Decide

Changes

You're half-heartedly stumbling around on the main street of Hawkins, trying to take in everything around you. This was a mistake, you think to yourself. Why did you even come here anyway? You could have finished high school in the city of Reno, Nevada. You didn't need a fresh start that badly... Maybe you should just go back to your parents, your family. Your parents would never let you hear the end of it, never let you live it down. You can just imagine them talking your ear off about how you should have stayed; You weren't ready, blah blah blah. Trying to make a living in the town standing before you? No way. Impossible. Maybe I should have listened to my dream. No. It has to be coincidence. Right?

Suddenly you remember another reason that you came to Hawkins in the first place. Eddie, you remember.

Where in the world could your cousin- your childhood best friend- be in all of this? The smoke, the chaos, the panic. You're worried, Eddie was never one to take stress well. Please be okay- the only thing that mattered in the moment.

You decide to keep walking. To where? Undecided. You pass two guys talking frantically on a park bench. They both have letter jackets on, so they probably do some sort of sport for the school. Maybe they know where Eddie is. It was unlikely, but it can't hurt to ask, right?

"Hey, it's okay if you guys don't know him, but have either of you guys seen Eddie Munson? I just came back into town and I haven't found him yet".

"Why in the hell would you want to find that- that murderer? Were you that freaks' girlfriend or something?", snaps the first boy.

"Freak?', I ask. "Eddie Munson is NOT a freak! And no, I'm not his girlfriend. Sure he has quirks and stuff, but he was never a freak. And what are you doing calling him a murderer?! Eddie could never!"

"Eddie could never MY ASS. That FREAK killed four people for him and his cults' damn satanic rituals and shit! He killed our team captain and his girlfriend. I don't know what the hell you want with him, but NEVER say his name to anyone, do you understand?" He shoots up and grabs my shirt. "Do you understand?"

"Hey get off of me! Let me go!" My heart is pounding now and I'm dizzy with confusion and anger. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Get off her, dude. She just doesn't know everything that has happened." mumbles the second boy. He seems more sad than anything else, as if has was just emotionally drained.

The crazy boy lets my go and slumps back down onto the bench, looking like he has no energy left. The second boy continues. "Listen, I don't know who you are, but if you really are new here, then you don't know this towns history. Just get out of here while you still can. Go back the way that you came."

These boys are all doom and gloom tossed in with a bit of insanity. But that still doesn't explain why Hawkins looks like it was just Godzillas' playpen, I think. My next, and DEFINITELY last question.

"Okay, I'll leave you guys alone, but can you at least tell me what happened here?" Depending on the answer, maybe I can know where to go next.

"All anyone knows is that a huge earthquake hit, they're saying 7.8 on the Richter Scale. It was really probably the result of whatever damn ritual Munson and his cult performed. Now get out of here" snaps the first boy, again.

I opened my mouth to defend Eddie, but decided against it. I didn't want him to go all psycho on me again. Whatever did happen, it really messed him up.

Now I definitely have to find Eddie, I confirm to myself. I suddenly remember something from back before I moved away from Hawkins. When I was in second grade, there was a tornado, and it took out most of the cities power. It took days for it to get up and running again. During that time, the school became a temporary home for many residents of Hawkins, me included. Kind of an emergency help center. This was DEFINITELY an emergency now.

I could already see the school from where I was standing, so I started to make my way toward the front doors. As I'm walking however, snippets of conversation.

"First that girl Barb, then the mall fire, the murders and now this? When will this ever end?"

"That's it. This town is cursed".

"We need to get home and pack our things, we're getting out of this damn place".

Barb? Mall fire? Cursed? Seriously, what could have changed in the time I was gone to turn my home into this?

*Sorry for the delay, I have been exhausted this week! Also a heads-up for anyone reading- my school starts 8/17, so my schedule will be packed!*