robin?" You look at her with a small smile before it turns sour, "What's going on?" She raises a hand, slowly, her fingertips covered in blood as she points behind you. You look, and the sight has your eyes bulging out of your head. "Steve?" You gasp at him, "Steve!"

"Why did you do this?" he mumbles, his hand pressed against his abdomen. His face is beaten and swelling, just like how you remembered from the underground tunnels last year. He was beaten mercilessly, while you and Robin listened from the other room. "Why'd you let them do this?" He walks towards you.

"I didn't," you shake your head at him, whipping around to see Robin pacing your way, "I didn't!"

"You're supposed to love us," Robin mumbles, her eyes wide as she stares down at you, "we're supposed to protect each other."

"I-I..."

"Y/N," Steve's in front of you now, his eyes slowly rolling to the back of his head, "You did this to me."

"Y/N!" Robin stands beside Steve, her own eyes now white as her body trembles, "Y/N..."

"Y/N!" Eddie screams, his hands shoving your shoulders back and watching with wide eyes, as you unexpectedly open your own, "Jesus fucking Christ! What the hell is going on?!"

You look up at him, your eyes flicking between his panicked expression, "Did I-"

"Look fucking possessed?! Yeah." He shouts, running a hand over his face, "Shit!"

"He's... he's got to me," you mumble, looking down at the leaves circling the ground, "Vecna - he wants to kill me."

When Eddie looks back at you, his face furrows at the blood slowly seeping from your nose. Eddie's eyebrows pinch in the middle and he bites his bottom lip, tugging his bandanna from his back pocket. His eyes are on you, his brain unable to shut the hell up. The vision of you, your eyes white again, mouth open so wide that your jaw snaps.

"Your nose. Look at me," he orders tenderly, one of his ringed fingers pressing underneath your chin to tilt your head up at him. He folds the fabric, using a corner of it to wipe the red from underneath your nose. You gaze up at him, not saying a word. "We're gonna kill him first," Eddie leans down towards you, letting his intense eyes bore into yours, "he's not going to get you, none of us are gonna let that happen."

You eye him for a moment. He leans away from you, standing beside you and throwing his bandanna away, "Eddie... where were you?"

"I was-" he sighs, pulling the device from his back pocket, "I was stealing a walkie. Trying to find a way to Dustin and the rest but I don't know what fucking channel the twerp uses. I didn't want to wake you so I left."