Does Heaven and Hell exist in all dimensions?
Or only ours?
When Eddie finds himself awake and unharmed, he's trying to figure out if he really did die. He expected to burn in hell, not wake up in some foreign, barren land.
What he doesn't expec...
How Upside down is some kind of alternate dimension: a darker version of our world. I explain that Vecna was once human, but he was obsessed with power and revenge.
That he was killing people, in order to bridge our worlds together. He didn't care who suffered, as long as he got what he wanted. Control. Revenge. Power.
At first I hesitate with Jason, unsure of how she'll handle it. Sure, he was the bane of my existence and made my life a living hell, but he did it for her. And I can hardly blame him for that.
So I inform her about everything, and how Jason would stop at nothing till I was dead.
"I'm so sorry," she says, her voice hushed and gentle as the firelight flickers against her skin.
I shake my head, flashes of her death running through my mind: how she levitated, her bones breaking, eyes exploding, her jaw slacking hard to the left. All in my living room.
It warms the bile in my stomach. I felt the terror of God in me that night. And I left her there.
"It's not your fault, Chrissy," I insist, lacing my hands together to hide the shaking. "You were murdered... And I fled."
"But not by you," she whispers.
"Jason couldn't have known," I say, as tears run down her cheeks. "I looked guilty. Of course he thought it was me."
For some reason, seeing her cry is almost unbearable, creating a feeling in my soul that's hard to place.
I instinctively crawl over to her and gently lay my hand on her shoulder. She shutters, putting her hand over mine.
"He loved you, Chrissy," I whisper. "It drove him crazy that you were gone."
"But if it wasn't for me, you would not be stuck here."
"You can't possibly know that," I reply, trying to meet her eyes.
But she won't look up at me, whether it be from shame, despair, or even guilt over something out of her control.
"Chrissy, look at me," I order.
After a few moments, she does, her eyes meeting my pleading ones.
"I'm sure I woulda gotten mixed up in all this anyways," I insist, holding onto her gaze . "I told you; Dustin and the others had been battling the Upside Down for years, wayyy before I ever came into the picture. And all the deaths still woulda happened, regardless if you came to me or not."
She wipes away a tear, tilting her head as she looks at me. "Your Hellfire club friends?"
I grimace; suddenly Hellfire is a word I wished I didn't take so lightly.
"Yep. All of them. Like some secret, monster fighting gang. But not just them either. Robin, Nancy Wheeler, and even Steve," I add.
She lifts a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Steve Harrington?"
"That's the one."
She chuckles and rubs her hands over her face. "This is so crazy."
"Crazy might be the understatement of the year," I scoff, trying to keep things light.
She looks up at me, her large eyes rimmed in tears. "I thought he was all in my head. You know? I didn't know he was real. I thought I was going insane."
My hand tightens on her shoulder. "You weren't."
She sniffles and wipes her eyes. "And I thought I was here because I deserved to be. Since I came to your house to... to..."
End things.
She doesn't have to finish her sentence for me to know what she meant.
"You don't need to explain," I whisper.
After noticing how long I've had my hand on her shoulder, she flinches away from my touch and wraps her arms around her knees.
I take the hint and back away from her, taking a moment to listen to the crackling fire and the silence of this world.
"I hope they killed him," she murmurs, her face suddenly pale.
"I wonder if there's a way we can find out," I add, not knowing how else to comfort her.
Her eyes widen as if I'd cursed her out.
"I told you, it's a wasteland out there."
"I know. I know," I say, holding up my hands. "I just- I find it hard to believe that we're the only ones here. And if we're dead, wouldn't there be a way we can see the living?"
"I've been here for months, Eddie. MONTHS... I can assure you,there isn't."
"How could you be so sure?" I press, my hopes for answers being crushed.
"I just am!" she snaps back.
My heart sinks.
I get that she feels defensive, I do. She's been alone for months until I showed up. And now here I am acting like some fucking renegade. Like I know things she doesn't. Like she hasn't already searched for answers. Maybe I am the same asshole I've always been.
But this just doesn't make any sense.
"Why us?" I breathe out.
She stares at me, questions swimming in those deep blue eyes. Seconds pass before she looks away, as if she wants to say something but doesn't.
"I don't know," she whispers at last.
Suddenly, the cave is brightened by red moonlight. We both look over our shoulders, where the full moon has reached the center of the cave's opening, painting our skin in its eerie illuminesence.
I drop the subject, deciding we are better off focusing on the here and now.
"Fine," I say, scooting away from her. "You're probably right."
She looks at the space between us and lays on her side, wearily gazing at the glowing embers.
"At least we are able to sleep," she says, her eyes getting heavy. "It helps pass the time."
"Do we dream?"
She just stares into the embers. "No."
My shoulders fall, suddenly exhausted. I find a comfortable patch of dirt and lay my head on my arm, too tired to think about anything else.
There's just too many unanswered questions weighing me down. Too many things left unsaid between Chrissy and me. Too many options and ideas and wonders about our predicament whirling in my head like a tornado. The noise of it all builds an anxiety deep within my bones.
So I just listen to the crackle of the fire, savoring it's warmth, as I close my eyes and pretend that I'm home laying under the stars.
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~ ~ ~ Author's Note 08/05/24
I truly hope that you find this story intriguing! I'm just letting out all my Chrissy/Eddie feels whilst trying to create a story that is compelling and makes sense given the context of the show.
