MELANCHOLY [S.T. B. Hargrove]

47

"Ow! Shit!" I wake up abruptly as items fall on my head.

"Sorry, Rocky!" Dustin's voice says, leaping over me.

"The hell?" I ask, looking up.

"Hey, Racquel, I found Max," Steve comments.

I rub under my eyes and hold onto the shelf to stand up.

"Max?" I ask, looking around. 

"We're setting up base of operations," Dustin explains, getting on the computer. 

"Hey," Max greets, winded.

"Base of operations?" Steve asks.

More back and forth flies between everyone. I ease out of the counter area and to Max's side. The high had worn off for the most part. My head was splitting again and I missed the hazey clouds.

"Can you please fill them in while I do this?" Dustin asks Max.

"Fill us in on what?" Robin asks.

Max shuffles on her feet. "It's about the body that was found."

"You saw it?" I ask. "I was trying to go to your house, but someone-"

"Now's not the time to point fingers," Steve cuts me off. "What's going on, Max?"

"It was Chrissy."

"Chrissy?" Robin repeats. "Like.. super cute cheerleader, Chrissy?"

"That's the one."

"What was she doing out at the trailer park?" I ask.

"She was with Eddie."

I make a face. "Eddie?"

"Yeah, it was weird to me, too," Max admits. "But, they went into his trailer together."

"And you were.. spying?" Steve suspects.

"I was feeding the neighbor's dog, wise-ass," Max scoffs.

Steve holds his hands up in surrender.

"Wait, so.. Chrissy is dead? And she was with Eddie? She like.. died at Eddie's place?" I clarify.

"That's not all," Max sighs. "Last night.. things went.. weird."

Weird?

Max gives me a look.

She was sad. Maybe even scared.

An image of Billy holding back the Mind Flayer surges through me like a hot knife.

"Goddammit," I huff and stand up to begin pacing.

"What?" Steve asks. "What's wrong?"

"Well.. I heard screaming. And.. the lights started flashing. Then, Eddie got in his car and left really fast. He was scared. Like.. whatever he saw wasn't.. normal."

"You guys think this has to do with the Upside Down?" Steve figures.

"It doesn't make sense.. And that's why it makes sense."

Chrissy and Eddie together. Chrissy ended up dead. Lights. Screaming. Eddie left.

I bite on my thumbnail. Another image of Billy taking his last breaths.

"It's happening again," Robin whispers.

"No," I state. "No, not this time."

"But-" Max begins.

"Whatever this piece of shit wants this time.. he's not getting it. Not without a fight."

Max nods, relieved that I wasn't denying the possibility of the Upside Down being involved.