Never going Back ⋆ Stranger Things

7. The Fall From Grace

Content warning; homophobic language and slurs.

Sunday, March 23, 1986.

Oz realized pretty quickly that he didn't mind being locked in a shed away from the rest of the world. In fact, aside from the seemingly constant sound of Eddie's voice, he found it to be rather peaceful. He'd even managed to get a decent night's sleep for the first time in a while.

That morning Steve, Robin, and the kids had come by again with food and bad news, mainly pertaining to the fact that the police were now definitely looking towards Eddie as their prime suspect in the murder of Chrissy. Oz had secluded himself to a corner of the shed, trying to stay away from the conversation entirely. Robin, once again, had attempted to make him feel a little better about the whole 'cursed' predicament, but it hadn't really worked.

All things considered the visit had been slightly nicer than the one before. Oz was still on edge around the others, but they did give him the feeling that they really wanted to help. It wasn't a feeling he got to enjoy often, and therefore a pretty welcome one.

He and Eddie had made a safety plan, mostly on Oz's insistence.

"So, walk me through it again." He was pacing the shed, walking back and forth in front of Eddie and only driving the boy slightly insane as he made him repeat the rules they'd made.

"We only sleep in the shed, we only move to and from the house in the dark," Eddie rattled off in a monotone voice, "and we stick together." It was the most important rule, and the one Eddie himself had added. He refused to let Oz be alone out of fear that Vecna would get to him again. Oz, who'd been alone for most of his life and preferred it that way, allowed him.

"And?" Oz hummed, still pacing.

Eddie, who sat below him in the little motorboat Rick kept, looked up at Oz with a slight frown, before he seemed to remember.

"And we don't panic when something happens. We use the walkie." He shook the walkie-talkie in his hand, staring at Oz with bright eyes. Looking for approval.

Oz only nodded once, sternly, and finally finished his pacing. "Good. Now, an important question—" Eddie perked up at this, and it almost made Oz smile. "—do you have cigarettes?"

—

Monday, March 24, 1986.

Eddie knew something was wrong when he woke up the next morning. He felt around on the makeshift bed they'd created in the motorboat, noticing that Oz's side was ice cold. He sat up pin straight, suddenly wide awake. It was barely light outside yet, and the shed was completely empty. No Oz in sight.

"Shit, shit, shit." Eddie quickly ran towards the main house. Oz could scold him for breaking the rule later, after Eddie finished scolding Oz for breaking a rule first.

"Oscar?" Eddie all but stormed into the main house, clutching the walkie-talkie to his chest, not wanting to alert the others just yet, but also attempting to stick to at least one rule. "Reynolds? Where are you?"

Eddie made it about halfway to the kitchen when he found Oz, standing completely still in the middle of the room. His back was turned towards Eddie, but Eddie didn't need to see his face to know what was going on.

"Shit, shit! Jesus Christ!" Eddie immediately wrapped a hand around Oz's shoulder, shaking him wildly. "Come on, Reynolds! Wake up!"

He turned Oz towards him, watching his milky white, tear-filled eyes. "Hey, Reynolds—Oscar! Come on!"

Rule number four.

"Henderson?! Harrington? Anybody?!" Eddie screamed into the walkie-talkie, hands shaking from his white-knuckle grip on the thing. "I have a code red over here!"