𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 - 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

32. the dive

THE NEXT DAY

"Not to be a wimp, but can I maybe sit in the car for this visit?" Robin asked as they made their way to Eddie, "Cause this is gonna totally and royally suck."

"It'll be fine." Nancy, who was driving, told her.

Aubrey sat in the back with Steve, Dustin, Nick, and Bea, headphones on and Stevie Knicks blasting. Now she knew how Max felt. All night long she had each one of them blasting music into her ears.

"I just can't stand to see those doe eyes of Eddie's break again. I really, really can't." Robin sighed.

"At least he can drink himself into feeling better." Steve held up the six-pack they bought for him.

"That's what my mom does." Max remarked.

"Why don't we just give it a trial then?" Beatrice suggested.

"Yeah, okay, "Hey, Eddie. Uh, good news first this time. We got you some Dustin-approved junk food and that six-pack that you requested." Robin mocked herself, "Oh yeah, and we found Vecna. Only the bad news is that not only did he try to kill Aubrey and Max, but he's in that other, darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about, and the gates closed, so we have no way of getting to him. Like, he's entirely shut off to us, so basically you're screwed." she rambled on, "And no, no, I know you were already screwed, but now you're like doubly, triply screwed!"

"Jesus Christ."

"Wait, wait. Maybe we don't put it like that." Lucas replied.

"We're one step closer to finding Vecna." Nancy interjected, "That's what we say. That's what's important."

"See, Robin? Positive spin can make all the difference." Nick added, munching on some Pringles with Dustin and Steve. God, Aubrey couldn't remember the last time she ate.

She didn't quite have an appetite after a scary, inter- dimensional monster pretended to be her very, dead dad.

"Hey, you good?" Steve nudged her. No, they still hadn't talked about what happened yesterday. Not the Vecna attack, the her trying to break up with him thing. They were both ignoring it for now and that was probably for the better.

Despite almost dying, Aubrey still stands by what she said. She just wishes she said it nicer. She still believed he deserved better. And that she should run away to California.

"Yeah." Aubrey nodded, Beatrice rubbed her arm, giving her a warm smile.

"Oh shit." Nancy said, everyone looked up and saw it then. Police cars and a news van, surrounding Reefer Rick's house. Everyone quickly got out, "This way." Nancy snuck them behind the news van.

"...reporting a homicide out on the lake." Chief Powell spoke, "Officer Callahan here and myself arrived first on the scene. We made our way to the shore of Lover's Lake, about ten yards from that house you see behind me. It was there that we found the victim, an eighteen-year-old senior from Hawkins High, Patrick Mckinney." he said, everyone looked at each other. "His limbs, and his body, it was disfigured. There was an eyewitness on the scene..."

Lucas looked down, Patrick was on the basketball team with him.

"We have also identified a person of interest." he held up a photo then, "Eddie Munson. We encourage anyone with information to please come forward."