The Four Rings || An Eddie Munson Fanfiction

Chapter Six - Journey's Greatest Hits

The lights of the car grew more distant as the pair travelled into the all too familiar terrain. Ahead of them stood miles upon miles of untravelled forest and although the both of them grew up here, they had no clue where they were going. Every so often, Eddie caught a noise coming from what they assumed to be the trailer park and they would make their way towards it. Steve had dropped them off a few miles down the road to make sure no one saw them and as pure as his intentions were, the distance was a lot for the pair to travel. Neither of them were especially athletic so they were both out of breath before they had even hit the mile mark.

"Do you know why we were ditched?" Eddie questioned, turning his head around to glance at the girl. Eddie had taken the lead despite not knowing the destination, making sure to swipe the limp branches and weeds out of the way so Emelia could pass, while Emelia followed close behind.

"I couldn't really tell," she admitted, digging at her memory to try to remember any clue as to where they could have gone. "All I heard was 'Lucas' and 'lake', so I'm assuming they went back to Lovers' Lake."

A look of discomfort crossed Eddie's face upon hearing her statement, causing an abrupt silence to fall over the pair. A moment later, he cleared his throat and filled her in more about what had happened at the cabin.

"Eddie," she interrupted, gaining a concerned yet pained glance from him. "We don't have to talk about it."

She offered him a reassuring smile and gestured to their right. From where they were standing, they could just barely see the light of a dim lamp post. If they continued at their trajectory, they would reach it in a matter of minutes. Emelia held a finger to her lips, picking up her pace a little bit, and scanning the area for threats. Thankfully for them, they'd only have to be exposed for a matter of steps before they would arrive at the trailer.

"Shit!" Eddie muttered, quickly pulling Emelia down into the tall grass. Just a few feet away, there was a man leaning against his trailer. He puffed on his cigar, lowering it to his waist before moving his head in their direction.

"Who's there?" the man called out, taking a few steps towards the treeline. Eddie's hand was covering Emelia's mouth and after Emelia realized this, he repeated the same motion she had before and rose his finger to his lips. Moving his hand to his side, he attempted to adjust his position without making noise. "Damn bears."

Emelia's eyebrows raised, and she turned to Eddie to see his reaction. Aside from the obvious, she was having a lot of luck avoiding her downfall. After hearing the door close, Eddie peaked out of their hiding place to check to make sure the coast was clear before extending his hand to her. They shared a quiet chuckle, allowing their anxiety to be masked by comedy.

"It's this way," Emelia whispered, gesturing Eddie to follow her. Keeping their heads down, the pair jogged across the clearing. Ms. Keating's trailer had always creeped her out at night. She imagined there were people – squatters or even Ms. Keating's ghost – inside watching her, which was why she never lingered long. Now, as she stood holding the door for Eddie, it offered a sense of comfort.

"There's some vegetable soup in the cupboard if you're still hungry," Emelia notified, peeking out of the small windows in the entryway before closing the curtains in front of them. Eddie arched his brow and opened the cabinet, taking a can into his hands and tossing it into the air once.

"Are you sure this isn't your house?" he joked, setting the soup back in the cupboard and closing the door. It looked the same as when she last left it, including the empty coat hangers she left from her change of wardrobe. He closed the remainder of the shades in the trailer before lowering himself to the floor. Propping himself against the wall, he reached into his pocket.