✓ | FLOW ( eddie munson )

sixteen. he wanted me to see

veda henderson

     The jacket around my shoulders--which were already covered by my own jumper--did nothing to silence the shakes disrupting my body. Maybe that's because I wasn't cold at all, I was terrified. It was probably easier for everyone else in the room to pretend I was just shivering from the late-night air.

   They all looked at me like I was crazy, all except Eddie who I think has since wiped the word from his vocabulary. I find that kind of ironic considering how he reacted to me when I tried to confess my hallucinations to him. 

   "Who did you see?" Dustin asked, trying to get the attention from my wide eyes as I stared down at my hands. I could suddenly feel the sweat on my own body and feel my skin turning red from the heat. This caused me to throw whoever's jacket was on my shoulders to the ground before quickly peeling off my own dirty hoodie, leaving it on the floor as I rubbed my bare arms and slightly swayed. 

   "What's wrong with her?" Max asked, turning to look at Eddie along with everyone else as if he held all the answers to me, Veda Henderson. Which was weird considering, as far as they knew, I only knew Eddie Munson in passing. 

   "She's uh... she's-" Eddie stuttered. My eyes flickered up to see him moving his hands around, trying to find an excuse for my erratic behaviour since it was plainly obvious the group didn't believe I was only scared. 

   "Withdrawing?" Robin asked unamused, lifting an eyebrow towards Eddie. 

   "So it's true?" Dustin asked, his face leaving my vision as he stood up from his kneeled position and turned to face a frantic Eddie. "You gave drugs to my sister?"

   "Dustin, piss off," I defend, watching as everyone suddenly turns to me. "I'm an adult, I'm capable of making my own bad decisions," 

   "Y'know, technically, if I did give her drugs she wouldn't be withdrawing," Eddie pointed out, holding his hands up in surrender when everyone turned to him with a stern gaze. 

   "Why, V? I thought you were happy living with us?" Dustin asked quietly, turning back to face me with a sympathetic look. 

   "Ah yes, I'm so thrilled to be home to watch how close you and Mum are all the time without me. Oh and before you say it," I start, cutting Dustin off the moment he opened his mouth to reply to me, "Every time you hung out with me you just wanted a ride or some other shit, okay? Besides, my habit has nothing to do with being at home so just mind your damn business,"

   I felt instant regret the moment the harsh words left my mouth. Dustin didn't deserve my anger. It's like whenever my drug habit was brought up I couldn't help but get overly defensive about it. 

   Sighing, I reach my arm out and pull him into a hug, holding him tightly. I had never really hugged him before, I wasn't much of a hugger and I wasn't sure if he was but either way, he would never push my boundaries. But, from the way he quickly hugged me back, I could tell he had wanted to. "Sorry, Dusty-Bun,"

   He quickly pushed me back once he heard the nickname, a sad smile on my face. My eyes tung due to the fact I hadn't blinked much since I saw the creature, I was too scared of him returning to be left in complete darkness even for a second. 

   "I hate to interrupt but," Robin began, holding her hands out as she began talking with all attention turned to her "What did you see?" 

   "I don't, I don't know. He was-" I cut myself off, biting at the skin on the inside of my lip and clenching my eyes shut. "At first he looked like my father but it- it couldn't be him. Then, his voice changed and he turned into this red fleshy man and he told me that this--whatever the hell is happening now, is only just the beginning," 

   "That's lovely," Steve mumbled sarcastically under his breath, hand on his hip like a mum. 

   "When Chrissy was... y'know," I continue, swallowing the bile rising in my throat and turning away from the group. I was still half expecting them to think I was just making things up. But, I knew some of what Dustin and his friends had been through. I just haven't been around enough both physically and mentally to know just how much. "She didn't seem scared or hurt. It's like she was in a trance or something,"

"Or under a spell," Dustin piggy-backs on my explanation, looking at me with wonder and seriousness. He believed me, I knew he would. He then turns to Eddie beside me who only now was able to strip his eyes off of the side of my face to make intense eye contact with my brother. 

"A curse," He whispered in realisation. 

"Vecna's curse," Dustin clarified. It felt as if the room got heavier with their summary even though I had no idea where the name Vecna came from. 

All of a sudden, a flash of darkness overtook the room, covering the surface until I was in another place, far away from the boat house I was a second ago. Confusion overtook me as I looked around, noting the road and trees around me before finally spinning around. 

To my horror, a boy no older than me was floating mid-air the same way Chrissy was, his eyes clouded and body still. I clench my eyes shut, cover my ears and drop to the ground, knowing what was about to come next and not wanting to see it again. 

Despite all these precautions, it's like I could feel his pain and know exactly what was happening. Without warning, a blood-curdling scream was unleashed from my chest and echoed through the empty forest. I could feel the red man, Vecna as Dustin had dubbed him. I knew he was here. He knew I was here too. 

It's almost like he wanted me there, wanted me to know what was happening and knew I couldn't stop it. He wanted me to feel the pain of the boy as he died. 

Disembodied hands grab my shoulders and wrists, pulling me far back and away from the forest where the boy's body dropped to the road. When I open my eyes, I'm back in the boat house, Steve and Eddie surrounding me with concern and fear. 

A warm, wet feeling tickles the space underneath my nose. I take my wrist from Steve's grasp and reach up to wipe the discomfort away, pulling my hand back to see blood smeared over my skin. 

"What the hell was that!" Eddie almost shrieked, still holding my other wrist as his eyes darted between my nose and my eyes. "Your eyes went like hers," 

"Someone else, he got someone else," I huff like I was deprived of oxygen, gulping down mouthfuls of fresh air as I did. "He wanted me to see,"

"What does the guy want with you?" Steve pondered out loud, looking over me as if I were a lab rat before turning to Dustin for an answer. 

"I don't know," Dustin replied, stumped for one of the first times in his life. 

a/n

yes, I know. I haven't updated in a long time. I was debating on if I was still gonna even continue this story since tik tok made Eddie seem cringe but fuck it, if there's enough demand for it I'm gonna aim to finish this fic. 

short chapter but, hope you enjoy!