#Stranger Things Hawkins Horror

[hippiegoth97]

Coming Soon! Hangman's Joke: An Eddie Munson x Reader The Crow AU Story!

"People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right."

divider by @strangergraphics

Hangman's Joke: An Eddie Munson The Crow AU

Description: You and Eddie had a good life together in Hawkins. You were a kickass librarian who donned nearly nothing but leather, and Eddie was a kind-hearted mentor to the next generation of the Hellfire Club. Everything was perfect. Your life, your job, your relationship. It was like a fairytale. Until one fateful night, just before Halloween, the town's small-minded religious hysteria got the best of itself. In the throes of Satanic Panic in the early nineties, everyone was convinced the Devil was out to get them. And their children. Unsubstantiated claims of ritual abuse brought four former bullies to your doorstep, to appoint you and Eddie as the town's scapegoats. After hours of unsuccessful torture, your assailants finish the job, leaving Chief Hopper to pick up the pieces as the rest of the town turns a blind eye to this crime. Exactly one year later, an opportunity to exact well-deserved revenge presents itself in a most unexpected way. Back from the dead, you're ready to avenge the only man who managed to capture your heart. And you plan to have a damn good bloody time doing it...

Warnings/Notes (18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI): This story takes place in the 1990s, in an AU where none of the events relating to the upside-down occur. There will be intense swearing, violence, weapons, gore, blood, character death, assault/sexual assault, torture, etc in this story. BE WARNED. Other warnings include: fem!reader, mentions of smut, smoking, drug/alcohol use, murder, mentions of abuse. (If I miss anything here I will label each part when posted.)

Posting Schedule: Part 1: Oct. 2 / Part 2: Oct. 9 / Part 3: Oct. 16 / Part 4: Oct 23 [Possible Smut Bonus: Oct. 30]

Tag List: @keikoraven @ar-jupiter @alcielo1438 @cairro-xx @stolen-in-moonlight

@micheledawn1975 @janiejenn @rafeyscurtainbangs @melodymunson @spacedoutdaydreamer

@veemoon @sariahs-stuff @feral-pumpkin-energy @comeonatmebruh @munsoneightysixx

@morgthemagpie @josephquinnsfreckles @jenniquinn @usergeta @cometzombie

@spookybabey @daggerdaggerkitten @nina6708 @sanctumdemunson @yourdailymemedelivery

@person-005 @slowandsteddie @gri959 @elegantkoalapaper @letitgoandletlive

@loserboysandlithium @costellation-hunter @leelei1980 @h-ness1944 @pretendthisnameisclever

@ohmeg @stalactitekilla @hellfirenacht @birdysaturne @oneforthemunny

@prettyboyeddiemunson @eddievanmunson @msgexymunson @rattkween86 @violetpixiedust

@bimbobaggins69 @angel-munson @eldermayfield @munsonsbtch @babygorewhore

@mediocredreams @xxbimbobunnyxx @taintedcigs @ali-r3n @cxrrodedcoffin

[trensu]

ETA: now on ao3 as Hawkins Halfway House for Homeless Horrors

ETA2: now with an additional snippet

okay, how's this for an AU

We know that Steve wants to be a dad. Like, his literal life dream is to have a minimum of six children. SIX. who wants that?? crazy people, that's who. but we forgive him his insanity because he's sweet and will actually probably be a really good dad and there's not enough of those in the world.

the downer is that it's the late 90s, he's a (still) single guy in his thirties, and every adoption agency on the planet would rather give their children to a heteronormative couple who don't even want kids than to a single dude who would dedicate his heart and soul to giving his kids a happy healthy home.

He's bemoaning his fate to Robin at a bar they recently discovered. It's a weird little joint, kinda tucked away on the outskirts where Steve could've sworn didn't exist just last week. The patrons were kinda weird too but neither he or Robin could put their finger on why or how. If Steve had been a little less miserable, and Robin a little less caught up in comforting him, they might've noticed how everyone else in the bar kept sneaking curious glances at them or how they somehow always kept most of their features hidden.

