(3) Till Death Do Us Part (Max Mayfield/ (Fem) You)

-Chapter 5: Vecna's Curse-

A/N: I'm so sorry for the lack of updatessss. I haven't had the time to write more than a few sentences at a time....

So here is a small update to apologize and show that I'm not dead, and I'm working on it!

I lift a phone to my ear, dialling the next number. "Hello?" I ask. "Who are you?" "Hi, I'm a friend of Eddie. Eddie Munson?" I ask, waiting for a response. "Yeah, So what?"

"I was just wondering if you've seen him recently?" I ask. "Nah. Lost contact with him a few months ago." I sigh, rubbing my face. "Alright. Thanks anyway." I say before putting the phone down. Well crap. I look over at Dustin and Max who are also calling people.

"Eddie Munson." Max says, nodding along with whatever they're saying on the other line. "Seen him?" She asks. She sighs, turning and placing the phone down. "Reefer Rick?" Dustin says and Max and I turn to him. "No. Does this Reefer Rick have a last name?" He asks, nodding. "I mean, it's kind of..." He trails, listening. "Alright. Great. Thanks!" He says, placing the phone down and rushing to find the other two. "Hey, Guys, I might have a lead." He says. "Seriously?" "Yeah."

We all gather around the counter. "Apparently, Eddie gets drugs from some guy named Reefer Rick, and sometimes Eddie crashes there." He explains. "That sounds promising." Steve says. "Where does Reefer Rick live?" He asks. "See, that's the thing. No one knows." Dustin says. "Wait, what?" I ask, confusion present in my expression. "He's more of a...a legend than someone people actually know." Dustin explains. "Well, shit." I say, rubbing my hands along my face. "Last name?" "I don't know that either." Dustin replies. "Bet the cops know the last name." Steve says. "What?" Max asks, surprised. "Cops." Steve clarifies. "I mean, listen, if this Reefer Rick is actually a drug dealer, I guarantee you he's been busted at some point." Steve explains.

"Means he's in the system." He adds. "The cops?" Dustin says. "Really, Steve? That's your suggestion?" He adds. "I think they should be filled in on what we know, what's going on." Steve argues. "You think Eddie's guilty, don't you?" Dustin asks. I cross my arms, leaning back against the counter behind me. Max walks over next to me and mimics my actions, sighing. "This is getting nowhere." She mutters. I look over at her, offering her a small smile. "Hey, at least we got something." I say. Dustin and Steve begin to argue about his work ethic and babes and I roll my eyes. "Geez, great time for this guys!" I sat loudly. "I'm just saying, we've got a very big selection in here. It can be super overwhelming for people." Steve says, making a face at Dustin. "Big selection..." I mutter before looking at the computer. "I have an idea." I say.

I run to the computer, nodding at it. "How do we search for customers?" I ask. "Uh, here." Robin says, clicking a few buttons. I type the name 'Rick' into the search bar and a few names come up. "Twelve Ricks have accounts here." Dustin says. "Lot of Ricks." Max says, chuckling. "So, let's narrow it down." Dustin says and I nod. I click on the first Rick. "Rick Alderman." I say. "Latest rentals are Annie and Dumbo." Robin reads. "Chances our drug dealer had a family?" Dustin asks. "Not likely." Steve says. I click the next name. "Rick Conroy." I say. "Sixteen Candles, Teen wolf, Romancing the stone." Robin reads. Max, Steve and Dustin shake their heads. "No."

"Rick Joiner." I say. "Mask, Footloose, and Grease." Robin reads. "Nah." Dustin says. "Rick Kimbrough. The Blue Lagoon and Splash." I say. They laugh, shaking their heads. "Definitely not." Dustin says. "No way." Steve adds. "Okay then...next is Rick Lipton." I say. "Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Cheech & Chong's Next Movie." Robin says. "Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams." I say. "Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke." Robin finishes. "That's the one." I say, smiling. "Lipton?" One of them asks. "Spelled like the trea. 2121 Holland Road." Robin reads from the information. "That's out by Lovers Lake." Steve mutters, thinking. "Middle of nowhere." Dustin adds. "It's a perfect place to hide." Max adds.

