𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒

thirty-nine

"not to be a wimp but can i maybe sit in the car for this visit cause this is gonna totally and royally suck." robin insisted. they had to break all of the recent news to eddie, who still was looking very much like a suspect. "i just can't stand to see those dull eyes of eddie's break again, i really, really can't.

"at least he can drink himself into feeling better." steve said, holding up the six pack that they'd gotten for him. he and dustin munching on pringles.

"that's what our mom does." max interjected, sam's smile slowly faltering.

robin didn't pay any attention to him. "let's just give it a trial run. 'hey eddie, uh, good news first this time. we got you some dustin-approved junk food and that six pack you requested. oh yeah and we found vecna, only the bad news is that he's in that other, darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about, and the gate's closed, so we have no way of getting to him, like he's entirely shut off to us, so basically you're screwed. and, no, i know you were already screwed, but now you're like, doubly, triply screwed.'"

sam looked over at her, lucas speaking. "i mean i don't think we should say it.. exactly like that."

"oh, shit." nancy said, pulling the car over. a crowd of people had collected by a ring of cops, which could only mean another murder, right where eddie had been hiding.

"dammit." sam mumbled when a photo of eddie was held up. he was now a person of interest, which meant more people than just a group of jocks were out looking for him.

"this is not good. really not good." steve agreed.

"dustin? are you there? henderson? samantha?" eddie's voice sounded on the walkie talkie.

"shit, man are you okay?" dustin asked.

eddie shook his head. "nah, man, pretty.. pretty goddamn far from okay."

nancy grabbed the device. "where are you?"

"skull rock. do you know it?"

she nodded. "yeah. near cornwallis and-"

"garrett," steve nodded, "yeah i know where that is."

"hold tight." dustin told eddie. "we're coming."

the journey to skull rock, it seemed, (which sam pleaded against) would have to be made on foot. dustin held his compass in one hand, but steve was insistent that the boy was wrong. "dude, i'm telling you, you're taking us the wrong way."

dustin shook his head. "it's north. i'm positive. i checked the map."

"you do realize that skull rock, it's a super popular make out spot?"

"yeah, so?"

"yeah. well it wasn't popular until i made it popular. alright? i practically invented it."

"you two are insufferable." sam shook her head.

steve didn't listen to dustin's arguments or sam's statements, and instead began leading the way off the trail. "stop whining." he said to dustin. "let's go, come on! trust me."

soon enough, they had arrived underneath the large collection of rocks. "bada bing, bada boom. there she is, henderson." steve said, wanting to relish in his victory. "skull rock. in your face, man, in your stupid, cocky little face."

"doesn't make sense." dustin said, looking at his compass.

steve scoffed. "yeah, yeah. even with it staring you right in the face, you can't admit it. you just can't admit that you're wrong, you little butthead."

"i concur." eddie said, dropping down from a tree behind them. "you, dustin henderson, are a.. total butthead."

dustin smiled. "jesus, we thought you were a goner." he said, pulling eddie in for a hug that he seemed surprised by. he then wrapped his arms around the boy, nodding his head.