The Archer

Chapter 1

Stevie only had one thing clear on her mind while walking through the upside down with Nancy and Robin at her side: Get back to Dustin and Eddie as soon as possible. Make sure they were both ok and then get them all back home safely. She had had a bad feeling since they came up with the plan of who was going to do what this time around. Robin's words from earlier kept ringing in her head the whole time. The three of them had nearly not made it, but they did. Robin and Nancy were walking next to her as safe and unharmed as they could be in the upside down. They were walking and breathing and that's all she could afford to think about in that moment. 

She was stepping over some vines when she looked up and could vaguely make out the blurry image of Dustin hunched over something on the ground. No, not something. Someone. 

"Eddie!" Her name tore out of Stevie's throat before she could even think about it properly. She was suddenly on the ground next to a sobbing Dustin, gripping Eddie's hand in his own. She scanned Dustin for injuries and zeroed in on his leg. Dustin only looked at her and continued to sob while holding Eddie. Stevie reached out to cradle Eddie's head in her hands. Eddie could barely keep her eyes open and it looked like she was trying to say something to Stevie. 

"Hey, hey, hey, it's alright don't talk. I've got you now, it's all going to be ok." 

Robin and Nancy were next to her now, trying to get Dustin to calm down enough to tell them what happened. Stevie turned to him and reached out to grab his hand. 

"Dustin, she's going to be ok. Just breathe and start going back to the trailer with Robin. I'll get Eddie." Stevie said this in the strongest voice she could muster, but she sounded scared to herself. She could only imagine what she sounded like to the rest of them. He looked like he was going to protest, but thought better when he saw the look on Stevie's face. He knew that the best thing for Eddie now was to let Stevie help her. 

Dustin have her a hard hug and turned to Eddie whose eyes were fluttering and unfocused. 

"I love you Eddie." Dustin sobbed while gripping her hand once more. 

Eddie's eyes focused a bit when she looked at him and she opened her mouth slowly.

"-ove -ou too." She managed to say in a just barely there whisper. 

Tiny drops started to land on her face. Stevie looked up and then felt wetness sliding down her face. Oh. They were coming from her. She was crying and hadn't even realized it. She cleared her throat and tried to smile at Dustin while nodding. She could see Robin just behind Dustin, her cheeks and eyes red with tears as she slowly pried Dustin up and off the ground to get them back to the trailer and to the gate. She looked into her eyes and they shared a look, both hoping that they would all survive and that the nightmare would be over soon.

Stevie turned her attention back to Eddie, whose head was now in her lap. 

"You better not close your eyes Munson. We're almost done, we just have to leave this rotten place."

Eddie's eyes focused on her a bit and it looked like she tried to smile, only to be interrupted by a loud groan as Stevie got up and tried to move her the best she could. Nancy was quickly at her side and helped her stand up with Eddie carefully. Stevie adjusted her grip on Eddie to be as gentle with her as she could. Eddie's breathing was quick and shallow, her head rolling on Stevie's shoulder as she began to walk.

"I... never thought... I would be carried... like-" she took a long breathe of air and rasped out, "like a princess... by Queen Stevie."

 The last part came out as a light whisper and Stevie just barely heard it. She chuckled lightly, tears still rolling down her cheeks as she looked down at Eddie's bloody face.

"I can carry you like this whenever you want once we're out of here and all healed up."

In those moments where she didn't know what could happen next, Stevie let herself loosen up with Eddie in ways she had only ever dreamed of, but never dared to act on. She let herself recall all those moments when they were both in high school and she had to look away from Eddie before she got caught staring. All of those tiny shared glances in the hall of Hawkins High that she never let herself think about for too long. All of those feelings she repressed for years were flooding out in those moments with Eddie in her arms. Once she got to know her more after getting slammed against the wall, she thought, hoped, she had felt something between them. Now, she could only hope that Eddie made it out alive. 

Eddie opened her eyes a bit wider and looked like she was about to say something back, only to be interrupted by a groan of pain.Stevie looked down at her in concern and slowed down. Eddie was starting to shake and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. 

"Eddie! No, no, no, come on wake up!"

Nancy reached over to grip both of her cheeks and rolled her head gently while yelling her name. She looked to Stevie with fear in her eyes and unshed tears. 

The three of them had managed to walk almost all the way to the trailer. Only a couple of feet were left before the ground started to shake, knocking the three of them to the ground. Stevie sat up as best she could and crawled over to where Eddie had fallen and grabbed her head once more. The shaking got worse before it stopped all at once and her body relaxed into the still shaking earth. Stevie shook her shoulders as best she could without causing any more harm and cried. She reached for her neck with trembling hands and checked her pulse.

Nothing. 

Eddie was gone and she cried and screamed her name, the ground around them shaking with more force. She felt a hand grip her shoulder and turned to see Nancy with tears that finally fell down her cheeks. 

"We have to go."

Stevie yelled, "We can't! We have to take her with us, we're so close!" They couldn't just leave Eddie's body in the upside down. What would Dustin say if they just left her body there? The rest of her kids? If they got out quick enough , they would be able to get her to the nearest hospital. "Come on, help me pick her up!" The ground around them shook more and more violently as the seconds passed and Nancy wasn't moving fast enough. Everything started to become blurry, blurrier than normal and then black.