They didn't though. Even when they were interrupted by a handsome black gentleman who called himself Jeff. Jeff said that he couldn't help but overhear their dilemma and that he's actually part of an agency that is more open minded about potential foster or adoptive parents. Steve's a little deeper in his cups than he intended, and doesn't question that some random guy in a bar is offering him a chance of having children. Robin is not as far in her cups and finds it a bit suspicious.

She was going to say something about it but Jeff looked her in the eye and said, "Everything is fine. There's no reason to worry. I'm only trying to help."

"You're only trying to help," Robin murmured back blearily. "Everything is fine. Yeah. Yeah, 'm not worried."

Jeff gives Steve his card and tells him he can stop by the very next day if he'd like, since his schedule is open.

The next day, Steve is regretting having gotten so drunk. Not really because of the hangover (though holy shit, he is NOT twenty anymore he needs to stop drinking like one). No. It's because Jeff had just finished giving him a tour of the facility full of rambunctious children in need of a home.

Actually, that had been pretty okay even if the other adults in the facility startled at the sight of him and the children kept ducking into other rooms to hide from him.

No. It's because Jeff had just introduced him to a child named Dustin who sneezed unexpectedly and somehow turned into a kitten.

"Um," Steve said. Jeff sighed.

"Dustin hasn't gotten back control over his shapeshifting since his mother's passing, but I assure you he's been improving."

"...shapeshifting," Steve said, numbly.

"Yes. Dustin tends to go for cat shapes, like his mother did." Jeff bends down to pick up the loudly mewing tabby kitten. "We've managed to get him to shift mostly into a domestic shorthair, rather than a cougar cub."

"That's great," Steve squeaked as he tried to tamp down the growing hysteria in him. "Really, really great. Y'know what, Jeff, this whole thing's been great but I think I'm still kind of drunk so I'm just gonna go--"

"No, wait," Jeff says, quickly placing the Dustin kitten on his shoulder before reaching out to grab Steve by the elbow. "Please. Look, you seem like a good guy. I did a quick scan of you and everything, and I really think if you'd take a moment to sit down and--"

"JEFFORD BILLANY JONES."

Jeff's shoulders hunched, nearly dislodging Dustin from his shoulder. He sighed again and turned to face the man storming towards him and Steve.

"Eddy, you know none of that is my name."

"I'll call you whatever I want since for some unfathomable reason, you've brought a human into my sanctuary. Why is there a human in my home, Jeffamy."

"Eddy, let me explain."

"It's Eddie in front of the human," Eddie said.

Steve's brain was experiencing some sort of malfunction because Jeff had been calling this man Eddie, except if he concentrated, the way Jeff said Eddie and the way Eddie had said Eddie sounded very very different except it hadn't because they both sounded like Eddie except for how Jeff's Eddie sounded different from, the same as, different, just like--

A pair of ringed fingers snapped aggressively in front of his face, startling Steve from an impending aneurysm.

"You. Who are you, who sent you, what do you want."

Steve stuttered something incoherent. He's pretty sure he's had a mental break from reality. There was some sort of sentient black sludge creeping across the tiled floor, wrapping a tendril around Jeff's leg.

"What is that?" Steve squawked. Jeff beamed at him.

"Oh, this is El! She's a Monster Under the Bed. She hasn't decided on a form yet, but that's okay, we love her just as she is."

"Jeff," Eddie snapped. Jeff looked at Eddie stubbornly.

"You told me we needed all hands on deck."

"How dare you, I'd never stoop to using boat metaphors."

"Don't distract me with blatant lies. Eddy, you said we needed help. You said you'd take anyone at this point."

Steve has not been able to stop staring at the sludge creature (El?). He's beginning to realize that he can't quite remember what Jeff looked like, or any of the adults they had seen. He's noticing that some of the children that have been scampering about had looked off. Like the boy with the bowl-cut they had passed by earlier who had looked...frosty around the edges. Or the girl he thought had had red feathers in her hair but is now suspecting the feathers were something more than decorative.

