Take Me Home Again (Eddie Munson X OC)

Chapter 9 - The Nightmare Begins

Something pulled Phoenix from their restfulness, pulling their eyes open. They blinked, looking out of the window. The moon shone bright in the dark sky. It was still night. They sighed, turning to face Eddie and finding nothing but empty space. "Eddie?" No response. They pushed their legs over the side of the bed, standing against the cold air. It was so cold they could see their breath, a shiver running down their spine. Their skin felt like ice despite the large hoodie enveloping them. 

The sound of bare feet pushing into the floor seemed to echo through the hallways, Phoenix making their way into the middle of the trailer. "Eddie?" They called a little louder. Still, silence. They sighed, he would never just leave. He was nowhere inside the trailer, deciding to venture onto the steps and see if he was smoking. He never smoked cigarettes in the house when Phoenix was there, knowing how the scent could set off a sneezing fit. 

They peeked out of the door, not there. Sometimes he wandered off though, lost in his own mind. They stepped down the stairs, a hand on the rail for balance. They reached the ground, feeling slime beneath their bare foot. "Ew." They mumbled and looked down, seeing the ground in a state of rot with vines climbing everywhere; all over the ground, the trailers, the lamp posts that didn't seem to work anymore. It all seemed familiar, walking further into the trailer park. "Eddie!" Now they were starting to panic. He would never be gone that long, even when he was lost in thought. They were careful not to trip, constantly looking down. They looked up once more, finding themself at the bottom of a small hill. It was in a clearing not too far from the trailer park. They hadn't walk that far, had they? A swirling storm seemed to form above the hill, flashing red lightning, lighting up the scene around them and the bodies. Hundreds of them littered the ground, some were just shadows, but the ones closest were people they recognized. Eyes darting from body to body: Dustin, Claudia, Mike, Will, Lucas, Max, Robin, Steve, and een Nancy. 

They were dreaming, it was happening again. "No, no, no!" They cried out, hunching down, hands over their ears as they started trying to calm their breathing. Another flash of red outlined a silhouette stood in the darkness, like always. But this time, another flash of red, the figure was holding a body, one that was moving. It held them by the throat, squeezing as their limbs flailed. Another flash revealing Eddie in the grasp of the monster. Its skin was gray and slimy like the ground, with the sound of thunder, the monsters eyes snapped to look through Phoenix.  No, not through, at. It was looking right at them. They tried to move, but they were frozen under its gaze, watching as it snapped Eddie's neck like a twig. It dropped his body, watching it slump on the ground. "You can't save him, you can't save any of them." It spoke, voice ringing out like thunder, leaving a ringing in their ears. They finally screamed, all of their energy going into just screaming, tears falling off their chin. They hadn't realized they were crying, the tears blurring their vision as they just kept screaming for Eddie. 

A shaking sensation pulled them from the dream, eyes snapping open and towards the face of the person shaking them. Eddie, alive and well. Their hands immediately inspecting his neck to find it perfectly intact. Their breathing was ragged, unable to take in much air at all. It felt like they were drowning. Eddie pulled them up into his chest, "Hey, I'm right here. Breathe." He helped them slow their breathing down, panic subsiding. Once their breathing evened out, Eddie pulled them back, looking into their eyes. The pupils searching over his perfect neck. "W-what?" 

"It was just another nightmare, Phoenix, I'm right here." He sighed, wiping a few tears away and resting a hand on their cheek. They flinched at the motion, slowly settling into the warm feeling. They put a hand over Eddie's heart, feeling the heartbeat strong behind his ribcage. His breathing was heavy, they caused him panic. They curled up into themself, tears non-stop, sniffling as they mumbled. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry." Eddie shushed them, pulling them into his chest. "Relax,you have nothing to apologize for."