Head Over Heels for Eddie Munson

Ch28: "Bat"tle

    "Lori? Lori!" A sharp voice stung my ears and my eyes widened, I realized that they were never fully closed and became cloudy. Eddie hung over me, breathing heavily and cradling me tightly. "Oh, Jesus, Lori!" He whimpered as his fingers washed over my face, his hands trembling against my skin. My eyesight, although blurry, showed a distressed Eddie Munson whose nose and cheeks were stained red, his eyes puffed as tears dripped from his chin. A lifeless glaze was present in his brown eyes, as though he had nothing else to cling onto anymore. The guilt I had felt to put him through something like this again surely cannot be matched, I should have been stronger. He stared down at me, eyelids filling with water, not allowing himself another tear. How hard it was for Eddie Munson to show his weaknesses, a shell had been broken that he had previously kept so hard from cracking. I saw a recurring memory play in his mind, one that felt lost and cold and hopeless. He closed his eyes just before a tear streamed down his face and his jaw clenched, I could feel his grief turn into a physical pain like a punch in the gut.

    It had been so long, it seems, since I had felt someone care so much for me, that I almost forgot how to act in response. He bit his bottom lip as a way to stop the oncoming rush of tears and I became concerned with each drop that left his eyes. I was back, wasn't I? Why was he still crying then? I raise my hand to reach his face and he gives into my touch, his cheek melting into my hand without hesitation, sobbing so sweetly into my palm. "Lori..." he whispered into my hand, I felt the way his lips separated on my skin. His smile was weak but still managed to light up the room and he wiped the tears from his face as though he was ashamed of showing emotion. I slowly sat up and looked around the room. I saw Dustin sitting next to Eddie looking as though he had just witnessed a death, my confusion grew. Eddie unwillingly lets go of me as I rise up from the trailer floor, his hand brushing to the very tips of my fingers, not wanting to separate. The dust particles surrounded me, I had forgotten about being in the upside down. I see myself in a distant mirror, I realize why everything has felt so off. My hands traced over my face, blood running down from my eyes with every bit of my tortured body polka-dotted in deep purple bruises. My skin was paler than usual and was ice cold, I felt like a corpse. "Lori..." Dustin approached me, "what happened to you?" As soon as my thoughts were collected and I was ready to retell my experience, a bang came from the roof, through the venting of the ceiling.

    Eddie pulled me behind him, staring at the top left corner of the kitchen, rustling noises poking through bat screams. He picked up his spear and huddled in a circle with Dustin and I, Dustin grabbed his weapons and I uncovered my knives. A burst of screaming along with the fluttering of wings marked the beginning of our first battle against these bats, Eddie stabbing the hole they poked through multiple times until we were cleared. "Oh shit," Eddie was out of breath, falling back and giving Dustin a high five. It all felt off, though, too easy. There was an unsettling silence filling the room, one I was not comfortable with. Nothing. Eddie's face looked uncomfortable and weary, he watched my expressions and how I trembled with fear. It wasn't something I was proud of, to be in such a state. But I was hurting too, I had just seen a possible future death of my friends that I can prevent right now and I was stuck in a bat-surrounded prison, so forgive me if I shed a tear or two. I met his gaze, his inner eyebrows ever so slightly angling upward, his lips quivered. I felt how mad at himself he was, like he thought whatever had happened was all his fault. I felt the way he looked at me, the blood and bruises, and how much he hated himself for putting me through that. I wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, I wanted to hold him tightly and tell him how much I...But then they appeared again. My head pounded with the images of Robin and Steve and Nancy. Flashes of vines crushing the bones in their neck, leaving them grasping for air until they could no longer take the pain. I watched their lifeless bodies pile up on the floor, Vecna stepping over their corpses with a grin. I was disgusted and horrified, I was scared and spread out thin. How can I escape this mess? What can I do to get everyone out of this alive? Everyone needs to stay alive! I'll kill myself if it means they stay alive! I stop. My head fueled by the screams of loved ones as scenes replay in my mind again, it all hurts...how do I stop the hurt? I need to leave and help Robin, Nancy and Steve.

    I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry, I have to go," my voice was hoarse and my throat burned but I made my way through Dustin and to the door. Eddie grasped my wrist reaching for the door and held it tightly, it hurt, "What the hell, Lori? First, you almost died and now you want to jeopardize our plan?" I didn't understand his anger, but then again, he didn't understand mine. He seemed so protective over me suddenly, like I was this perfect porcelain trophy that he had to stop from breaking. His grip tightened with my struggle, I felt the fear well up in his eyes. "Ow, Eddie let go...please. I have to do this, you don't—" I spoke and he cut me off. Eddie's voice got louder as a tear dripped violently, breaking slightly, "Don't what? Understand? No...no, I don't understand, Lori! All this shit is fucking crazy, okay? I'm sorry if I'm trying to help us live here! But I can't just manipulate people into thinking everything is alright like you can!" I stopped. He stopped. The room stopped, the whole damn world stopped. He let go of me and grabbed his forehead looking down to the floor, he knew he messed up. It all burned...but was cold at the same time, like when water is so boiling hot it feels cold to the touch. I was manipulative, I was bad, and evil and monstrous. I am not good for these people, I am not worth their efforts and sympathy. "You are a weapon," Dr. Brenner's voice echoed, "always have been and always will be." I grabbed my bag and packed it, looking towards Eddie but he couldn't look back. I got up to the front door again, Eddie mumbled. "Go through the back door, I'll distract them up front," he said, almost sounding as if he spoke through a sea of tears. I opened the door to only one bat, Eddie's mini distraction seemed to work fine, and quickly slashed it open, the guts spreading onto my shoes. Dustin spoke slowly as I closed the trailer door, I could still hear him, "Are there any other vents?" Eddie's voice suddenly got very serious again, "Oh shit...lets go." I walked through the forest with ease and down to the familiar road that led up to the Creel house, I stared evil right in the windowed eyes of the deteriorating wooden planks. A crack of lightning shone onto the chipping paint, a far away scream made my head snap back. "Seven..." A graveled voice appears. Although knowing fully that it was all in my head, I follow the direction in which it was coming from.

***
Yall, forgive me. I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to write these chapters and have it make sense but also be entertaining and super sad and have a good ending too. Stories aren't the easiest things to write and I have made a lot of changes to what I originally had planned for these chapters. I want it to be logical, including the best parts of the season while also creating a character that was real and relatable(in a sense). So, it took a long time and I am so sorry that it has been over 3 months!!! This along with finals and Christmas was very stressful on me and I really wanted to publish more in my hiatus, but I was not in the perfect mental state to continue writing. I assure you, you will be blow away with the ending, I hope. I love yall to bits, hope u enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to comment/ suggest anything at all. See you soon<<33.XOXOXO