Ringed fingers snap in front of his face again. Steve finally focused on the man named Eddie who was actually named Eddie which was different from Eddie somehow. Now that he's able to shove away the confusion that is this man's name, he's struck by the fact that Eddie was quite possibly the most gorgeous man Steve's ever seen. He had wide, dark eyes that made Steve think of seabeds in the deepest of waters. His hair was a riot of dark brown curls that for some reason brought to mind swirling schools of fish.

"Answer my questions," Eddie demanded. Steve blinked and, with some difficulty, remembered the previous interrogation.

"Uh, I'm Steve. Jeff invited me because I want to be a dad."

Eddie barked out a laugh.

"Oh, is that right? In that case, welcome to Hawkins' Halfway House for Homeless Horrors! I'm sure Jeff would love to finish introducing you to the rest of our children. Have you met Mike? He's a ghoul! Or Lucas! He's a werewolf and his dream is to become a basketball star. They both have very sharp teeth so watch out for their tantrums."

Jeff scowls at Eddie before turning back to Steve. Steve was starting to feel faint and he was no longer sure if he regretted drinking the night before or regretted not drinking more.

"Steve, it's okay. Eddy is making it sound scarier than it actually is. You said you wanted to be a dad, and we need foster parents that can help these kids learn how to blend in with humans. That's what the halfway house is for, but there's only so much they can learn while living in sanctuary. We need a way to have them experience the human world more directly while still keeping them safe, and I think you're the solution we've been looking for. What do you think?"

"I think I need to sit down," Steve said thinly. Eddie snorted derisively. Steve was slightly offended but honestly everything was a bit too much right now and he really would like to sit down for a moment just to process. Because monsters are real, apparently, and some of them need parents. Which was terrifying to think about but also not so much? Because all kids were little monsters some of the time right? If Steve could have a moment to get his bearings...

"This was a terrible idea, Jeffathan."

"I think it was a great idea, actually. I really think this could work."

"No. I forbid it. Don't do this again."

Then there was a sweet and beautiful humming. It made the edges of Steve's mind go fuzzy and soft. He blinked slowly and looked for the source of the sound. Eddie stared at him intently and when he spoke, his voice was like music.

"Steve," Eddie said. "Steve, do you want to make me happy?"

Steve nodded dumbly. He wanted that more than anything in the whole world. He wanted to make Eddie smile. He wanted Eddie to never stop singing.

"It would make me very happy if you went home and forgot everything you saw here today," Eddie continued.

Steve made a sad sound. He didn't want to forget. He didn't want to forget beautiful, gorgeous Eddie and this place that could make his dream come true.

"Please, Steve," Eddie's lyrical voice took on an aching mournful tone. "If you don't, you'll break my heart. I'll never be happy again."

The sadness in the song made Steve feel like the world was ending. Eddie couldn't be sad! Steve would rather die than make Eddie sad!

"I forget," Steve mumbled through the fog in his mind. "And you'll be happy?"

"So happy. I'd be the happiest man alive if you do that one little thing for me, my sweet Steve."

Steve nods again. "Okay."

"Good boy," Eddie croons. Steve felt like he swallowed the sun at those words. He followed Eddie as Eddie guided him through the halfway house. Eddie hummed his lovely song the entire way.

"Go home and forget," Eddie sang one last time as he helped Steve get behind the wheel of his car.

"Yeah," Steve replied dreamily and drove away.

--

The telephone rang shrilly through his apartment. Steve stumbled out of bed and picked up, only fumbling it a little bit.

"H'llo?"

"Steve, what the hell, I've been trying to get a hold of you all day! Where have you been?" Robin's voice rang out, making Steve flinch. He scrubbed his free hand over his face tiredly.

"Home? I just woke up," Steve said. It was weird that he was fully dressed, he thought dazedly, but it wouldn't be the first time he's passed out drunk in his street clothes. Was he wearing this shirt yesterday? He could've sworn he'd worn the navy one.

