Breathe ⭐️ Reddie

44

The running was the worst part. Eddie and Stan had grown up in the Hive. They knew how dangerous it was to be on the run from their own people. Not only that, but two of the superiors.

Eddie prayed that the others who had taken off earlier had gotten way out of range. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if they caught up and found the others. They didn't know how evil their superiors were, and they didn't know that Zack and Donald were even after them.

"How much further?" Eddie asked, glancing behind him in paranoia.

"I'd give it another couple of miles. We need to find some kind of train tracks going west so we can hop on and shake any trail," Stan responded, breathing heavily.

The sun was rising, pink and orange strokes painting themselves across the sky. They needed to get somewhere covered. It's easier to track down runaways when it's light.

The pair continued to run, ignoring the aches from going for hours without rest, the constant rubbing of the bags against their skin, and the fear that had taken up a permanent home in their stomachs.

Eventually, when Eddie felt like he would pass out from exhaustion, Stan let out a loud whoop, and thankfully it wasn't one of fear.

"Eddie, over here!" Stan called, clearly excited.

Eddie jogged to where his friend was pointing, and saw a large bridge of train tracks crossing a river, entering a tunnel beneath them.

"Is... it going... west?" Eddie panted, in desperate need of his inhaler. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his and Richie had his only spare.

"Yeah. Let's hide in those plants until it comes by then jump on. We need to call them and let them know what's going on, or they're in even more danger," Stan said, crawling down to sit behind a tree that rested beside the tracks.

They sat leaning against the trees and went through their packs. There was a week's worth of food and water, a small first aid kit, knives of different sizes, a change of clothes, fake passports and identifications for each of the Hive members and Eleven. To top it off, Sharon had incorporated extra ammo for their guns, inactive burner phones, a secure, untraceable COM system, and other technology works that Eddie knew Bill and Ben would be able to identify.

"She really wanted us to escape," Eddie murmured.

"Do you think she's dead?" Stan asked.

"I really wish I was more optimistic. If she is dead, I'm glad she died securing the future of her kids and helping people. We just need to follow through on our end."

Stan hummed in agreement, taking a small sip of water and repacking his bag. "I'm sorry about your dad, Eddie. He was one of the best people I knew," Stan said, hoping Eddie wouldn't burst out in tears.

Eddie, to Stan's shock, smiled. "He was a great person. I'm glad he doesn't have to worry about me anymore, and he died keeping me safe. He always told me there's good in everyone, which goes against the Hive rules that it's survival over morals and values, but I'm glad he said it. I'm going to miss him, but once we're out of here, we can have a funeral for him and Sharon."

Stan leaned over and hugged Eddie tightly, and Eddie returned the hug easily, knowing they both needed the support at the moment.

A train whistle echoed through the air, alerting both of the teenagers. They pulled their bags onto their backs, strapping them around their waists and into place. As the train began to pass, both eyes empty cars, grateful it was a cargo train of some kind. They took running starts before taking risky leaps.

Stan was in first, and turned to grab Eddie's arm to pull him in. It was surprisingly simple, except for the fact that Eddie was breathing heavily and had no inhaler, so Stan started to coach him through breathing exercises until his lungs opened again. It took a while, but soon Eddie was breathing normally, coughing every now and then.

"Hey, you have the passports right?" Eddie asked, coughing after he spoke.

"Yeah," Stan said, pulling them out and handing them to Eddie.

Eddie cursed silently when he saw them, causing Stan to give him a confused look and ask why he had a reaction.

"They have passports for all of us Hive members and Eleven, obviously. However, they didn't get any for the Hawkins kids," Eddie said, leaning his head back against the wall of the train.

"Yeah, so? No one knows about them. They'll be safe."

"That's not what I'm saying."

"What are you saying then? You're not making a lot of sense," Stan said, eyes focused on Eddie and how he was irritably picking at his nails.

"Richie isn't going to want to leave Mike behind. Bill told me that he ran into his mom in the store. You know, when he got really drunk? He figured out he and Mike are twins, separated at birth, and we all know Richie cares a lot about other people. Mike is his flesh and blood, and we don't have any way to take him with us," Eddie's voice was breaking and tears were dripping down his cheeks. "He's going to want to stay..."

Stan closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Shit."

"Yeah. It's not safe for him to stay, and I can't lose him."

"Maybe he'll see that it's unsafe, and we can convince him to come with us," Stan said hopefully.

Eddie gave him a look of disbelief, the same one that Stan would've laughed at if the situation was different. "You think he's worried about safety? He got shot within a week of getting to the Hive, was okay with getting tortured to protect me, and is completely okay with dying if it means we're safe! You hit him with a van and he bounced back easily! He's not going to want to leave."

They sat in silence, realizing Richie's fate. He wouldn't leave any of the Hawkins teenagers behind, because he knew that the Hive would figure out their involvement anyway. That would lead to torture and death, but if Richie was there, he'd give himself instead.