𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖑 || 𝘀. 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

S4E6: The Dive

"I'm not a woman
I'm not a man
I am something that you'll never understand
I'll never beat you
I'll never lie
And if you're evil I'll forgive you by and by, 'cause"

The radio plays in Nancy's station wagon. Steve, Dustin, and I are crammed in the trunk, on our way to check on Eddie. We should've done it sooner, but, I mean... things happened. I nearly got snapped like a glow stick; but hey, we discovered some crucial information about Vecna.

"You, I would die for you, yeah
Darling, if you want me too
You, I would die for you"

"Not to be a wimp, but can I sit in the car?" Robin asks from the passenger seat up front. "'Cause this is gonna totally and royally suck."

"It'll be fine," Nancy tells her from the drivers seat.

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

Steve crams some Pringles in his mouth before speaking. "At least he can drink himself
into feeling better." He holds up the case of beer we picked up for Eddie.

"That's what my mom does," Max says.

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

"Okay, wait, wait, wait," Lucas cuts in. "Maybe we don't put it like that."

I grab a stack of Pringles from Steve's can. "Yeah, how 'bout instead we just say, 'Hi, Eddie here's your beer, you good? Okay. Don't worry, We're getting closer to figuring Vecna out. See you when you need food again. Bye.' And let that be it."

"See, Robin?" Steve asks. "Positive spin
can make all the difference."

"Uh-huh."

"Oh shit," Nancy says, slowing down as we approach Reefer Rick's.

I lean forward, trying to see out the front windshield way up front. The place is swarmed with police, several news reporters, bystanders, snooping neighbors, and everyone and their mother.

We get out, following Nancy as she sneaks beside a news van to the edge of the police tape barrier that surrounds the house.

Sheriff Powell stands in front of a news camera with a microphone, giving the report of what happened. "As many of you know, the Roane County line received a call a little after midnight reporting a homicide here on the lake."

I squeeze my eyes shut, cursing myself for not checking on Eddie earlier. Now I'll have to live with the knowledge of his death practically being my fault. Just another friend's sticky blood feeling like it's on my hands.

"Officer Callahan here and myself arrived first on the scene," Powell continues. "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 18-year-old senior from Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney."

Patrick?

The flood of relief I have is quickly replaced by guilt, when I notice the punch in the gut Lucas gets. They were both on the basketball team and were friends.

"His limbs... His body, it was disfigured. There was an eyewitness on the scene. We have also identified a person of interest. Eddie Munson." The sheriff holds up a photo of Eddie.