"What? Just now? It's like five in the evening!"

"Huh. That'd explain the weird dream," Steve mumbled.

"Was it the one where you get seduced by a giant squid? Because I don't need to know more about your weird tentacle fetish."

"I don't have a tentacle fetish! I had the dream ONE time, and I wasn't being seduced, I was getting drowned and it was terrifying!"

"To-may-to, to-mah-to."

"Whatever, this one was weirder anyway."

"I find that hard to believe but now I'm morbidly curious. Hit me with it."

"...I don't remember."

"There goes my entertainment for the evening."

"Was there a reason you called, Robin?"

"Yes! I met this girl named Chrissy and I swear Steve, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen..."

Beautiful. Steve had the faint impression of dark eyes and silver rings, but it was quickly washed away like a child's sandcastle in the tide under the onslaught of Robin's ramblings. As he listened to his best friend, he couldn't help but feel there was something he'd forgotten. There was something he'd been planning on doing today, wasn't there...?

...oh, well. If it was really important, he'd remember eventually.

[undreaming-fanfiction]

There isn't much left of Hawkins now. The town is nearly empty, only a few residents here and there, but other than that? Basically a ghost town. It's slowly fading away and those few windows that shine in the night rarely interact.

One of them is the Harrington mansion.

The Harrington mansion was nearly destroyed in the Red earthquake of 1986, and whoever rebuilt it must have had a weird sense of humor, a questionable taste in movies or both. It is a gothic-inspired monstrosity, tall windows, statues, gargoyles, crooked trees and all. People say it is haunted and honestly, it looks the part.

But it's supposed to be full of stuff worth stealing so of course the group decides to go in. Anything to scratch the itch. The guy in the local pawnshop, a vulture who built his business on the misery of others, on their abandoned homes and dreams,  doesn't ask any questions and pays well.

They don't know much about the house, but someone told them it's the perfect target. The Harrington guy who lives there is around fifty and has a known distaste for guns, so they feel confident. Maybe he'll be asleep. Maybe they won't even have to hurt him.

Maybe some of them hope he'll fight. Maybe they need to find an outlet for all that anger. Their families failed them and so has the society, there's nothing for them here, not anywhere else. They just have each other, another damaged group of teenagers and fresh adults, and if roughing that guy up and getting a bunch of valuables in the process gets them some food and maybe a bottle of whiskey to forget it all? It's worth it.

There is light shining through the living room windows and they feel the warmth and luxury they feel they were denied. It's decided, no waiting for the guy to fall asleep.

They kick in the ornate door and prepare to enter the house.

And then it happens: the gargoyle above the main door comes to life.

It descends on them and knocks the first two to the ground immediately. They don't see much of it before darkness takes them, but it has wings, long hair and talons like a hawk. It tosses their strongest friend away as if he was a rag doll. When it squeezes one of the girls by the throat, she can see faded ink on its forearm, a swarm of flying creatures. 

The thought of it being originally human is even worse.

"It's a fucking monster!" one of them sobs as he shuffles back on his elbows, screaming into the dark that will never answer.

That's when Harrington finally joins the hissing monster on the steps, but he isn't afraid. He doesn't even flinch. His hand reaches out and tucks a strand of that long curly hair behind the creature's pointed ear. "A monster?" he smiles at the intruder. "That's no way to call my boyfriend."

Can be read as a standalone, or, if you like more wholesome endings, read it HERE.

[britany1997]

Nightmares and Day-dreams

Peter Ballard x GN Reader

Note: I hope y’all enjoy this! This’ll be my last fic till May. I thought it would be fun to dip into some horror and angst for this one. (The next one will be fluffy I promise haha)

Comment to be added to my Peter/Henry Taglist

Warnings: Horror, dark themes, blood and gore, dead bodies, manipulating (reader’s innocent and a little lonely and this gets taken advantage of), psychic abilities, a tiny bit of mind control, unhappy ending

A soft knock on the door of your clinic woke you from your light slumber. You jolted, combing your fingers through your hair and wiping the drool from the corner of your mouth.

