Head Over Heels for Eddie Munson

Ch24: A Good Day to Die

    I took a deep breath, touching my lips to reminisce in the sparks of what had just happened. When Steve kissed me, I felt weird, invaded even. With Eddie, he was different. He had always been different, since the day I met him. The day he walked into the music store, looking around for the rock and roll aisle. When he walked up and leaned on the counter I was sitting at and asked for help, staring me down and smiling his heart bursting smile. The day where his hand brushed up against mine and he didn't even apologize because there was nothing to be sorry for. That day, in 1985, where everything felt still and normal and safe.

    Steve walked into the trailer, searching through a shopping bag, "What are you smiling at?" He looked at me, laughing slightly, "Come on, Nancy's explaining the plan." We walked out in silence, there wasn't much to say when the world may or may not end in a few hours. My mood dropped and Eddie noticed as he walked over to me from the field. He stood close, which wasn't out of the ordinary, but made me anxious now. A hand met mine in my oversized jacket pocket, Eddie's fingers grabbing my hand and moving it around. I looked around to everyone in the circle, nobody seemed to notice as my hand opened and intertwined with his. I smiled and watched as his face grew red, but turned as Nancy began to speak.

    "We've made it this far without El, we can finish this too," she finished, catching her breath and looking around to catch any questions. Eddie's hand jumped away from mine as Nancy looked over to me, I didn't even flinch, I was frozen. My breath shook after hearing her plan. We are going to die. It wasn't that Nancy's plan was bad, it just seemed impossible. Impossible to beat Vecna. Impossible to win, to win without consequences. Steve, Robin, and Nancy paced past me memorizing the plan as I stared into the nothingness of the field ahead of me. "Lori!" Robin snapped at me, "We are going to need you a lot here. You always have to be on the walkie talkie at all times, okay? And when we need you, we need you, no questions and no hesitation. You are the only one with powers, you are the key." I nodded as I hugged myself tight, the hair sticking to my bloodied face as it blew in the light breeze. "First, you're gonna follow Dustin and Eddie into the upsidedown," Steve said to me and then leaned closer, "Keep an eye on Henderson, kay? After, you go to the Creel house in the upsidedown and meet us. Then, we will kill Vecna. You hear me?" He stared at me up and down with his finger pointed, a hand on his hip. "Yeah, sounds...simple," I replied and turned to see Eddie tying a bandana around his head and helping Dustin tie his shoes. A smile widened on my face, tearing up when I looked around at my friends at peace and happy. Eddie walks up to me saying, "Like what you see, Williams?" Just loud enough for Steve and Robin to hear, a sigh coming from both of them. "Guys!" Nancy shouted from inside the trailer, "Come on."

    The ride was silent as we drove to the Creel house to drop off Max, Lucas and Erica. We waited in fear as the sun slowly set and casted an orange shadow on the trailer. It was beautiful, almost. The spring trees painted a dark and healthy green as the sun glowed through them. It was peaceful and quiet, a good day to die. A tenseness built as we all seemed to be facing death, I held onto my knife a little tighter and felt a knot grow in my stomach. "Remember to take off your shoes first," Robin said as she helped them off the trailer and to the front stairs of Victor Creel's home. We all watched as they approached the beaten house, paint chips flaking off the old wood and broken leaves blowing last. "Will they be okay?" I asked, I should be there with them in case something goes wrong. Nancy looked back at me and didn't answer, Steve turned in the driver's seat towards her. "Hey," he said more to Nancy than to me, "they are gonna be okay. We will all be okay." I sighed as the knot became larger, growing into my throat, I could practically see the future. I could see Vecna's vision now. My friends, dead on the floor beside me, a defeat that gave me guilt beyond description. Eddie's hand on my bouncing leg made me jump out of thought and he looked into my eyes, comforting me with his stare that said we would all be alright. I turned towards the window at the RV park entrance, and I thought about what brought me here. I thought about all the paths I could've taken, all the things that could've happened if I had never met these people. Would their lives be better? Would everything just be better without me here? Did I cause this? Am I the source? Am I the problem?

***A/N:
Okayyyy lets not talk about how I've literally been gone for two weeks, I feel so guilty. Ive just been so out of it and unmotivated, like im doing this instead of my 2 essays due tmo cuz I just can't find the motivation to do them at ALL. Anyway ig its fall depression or whateva. Hope yall liked this chapter, its short but OMG i love it sm it adds so much to the characters and really gives a deeper sense into how they might be feeling. Ill be off of school for a while cuz of break and will be able to upload WAYYY more, so expect a lot and again IM SO SORRY love y'a to bits. XOXOXOXOX. Lemme know if I should add anything as we come to a close, I promise nothing too bad will happen, but id be offended if u didn't cry (;
P.S-we are literally so close to 2k reads i love you guys so much tysm u are the best.