Master of Puppets

Chapter 5

Sitting around the kitchen table, all of the adults sipped their coffee and talked at length about what to do with the metalhead in the storage closet. Steve had offered to talk to him, but Hopper quickly shot the idea down. Everyone else hardly disagreed after the events of last night. It wasn't like Steve to impulsively throw himself at a dangerous situation, if anything he was the most reluctant to spring to action. He'd have your back in a pinch, but he wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

Robin sipped her coffee quietly while Jonathan and Argyle explained the concept of vampires to Joyce. It wasn't like she'd never heard of them before. She'd seen the old black and white movies with her parents and had a boyfriend who dressed up as Dracula one Halloween, but that was the extent of her knowledge. As Argyle explained that vampires can't be near garlic, so under no circumstances should she cook with garlic , Robin set her mug down and cleared her throat.

"Eleven told me something last night." They all turned their attention to her. "She said she felt something bad in Eddie."

"I mean," Steve said, "I don't think we needed her to tell us that - "

"No," Robin shook her head, "she said it felt like what she saw in Billy. You know, Billy Hargrove. The same Billy Hargrove who was literally possessed by the mind flayer and feeding information back to it."

Jonathan furrowed his brow. "What do you think that means?"

Robin bit her lip and hesitated. "I don't know," She admitted, "but if it were up to me, I think we should be extremely careful around Eddie."

"You guys," Steve sat up, "he's still Eddie . I mean, just because he's... whatever this is now, doesn't mean he's not still on our side."

"She's right." Hopper said. "We don't know what he's capable of or if he's going to get dangerous again. I don't know about you, but I'm not thrilled by the idea of the kids being near someone that could snap at any moment. Frankly, I don't even want him in this house."

Steve could hardly argue. He'd seen and felt what Eddie could do when he lost control. They were right to be wary, especially since he'd seemingly come back from death. For all anyone knew, this wasn't even the real Eddie. To Steve, however, this was still their friend, and he needed their help. Even in the scariest situations, Eddie could crack a joke and ease the tension. He made you feel like you could always be yourself. It was something Steve had recognized, and when Eddie was gone, he felt like he'd let something good in the world disappear. It was a deep regret that never really left him.

"I can go into his mind." Eleven said, standing at the doorway. They all turned to look at her, surprised. Hopper shook his head immediately.

"No way. I'm not letting you get near him."

Joyce placed a hand on his. "Hopper, it may be a good idea."

"And if he attacks her? What then?"

"He's tied up, sweetheart. He's not going anywhere." She soothed, and then smirked. "Besides, I think we can all agree that Jane can handle herself."