You smiled as you walked to the door. Only one person ever knocked, the same person who’d occupied your dreams a today and every night for weeks.

Since you’d started working at Hawkins lab, you hadn’t been able to get him out of your head. Sure he was attractive and all, his blue eyes alone would have anyone falling all over him. But there was something about him, something more than just his good looks.

Peter was so…sweet. He was patient with the kids, he was attentive and considerate of you and all his coworkers, God you’d rarely ever seen him without a smile on his face.

He was a genuinely good guy, sort of a rarity for you these days.

So when your day time fantasies had followed you to bed, you hadn’t been all that surprised. Peter was…the perfect man.

When he knocked again, you snapped back to reality. You realized you’d been thinking about his soft smile for much too long, once again.

You yanked the door open, only to be met with the sight of the sheepish, blond man, holding his hand against his chest and staining his all white clothes a deep red.

“Peter!” You gasped, your hands flying to cover your mouth as blood dripped down his wrist. Without Peter’s accident prone nature, you were certain you’d be out of a job.

“Hi,” he grimaced, wincing just a bit in pain.

“Oh my God Peter please get in here,” you grabbed his uninjured arm and pulled him inside.

He stumbled in behind you, more boy than man, blushing profusely.

You pulled out a chair, “sit,” you ordered before rushing to grab bandages and antiseptics.

Once you’d gathered supplies you knelt in between his legs. “Show me,” you ordered.

Reluctantly, he pulled his arm away from his chest to reveal the massive gash. It was worse than you could have imagined.

“How’d you even do this!?” You half asked and half scolded.

He cringed, “oh you know…” he trailed off but you hadn’t really been listening, too invested in stitching him up.

You sighed as you finished. “You can’t keep doing this,” you told him.

He gazed into your eyes, that sweet smile you loved so much brightening his whole face. “But then I wouldn’t get to enjoy the pleasure of your company.”

You blushed, trying to hide it as you stood to put away all of your first aid supplies.

“Don’t you have work to get back to?” you asked, flustered out of your mind.

He chuckled, “yeah I’d better get going.”

As he slipped out the door, you wondered how you managed to get anything done with him around.

You propped your head up on one hand, fighting sleep and losing as you glanced at the clock to read 10:42am. You sighed.

You couldn’t figure out what had you so tired these days. You’d been getting a full eight hours! And damn, you figured with your dreams filled with the face of your favorite blond man you would have slept a lot better.

You rubbed circles into your temples. You felt a wave of the same ‘head in a trash compactor’ feeling you did when you got no sleep at all. What was wrong with you?

Suddenly, you were roused from your thoughts by a familiar knock on your door.

Your pained face morphed into a bright smile. Peter.

When you opened the door he was standing before you, all white uniform, mug in hand.

“Good morning,” he smiled.

You returned his grin, even though your morning had been anything but good, it was much better now.

“No more injuries I hope?” You teased.

He laughed. “Not yet, but it’s still early I suppose.” He opened two creamers and poured them into the mug, stirring absentmindedly.

“Arm heeled up pretty nicely,” you noticed, coming around to touch the small mark where the giant gash had once been.

“Oh yeah,” he flexed a bit, “just needed a couple weeks and some TLC from my favorite nurse”

You giggled at his flirting, wondering what his curls would feel like if you ran your fingers through his hair.

He handed you the mug, “brought this for you.”

You gasped just a bit before taking a sip of the steaming liquid.

“Thank you so much,” you were touched.

“Don’t mention it,” he winked as he slipped out the door.

You smiled to yourself, he was so thoughtful, so considerate. You figured he must have been paying attention to you to notice you’d been so lethargic.

But…then again you hadn’t seen him this morning, not until now.

You shrugged, maybe he brought everyone coffee.

You pushed the thought out of your head, if that was the case, you didn’t want to know. You’d rather believe he thought you were special.

You took another long sip.