We all rush to Steve's car and hop in. I'm squished in between Max and Dustin in the back as we take off. "Okay, so, what exactly do we do once we're there?" Max asks. "We..." Steve thinks. "We talk to him. I know he didn't do this. He wouldn't hurt us." Dustin says. We all go quiet as Dustin stares out the window. I hear a sigh before a light weight on my shoulder. I look over at my side and see Max leaning on my shoulder. I smile softly, looking away as I leave Max be.

Once we arrive, we rush out as Dustin rings the doorbell. No reply. "Okay. Well, that's settled. I guess he's not here." Steve says, shrugging. "Eddie!" Dustin shouts. "It's Dustin!" He adds. "Great." Steve mutters. "Look, we just wanna talk, okay?" He says. "No cops, I swear. We just wanna help." Dustin shouts. "Eddie!"

Robin shushes us as Dustin continuously rings the bell. "Rick!" Dustin shouts. "Oh my god." I mutter, walking towards Dustin. "Reefer Rick!" He shouts. "Don't scream like that." Steve says to him, to no avail. "Rick!" He continues. "He's not there, Dustin!" I say, shaking him. "Reefer Rick!" He continues. "Stop! Just...." I say, waiting for him to calm down. "He could just be really high." Dustin says. "Is that a foot?" Steve asks, looking somewhere inside. "No, that's a shoe." Dustin says as I turn around. I see Robin and Max looking elsewhere. "What is it?" I ask. Max points at the boathouse on the side of the property. "Hey, guys?" Robin says as we all begin walking towards the shack.

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I open the door slowly, peeking inside. "Hello?" I ask. "Eddie?" I ask again, into the darkness. "Is anyone home?" I ask. There is no reply and we walk in. "What a dump." Steve mutters before picking up a stick. "What are you doing?" Dustin asks as he begins walking to a tarp. "What are you doing??" Dustin repeats. "He might be in here." Steve says, gesturing towards the tarp. "So take the tarp off." Dustin says. "If you're so brave, you take the tarp off." Steve counters. I roll my eyes, following Max and Robin to the other side. "Hey, look over here." I say, noticing some things scattered around. "Someone was here."

"Maybe he heard us. Got spooked and ran." Max says. "Don't worry. Steve will get him with his oar." Dustin jokes. Steve scoffs, looking at him. "I know you think you're being funny, but considering everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times, personally, I don't find it funny in the slight–" Steve gets cut off when a figure darts out from nearby. In panic, Eddie backs up, fear evident in his eyes. "Wait, wait, wait, wait." Steve says, going to block the door. "Eddie. Eddie!" I shout, making him look at me. "Whoa, Eddie Stop!" Dustin says. He calms slightly, eyeing us. "It's me, Dustin." I nod slowly which draws his attention. "And me, Y/N. It's okay, we're not here to hurt you." I add. He looks behind us at the others. I turn and pull Max closer. "This is Max....The one who never wants to play DnD." I say before nodding at Robin. "That...is Robin Buckley. My childhood friend." I say as Dustin gestures to Steve. "That's Steve Harrington." Dustin says. "We aren't here to hurt you, Eddie." I say.

Eddie looks at us, not completely convinced. "Eddie, I promise. Just....tell us what happened." I add, speaking in slow, calming tones so I don't freak him out. Eddie seems to think before sighing, clearly giving up. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and my senses begin to restart around my body. Instead of my focus completely on Eddie, I begin to feel the light breeze, the salty smell in the air and the feeling of something warm in my hand. I look down now and realise, I am still holding Max's hand from when I pulled her closer....and I knew she saw it too. But she doesn't pull away...no... She squeezes my hand instead, as if reassuring me. As if saying...

We got him. It's okay.

Word Count: 1402