cursed (2022)

chapter twenty-eight: third kill

After we left the Creel's, Nancy drove us to all of our houses to grab some clean clothes. I spent another night at the Wheeler's again. It was the same deal of "Who's going to stay up to watch Max first?" I got the tiniest bit of sleep, maybe thirty minutes, and that was when Lucas was watching me.

We didn't really learn much last night, just that the clock I saw is important to Vecna and that he has some sort of affiliation with the Creel house.

We lied to our parents and told them we'd be out most of the day hanging out and going to watch a movie. Obviously, that's not true. We're in the car once again since we have to go check on Eddie and give him food. Robin and Nancy are in the front, which Steve is probably mad about. He and Dustin are in the back and Lucas and I are in the middle area.

"Not to be a wimp, but can I maybe sit in the car for this visit? 'Cause, this is gonna totally and royally suck." Robin says.

"It'll be fine," Nancy shakes her head.

"I just can't stand to see those dull eyes of Eddie's break again. I really, really can't." Robin sighs.

Steve says with a mouthful, "At least he can drink himself into feeling better."

"That's what my mom does," I sigh. I see Lucas shoot me a worried look out of the corner of my eye, but he says nothing.

"Why don't we just give it a trial run?" Robin suggests. "Hey, Eddie. Uh, good news first this time! We got you some Dustin-approved junk food and that six-pack that you requested. Oh yeah, and we found Vecna, only the bad news is that he's in that other, darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about, and the gate's closed so we have no way of getting to him. Like he's entirely shut off to us, so basically you're screwed! And no, no, I know that you were already screwed but now you're like, doubly, triply screwed."

There truly is no one like Robin.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lucas says. "Maybe we don't put it like that."

"We're one step closer to finding Vecna," Nancy shrugs. "That's what we say, that's what's important."

"See Robin," Steve says. "A positive spin can make all the difference."

"Uh-huh," she rolls her eyes.

"Oh, shit..." Nancy says.

I take off my headphones and look ahead of us to see a bunch of civilians and reporters gathered together with the Chief.

"What's going on?" I question.

"I don't know," Nancy shakes her head as she puts the car in park. "Everyone, out."

We all scramble to get out of the car.

"Come on," Nancy directs us. "This way."

We all walk to the side of a van that was tall enough to hide all of us so we could see what was happening. Chief Powell was giving a speech.

"As many of you may know by now, the Roane County line received a call after midnight...reporting a homicide here on the lake."

I cross my fingers, hoping it's not what I think it is.

"Officer Callahan here and myself arrived first on the scene. We made our way to the shore of Lover's Lake about ten yards from that house you see behind me. It was there that we found the victim, an eighteen-year-old senior from Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney."

I look over at Lucas and his face immediately falls. I may not know all that much about him these days, but I know that Patrick was one of his friends.

"His limbs...his body, it was disfigured."