Connections - Sequel to Interactions - Vampire Eddie & Werewolf Steve - Steddie

Chapter 8

Dustin's P.O.V
I quickly willed my wings away, forgetting they were out, Eddie did the same. I nodded to Joyce to open the door, signalling the coast was clear, I didn't want my mother to have a heart attack seeing her little baby with bat wings. She saw me in amongst the others, Goddamn it. She hugged me so tight I felt like my ribs cracked. "Oh my gosh dusty! Where have you been?! I've looked everywhere for you! Lets get you back home and safe ok?" She said smothering me, dragging me out of the room, I quickly said my goodbyes as I was put into the car, mom saying how scared she was that I was missing. I couldn't exactly say I was bitten by alternate dimension dwelling monsters, that made me a monster and shit, so I just said I fell down a hole in the woods so I had to call Steve and Eddie on my walkie talkie to get help. To further cement my lie I grabbed Steve's walkie from my bag and she sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness that those boys were there to help you dusty. Now we need you to get to bed all ready for school tomorrow!" She said happily. I softly sighed and nodded. Once we got home I flopped onto my bed, thinking over all of the events that just happened. I didn't know when Vecna could come back, or even come back for me, Steve, Eddie, max? The four of us weren't on the safe side yet, we were all still his targets as far as we were concerned. I sat up in my bed, the worries were getting to me, sighing I went outside to think. The cold wind blew, my hair softly swaying in the wind, I sat on the porch just sitting and contemplating my life up until this point. I looked at my hand, unsheathing my claws, a small smile made its way on my face. Maybe being a hybrid won't be so bad. "Dusty! It's time for bed, please come back inside!" I heard my mum day from the living room. Shit! I quickly got rid of my claws and headed back inside, I said goodnight to my mom quickly heading back to my room, flopping down on my bed again. The sounds of the night air blowing putting me to sleep.

I woke up groggily, I groaned and looked at my alarm clock, 7:30. I sighed and started getting ready, pulling on my hellfire shirt, since we have a campaign after school. I put on my cap and over top shirt. I saw a car pull in, Steve and Eddie were in the front, I smiled and made my way outside. "See you later mom! Remember hellfire is tonight so I'll be home late! Love you!" I called out. "Ok Dusty just be careful! No going missing on me again!" She called back. I waved to her and headed out the door, I waved to Eddie and Steve and climbed into the car. "Your mom paranoid you'll go missing again?" Eddie said smiling. "She's just caring ok? Let's go before I lose my mind even more." I said sarcastically. Steve lightly chuckled and drove off. After about 15 minutes he pulled into the schools parking lot. "Dustin this is your first time dealing with everything by yourself. I know the others will be there to help you but if anything happens-." Steve started but I cut him off with an eyeroll. "I let you or Eddie know, yeah yeah. I know you guys are just looking out for me but what could happen at a school?" I said slightly annoyed. "Um a lot of things! Like your hunger could spiral out of control, the bell might interfere with your heightened hearing, the smells could be way too overwhelming! Oh and-!" Steve rambled before Eddie cut him off. "Stevie just relax, he can take care of himself, if he really needs us he'll tell us. Just let the kid have some freedom, and as he said his friends are there to help him out." Steve sighed "Your right, I'm sorry Henderson but seriously, if anything happens tell us." Steve said reasonably. "Of course I will!" I insisted. As I left the car Eddie called out to me. "Oh and don't forget hellfire is tonight! Same place same time!" He shouted. I smiled and waved to him. "Don't worry I won't forget!" I called back. And with that they both drove off, and I entered the school, people talking everywhere. I winced in a little bit of pain, the immense noise pierced my ears, a hand on my shoulder snapped me out of it.

"Hey Dustin! Is everything ok?" Will asked me, I sighed in relief, I nodded to him. "Yeah, it's just the hearing thing, I'll be fine." I explained. He nodded understandingly. He was wearing a hellfire club shirt, black pants and his usual sneakers. His hair had grown out which better suited him then the bowl cut, I looked at his outfit and smiled. "Hey you really rock that hellfire shirt, you excited for tonight? Eddie's campaign is almost done." I said enthusiastically. He smiled and we went to our normal classes. After about 3 hours it was lunch, I made my way to the cafeteria, I saw the hellfire club at the usual table. Eddie's friends were there and I saw the others too, Lucas, Mike and Will. I sat down next to Mike, he smiled and we all continued to talk. "Hey didn't Eddie say he was coming in today? Even though he doesn't need to really come in anymore?" Gareth asked us confused. "He must've forgotten, he usually forgets when he says stuff sometimes." Lucas said. "Ah Sinclair, I wouldn't doubt my impressive memory now, I have the memory of an elephant." A dramatic voice said behind us. We looked over to see the one and only Eddie Munson. He wore his usual outfit, hellfire shirt underneath his leather jacket and battle vest, his ripped black jeans, pocket chain on the right and black hanky in the left back pocket, his high top white vans perfectly contrasted the black, his long hair fell over his shoulders, smirking that infamous Munson smirk.

As he sat down at the head of the table, we all greeted him with open arms. "Dude I thought you graduated!" Jeff exclaimed. "Well I am Graduating but I haven't yet, I'm just on the list to graduate. Patience my dear friend, patience." Eddie said dramatically. "Now will the wise, are you ready for tonight's quest to defeating the cult of Vecna?" He continued. Will nodded. "Hell yeah, again I'm so thankful you invited me into the club after I got back from California. Will the wise is prepared." He said, paring Eddie's dramatic flare. Eddie smiled and looked over to me. He quickly glanced to his black lunchbox, and mouthed the words: 'woods after schools out, got some meat for you.' I smiled in appreciation and continued talking with the others.

After school ended, me and the others walked outside. "Hey guys, I gotta go meet Eddie, it's a little bit gross but if you wanna tag along fine. Not my fault if you throw up." I said in code, they took a minute but then realised what I was saying. "No it's ok Dustin, we'll come, it's probably not that gross." Lucas said. I smiled and we walked to the direction of the woods. After a couple minutes we reached the picnic table, the wooden table moulding a little bit, from not being used a lot. As we approached the sound of leaves crunching alerted us, we turned around startled and Eddie just smiled, his fangs were out which glistened with a little bit of blood. He noticed what we were looking and and quickly wiped his mouth, his claws out, also glistened with a little blood. "Oh shit, sorry I didn't mean to scare you guys, I got a little hungry and had a squirrel snack. Which reminds me, here you go Henderson, your meal for the day." He said kindly, he gently put his lunchbox on the table, we all sat down and looked in the lunchbox.

There was a steak and a juice box sized blood bag. It even came with a straw, fancy. "Is it bad I kinda wanna try some?" Will said. Eddie laughed lightly. "A little bit Byers, if you had any of that stuff without needing to survive off of it, a normal human could die drinking or eating raw animal meat or blood." Will immediately shook his head. "Never mind." I laughed a little. "Now snack time! I don't want you mauling one of your friends here." Eddie said sternly. I put my hands up in a surrender. I grabbed the steak, my mouth watering at the smells, I tore at it immediately. My fangs and claws digging into it. I finished the steak and moved on to the blood bag, I grabbed it and chugged the whole thing. "Aw not even gonna use the straw, where's the decency?" Eddie teased. I laughed lightly and wiped my mouth, I saw a napkin in the lunchbox and use it to wipe any of the access blood. "Ok it wasn't that bad! Not too gross." Mike said confidently, I smiled at the reassurance. "Now, shall we get going, we have a quest to complete." Eddie said, holding up a D-20. The four of us boys smiled, we were ready to finish this campaign, once and for all.