𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄 | 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯

𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨

~ three. the monster and the superhero ~

***

Valerie had found herself part of several unlikely crowds over the past couple of days. First there was Eddie Munson and Hellfire Club; then Nancy Wheeler and the Hawkins Police Department; and now Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Dustin Henderson, and May Mayfield. They had returned to the trailer park, now absent of police and reporters, and were sat around one of the picnic tables discussing unimaginable, unprecedented things. To say Val's head was spinning would be an understatement.

"I'm sorry but can someone please explain what the hell's going on?" She demanded, her face stained with the tears she had long since given up wiping away.

"Tell me again why we're not dropping her off at home," Steve asked the rest of the group as if Val wasn't sitting right next to him.

"We don't have time," Nancy explained, trying to steer the conversation back to the more pressing matters at hand.

"I don't understand why we can't just tell her," Robin said, thwarting Nancy's efforts. "I mean, we've already told Eddie. What's one more person?"

"Eddie actually saw shit go down," Steve reasoned. "We didn't just tell him because he asked nicely. I think we need to agree all things Upside Down are on a strictly need-to-know basis."

"Wait, you're saying this... thing is from the Upside Down?"

"What's the Upside Down?" Val cut in, asking still to no avail.

"Need-to-know," He reiterated. "This isn't a joke, okay?"

"Two people are dead – what makes you think I find this funny? And, while we're on the subject – wait," She stopped suddenly. "Did you say Eddie?"

" Shit. "

"Robin!"

"You said it too!"

"You've spoken to Eddie Munson?" No one dared reply. "Well, where is he?" The silence was thick. "You can either tell me or you can tell you the police. Which is it going to be?" Now she had them.

After what felt like an eternity of silent squabbling, Dustin said, "Okay, this is going to be... difficult to explain. You might be a bit... confused."

"I'm already confused – how much more confusing can it get?"

"The Upside Down is an alternate dimension." That's how much more confusing it could get. "It exists in parallel to our world – to Hawkins. And sometimes... the two worlds bleed into each other... as do their monsters .

"Monsters?"

"Yes – monsters. A few years ago there was a Demogorgon and then there were the Demodogs and then, last summer, there was the Mind Flayer. Now it's Vecna."