Prisoner of Your Eyes (Eddie Munson)

Seven

The group was back at Eddie's trailer park now, sitting at a picnic table with Nancy in tow. "So you're saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it's from the Upside Down?"

Mary-Jane nodded. "If the shoe fits."

"Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or-or a curse. Now, whether or not he's doing his bidding of the Mind Flayer, or just loves killing teens, we don't know." Dustin said. A horrible image of Billy flashed across Mary-Jane's eyes, making her shake her head a little and then rest it on her hands. She had never had that happen to her before.

"All we know is that this is something different." Max watched Nancy. "Something new."

Nancy shook her head. "Doesn't make sense."

"It's only a theory," Dustin reassured.

"No. Fred and Chrissy doesn't make sense. I mean, why them?"

Dustin shrugged. "Maybe they were in the wrong place. They were both at the game."

"And near the trailer park," Max added.

"We're at the trailer park." Steve's voice became tense. "Uh, should we maybe not be here?" Everyone looked around uneasily except for Nancy.

"There is something about this place. Fred started acting weird the second we got here.

Robin shifted. "Acting weird as in...?"

"Scared, on edge, upset." She looked at her hands.

"Max said Chrissy was upset, too," Dustin added.

"Yeah, but not here." She said. "She was crying, in the bathroom at school."

Robin looked at Mary-Jane. "Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right?" She nodded. "So maybe Chrissy and Fred saw this Vecman-"

"Vecna." Dustin interrupted.

"I dunno about you guys, but if I saw some freaky lizard monster, I would mention it to someone," Steve said, looking at his sister.

"Maybe they did." Mary-Jane hardly moved. "I saw Chrissy leave Ms. Kelley's office. If you saw a monster, you... You wouldn't go to the police, they'd never believe you. But you might go to your-"

"Your shrink," Robin finished.

They immediately started to the car, Nancy veering off to her own as they approached. "Hey, where you going?" Steve called after her. She spun on her heels.

"Oh, there's just something I wanna check on first."

"Something you want to share with the rest of us?" Dustin asked bluntly.

She looked at the ground. "I don't wanna waste your time. It's a real shot in the dark."

"Yeah, okay. Are you out of your mind?" Steve nearly shouted. "Flying solo with Vecna on the loose? No, it's too dangerous. You need... need someone to..." Mary-Jane watched the overprotection creep over him again, making him fidget and turn, throwing the keys at his sister. "I'll stick with Nance. You guys take the car, check out the shrink."

"Didn't you just say I shouldn't be driving?" She asked her brother.

"I can drive," Max offered. He turned and pointed at the girl.

"No, no, not ever again, not you."

Dustin began to raise his eyebrows, but before he could say anything, Robin snatched the walkie out of his backpack, walking to Nancy. "Alright, this is stupid. Us ladies will stick together. Unless... you think we need you to protect us?" Mary-Jane laughed quietly behind her brother, making Robin crack up and turn towards Nancy's car.

"Be careful!" Steve shouted after them, watching.

"You just gonna stand there and gawk?"
"Shut up." He stormed towards the car, the three others getting inside. "Shut up and get in the car. Wipe your feet," he snapped at Dustin, who ignored him and wiped them inside. "On the outside, not the inside." He grumbled, smacking the key into the ignition. "Always the babysitter. Always the goddamn babysitter!"

***

"Mary-Jane. Hi."

She stood on Ms. Kelley's porch, scuffing her converse on the concrete. "Hi. I'm so sorry to bother you over break, but... do you have a minute to talk?"

Ms. Kelley hesitated for a moment. "Um, yeah, of course. Of course." She stepped aside, letting Mary-Jane in. It was a lovely house, just what she expected, but nice nonetheless. She was led to the office, where Ms. Kelley offered her an armchair, taking a seat on top of the desk.

"It's just, with everything that's happening, with all the murders, it's... it's making everything worse again." She confessed. Mary-Jane wasn't lying, not entirely. Her sleeping had gotten worse the past two nights, and the headaches were constant now. Steve had even noticed, saying something at breakfast the other day, and he certainly wasn't the type to notice anything wrong with his sister.

"You've experienced trauma, Mary-Jane. And when you keep your feelings, your pain, bottled up the way that you do, it doesn't take much to trigger them again. So now, when it rains, it storms."

"Yeah. I know. I get it."

Ms. Kelley watched her, then leaned forward. "Do you think you're ready to talk more about that night?"

The images flooded Mary-Jane's mind again, Billy being held, stabbed, mutilated. His smile. The way she stood there like an idiot while Max screamed bloody murder behind her. Her hands began to shake. "I don't live that far from where it happened. Maybe a mile?"

"I'm sorry?"

"To where Chrissy was murdered. The cops showed up and asked me a bunch of questions. Did they talk to you?" She leaned forward, making her hands steady out. "I mean, I know you were seeing Chrissy."

"Mary-Jane, you know I can't talk about Chrissy or any other student."

She shook her head. "Yeah, but, I mean, what if there's a serial killer loose in my neighborhood? Did she mention anything? Anything about who might have done this?"

Ms. Kelley shook her head. "Mary-Jane, I'm- I'm sorry. I-I really can't discuss this. You wouldn't want me talking to any other students about you, right?"

"If I were dead and it would help catch the killer, then yeah, I most definitely would."

"Well, let's leave that to the police, shall we?"

Mary-Jane watched her intensely. "Yeah, you're right. The police totally have this under control." Her eyes flicked to the right. "Can I use the bathroom?"

"Sure. Up the stairs, to the left."

She rose, climbing the stairs to the kitchen before stopping, eyes fixed on a key ring in a glass bowl. She turned, watching for Ms. Kelley, then nicked them quietly, reading Office on the tag. Instead of using the bathroom, she went right outside, darting to the car and throwing herself in the backseat. "What did she say?" Dustin asked.

"Nothing. Just drive."

"Nothing?"

"Steve, fucking drive."