You startled awake at the feeling of someone nudging your arm softly. As you scrambled to collect your thoughts, still half asleep, you were met with Peter’s concerned face.

“Are you alright,” he asked.

“Yeah! Yes, I’m fine,” you babbled, blushing profusely.

“I knocked four times, I thought it would be ok to come in…” he trailed off, then frowned. “You’re really ok?”

You sighed, rubbing your temples. “Yeah um, I haven’t been sleeping well.” You told him.

But you had been sleeping well. For the past few days you’d been sleeping for ten hours instead of eight. Yet it seemed to be doing absolutely nothing, you were still exhausted. Past the point of struggling to stay awake, you were fully napping at work now.

“Oh that’s awful,” you could feel Peter’s concern, his gaze trained on your drooping eyes. “That’s how they torture people you know…lack of sleep.”

“Really?” you yawned, not processing a single word he said.

“You should get some rest,” he told you.

“What? No! I can’t sleep here,” you protested, “didn’t you need something? You must have come here for something.”

“Just a band aid,” he tugged your hand until you were standing, leading you towards the cot in your tiny clinic. “I can get it on the way out, why don’t you lie down?”

The more you mulled it over, the more that measly cot began to look like a king bed at the Ritz Carlton.

“Well…maybe I could for a little…”

He nodded, “you’re of no use to anyone if you’re tired,” he rationalized, “besides, you deserve it.”

“I deserve it,” you repeated as you climbed onto the cot.

“That’s right,” he smiled as he crept towards the door, flicking off the light switch on his way out.

You barely even noticed him leave as you drifted off.

You awoke abruptly to the sound of an alarm blaring. You stumbled off the cot. Of course something happened during the few seconds, you checked your watch, hours you’d been asleep.

You grabbed your first aid kit and rushed into the hallway, but the sight you were met with chilled you to your core.

Your hands covered your mouth as you slumped against the wall in shock. Corridors you’d walked down every day were now stained with blood. Children you’d tended to when they were sick, held when they were crying, now littered the linoleum floor.

Fear coursed through you. You slid down the wall until you were crouched in a ball, defeated, all but waiting for whatever monster had pillaged the lab to take you too. You couldn’t help but think of Peter, wondering if your perfect boy had escaped, if he was ok.

As tears began to prick your eyes, Peter crept around the corner, covered in blood yet, more serene than you’d ever seen him.

Your heart leapt in your chest. Peter had evaded the murderer, maybe there was hope for the two of you after all.

But as he stalked closer, any semblance of hope left within you shattered.

Peter wasn’t just calm, he was…pleased.

As he stepped over the corpses of discarded children, he smiled down at their youthful faces. He nudged them to the side with his feet.

You could feel your heart pounding out of your chest as you realized the blood splattered on his face wasn’t his own.

He knelt down in front of you, smiling softly and brushing your hair behind your ear. “Hello sweetheart,” he cooed.

You recoiled, his soft touch might as well have been a stab. Any fondness you’d had for him melted away.

“Ah ah,” he chided, gripping your chin and pulling you close. “Don’t shy away from me.”

If you moved to escape his touch, he gripped you harder. His head followed your movements like a snake, waiting to strike.

“Please,” your voice broke, “don’t kill me.” You begged, trading your pride for a chance at survival.

“Kill you?” Peter looked hurt, “no darling I would never kill you,” he moved to cup your face.

You squeaked.

He smiled, “I’d rather keep you.”

Peter was a deadly spider and he’d entangled you in his web. As much as you squirmed and struggled to escape, it was already much too late.

“K-keep me?” You felt a slimey feeling overtake you, “like…you want me to be your…partner?” The dream you’d had for so long had dissolved to a nightmare.

He chuckled as he stroked the back of his hand down your cheek.

The gesture made your skin crawl.

“Silly human, you’re adorable.” He pinched your cheek cruelly, “how do I say this you’re… beneath me.”

You hated that his words could hurt you.

“You’re more like a…hmm how should I say this,” his brow furrowed, “ah, you’re more like a pet to me, a bunny or a kitten or something.”

