Hellfire (Eddie Munson x OC Stranger Things Fanfiction)

Chapter 29: The Beginning of the End

I don't know what I was expecting when I reached town hall but it certainly wasn't this.

Vines are covering the entire surface of the road and the whole town hall, rather than just a part of it. Part of the ground has lifted up and the lines created by the gates have widened significantly.

I spot Hopper, Steve, Jonathan and Nancy by their cars, waving me over. I park up my car and Dustin jumps out and races towards them. I join shortly after.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"We don't know," Steve and Nancy reply in unison.

"It's starting," Will suddenly says, appearing from behind Nancy's car. "I can feel him. He's coming. He's finally ready to attack."

"And we'll be ready to defend!" I say, attempting to be brave but deep down, feeling scared. I want to avenge Eddie, or die trying.

"Do you have any idea when he's planning to come through? Any idea what he's bringing with him?" Nancy asks, thinking logically and asking all the right questions.

"Soon but I don't know when," Will replies. "There's something big coming. Something new."

Will grasps the back of his neck as if a sharp pain is shooting through it. He collapses to the ground, shaking violently and spewing a thick black vomit. Jonathan rushes to his side, Robin quickly following.

"Will? Will, what's happening?" Jonathan asks, panicked.

Will starts laughing. But it's not his laugh.

Jonathan jumps back in shock and my eyes widen.

"You really think you can defeat me?" a voice cackles through Will. He stands and looks at each one of us. His eyes are black, his skin pale and dotted with black veins. "You tried to defeat me before. You have lost. I am coming to claim my victory."

Will collapses.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I scream.

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I stare up at the skylight in El's cabin, wondering if maybe this is a hyper-realistic nightmare.

"Dustin, any ideas what this big, new something is going to be?" Steve asks Dustin. "It all seems to be based around that freaky game you play. First, the demogorgon, then the Mind Flayer, then Vecna. Give us an idea."

"I don't know Steve," Dustin answers. "It could be anything. It could be all of them. It could be things we've never heard of before."

"Just give us some ideas," Steve says.

"It could be some lesser monsters, or some major ones, maybe Orcus, uh... Tiamat, Kas-"

I feel a sudden pain shooting through my heart causing me to grip my chest.

"Mel, you all right?" Steve asks, rushing over to me.

"Its just abit of pain, don't worry about me," I answer, the pain already subsiding.

I'm blinded by a sudden intense white burst of light, causing my head to feel like its splitting.

My eyes adjust to the light levels around me. But, I'm no longer in the cabin.

I look around at my surroundings. Everything coated with a dim blue glow, black vines twisting and turning everywhere. Writhing. Squelching.

I'm in the Upside Down.

I hear something behind me, a clatter. I quickly turn my head, spotting a figure in the distance, it's back towards me.

I inch closer, trying to be as silent as possible. Moving slowly and carefully between the vines until I'm a few feet away from the figure.

It's crouched and hunched over, its hands up to its mouth but out of view. I squint in the darkness trying to make out what it is. Its hair wrapped in a bandanna, it's torn leather jacket hanging on its body.

I gasp as I jump back in horror.

Eddie.

He turns to me, his blood red eyes spotting me. Blood drips from his chin as he stares at me, before running at me.

I turn to run but he's faster. I can feel his breath on my neck as I fall. Turning towards him, I quickly try to shuffle back, but I hit a wall. His face inches closer to mine.

"Mel! Are you okay?" Steve asks, shaking my shoulders. "You spaced out for a second then started screaming and backing yourself into a wall. Is this Vecna?"

"It's not Vecna," I say between sobs. "I wish it was Vecna. What I just saw was horrible. It was Eddie. But nightmare Eddie. I've seen him like this before but this time... this time he could see me. He chased me. He wanted to kill me."

"What do you mean you've had these before? How long has this been going on for?" Steve asks, as Dustin runs to my side at the mention of Eddie.

"Nightmare Eddie, or the nightmares themselves?"

"Both."

"Nightmare Eddie started about a week after his funeral. The nightmares themselves, they started the day after Max had her first vision. I saw Patrick and Eddie dead, before they died. How? How did I see that?"

I drop my head into my hands, the images of all my past nightmares playing over and over in my head. Make it stop!

"You have the power of precognition," Dustin suddenly says in a way that says he's had an 'aha!' moment.

"Power, what now?" I ask.

"The power of precognition. You can see future events before they happen. Usually in a way where you can't really tell what's happening until its closer in time to said event. Maybe with the Upside Down having leaked more into our world, it's opened the door for a psychic connection between you and the Upside Down."

"But why Eddie? Why me?"

"I don't know, but Henry developed powers without the use of drugs and experiments, like El. Maybe you're like him. You were born with your powers."

"This is bullshit! I don't have powers!"

El walks over, sitting on the floor across from me. She places her hand on my knee before speaking.

"Melissa, you do have powers," she says and points towards her nose.

I touch my nostril, finding it wet. I pull it away and see blood.

My nose is bleeding.