𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲

fifteen. SKULL ROCK.

RHYS DOESN'T know how many times he's been kicked in the ribs and stomach but the boy with the cap is standing over him as the other two searched his entire house. "Did you check in the tiny crevasses between my fucking cupboard and stove too? Jesus, man, he's not here!" Rhys raised his voice at Jason but he just earned another kick to his stomach.

"Fuck you!" He shouted at the boy above him who just kicked him again. "Keep searching!" Jason barked orders at the other boy like he was a dog. Then Rhys spotted him standing at his bedroom window. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck." Rhys whispered then he looked up at the other guy standing right beside him.

"I--I know where he is, just stop kicking me." He begged quietly and the curly haired boy's eyes brighten, just as Rhys expected, all of Jason's followers hope to do good in hopes of making their big bad leader happy.

"Okay, get up then." The boy demanded and Rhys got up, holding up his arms. "To prove I won't try anything." He tells him and the guy nods, following him out the door as he overhears Jason ask the other teenage boy to go with him. So he sped up his pace, "this better not be a trick." The guy tells him.

"It's not, I swear..." Rhys said but once he got closer to the boathouse, he turned around and swung his arm, catching the boy off guard before he rushed inside, frightening Eddie who's in the boat. "Rhys!" He stood up quickly as the blonde blocked the door with something. "Eds." He rushed over, hopping in and Eddie is taken back by the sight of Rhys' bloody face and bruises forming on his eye and cheek.

"Come on, we gotta go."

After Rhys said that, Eddie just quickly nodded and the blonde turned on the motor on the back of the boat, quickly backing up out of the boathouse and driving off. "Hey, freak!" Jason shouted from behind them, standing with Patrick as they stood at the edge of the lake. "Fuck off!" Rhys raised a middle finger and Eddie shoves his arm down. "Don't!"

That clearly had just provoked Jason who took off his jacket, and his pants. "Dickhead." Rhys turned away as Jason and Patrick got into the water to swim after them. "Shit, shit, shit, shit." Rhys panicked when the motor broke down. "What is it? What--what's going on?" Eddie says worriedly and Rhys picks up one of the oars in the boat. "Just row," he tells him and Eddie followed his actions.

Clearly Jason and Patrick had to be on the swim team as they had gain speed pretty quickly in the moment Rhys was panicking and trying to turn the motor back on but it was either out of gas or a piece of shit since he neglected the boat so much after his splurge on it.

Rhys stopped and turned to Jason who's closer to the boat. "Stay back, dude! I mean it! I will do worse to you than what you and your stupid friends have done to Eddie or want to do to him right now!" He said as he slams his oar to the edge of the boat and Eddie spun around quickly, his eyes widening as Jason stopped, noticing his friend stopped following.

"Come on, dude, we almost have him." Jason told his friend who was looking around. "Hey, Patrick! Patrick!" He shouted as Eddie rowed away some more from them. Patrick suddenly goes underwater so Rhys stood there, watching as Eddie stood up as well, "what happened?" He asked Rhys worriedly.

"The--the other kid, he's--he's--" Rhys is cut off by Patrick's body flinging from out of the water, hanging above the lake now. Eddie falls back because the boy frightened him so because he'd grabbed onto Rhys' arm, he pulled the other down with him. They quickly come back up to the surface, just as Patrick's arms and legs all snapped and then his jaw snapped, along with his eyes being sucked in, like Eddie said happened to Chrissy that night, before the body fell into the water.

"What the fu--" "Come on." Eddie grabbed his arm, getting back on the boat, so Rhys complied before they row away from Jason who's just swimming there in one spot, staring at where his friend had just died. At the shore, Eddie took out the radio and tried contacting Dustin but it was no use. So they ran.

The two end up at Skull Rock because Eddie couldn't think of any other place and Rhys leans against the rock, sighing because he'd just been swimming and running through the woods with wet clothes that easily get heavier. "What the fuck!" He exclaimed, and Eddie glanced up. "Hey, relax." He stood up and came to stand in front of Rhys who looks at him.

"Relax?! That shit was crazy!" He exclaimed. "I know, I know... it's a lot for someone to witness and handle." He said and Rhys suddenly understood how Eddie had felt as he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around the brunette who hugs back just as tightly.

"Are you okay, by the way? You're so dumb, why would you let them into your house?" Eddie said as he pulled back and Rhys just stared back at him. "I couldn't let them find you. I told you I'd do anything for you." He says and Eddie frowns, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "You're so stupid." He says and Rhys just laughed then groaned, touching his ribs.

"Shit, what did they do to you?" Eddie asked instantly, raising Rhys' shirt that was clinging to his body, seeing all of the bruises forming on the blond's body. "Rhys..." He said quietly, his eyes filling with tears, "hey, hey, don't..." Rhys whispers, pushing his shirt down and raising his hands to both sides Eddie's face.

"I don't mind. As long as they didn't find you or hurt you..." He tells Eddie who just looked up at him with a small frown and his eyes looking all sad. "Rhys." He said softly and Rhys leans in, kissing his cheek. "Can you check the radio? See if Dustin or the others will respond?" He says and Eddie nods, taking the radio out, switching it on to see it wasn't working.

"Shit." He smacks the radio and Rhys grabs it, tossing it to the side. "It's a piece of shit, it got soaked." He tells him and Eddie groans, rubbing his face. "How do we get in contact with them then?" He asked and Rhys just sighed, crouching down. Eddie crouched down in front of him, raising his face to gently touch the side of the blond's face where a bruise was.

"Eds, I'm fine, seriously." Rhys whispers, pulling the boy into his arms and Eddie rested against his chest, closing his eyes. "Get some rest, I'll try and find a way to contact the others." He says quietly and Eddie complied, laying down and resting his head onto Rhys' lap. The older brushed his fingers through Eddie's damp hair, sighing quietly. His body was hurting so badly and his bottom lip had hurt so bad because it busted open slightly, he was even starting to get a headache and his eye hurt.

Once he fell asleep, Rhys just watched over Eddie the entire time, making sure he was sleeping okay and when the sun was starting to rise, he got up carefully and set Eddie's head onto his jacket before slowly getting up, stretching before pacing back and forth.

If he was remembering correctly, Skull Rock was located near Cornwallis and Garrett and he knows there's a construction site nearby. He quickly turned to Eddie, sighing as he felt bad to be leaving him alone, but did so anyway with the promise of coming back.

 

 

authors note skull rock 😼
+ ever since realizing both ben hardy and joe quinn are british, i sometimes read their dialogue in a british accent...