Nyctophilia 🌪 Reddie

xxx

"Kid, move. You don't need to die," Jim said, but Richie ignored him.

"I know you're in there, Eds! Come on, fight it!" Richie yelled at Eddie, who was still glaring with his gun held tightly in his hand.

Brenner laughed. "He doesn't hear you, Tozier. He's only focused on following my orders. The same with Eleven," he said, eyes shifting between Richie and Jim.

"Eds," Richie whispered, scared to lose his boyfriend to a mind trick. "Come on, Eds. Please."

Eddie didn't react at all, still pointing the gun at Richie as Brenner let out another evil laugh. His monsters growled beside him and El focused on them, and their growls stopped within seconds.

"He won't listen to you, boy," Brenner said with an evil grin. "This is enjoyable to watch, though. I'll give you five minutes to try to get through to him before I have him kill you. Then I'll wake him up so he can see he murdered you, and when he screams I'll let the animals take him."

Richie glared at him, but started toward Eddie, who had lowered his gun and handed it to Brenner as he commanded.

Richie took Eddie's hand in his own. "Come on, Eds. I know you're in there," he whispered, squeezing Eddie's hand.

Eddie seemed cold as stone, his body tense and rigid, not reacting to Richie's pleading words. He didn't glare anymore, but he stared in confusion.

"Do you remember me? Baby, please. I can't lose you to this psychopath," Richie said cupping Eddie's cheek in his hand. "Hear me, please."

Eddie didn't react once again. He stared with his glazed expression, unresponsive.

"I'm sorry, Eddie. I said I'd protect you." Richie didn't care that Eddie couldn't recognize him. He pulled the boy into a tight hug, burying his face in Eddie's neck. "I failed you, Eds. I'm so sorry. I love you so much, and we're going to get out of this. Remember? We're going to be free from the Hive and go to Hawaii and surf. Then, we can go all over the world and I'll get you a promise ring or something like that. We can finally be happy, just like you said. That's what you wanted, remember?"

Eddie pushed Richie off of him, making eye contact. He pulled his hands away, but then put them back, as if he was fighting a mental battle.

As if he was fighting himself.

Richie's eyes widened and he smiled. Eddie was trying to remember. "Come on, Eds. Remember when we first met? Stan his me with your van and you guys kidnapped me? Then we went back to the Hive, I met your dad, we started dating? Remember that, Eddie?" Richie asked, taking Eddie's hands once again.

Eddie pulled away and grabbed his hair in his hands, shaking his head.

Brenner's eyes were wide with shock. "Is he getting through to you?" he asked Eddie, who shook his head and stood up, trying to regain control.

"Remember all the movies we watched in the Analysis Room? The quarry? How I got shot for you and how we made it out of the Scorpion base together? Do you remember any of that, Eddie?"

Eddie had tears in his eyes, but Brenner couldn't see them, as Eddie had his back to the doctor. He looked at Richie and shut his eyes, trying to push away the freedom Richie was offering.

"Remember when I almost died, Eds? And then we made it out? Do you remember what I promised you?"

There was no response from Eddie, so Richie continued.

"I said we'd be happy. I said we'd be free and we'd be together. I love you, Eddie, and I don't think that you're going to hurt me."

Eddie looked at him, and Richie almost broke out in a wide grin, barely stopping himself. Eddie was crying, a smile on his face. He winked at Richie before wiping his face of emotion and stepping back toward Brenner.

Brenner seemed pleased. "Your five minutes are up, Tozier." He handed Eddie the gun and nodded toward Richie.

Eddie pointed the gun, and for a second, Richie thought he had been seeing things. Maybe he tricked himself into believing he was getting through to Eddie. His questioning and self doubt was proven wrong when Eddie pointed he gun at the monsters and shot them both in the metal plates on their backs. The monsters both whimpered loudly and collapsed to the ground.

Eddie turned around, his gun pointed at Brenner, who looked terrified and livid at the same time.

"How?" he asked, gaping at the three enemies.

"You really think we're going to let you kill innocent people?" Eddie asked. "Tell us how to kill the monsters. We know they're all interconnected."

"You can't."

"Tell us!"

"You can't kill them without killing Eleven. She controls them and I control her," Brenner said with a wicked grin.

"Let her go," Richie hissed.

Brenner smiled even wider. "If I let her go, she loses control of the creatures. Meaning, they'll be ruthless killing machines with no master. The only way to kill them is to kill the source."

They were all at a loss for words.

Eleven was the source in this case.

Richie shook his head. "You're lying. Tell us the truth!" he yelled, angry as well as hurt for his brother. How would Mike react if he knew that they killed El?

"That is the truth, Tozier." Brenner smiled, walking toward El and standing beside her.

No one knew what to do, until Richie shrieked and fell to the ground.

"Richie!" Eddie yelled, handing Jim the gun and kneeling beside Richie. "What's going on?! Richie, talk to me!"

Richie's eyes were glazing over, but not in the same way Eddie's had. It was different.

Richie opened his eyes, but realized he wasn't with Eddie. "Eds?" he called, not recognizing where he was. It was black everywhere, with no one near.

"Richie..."

"El?" Richie asked, realizing he was in the void that El used to contact him. "Please tell me I'm not holding a gun to Eddie's head."

El's shadowy figure appeared. "I don't have much time. Richie, you have to kill me. There's no way out."

"I can't do that. Mike, he'd-"

"He's going to be okay. You need to save the world, Richie. I can't do anything, and I hate not having control of myself, not being able to stop Brenner. More of those creatures are coming for you all. Kill me before they kill you."

"El-"

"It's okay. Tell Mike I love him, okay?"

Richie snapped out of the trance, looking up at Eddie in terror.

"Richie, are you-"

Eddie never finished his sentence. Richie grabbed the gun from Jim and pointed it at El.

She couldn't react as he pulled the trigger three times. Jim yelled out in horror, Eddie threw his hand over his mouth in shock, and Brenner stood in complete confusion.

Jim rushed forward toward El, who was falling. He caught her as she bled out, her face void of emotion.

"Richie!" Eddie yelled, catching Richie's attention. "Why would you do that?!"

Richie walked toward El, who came to, looking up at him.

She smiled softly. "Thank you," she whispered, closing her eyes for the last time.