The Freaks - Eddie Munson

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Wheeler

"Seriously, what is all this shit??!" Robin yelled, tossing cassette tapes around Eddie's room.

"Well what are you looking for?!" Eddie yelled back.

"Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles, music! We need MUSIC!"

"THIS. IS. MUSIC!"

We all shuffled through Eddie's mixtapes. There were hundreds. Nancy's favorite song was Africa. And I knew Eddie wouldn't have that on any of these tapes, but I looked nonetheless.

"She's back!" Max yelled. We all turned to see her looking up through the gate at Nancy and Steve. We joined her to see Steve holding my sister on the ground, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Holy shit." my lip trembled. I didn't have time to even consider what would have happened if Vecna had completely gotten to Nance.

When they came down through the gate, Nancy was wrapped up in a blanket, and we all sat in Eddie's living room listening to what Nancy had seen. She told us Vecna showed her a future. The future of Hawkins. Everything was burning, and everyone was screaming. I looked around the room at the faces of my friends. All I saw was fear. Eddie ran his hands over his face, his hands shaking.

"So what do we do?" Max asked quietly once Nancy was finished.

"Isn't it obvious?" I said, standing up. "We kill the son of a bitch. We go back into the Upside Down, back into his lair. And we kill him."

"No no no." Steve stood up, Eddie rubbing his face with his hands as he cursed. "We can't go back there, he'll kill us."

"Or, we kill him." I offered. "What do we know? He's like Eleven."

"Which means..." Dustin caught on, "we know his weaknesses."

"It's not a fair fight." Robin said, her voice shaking.

"Who said it was going to be? We can come up with a plan. We always do." Eddie stood suddenly from the couch, and strode over to me, taking my arm.

"Can I talk to you?" he said firmly, "Alone?" silence filled the camper.

"We're trying to-"

"Just come outside for a second Wheeler. Please." I nodded, gesturing to the group to tell them to keep planning. I listened all the way up until we got outside. But we didn't stop there. Eddie guided me around the trailer to the back, stopping there and running his hand through his hair. His hands and face were dirty from being in the upside down, his rings the cleanest thing on him. I waited.

"Go home." was all he said, his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry?" I thought I knew what he meant, but didn't want to believe it.

"I said," he continued, gripping my shoulders tightly as he looked into my eyes, "Go. Home."

"No." he scoffed when I replied bluntly, backing away and running his hands through his dark curls again.

"I need you to leave, Wheeler. I need you safe."

I stared at him, waiting for further explanation. He sighed when he realized what I was waiting for.

"You and I both know they're not backing down. They'll go after him. So go home, and I'll come get you when this is over." I nodded slowly.

"So you're banishing me?" he closed his eyes.

"No-I'm-"

"You're going to send me to the side lines while you fight the battle I've been fighting for two years?"