𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐅 | 𝐒𝐓

# 003

"B—Bard, this is Scoops-B and G.W. Can you hear us? Over." Robin responds to the unfamiliar voice.

    "We can hear you, loud and clear, over." It responds.

     "Oh shit, Robin, you got them?" Jonathan rushes over to her and the speaker. The rest of you follow behind him, grouping around the girl.

     "Yeah. I think either El's helping them out or I got a decent connection." Robin rambles.

     "How are they doing?" Eddie inquires.

    "How are you guys holding up? Over."

    "We're all good. Max found us some more ammo and Will helped us stock up on some food so we should be good until we meet up again. Over."

    "Alright, perfect. You guys settled for the day? Over."

    "Yeah. We'll get back on our feet tomorrow. Over."

    "Cool. I'll be in contact with you again soon. Over."

    "Sounds good. Bard, over and out." The connection breaks up and it's silent again.

    "Okay so they're safe, that's good." Jonathan sighs in relief.

    "Who's they?" You question.

    "The kids? You'll meet them soon if you stick around long enough." Eddie tells you, softly nudging your shoulder. The group disperses again and you're left not knowing what to do.

UNITED IN GRIEF

      "You can stay with me for the first shift tonight. We'll train you in everything but this is the first. And easiest." Eddie tells you. You watch as the group prepares for bed, checking all over the building and putting their sleeping bags out.

      "First shift?" You respond, staring at him in confusion.

     "We take shifts throughout the night for somebody to be on lookout while the others sleep. They say I'm a deep sleeper so I usually take the first shift."

     "Oh. Smart," You reply. Eddie nods before going to take his post. You notice the sleeping bags are spaced out for the most part. "Why so separate?" You question under your breath.

     "In case anything gets in, it better not to be all grouped up. But if you wanna stay near someone for your first few days it's fine. We were like that too at first," Robin answers as she walks past you, sleeping bags in hand. "This is yours, by the way. Hope you like black." She adds with a small smile.

     "Right. I don't mind it." You shrug. She nods and continues walking. You approach Eddie and sit beside him. Just then Nancy comes up to you.

     "Here. This is necessary. Especially if you don't want to go insane." She informs you, handing you a watch. You stare at the numbers, it is already set. You glance over at the watch on Eddie's wrist, seeing that yours is aligned.

     "How do we know this is accurate?" You ask. Not something you'd usually ask but something you thought about.

      "It's based on the time of the news report from the first day," Nancy assures you. You sigh before giving her an ok. She walks off and you secure the watch around your left wrist.

      10:56. Everyone is settled and ready to sleep. Except you and Eddie who sat up, a makeshift spear between his legs while you held your homemade weapon. It probably can't do much and you're not that strong but it was good enough.

       "We stay here until around 1, then we can go to bed. Everyone wakes up around 8 or 9 unless we have somewhere to go." Eddie hums. You did not want to sit here until 1 but this was their home that they roughly welcomed you into.

       You watch as everyone slips into their sleeping bags before the building goes dark. Slithers of moonlight fighting through the wood on the windows and doors. "So how long have you guys been here?" You turn to the boy beside you.

       "A little over a month. We all slowly grouped. Jonathan and Wheeler were first then Harrington and Robin. Billy was resistant at first but obviously, he came around. He was last until you."

       "What about you?" You question. Eddie looks back at you with slightly shocked eyes. As if no one cares to ask about him.

        "Oh, I got here a little bit before Billy." He shrugs. 

      "What are you still doing here? In Hawkins, I mean. Thought you'd be off doing great things, honestly." He mumbles, eyes focused on the floor. He ever so slightly glanced at you when you suck in a breath.

      "I was, uh, just figuring things out, didn't get any scholarships, and nowhere specific I wanted to go," You sigh, staring at the 5 sleeping bags. "You? Did your band ever kick-off?" You finally turn to face him. You can see his doe-like eyes through the dark.

      He seems hesitant to answer. "Haven't graduated yet. Thought this year was my year but clearly not." Eddie coughs out, quickly spitting out the words.

      "Oh." Is all you can say.

      "Yeah, but it's alright, I guess. The world's gone to shit so does it even matter anymore?" He hums. You slightly smile.

      "True." You nod. The rest of the night passes in silence. You and Eddie make small talk in the meantime. For being so obnoxious and loud in high school, he seemed so quiet now. But it didn't surprise you. The virus made everyone quiet down a bit. Especially if you cared to survive.

         What felt like hours and hours later, Eddie stood up. He stretches as he stands, slightly groaning. "Get Harrington, will you?" He tells you. You nod and walk over to Steve's sleeping bag. Moonlight shines on his skin, illuminating him and his perfect hair. You softly grab him, shaking him awake.

         He jolts awake and almost throws your hand off of him. He looks at you with wide eyes and you look back down at him in shock. "Sorry," you say in a small breath. Steve sits up and sighs. "We're switching out."

        "Right," Steve nods. He slides out of his sleeping bag and grabs the bat you saw earlier. "Get some rest. I'm sure things will be busy for you tomorrow." He tells you.

       "Busy for me?" You repeat, staring up at him in confusion.

       "Yep. But it depends on what the boss has planned for you," he shrugs. Your eyes immediately fall over to Nancy and you swallow. What had you gotten yourself into?