The One Who Waits for You (Eddie Munson)

Chapter Four

I ran my finger along the pages, gilded in a beautiful silver foredge. This copy must have been expensive, I imagine Eddie makes good profit selling.  I read a couple chapters in, before I fell asleep, the book still open in my hands. I dreamt of the upside down, the demobats, chasing me around the trailer. They knawed on my shoulders, my arms, my neck. Screeching in my ears and deafening me with their screams. I looked towards the sky, screaming that anyone could hear me. Atop the trailer, Eddie and Dustin stood. Eddie with his guitar in his hand, shredding up and down the neck, drawing them away. This is what must have happened before I got there, or what could have happened if I didn't. He looked down at me, mouth and eyes wide open, afraid.

Eddie

I knocked on the bedroom door listening for Jamie, and when I didn't get a response I cracked the door conerned, to see her flinching in the bed, asleep. The book I lent her still rested in her hands. I took the book, and stuck the ribbon page marker where she had stopped, placing it on the nightstand beside the bed. She wrung her hands together, wrapping them around her chest, her arms. I knew what she was dreaming about, I had dreamt it too, last night. Gently I moved her head into my hand, shaking her shoulder with the other.

"Red you've got to wake up. I know its scary. Come on." I shook her a little harder and rubbed my thumb on her face, hoping the contact would bring her back to reality faster.

"Red listen, you've got to get up." After Chrissy I started to panick when I couldn't wake someone up, although the others said they got Vecna, I still worry. I can't see something like that again. She started to mumble something in  her sleep.

"Dustin why is he up there? Eddie up there?" I smiled to myself, she was dreaming about me? Why was it so frightening then? Was she afraid of me?

I shook her again.

"Red Dude, you have to wake up now. It's time to go!" I shook her again, a little harder this time.

"Hey Red! Red its Eddie! Gotta wake up!" She shot up with a gasp, eyes wide in fear, falling back onto the bed as quickly as she had sat forwards.

"Eddie?" She asked, looking around the room to ground herself.

"Yeah Red its me." I turned and reached for the folded stack of laundry I had brought with me. "Clean clothes ma'am." Setting them on her stomach.

"Thank you, I'm sorry." She mumbled, running her hands down her face.

"No, don't apologize, you were tired. It's fine man." She picked at her fingers, an empty look in her eyes.

"I'll uh, leave you to get dressed. I have to take Dustin home soon. You still want to go to the hospital?" She nodded and continued looking down at her hands, avoiding my eyes.

"Alright, I'll see you in a little bit okay?" I said, patting her knee.

I turned and grasped the door handle, preparing to shut it behind me.

"Eddie?" I heard her say. It was so quiet I barely heard her.

"Whats up Red?" I asked, leaning against the door frame and putting my hands in my pajama pockets.

"Can you stay with me a minute? That dream was uh something else." She replied, raising her eyebrows and sighing.

"Sure, let me grab a shirt." I rummaged through my drawers, looking for a clean one, tossing the dirties over my shoulder into a pile. "What were you dreaming about anyways?"

"Eddie you don't have to, it's okay." She said. Looking over at me with those piercing blue eyes.

"I just don't want to make you uncomfortable, I mean you barely know me."