the chain

break the silence

You cling onto Eddie's waist tightly, wringing your fingers together. Nancy Wheeler only has four bikes. And Eddie was the first one to offer you to ride with him. You all ride at the same pace down the abandoned, dark road. Pushing your awkward feelings away, you look up at the Forest Hills trailer park sign covered in thick vines. Eddie pushes on, steering down the small hill, "It's just here." He says, coming to a steady stop outside of his place.

You swing a leg over the bike, eyeing the trailer. It looks worn out and barely standing. When Eddie pries open the door, he half expects to see Chrissy Cunningham strewn on the floor. And so do you. Your heart beats in your throat as you all step inside of his home. A red glow emits from inside as you follow Eddie in. There's a horrid sound, like belching or frowning coming from the living room.

On the ceiling, where Chrissy once was, there's what looks like a slice cut out in the top of his trailer. There are thin, stringy vines surrounding it, just like watergate.

"Dustin was right," you mutter to the group, starting up at the ceiling, "there's a gate at every murder site."

"Goddamn," Steve lets out a breath as he looks up at it, clicking his flashlight off in awe.

"This is where Chrissy died," Eddie turns to the group for a moment, "like, right where she died."

"I think there's something in there," Robin stares up, waiting for Dustin or Erica to call out for them. Something begins to push against the red film covering the entrance and you peer up at it, curiously.

"What the hell is that?" Eddie wonders, his voice airy as he gazes in wonder.

All of a sudden, the film is broken and you all cower back as a long pole pierces through the air from the other side. Steve, the carer of the group, slowly walks up towards it. He's quiet and timid, eyes wide as he stares up at the ceiling. He prepares for literally anything to come through; a bat, a dog, a weird humanoid thing. You all follow him closely, eyes cast upward.

"No way..." Steve mumbles, seeing clear air and warm lighting.

On the other side, you see them. Dustin, Erica, Lucas, and Max, are flipped upside down as if you're looking at a weird mirror image. Dustin giggles, waving his hand in the air. "Hi there," Dustin grins, setting the pole down beside him.

Everyone waves back, greeting the kids on the other side. "I can't believe what I'm seeing," you let out a laugh, covering your mouth with your hand.

"Holy shit, this is trippy," Robin grins.

Dustin barks out a laugh, "Bada, bada, boom!"

You see him and Lucas speaking before they march off, coming back with a large mattress and setting it down on the floor in front of the portal. Dustin has a few white sheets tied together, and he mumbles something before throwing it up into the portal.

"Alright!" He shouts to you, "Pull on it! See if it holds!"

Robin smiles, reaching her hands up to grip the sheets. She puts all her weight onto it, dangling for a second and laughing. "It works!" You exclaim up to them, smiling at Robin.

She grasps onto the makeshift rope, "Guess I'm the guinea pig."

Grunting as she ascends, you watch in wonder. This is unlike anything you've ever seen in your entire life; unlike anything you'll ever see. You watch as Robin makes her way up to the gate before she falls down onto the mattress.

You can see her smiling as she grips Dustin's hand, jumping to her feet. Eddie looks between Nancy and Steve before his eyes meet yours. He wants to smile - so wide - but he doesn't want to give anything away - doesn't want to feel the crushing weight of your rejection. So he goes for a kind nod.

"I'll see you up there," he says softly

"Yeah," you give him a smile, unabashedly, "I'll be right behind you."

He begins to climb, shakily, before he falls onto his mattress. He looks up at you, smiling widely before turning to Dustin and gripping his hand to stand.

Turning to Nancy and Steve, you give them each a knowing smile, "Don't miss me too much while I'm gone."

Steve lets out a scoff, smiling as he watches you. When you're about to go into the portal, you look up and see Eddie's wide smile. He's beckoning you forward. Gravity begins working in the real world and you feel your hair begin to rise - or fall - whichever way it is. You let go of the rope. It's the last thing you remember doing before all you can see is red.