You felt like you’d been punched.

“Your mind, it’s so fun to play with,” his smile was sinister, “I could never let you go.”

Your face twisted in disgust, you couldn’t imagine a worse fate for yourself.

Peter sensed your discomfort. “You’ll come around,” he decided, “but for now, you’ve had a rough day and you need your rest.”

He threw you a mocking pout as he placed a hand on your forehead.

Your eyes began to flutter closed, as much as you tried you couldn’t fight whatever Peter was doing.

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered as your world faded to black.

Taglist🖤:

@6lostgirl6 @misslavenderlady @sad-ghost-of-garbage @bloodywickedvamp @lostboys1987girl @crustyboypix @gothamslostboy @arbesa-mind @dwaynesluscioushair @anna1306

[jeanlouiecastillo]

[vanesawye]

stranger things / visions of purgatory

FAIR USE copyright

[thesauropodpaddock]

1986; Steddie

— A series: pt one—

☆

—  “What’s so great about Halloween?” 

Pairing: Eddie MunsonxSteve Harrington

Word count: 1.9k

Tip: $thegreentearex

Warnings: smut, 80s homophobia, blood and gore, unprotected sex,horror, death, angst,smoking severe stalking, — 18+ MINORS DNI

Summary: There's a killer in Hawkins, and all evidence is pointing to Eddie Munson.

Note: I know this trend or whatever is over, but I wanted to give the Scream au a shot. Enjoy?? If I missed tags, let me know!

Do NOT copy, repost, translate, or rewrite my work.

☆

THE PHONE ON THE WALL rang until a hand lifted it to an ear attached to a head full of brown hair. It was Nancy Wheeler, a Senior at  Hawkins High.  She had been expecting a call from her friend, Robin. They would do a movie night with her, Robin, Steve, Chrissy, and Eddie.  Nancy was excited for the night. It was rare to have all of them together. 

And it was Eddie’s pick: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 

 The strange silence took Nancy aback. The breathing on the other end was unfamiliar. Nancy felt a chill run down her spine. There was no response, but the breathing continued.

 Her heart started racing.

"Hello?" answered Nancy hesitantly. There was a long pause as her heart raced with anticipation.

On the other end of the line, a man's voice said, “Hello.”  It was a deep, raspy voice that spoke with a strange accent. She had no idea who it was, but something about the voice made her uneasy. Nancy's heart raced as she hadn’t expected a voice on the other end of the line like that. It was like hearing a stranger's voice in a dark alley — it filled her with fear.

“Yes?” Nancy replied. The man said nothing else, but Nancy could sense his presence on the line.  Listening to the voice on the phone was like walking through a dark alley alone at night; she felt uneasiness and fear creep up her spine.  Nancy had never heard a voice like that before, and it felt unfamiliar and off-putting how she might feel when she was afraid and uncertain of the outcome. The feeling of being on edge and not knowing what to expect was palpable.

“Who is this?” the voice asked. 

Who are you trying to reach??” Nancy's heart raced as she tried to explain the situation. She was met with a long silence before the voice spoke again.

“What number is this?”  

“What number are you trying to reach?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I think you have the wrong number.”

“Do I?”

“It happens; take it easy.”  Nancy hangs up, the cord swishing against the wall quietly.  Nancy exhales deeply, standing still for a few moments. She then turns away from the phone, her heart still pounding. She takes a few steps forward, then pauses, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. Nancy took a deep breath, relieved she could end the call without further confusion. She quickly exits the room, her heart still pounding in her chest. She takes a few moments to compose herself before continuing. 

Only for the phone to start ringing…again. 

Nancy went back and picked it up. She moaned, steeling herself for the conversation. “Hello?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly. The voice on the other end of the line spoke, and Nancy braced for what was coming.

“I’m sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number.”

 Nancy listened carefully to the person on the other end of the line, her heart racing with anxiety. She was determined to not let her fear take control and calmly gave her response.

“So Why’d you dial it again?”

“To apologize.” 

