Hell & Back

Chapter Thirty Four

Eddie was running from the spider with Max and Billy. Max was still asleep but they had got her body fixed, but they couldn't figure out how to get into her mind. Billy was carrying Max while Eddie was thinking about memories and making doors appear. He was running out of ideas quickly, every time the spider knocked down a door he lost the memory inside. He couldn't remember much about his parents or bullying, really anything from his childhood. Some memories though he kept locked away, he didn't want to lose himself completely.

They raced into a door that appeared. Eddie didn't even remember what he was thinking about. They walked inside to see the blood red sky of the Upside Down. "At least he will feel at home." Billy said walking forward. Eddie was about to say something when he started to hear music. He walked towards the house across the street and looked into the busted window. "That's it, man. Keep going." Eddie heard his own voice say from inside the building. He looked and seen himself and Steve sitting inside the building. This wasn't Steve's house, they hadn't made it there yet. Steve was playing different cords while he watched and corrected his fingers every now and than. "This is useless." Steve said pushing Eddie's hand away.

Eddie remembered this moment. They were both tired and starved. They had only been in the Upside Down for two days but Eddie's body was hurting and Steve was desperately fighting sleep. "You can do this man." Eddie said taking his hand and placing it back on the strings. "The great Steve Harrington isn't going to be beaten by a guitar." Steve let out a laugh at that and repositioned his fingers on the strings. "Why would you ever torture yourself with this?" Steve asked jokingly but Eddie got quiet in thought and sat back against the wall. Steve looked up at him, clearly regretting the joke. Eddie started playing with his rings "It kept my mind off of the world outside." Eddie said looking up at the ceiling while lighting a cigarette. "Everywhere I went people laughed, yelled, threw things or tried to fight me. Playing let me get all the anger and sadness out." Eddie said blowing smoke in the air. "I'm sorry, you had to go through that." Steve said which only made Eddie smile at him "Play it again." was his only response.

"You and Harrington? Who would have guessed?" Billy said coming up behind Eddie. Eddie didn't respond, he merely turned from the seen and walked away. The pounding was coming from all around. Eddie looked at Billy, they both knew that if the door was broken and he forgot the memory, their was a chance they may not exist anymore. Eddie tried to focus on creating another door but he was tired and couldn't concentrate. His head was throbbing, something was making him lose his focus. "Eddie!! Make a door!! You have to make door!!" Billy was yelling at him. They were running out of time the sky was starting to crack and the blood red was being taken over by blackness. Eddie stopped running and put his hands on his temples trying to concentrate.

He pulled a memory to mind but as the door appeared something pulled him away from Billy and Max. Eddie shut his eyes, the headache clouding every thought and desire. He knew that the spider had got him and it was all over now. At least he made sure Billy and Max made it out. It was up to Billy to save her now. He tried to fight his eyes open, he wanted to show this beast that he wasn't afraid. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream or see fear inside him. He thought of Chrissy's smiling face and let himself fall into the darkness that tugged on his mind.

Chrissy sat beside the hospital, the same way she had done for the last four months. For the first month she lived here, she never left. Than the second she would be here till they forced her to leave. The third she limited herself to only coming for a few hours. The four, this month, she came four times a week and spent the day. She watched his body jerk and found herself still hopeful as always. She placed a hand on her round stomach and silently urged him to wake up. Her emotions were heightened now but she wouldn't allow herself to break down in disappointment. He would wake one day and she would be here.

The time was spent telling him about what was going on with doctors appointments for the baby and telling her mom about her moving out, being married, and the baby. She told him about her graduating and that she had gotten a job at the grocery store as a cashier. Steve would come by every couple days so she didn't fill him in on the others lives, Steve probably did that anyway. Chrissy was humming to herself as she ran a hand through his hair and kissed his forehead.

Chrissy was just about to head out for the day when she heard a loud grunt come from Eddie's body. She raced over and took hold of his hand, screaming for a nurse while pushing the call button. Eddie let out a yell, his voice was horse from not being used. He opened his eyes and looked panicked. His hand pulled away from hers only to push on his temples. "Make it stop." Eddie screamed out. Chrissy tried to push his hands away to ask what she could do but the nurses pulled her off the bed and out the room. "No, no! What's happening to him?" She yelled through her tears. She turned and leaned against the white wall, sliding down and putting her face in her knees, she let herself cry. She was half relieved and half terrified that this was it, this was what killed him.

Minutes later a nurse stepped out and knelled down, putting a hand on Chrissy's should. Chrissy lifted her head and whipped her eyes before meeting the woman's gaze. "He's okay now." She said in a soft voice "The headaches are to be expected but we weren't sure how serve they would be. We put him on medication that will keep the pain away while we run some test and make sure nothing was greatly impacted by the coma." The nurse explained to her. "Can I....can I see him?" Chrissy asked, she felt dumb not asking more questions about his condition but she wasn't sure what to ask or if she even care at the moment. The nurse smiled at her and helped her up before nodding and allowing her to walk into the door.

Eddie had calmed down enough to somewhat figure out that he was back, the spider hadn't got him. Something had pulled him out of his own mind but if it wasn't that spider what happened to Max and Billy. Eddie was about to get up when the door opened again. He looked up and seen Chrissy standing in the doorway. Her hair was longer, her face was red from crying and her stomach pushed out more than before. How long had he been gone? It had only been a week in his mind? "Chrissy?" He said in almost a whisper, his voice was horse and low from yelling and not being used. "It's me." She said with a bright smile before hurrying over and wrapping her arms around him. 

"I knew you would wake up, I just knew it." She said squeezing him tighter. "Eleven couldn't use her powers anymore after killing Vecna and they weren't sure you or Max would ever wake up, but I knew it." She continued. Kill Vecna. "I can't." Eleven had said as she stood over Vecna with tears in her eyes, she had let him go. Eddie had seen it before he fell into the darkness. Maybe he didn't, maybe it was just a dream he had. "She killed him?" Eddie asked. "It's over." She said pulling away to meet his eyes. "Is Max here?" Eddie asked trying to get all his thoughts together. Chrissy nodded her smile fading as she thought of the little girl with the broken body.