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There are five stages of grief: first comes denial, refusing to believe the person you cared for has died, mustering up scenarios that made no sense just to say they are alive. Then comes anger, hating the world around you, hating the thing that took that person away, for Phoebe it was Vecna and herself. She hated herself for allowing Lucille to go to the one place Vecna was probably in his prime. The third stage is bargaining, then comes depression followed by acceptance.
Phoebe Wheeler had experienced loss first-hand, the first time she lost something she loved she was nine, Mike had accidentally left the door open and the family dog ran away. She didn't speak to her little brother for a week after that she was furious with him. Last year was her worst loss, a gut-wrenching scene she had to witness. It was all the same now, gut-wrenching and pitiful.
Due to the amount of loss, she knew what those five stages were and she knew she was only coming around to stage one. Denial was heavy on her chest as she paced the room clawing at the hair on her scalp.
Tears now drenched her shirt as she stared at Eddie absentmindedly. He was shaking himself, he needed to have a brave face for her but he couldn't help the tremble of his lip at the thought of never seeing Lucille again.
Even though Phoebe didn't believe she was gone he did. He knew that sound, he knew the aftermath of it. He didn't need it confirmed he just needed reassurance that Phoebe would be okay, that she wouldn't go off the rails and sacrifice her life to avenge her friend.
She had only just reached the stage of acceptance for Sydney and he helped with that, he wasn't so sure he would be able to help this time not when he was grieving just as heavy.
~~~
"Okay okay, I can do this." Quinn repeated over and over wobbling as he picked up the body "Just your dead friend, nothing suspicious.."
He closed his eyes as he gently lowered his body to the ground blood staining his hands, once he opened his eyes again Nancy standing next to him her own shovel in hand as she started to pile the soil onto her friend.
"She doesn't deserve this burial" She admitted.
Quinn nodded helping her by picking up his own shovel and mirroring her actions "No one deserves this." He whispered.
"Is she really gone?" Lucas whispered glancing up at Steve for some kind of reassurance, Steve admittedly did not know what to do.
He just watched one of his close friends die the most agonising death and now he had to act as though nothing happened just to protect the children of the group who had also witnessed the sight.
He thought Dustin had really experienced it when his little demo pet ate his cat but this was really the icing on the cake, watching a real person with life ambitions and hopes die was brutal.
