Love And Hellfire

Chapter 21: Operation Kill-switch

The silence within the room was unsettling. Still awaiting an answer from Eddie, Avila began to panic. Something was going on. Something had happened and she was completely in the dark about it. She hated it. She hated not knowing.
Looking around the room, Avila was so engrossed in her own feelings that she failed to notice just how confused everybody else was. Apart from Steve and Nancy of course.
"Is anybody gonna speak?" Avila asked all of a sudden. Looking directly to Nancy, Avila was very naive to think she'd give her the satisfaction of being portrayed as the villain. Not this time anyway.
"As much as I don't like you... I think you deserve the upmost decency and respect to hear it from him." Nancy declared. "Not me."
Pointing over to Eddie, he dared not look in Avila's direction as she continued to seek answers from him. She longed for a look. A smile. She waited for him to tell her this was a silly mistake and not a big deal. Nothing to worry about. Before that could happen, the intervention of Steve surprised Avila.
"Nancy that's enough." Steve snapped. "This is goddamn cruel and you know it!"
"Cruel to say that she deserves the truth?" Nancy asked. "You really have changed Steve Harrington?"
"Wait!" Robin interjected, turning to look at Steve. "You know something Steve?"
Struggling to find the words, Robin simply stared at him, her eyebrows raised wildly. 
"I..." Steve mumbled. "It felt better not to tell her.... it's in her best interests honestly..."
"You clearly know nothing about her Steve! Let alone her interests!" Robin scowled. "You're meant to be her friend!"

