✓ | FLOW ( eddie munson )

twenty-two. rock the boat

veda henderson

          The light snores of the room don't bother me. If anything, they make me envious of the fact that they can all get sleep while I sit in an armchair, legs to my chest and fingernails between my teeth. The thought of going to sleep makes me sick to my stomach, the ominous feeling of impending doom won't settle long enough for me to relax. Even though I feel like I've banished my demons by shooting that hallucination of my father, the damage done to me by him isn't so easily forgotten, not by my body clock at least.        

"Hey, Dustin. This is Eddie the banished," The crackling voice caught my attention. I turn to the walkie-talkie lying idle on the table, long enough for the voice to repeat, "Dustin?"

I jump up, speeding over to the walkie-talkie in time to snatch it out of Dustin's hands and make my way out of the room. He called after me, but I simply stuck my tongue out at him and pulled out the antenna from the communication device, "Eddie?"

    "Veda?" He says my name in surprise. I exit the basement, waving at the Wheelers as I leave the home to sit outside on the front steps. "You're gonna hate me for saying this but, god, I missed the sound of your voice,"

    "Don't get all mushy on my, Muffin. We both know that's just because you're a scardey-cat," I laugh, pulling at the grass around my feet. "Did you need something?"

    "Food. I'm starving over here, shiverling away. Unless you want me going out in the big wide world, I need a delivery service. Stat," He rambles, making me laugh at his dramatics. 

    "Yeah, about that. You do not want to be showing your face right now," I warn, the other side going dead for a few seconds before I hear the static of his response.

    "Any more than usual?"

    "Chrissy's boyfriend and his douchebag teammates are sort of after your head right now. Speaking of which, I definitely should not be putting myself on display right now," I mumble the last part to myself, using my free hand to lift my hood over my head and turn my body to the side, shielding my face from anyone walking past. 

    "Seriously? Those meat-heads have got another thing coming if they think they're going to get the almighty without a fight," Eddie warns, his empty threat only making me laugh just trying to imagine him putting up any sort of physical fight. Honestly, I think he was trying to ease my mind more than his. 

    "You shouldn't come close enough to them for a fight to break out. If you see them, just run the other way," I instruct, waving my hand for effect despite him not being able to see me do so. I want to tell him everything he's missed, everything we've learned. But, it feels like too much to say through Dustin's shotty walkie-talkie. It will have to wait till I see him again. 

    "If you insist, Little Lady. I'm warning you, it's going to be hard to fight off those killer instincts of mine,"

    I roll my eyes, "Is there anything else I can get for you, Muffin?"

    "A six-pack. I know, it's stupid to be drinking at a time like this but-"

    "No need to explain yourself to a drug addict, Eddie. I know exactly how you feel," I reassure him, the walkie-talkie falling into silence after that. I gulp, swallowing my better instincts as I speak, "I'm really scared, Eddie. I feel like there's something I'm missing and Dustin keeps looking at me with these sad eyes like he has a theory but he pushes it away,"