INTO HELL [e. munson]

twelve.

·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ the dive  ·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

     LILA SAT IN THE BACK WITH STEVE AND DUSTIN AS MUSIC PLAYED ON NANCY'S STEREO. "Can I maybe stay in the car for this visit? Cause this is gonna totally and royally suck," Robin complained.

"It'll be fine," Nancy shook her head.

"I just can't stand to see those dull of eyes of Eddie's break again. I really, really can't."

"He'll come through. He always has."

"At least he can drink himself into feeling better," Steve said with a mouthful of Pringles.

"That's what my mom does," Max shrugged.

"Why don't we just give it a trial run? 'Hey, Eddie. Uh, good news first this time. We got you some Dustin-approved junk food, and brought your girlfriend and that six-pack you requested. Oh yeah, and we found Vecna. The bad news is that he's in that other darker, much scarier dimension, and the gate's closed, so we have no way of getting to him. Like he's entirely shut off to us, so basically you're screwed. And, no, I know you were already screwed, but now you're like doubly, triply screwed,'" Robin rambled.

"Wait. Maybe we don't put it like that," Lucas disagreed.

"I'll tell him," Lila offered. "I'll just say we came across some... complications."

"Besides, all we really need to say is that we're one step closer to finding Vecna," Nancy offered from the steering wheel.

"See, Robin? A positive spin can make all the difference," Steve agreed.

"I'm not going to completely lie to him, but we just won't be totally honest either," Lila grumbled.

All of them were drawn to the house the second they found police there with news media. Lila immediately hopped from the car, praying Eddie wasn't found. They snuck behind the news van, listening in.

"We received a phone call a little after midnight, reporting a homicide here on the lake," the sheriff explained into the camera. "Officer Callahan here and myself arrived first on the scene. We made our way to the shore of Lover's Lake, about ten yards from that house you see behind me. It was there we found the victim, an 18-year-old senior from Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney. His limbs, his body... It was disfigured. Therefore, it was similar to the others. There was an eyewitness on the scene. We have also identified a person of interest. Eddie Munson. We encourage anyone with information to please come forward."

"Oh, no," Lila muttered. "It's gonna become a lot harder to protect him."

The sheriff finished speaking and suddenly on the walkie, she heard Eddie's voice. "Dustin, can you hear me? Lila?"

"Eddie. Holy shit," Dustin whispered into the walkie. "Are you okay?"

"Nah, man. Pretty goddamn far from okay."