KAS The Bloody Handed

Repressed Memories pt. 2

Eddie's POV

Much like before, the scene faded and Eddie and El walked hand in hand in darkness until they glimpsed something in the distance. It was Eddie's trailer... in Hawkins. His home. They walked towards it, with only mild resistance from Eddie this time. They stood and waited, until they heard muffled chatter. It was hisself and Chrissy walking towards his trailer. Huh... most popular girl in school... going to his trailer. It's gotta be drugs he mused to himself. El and Eddie followed them into the trailer and just sat and listened. A feeling of foreboding swept over Eddie as he watched what was unfolding before him.
Instant pain shot through his head. "Shit. Shit. Ow. Shit!" He exclaimed.
"What is it?" El grabbed his hand with worry.
"My head feels like it's going to explode" he groaned.
"I'm so sorry, I think it's because we're forcing these memories out... and you're starting to remember without any help too... aren't you?" She replied.
How did she know? He hadn't said anything aloud had he? He tried to focus on the present, and through blurry eyes he saw hisself leave the room, in search of drugs. No. He stood up abruptly, threw open the trailer door and ran outside. El followed behind asking over and over what was wrong.
"I'm not watching that again. I won't watch a lovely girl get killed again. I remember that very clearly. I ran. El I ran!" Eddie's voice broke at his last words and he fell to the ground and sobbed.
"It's ok, it's ok," she soothed, "you don't have to watch it again. You remembered yourself, and that's great. That's why we're doing this, to give you back your memories, to give you back your humanity. This is such a big step" she comforted him, placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing.
Eddie noticed his excruciating migraine had eased a bit... ok. So maybe this was working. It didn't ease the pain or guilt he felt inside, but he felt the progress and understood why they had to carry on. He explained to El that he needed a moment before continuing; he needed to compose himself and feel somewhat ready to face whatever was next.
El just sat quietly beside him and gave him all the time he needed. They were both inside his head, in his memories. They would take as long as they needed.

"El, we're right here with you. We got you. We got Eddie too. Whatever you guys need. We love you both. Stay strong" came a light voice that surrounded the both of them.

"Was that Y/N?" Asked Eddie, hope glinting in his eyes.
"Yes." Is all El replied, but she was looking at Eddie with what he would describe as either confusion, or suspicion.
"What?" He asked, dumbfounded, "what have I done now?".
"Sorry, it's nothing. I'm just surprised you could hear that, don't worry" she replied quickly, feeling sheepish.
Eddie brushed it off and decided it was time to move on. He stood up, taking El's hand and pulling her up with him. He brushed himself down with one hand, took a deep breath, and still holding onto El's other hand started walking again. He felt like he was going to carry guilt and shame with him for the rest of his life. There were some memories he didn't want to remember.. and that was one of them. But, our experiences are what make us human right? And that's what the aim was... to restore his humanity.
They only took about five strides when they stepped into a familiar scene. A younger Eddie was sat on the sofa, beside his uncle eating dinner. He glanced down at the plates resting on their laps and smiled. He remembered this dinner. What an atrocity. It was the first time Eddie had asked to make dinner. He decided on a lasagne. He wasn't sure what went wrong... but wrong it certainly went. He looked on as his uncle was crunching and cringing his way through some very uncooked pasta sheets.
"It's delicious my boy" he said between bites. Young Eddie and his Uncle burst into fits of laughter.
"You keep eating and you'll lose the last of your good teeth!" Joked young Eddie.
This was a much nicer memory. A simpler time. Eddie looked on fondly as he drew up some pleasant memories with his Uncle. He remembered the first time his Uncle took him fishing... disaster, but hilarious all the same. He remembered when his Uncle told
him that his fashion choices were going to raise some eyebrows.. but to stay unique and true to hisself. He remembered when his Uncle came and picked him up from the hospital, taking him home to live with him.
"STOP!" Shouted El, making Eddie jump. He shot El a questioning look, and she gestured for him to look forward. The scene had changed, and a very young Eddie, with a buzz cut, lay in a hospital bed looking a bit worse for wear.
"As you were thinking of your memories, they were rolling in front of us like a... a memory reel? Everything you thought, I could see... and this one stuck out" El stated.
"I remember this... kind of. I was in a car crash with my parents.. they died. I spent a lot of time in that hospital, learning to walk again, learning to use my hands... and my Uncle stuck by me and supported me the entire time. Then he took me home, took me in and raised me" Eddie said fondly, a tinge of sadness in his voice.
El nodded her head, seemingly accepting what Eddie was saying, but for some reason, unbeknownst to her... she felt there was more to this story. Young Eddie, lying there with his bones broken... reminded her of her best friend Max. This is exactly how Max looked when El first saw her in hospital. And that buzzcut? Young, broken Eddie looked a lot like... a young El. Maybe it was just coincidence, but El wanted to stay on this path just to be sure.
"You're doing so well Eddie, I want to try something. Is that ok?" She queried. Eddie nodded. He felt like he was getting somewhere.
"What's your earliest memory... before this?" She put the question to him.
Eddie smiled. He was going to recall a memory he had with his parents. Stick to the nice memories and maybe this will be over sooner than he thought. But he couldn't. As hard as he tried, he couldn't recall a single
memory with his parents. He couldn't even remember what they looked like. He couldn't recall a single photograph he had of them to even try and stir up a memory. Odd. Ok, if not his parents, maybe he could think of a memory from school.
El watched as Eddie's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Hmm.
"Eddie, don't strain yourself, it's ok. We'll just go back further and maybe something will pop up" she comforted. As Eddie didn't seem to have any prior memory to this hospital one, El was going to have to force her way in. She explained to Eddie that it might hurt, but it would be no worse than the pain he'd experienced in his head earlier.
Eddie accepted it, he too was curious about his earlier memories; confused as to why he couldn't remember.
El took Eddie's left hand in hers, and brought her right hand up to his head. She summoned her powers and let them flow through her fingertips and into Eddie's temple. Eddie didn't feel any pain; he just felt dizzy and nauseous and so he closed his eyes. He opened hisself up to El, willing to go anywhere she could take them.
"You feeling up for some more lessons?" Asks a vaguely familiar voice. Eddie felt El's hand grip tightly around his. He opened his eyes. He was in a rather bright but bland room. There were a few children scattered around the room, playing with various things that Eddie paid no mind to. Now this he doesn't remember. This isn't his memory... surely?
A young boy nods his head and follows an older gentleman with white hair out of the room. Confused, Eddie looks at El.
"What is this? This isn't my memory.. sure we haven't dived into one of yours?" He asks.
"No" she says stiffly.
The scene evaporates before his eyes and suddenly he was watching that same young boy and old man. The boy looks vaguely familiar... in fact, he looks a bit like Eddie. Weird.
The young boy and old man are sat at a table in a cold, sterile room. The boy has a load of wires linked up around his head. What is this? Some kind of sick child experimentation station? You watch curiously as the boy is asked to find someone... a doctor. The boy closes his eyes, and as he does so an horrific image floods Eddie's mind.
Dead. They're all dead. Children. Blood. Broken bones, eyes carved from their heads.
What the hell is going on?!