The Monsters Within // Eddie Munson

x. War Zone

Katherine scrambles up from the ground looking around white hallways. "Fuck." She breathed out, and slowly walked down the hall looking at the blood smeared down the walls. Carefully stepping over bloodied bodies of doctors as the lights flickered all around her, "All done. Not so bad was it?" Katherine peeked around a corner and saw an older man tattooing a young child.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Is there Katherine?" Brenner turned around to look at Katherine, "I-" "Why don't you take a seat?" She turned to the hallway, sprinting past all the blood as she tried to get out of the maze of hallways.

"Katherine. Nice to see you again." A deep raspy voice came from behind her, making her run faster. "What are you doing? It's not time for you to leave." She crashed into double doors trying to pry off the wood that kept it locked shut. Spinning around she saw him slowly stalking towards her, Vecna. Katherine turned and kicked off a piece of wood as he continued talking to her.

"Now that you've seen where I've been. I would very much like to show you where I am going."

Katherine turned and held back a scream, seeing Vecna standing very close to her when the lights shut out. When the lights flicked back on she was in the tattoo chair, with vines holding her down. She breathed heavily as the vines continued to tighten around her, kicking her legs to try and get out.

She froze when she saw Vecna watching her from the shadows of the room, "Let me go you freak!" Katherine screamed at it. He took slow steps towards her and leaned down so their faces were inches apart. "I want you to tell Eleven. I want you to tell her everything you see."

Vecna put his hand up to Katherine face, flashes of the ground splitting into pieces, red oozing out of the ground spreading down the earth like it was chasing someone. "No!" Katherine screamed, as flashes of the upside down and their world collided. Chimes of the clock ringing in the background as the upside down spread. "Tell her."

"No!" Katherine screamed again trying to back away from the creature's hand, and vision. "You tell her everything." The clock chimed again as she let out another scream.

Then Katherine fell backwards with a cry, scrambling away from Vecna. "Katherine!" Steve yelled from beside her while she scrambled away from where she had been standing. She let out a silent cry, still able to feel Vecna grabbing her and whispering in her ear.

Eddie climbed back into the Upside Down when they saw Katherine wake up, "Kat." She reached out and he pulled her into his lap tightly wrapping his arms around the girl. Steve rubbing the girls back.

"Can we get out of here?" The two boys nodded, helping her stand. "You go first this time." Steve patted her shoulder, nudging her forward. She didn't have the energy to argue, so she walked forward and pulled herself up the sheets, until she felt the gravity shift and fell onto the mattress that was just on the ceiling a second ago. Max helped her up, squeezing the girl who she thought she almost lost.

Robin pulled the girl into a hug with Dustin, "I thought Vecna had you for good, we couldn't find any music here." "IRON MAIDEN IS MUSIC!" Eddie screamed up at Robin, as he followed Steve out of the portal. Robin hummed, definitely not believing him. He rolled her eyes at the girl, helping Steve off the floor. "It is music." He repeated bitterly, as he stood close to Katherine. "I believe you." Katherine told the boy with a small smile.

~~

"He showed me things that haven't happened yet." Katherine explained from in between Eddie and Max, who held onto her to comfort her. "The most awful things. There were these dark clouds spreading over Hawkins. Everything was on fire. Dead soldiers. And this giant creature, with a gaping mouth. But it wasn't alone. There were so many monsters, an army. And they were coming into Hawkins. Into our neighborhoods. Our homes. And then he showed me my mom, Jonathan, all of you guys. And everyone, you were all." She pulled her hand from Max's to rub her eyes.