Nyctophilia 🌪 Reddie

xxii

As soon as they returned, Mike and Will went with Leroy and Stan to explain the flash drive and what had happened. Robin and Steve were sent with Mike and Ben to be debriefed and checked in on to make sure they hadn't had been injured or tracked. Lina claimed she had to report to her superior, leaving Richie and Eddie in the hospital wing with Georgie, who had learned some medical skill while staying in the base. He redid Eddie's stitches with better materials, even though he was irritated that Richie and Eddie wouldn't tell him what was going on.

"I've been here the longest, and I'm almost an adult!" Georgie complained as he restitched and bandaged Eddie's wound.

"You're twelve," Richie said with an eye roll.

"I'm fifteen, dickhead!" Georgie snapped, pulling the bandage tighter than necessary and making Eddie hiss in pain.

"If Leroy says it's okay, then we will," Eddie snarled, grabbing his leg in pain.

Georgie rolled his eyes and handed Eddie two Advil and a bottle of water. "I'm taller than you. There's no reason you should hide stuff from me."

Eddie glared at Georgie, ignoring Richie who had laughed, trying to disguise it as a cough.
At that moment, Bev burst into the room, immediately grabbing Eddie's arm and dragging him after her.

"What the fuck?" Eddie asked, trying to hop on one foot to minimize the pain in his leg.

"What happened out there? No one's told us anything but you show up with a cut that's too deep to be someone with a knife, and now your brother and other kids from Hawkins are here?" she asked, eyes blown wide with curiosity and concern.

"I'm sure Leroy will all brief us or something. It was insane, Bev," Eddie said, shaking his head.

"Eddie, this isn't the Hive. We don't get briefed or things broken down for us. Haven't you learned anything?!"

"What are you saying, Bev?"

"We can't trust anyone except each other. Like us and the other ex-members and maybe Leroy, but he was a superior. Eddie, tell us what's going on."

Eddie sighed but explained everything, before sending Bev off to tell the others. As she vanished down the hall, Butch and Henry turned the corner, heading straight towards Eddie.

"What the hell happened, Kaspbrack?" Henry asked, looking confused and unnaturally shaken.

"Nothing. Everything is fine," Eddie said shortly, trying to walk away.

"No trust?"

"What?"

"You don't trust us? After all that we've been through?" Henry asked with a scoff, crossing his arms.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "It's a lot to take in."

"We're here and want the Hive gone, same as you," Butch said, standing with his arms crossed and his body tense.

Eddie looked up and down the hall, making sure no one was watching them. Then, he began to lead Henry and Butch to the weight room, closing the door behind him.

"You guys were right," Eddie said, constantly glancing at the door to make sure no one came in. He knew no one would stop him from telling Butch and Henry, but they probably wouldn't be too impressed.

"About what?" Henry asked, sitting on one of the benches.

"The weapon. The Hive has a weapon."

"What is it?" Butch asked, staring intently at Eddie.

"Nothing we expected. The monster that attacked El and the Hawkins kids a couple years ago? They managed to replicate it. I'm not sure how, but it was after us, and Will said something about it being told to come after us. It's not a weapon that we can deactivate."

"Bastards," Henry hissed, earning an eyebrow raise from Eddie. "They know we'll do whatever it takes to stop them, so they're trying to get rid of us."

"What do we do?" Eddie asked, knowing that Henry and Butch always had violent plans, but that may be what they needed at the moment.

"There's nothing we can do, Kaspbrack. It's up to the French group and Leroy. We're just agents right now," Butch said, glaring at Henry to tell him not to fight. He knew Henry wouldn't hold back from suggesting finding the Hive and storming their base.

The door to the weight room opened and Richie and Georgie stormed inside.

"We need to go," Richie said, panicked.

"What?" Eddie asked, confused.

"Somehow that thing isn't dead and managed to track us here," Georgie said, eyes wide in terror. Apparently Richie had filled him in.

"It can't get in. Lina went to put the base on lockdown!" Eddie exclaimed, following Richie out of the weight room.

"It's in here now, Eds."

"What?!"

"The vents. It found a way in. Eddie, Leroy is dead. It killed him. Everyone else is on the plane. We need to leave now." Richie spoke in a grave tone, one Eddie had never heard from him.

Instead of asking anymore questions, Eddie nodded and jogged after Richie and Georgie, with Butch and Henry following closely. They needed to get in the air. According to Georgie, Lina managed to grab weapons and Leroy had tried to fight the monster off so that Mike, Will,  and Stan could escape. They had locked it in a room, but it was only a matter of time before it escaped and attacked them.

That encouraged the group to run faster.

The plane was in sight as they heard a shrieking from behind them. Eddie turned and saw the monster, but he realized it wasn't the one from before. This one had an electric blue stripe down its back.

"It's different!" he yelled, pushing himself to run faster, even though he was in desperate need of his inhaler.

"What?" Richie asked, slowing down so Eddie wouldn't get left behind.

Eddie tried to gasp something out, but he was short of air. Richie seemed to understand, grabbing his hand to help pull him the final length pushing him into the jet.

Butch dove inside, getting the plane to start.

"Georgie! Come on!" Henry yelled, throwing the younger boy in the plane before climbing in himself and closing the door.

Shrieking echoed through the plane as the monster climbed on the side, trying to break in. Butch made the plane fly straight up, and the monster fell, screaming the whole way down.

Mike Hanlon was crying quietly in the back of the plane, and most of the teenagers were comforting him. Eddie wanted to, but he went up to Lina first while Richie rummaged through the first aid kit, looking for an inhaler.

"I know we don't get along, but please tell me you have a plan," he said breathlessly, accepting the inhaler that Richie tossed him.

"We need to get to our government. They might try to lock you up, but they need to know what's going on," Lina explained, looking sympathetic as opposed to malicious.

Eddie knew she was right. The country deserved to be prepared, even if it cost some of them their freedom.