Overkill // Joseph Quinn

55

2 Weeks Later

He hasn't been here at all.

Once Jo and I arrived in Georgia last week, he wasn't here.

Few days passed, never showed up.

It concerned me more that he may have resigned from the show. I'm not sure if I could ever live with myself knowing that. Neither Ross or Matt will answer me about his whereabouts. I respect them keeping the information private for his sake, but it killed me.

'Killed me,' purposefully past tense.

I've grown to realize that he's possibly filming when I'm not there. I'm not sure how that's going to affect the show, but obviously they're making it work.

It doesn't kill me as much anymore. We both had to know this wasn't going to end well; at least I knew. I just never allowed myself to let those thoughts surface and become more. I'm not sure if it makes it actually hurt less or if I'm choosing to believe it does for the sake of my performance. And my mental health.

"We ready?" Ross yells from the film site. I lift myself up from off the ground and jog slightly to the sound of the commotion.

Today's a loaded day for all of us. We are about to hit hour 9 of filming.

Jo calls for me inside the trailer set up for the scene. We were "preparing" for the final battle of the season. The script was handed to us a few days ago for us to go over. It's definitely one of the heaviest scenes in the show. I even feel the pressure my character is under.

We take about another 45 minutes and wrap up for the day. We had to redo a few things and we were off to finally rest. We'd been filming since 9 this morning.

"Hungry? Few people wanted to grab some food before we head to the hotel." Jo catches up to me before we reached the trailer lot.

"Sure." I smile, being in a better mood now knowing I could relax for the rest of the day.

"You still feeling alright? You know, with everything?" He asks cautiously, not wanting to upset me. I've appreciated it even though it's been constant.

"I'm okay, Jo. Really." I nod to assure my genuineness.

We walk the rest of the way to our trailers, Jo's right next to mine. Before I could open the door he was already starting again.

"I actually need to talk to you about something." He said.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, so close to escaping from him. "What's up?"

He sighs, scratching the phantom itch behind his head. He only does this when he's really nervous. My heart beat picks up slightly.

"He's not coming back, Eds." He says it almost too quickly for me to understand. I immediately shake my head in denial.

"What do you mean? Did he quit?" I feel myself getting worked up for the first time since last week. I thought my feelings had settled.

"N-no. Not quite at least." He says.

I move my head forward, waiting for him to continue. Or maybe hoping that it's not as serious as it seems.

"He wanted his character to be killed off. He already came here for what the Duffers needed. Now he's gone home." He explains.

My mouth falls agape ever so slightly. It starts to become dry enough to stop me from responding. Instead, I swing the trailer door open and shut it just as quickly. I double check that the locks are secure and immediately falter to the ground. No tears, no sounds, just pure shock and...