OUTCASTS • Eddie Munson

Snack-Sized Gate

"So..." Dustin began, "What happened?"

Eddie chuckled, "Where do I begin?" He thought for a moment, "So uh... Ellie came to visit, we hung out, spoke about what happened the day before with you guys, and what Lucas had said." He gestured to Lucas, happy he was able to get another dig in. Lucas looked down solemnly.

"We drank, smoked, talked, generally just had a nice chilled day, and then those jerks showed up at Rick's house. They were in there for a while, and we just stayed silent hoping they'd leave. I tried contacting you guys a couple times, but obviously you were busy." He huffed slightly, the feeling of annoyance creeping up over the fact that, yet again, he had been stuck in a situation in which he was relying on other people to help him. "And then Ellie clocked Jason looking at us from the window, so we had to move. I got into the boat, and she pushed me out, trying to get me to safety even though I wanted her to be safe too."

"It was you they were after." She told him.

He looked at her and smiled, even though she wasn't looking at him, "Thank you." He told her, before looking back at the group, "but yeah, I tried to get away, and then - I don't know what happened, Jason shouted at me from the shore, and I saw Ellie headbutt him square in the nose."

"Nice." Steve said, nodding at Ellie as she grinned.

"It was pretty badass." Eddie smiled, still seeing it in the forefront of his mind, "And then Ellie dived in the lake towards me, but they followed us. I pulled her up onto the boat and Jason tried to capsize us, but his friend just... disappeared? Like he was pulled under water by an invisible force. And then the same thing happened again, like what happened with Chrissy." His face cringed.

"We swam away, leaving them there." Ellie finished, noticing Eddie's expression as he relived the experience yet again.

"When I got to shore, I was gonna call you guys but uh..." Eddie said, taking a swig of water from the container the guys had brought him. "I left the walkie in the boathouse. So... uh... I did the thing that I do now, apparently." He spoke with a sarcastic grin on his face, "I ran." He chuckled.

"Hey." Ellie told him, "We ran." She put the emphasis on the word 'we' to remind him he wasn't alone in doing so. "Besides, as you so eloquently said at Hellfire, there is no shame in running."

Eddie looked at her, a smile on his face, one she returned half assed, leaving him confused as to why her mood towards him had changed.

"Do you know what time this was?" Nancy asked, "The attack?"

"Yeah no, I... I know exactly what time it was." He told her, removing his watch from his wrist. "We weren't the only things that got soaked." He launched his watch towards Nancy.

"9:27." Nancy said, nodding her head slightly as if she was confirming something.

"Same time our flashlights went kablooey." Robin said.

"Which means what exactly?" Steve asked.

"That that surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick." Nancy responded, finally fitting all the pieces together.

Eddie looked to Ellie to see if she knew what they were talking about, but Ellie was looking down at her hands, prodding the cuts that were still healing.

"Well, we're one step closer, we know how Vecna attacks." Robin spoke to no one in particular.

"And where he attacks from." Lucas finished.

"So, now we just need to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart." Max quipped.

"If he even has a heart." Robin responded.