The Four Rings || An Eddie Munson Fanfiction

Chapter Fifteen - 'Tis Brewing

Much like their hopes and spirits, the conversation in the motorhome tanked. The Creel house had been left unattended for many years after the last family had been removed, and that factor alone was enough to spike needles into Emelia's bones. So many things could go wrong, but they would never know until the post-war reunion lacked its initial numbers. Even after the children had disappeared behind the tattered murder house doors and she was miles away, Emeli'a gaze remained fixed on the same spot of the window, and her eyes bore the same patriarchal stressor theirs all did.

Dustin was the only child that had been kept along for the ride, and Emelia believed that was mostly due to the soft spot he had in Steve's heart. Steve had never treated anyone the way he did Dustin, even back in high school when he was trying to woo a girl. Despite the small time frame that she spent in their presence, she knew nothing could ever replace the bond they had with each other. Although neither of them would ever admit to it, they would never be able to tick without each other. The moment one of them would no longer be able to go on, the other would cease to exist.

Emelia's fingernails dug into the window's metal border, attracting dirt to her already stained hands. The tune of "Don't Stop Believin'" had been playing on repeat since they left the trailer park, its bass engraving its effect into Emelia's earlobes unprecedently. She made it a goal of hers to remember just how many times it played so when she was far away from the dreaded town, she could look back at the moment, laugh, then never listen to the song again. She lost track of both her sanity and count after replay number ten.

As much as she willed it away, the thought of the track losing its impact was drilling itself through her skull. Favorite songs changed for people every single day, and a part of her feared that overstimulating herself with the tune would cause her to lose all admiration for its beat. The theory had never been mentioned due to the amateurity of the situation; she had simply found one of the flaws.

The vibration of Dustin's voice captured her attention, and in return, she pulled out one of her earbuds. Nancy was beginning to explain the plan once again, making sure that none of them missed a single detail. She had gone over every aspect of the plan numerous times, so much that Emelia was certain she couldn't forget it if she tried. She paid attention the best she could, but the moment Nancy mentioned Max sacrificing herself to Vecna, Emelia couldn't help but wince. She didn't understand why Max was so inclined to offer herself up to Vecna. She had her whole life to live, and yet, she still felt she was less worthy of life. It broke her heart to think that Max viewed herself as such low worth.

Emelia's attention transferred to the gaping hole in the ceiling of the living room. She hadn't taken that much of a close look at it until now, and even from her stance sitting on the kitchen chair, Emelia could see the scary resemblance to their reality. That being said, many differences such as the texture and coloring of the walls frightened her. The linoleum tiling looked as if it had molded over hundreds of times, and she swore she could smell the deteriorating setting.

In Nancy's plan, Emelia would not be entertaining the reality of dancing amidst the Upside Down today. She figured Nancy had good intentions, considering Emelia had already undergone Vecna's curse as it was, and they were already putting enough of them at risk. Instead, Emelia was to be placed at the entrance of the gate to keep watch in case any aspect of their plan went wrong.

Steve, Nancy, and Robin were given the roles as the offense players, and once Max and the others signalled their plan was in action, the three of them were going to target Vecna while he was idle. Because of the ill-intended trauma Vecna had given to Nancy, the group had found out that when Vecna is busy attacking one of his victims, he is at his weakest point. Nancy explained it to be something similar to a meditative state in which he was feeding off fear and the rush of adrenaline of his targets.