"Can anybody tell me what the hell is going on!" Avila blurted out, all eyes locked on her and Eddie once again. "Instead of talking about me like I'm not here!"
As silence resumed once more, Nancy watched Eddie closely, awaiting his response and excuses. Minutes passed, nothing. Becoming increasingly more impatient and frustrated on Avila's part, Nancy couldn't help herself.
"Well!" Avila added, breathing heavily as she awaited answers from somebody. Anybody. She just wanted to be put out of her misery quickly. Like tearing off a band-aid. The quicker, the better. The less painful, she thought. 
"He hasn't told you about Operation Kill-switch." Nancy stated. "I know this for a fact because, if he had, you most certainly wouldn't be standing there holding his hand."
Glaring at the two of them with disgust, Nancy added "Not if you are a woman with any respect for herself anyway."
"Wheeler that's enough." Eddie butted in, the anger could be heard bubbling away in his tone of voice. "Things are different now..."
"Are they?! Really?" Nancy continued. "Because I don't think things have really changed at all."
Walking slowly towards the two of them, Nancy paced the room, Robin watching her closely.
"The night that Eddie almost died, he came up with an idea..." Nancy explained. "A back up plan of sorts for if we ever had to face Vecna again..."
"Nancy..." Steve pleaded with her, staring at her longingly to stop. Alas, it was useless.
"We called it Operation Kill-switch." Nancy went on. "And it meant that if we ever needed a sacrifice... or a man to take one for the team then... it would be him."
"You're not serious?" Dustin asked now, looking to Eddie almost expecting denial. Dustin became disappointed as he received nothing back from his friend.
"What does any of this have to do with-" Avila was very quickly cut off by Nancy, just as she'd found the confidence to speak up against her.
"A few days ago, me, Steve and Eddie were talking about the plan." Nancy informed her. "We all agreed.... even Eddie... that it was the right thing to do."
"I did not say that!" Eddie declared, still resisting the urge to look Avila in the eye. "This is not how she's making it out to be!"
"So, you didn't say you had nothing to live for?" Nancy bellowed. "Or am I making that up to, Munson?"
Completely speechless, Avila continued to stare at Eddie. She waited anxiously for him to kick off, deny everything. Hell, she'd even be happy to see him fight Nancy at this point. She just wanted him to do something other than stand there like a coward and say nothing.
"You said that?" She asked him, softly, an overwhelming feeling of sadness creeping up on her. Watching as he finally looked up to face her, her eyes began to fill with tears. Observing the look on her face told her everything she needed to know.
"No." Eddie shook his head harshly, looking away again. Frustrated by his lies, Steve shoved away a nearby chair in anger.
"You did." He stated, walking over to Eddie, pointing a finger strongly in his direction. "You did say it Eddie, so don't you dare lie to her!"
Staring at Steve in disbelief, Avila remained silent. Her worst fears had been confirmed. Everything that Nancy was saying, was true. Taking a step back from the boys, Avila removed her hand from Eddie's, as the lads began to quarrel.
"Don't be a coward." Steve told him. "Just tell her."
"Steve!" Robin blurted in suddenly. "What the hell is going on!"
Attempting to calm her, Steve held Robin by the hands, moving her to one side.
"Robin, I-"
"You knew? About all of this?" She asked. "All this time you've been keeping this secret? The three of you in this together!"
Looking to Eddie, Steve and Nancy each in turn, Robin was furious.
"And you call yourselves friends?" She added. "Bullshit!"
Turning to face her cousin, she hadn't noticed how distant and panicked Avila had become. Upon looking at her, it seemed everyone else suddenly began to take notice of her.
"Avila." Robin greeted her gently, holding her arms as she smiled sweetly down at her. "Let's go get some air? Okay?"
Gazing at her cousin, then back to Eddie, Avila suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion. Out of nowhere, she stormed off towards the door of the cabin. As she did, both Eddie and Steve rushed after her, the rest of the room remaining dormant as they watched the chaos unfold.
"Avila, wait." Eddie begged her, running directly into her path. "I can explain."
"Okay then!" She shouted, standing perfectly still as he trembled before her, shocked just as much as the others by her outburst. "Explain! Explain how you've been lying to me all this time, leading me on.."
"Avila I haven't-"
"You let me fall in love with you Eddie Munson! And this whole time you've been living a lie!" She began to cry as she spoke from her heart.
Taken aback by her words, Eddie stumbled over his own. Seemingly in shock, he looked up from the ground he'd been admiring for many moments to see the tears begin to fall from Avila's eyes.
"You... You're in love with me?" He stuttered, the notion of such a thing seemed impossible to Eddie. 
Watching on, the rest of the gang desperately wanted Avila to answer him. Silence resumed for a moment or two, before Avila simply barged past him, storming out of the door and into the forest.
Leaving Eddie and the others without an answer, it didn't take him long to attempt to follow her.
"Don't you dare!" Robin warned him, placing herself firmly between Eddie and the door. "You are not following her Eddie Munson, you can stand here like the rest of us, watch her leave and think just how much of a dick you are!"
"You think I'm gonna listen to you?!" He scoffed. "I care about her too much not to follow her!"
Trying to move past her, with each turn Robin continued to block his way out. Becoming more and more annoyed and fed up, Eddie resorted to walking off himself in the opposite direction.
"That's right, do what you do best." Robin goaded him. "Runaway."
"Excuse me?!" Eddie spat, spinning back around to face her.
"That's what you do best, right Eddie?" She reminded him, cruelly. "You runaway from things when it gets too heavy or tough... you just turn heel and run!"
"Robin, that's enough!" Steve told her off, standing between them both as she continued to belittle him infront of everyone.
"You ran away from your family.... you ran away from Chrissy!" She continued. "And now you're running away from Avila too!"
"I am not running!" He shouted. "I just don't know what to do! I care about her too much, you will never understand what that feels like!"
"Don't you dare try and talk to me about caring for Avila!" She screeched, becoming emotional herself as she watched him pace the room, his hands upon his head as he sobbed and sniffled.
"I have always cared for her." Robin reminded him. "I have always loved her. All you've done is treat her like shit and push her away when she needs someone to look after her!"
"Robin...C'mon." Steve tried to take her by the hand, only to face further resistance.
"No Steve!" She yelled. "I'm sick and tired of all of this!"
Striding past Steve, facing Eddie directly now, Robin wiped a tear away from her cheek.
"You're a coward." She told him. "She was too good for you anyway."
"Maybe she is!" Eddie cried out. "But you heard your cousin loud and clear Robin, she loves me. She wants... me! She needs..."
Out of nowhere, Robin swiftly slapped Eddie around the face, the ring upon her index finger harshly cutting his lip. Holding his face, Eddie delicately wiped away the blood, staring up at her.
With that, Robin left. The remainder of the gang split off, Jonathan followed Nancy briskly out and off into the Hawkins as the younger bunch remained silent.