Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter 37, Reefer Rick (Ep. 2: Vecna's Curse)
Cold sweat dripped down her face as she jolted up out of bed. Her chest heaved uncontrollably with every flash of the same nightmares repeating in her mind. Gwen thought that maybe coming home would have helped in easing those terrifying dreams, but it only seemed to be getting worse.
She threw the blanket away from her and got ready to take a shower. Maybe the warm water would help her headache go away since she didn't want to take anymore painkillers or consume that awful tea her mother was forcing her to drink.
Just as she got out of the shower, she overheard the news broadcast, "We also don't know if foul play was involved..."
Thinking nothing of it, she finished getting ready for the day and started heading out, but that's when her mother yelled out, "Gwenie! Come right now!"
Her mother sounded terrified, more than Gwen had ever heard, which could only mean something terrible must have happened. She dropped everything and hurried to the living room, stopping shortly under the archway as she sees her mother pointing at the television.
"What is it? What happened?"
"Look," Claudia simply said.
Gwen stood next to her mother and placed her arm around her to try and ease her nerves. She never got like this unless something terrible had happened, and based on the way she could feel her trembling, nothing good must be getting informed right now.
"Ever since that girl, Barb, died a few years ago, it has been one thing after another..."
"Why is she saying that? What happened?" Her voice came out higher than intended, but considering Barb's name was getting mentioned again, she feared it was something involving the upside down.
As she stared at the screen, the memories of being stuck in that dimension returned. She remembered Barb's screams, her lifeless eyes staring back at her, and the hopeless felt upon realizing nothing could be done to save her.
Claudia took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around her daughter, "A Hawkins High student was murdered at the trailer park last night."
Her heart dropped at the news.
Max lives at the trailer park, she thought.
"Did they say who the student was?"
Claudia shook her head, "You're staying away from that place, Gwenie. Do you hear me?"
It was an order she would disobey, but wouldn't dare argue against it at a time like this.
"Yeah, sure," Gwen merely said before deciding to go check if Max was alright.
She wondered if those flashing lights were a coincidence or if they had a connection to what happened. She was just there last night and everything seemed completely fine. Well, it was strangely calm, which she now realized was a sign of something terrible about to happen.
