The Four Rings || An Eddie Munson Fanfiction

Chapter Thirteen - Picket Fences and Apple Trees

They had about twenty minutes left and although it wasn't their preferred time limit, they knew that they had to be thankful they made it at all. Despite how much of an idiotic decision it was, Steve had sped all the way to the WarZone. The streets were almost completely empty, and the only obstacle was the casual pedestrian or construction zone. Fate had truly been on their side in that moment because if they had been stalled any longer, they would not have been able to arm themselves.

In the matter of minutes they were driving, Emelia had managed to bite off all of her nails. The soil that stained beneath them had etched itself between her teeth, leaving a griddy texture to mark territory in her gums now. It seemed the closer they got to fighting Vecna, the more her body reacted. Regardless of how much effort she put in, she was not able to fight off the anxiety of experiencing the creature's power again. No amount of weaponry could prepare her. No amount of anything could.

Dustin volunteered to stand guard while the rest of them shopped for their right to bear arms. He was the closest with Eddie and after his assistance with Emelia's escapade in the woods, the two of them now shared a humble respect for each other. The bus was quiet, not so much as a twitch of metal making a noise. The three of them kept to themselves in the beginning, seeming to be lost in their own thoughts.

Emelia pulled her knees up to her chest, taking refuge in the small bit of isolation the bench next to the wall offered her. She began to recollect the events that she had undergone the last time she came in contact with the supernatural realm, searching for any sign of weakness she could use to fight with. Unlike the others, she didn't have much knowledge of the Upside Down. There was nothing she knew – no weakness – that would be able to get under Vecna's skin. Without a gun, she was defenseless.

"Where did you see my uncle?" Eddie blurted, turning his head towards her immediately after he began to speak. Based on the quickness of his inquiry, he had been pondering this thought for a while. He began to ramble shortly after, trying to clarify his question, and his words forced the breath that he had in his lungs to dissipate. "I mean, what happened?"

It was just now dawning on her that they never got to talk about what happened in the trailer park. Everything was happening so fast and just as they had gotten out of that horrendous situation, they were thrown directly into the center of yet another problem. A pang of apologetic guilt struck her chest once she realized he had probably been thinking about this ever since.

"After I got separated from you guys, the cops managed to corner me," Emelia began, tracing her tongue over her chapped lips in an attempt to transfer moisture. "I don't know exactly when I got there, but it wasn't even close to his trailer. He had to have been listening."

A mixture of hope and pity shimmered in Eddie's eyes. If Wayne had been watching, that meant he more than likely saw Eddie. They were only seconds away from seeing each other and although it was probably for the best, it was clear there was a part of him that regretted not being the last in the pack.

Choking back a sob, Eddie trailed off, "He didn't . . . "

"No, Eddie," Emelia interrupted, leaning forward and placing a hand on his knee for reassurance. Eddie diverted his sight away from Emelia to try to shove all the displayed emotion back into his body again. "He's safe."

Eddie nodded, trying to take the words that she was saying to heart. There was no way of actually proving that his uncle was truly safe until he saw it for himself. Eddie was a very visual person. He liked to see things unfold in front of him and if he didn't, it was unlikely that he would truly believe they were so.

In an attempt to change the subject, Emelia began to search the premises for food. There was no way she was going to miss the opportunity at a good meal, especially when the chances of finding one were so low nowadays. Her body was working off of a very unreliable eating schedule, and she knew that it would probably wreak the effects later on. She tried not to worry about herself, though, and instead, she worried about Eddie.