“You're forgiven,” Nancy sighed. “Bye now.” Nancy went to hang up, but the voice on the other line panicked. It was like they wanted to keep her distracted. The line went silent. Nancy stared at the phone, and a chill ran down her spine. The voice begged Nancy to not hang up. Nancy hesitated, not sure what to do.

“Wait, wait. Don’t hang up.”

“What?”

“I wanna talk to you for a second.”

“They’ve got “900” numbers for that. See ya.” 

Nancy hung up. She shook her head in disbelief before returning to her original task. Getting the snacks ready for movie night. They had rented The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And Robin was in charge of bringing it from Family Video.  But Robin wasn't here yet, and thankfully, the phone stopped ringing.

 Or so she thought, the phone started ringing again. Nancy groaned. She was not in the mood for someone trying to sell her something over the phone. She had much better things to do than listen to a sales pitch. She sighed and continued getting the snacks for movie night. 

“Hello?”

“Why don’t you want to talk to me?”

“Who is this?”

“You tell me your name. I’ll tell you mine.” the voice negotiated. Nancy rolled her eyes and scoffed. She sighed and put down the snacks. She was not in the mood for this and had no intention of giving away her name. 

“I don’t think so.”

“What's that noise?”

“Popcorn.”

“You're making popcorn?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I only eat popcorn at the movies.”

“Well, I'm getting ready to watch a video,” Nancy said, leaning against the counter. 

“Really, What?”

“Oh, just some scary movie.” 

“You like scary movies?” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“What’s your favorite scary movie?”  

. “I don't know, I like a lot of them. Probably Halloween.” 

“What’s so great about Halloween?” 

“It’s suspenseful and really creepy. I love how they use music to create a sense of fear.”

☆

The intercoms around the school premises hissed to life. An announcement came on, directed at everyone. The speaker was solemn as he spoke.“Attention Hawkins High: A senior named Nancy Wheeler was stabbed to death in her family’s backyard. If you know their whereabouts or any information about the event, contact the Hawkins police.” It was the principal. “Police will also be on campus asking those who were friends and those in contact with Nancy last night to rule out suspicion.”  

“All students are encouraged to cooperate with the police to bring the perpetrator to justice. Thank you for your help.” Steve rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, right. Like they're gonna find the culprit." 

"I'm sure we all want justice for Nancy," the principal continued, addressing the students. "Please do your part so the police can bring the person responsible to justice."

“That's a shame, though,” Eddie said as he exhaled smoke out his nose and lips. Eddie Munson was a college dropout. He had an air of mystery around him and was often seen smoking cigarettes alone. He was considered an outcast and had a few close friends, including Steve, his secret boyfriend. “She and that Jonathan dude were kinda cute. ” His boyfriend agreed, shaking his head. 

Steve sighed, "Yeah, I guess." Eddie took a final drag of his cigarette before throwing it on the ground and stomping it out. “Tell Chrissy I say hello,” Steve muttered against Eddie’s lips. Eddie nodded, and they kissed one last time before Steve walked away. Eddie watched him disappear into the crowd and sighed, feeling a pang in his chest. Not sadness, but rather pure annoyance. 

 He hated the way Steve had to hide his relationship from the outside world. 

He tied his dark, curly hair in a bun. He jumped off the ledge, lighting a joint as he met Chrissy Cunningham by the bleachers, a cheerleader and girlfriend to yours truly, Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson. They were walking in the opposite direction, Eddie's arm around Chrissy's waist. His eyes locked with Steve's briefly before Steve quickly turned away and disappeared into the crowd, headed to his car. Eddie felt a pang in his chest. His heart ached.

 He tightened his grip around Chrissy. 

Chrissy looked up at him and said, "Eddie, I don't think you're allowed to hug me this tight in public!" Eddie immediately released his grip on Chrissy, a wave of embarrassment washing over him.  He looked away, his cheeks burning. He tried to laugh it off, but he couldn't deny the truth to himself. Even if he could never be with Steve, he could still be with Chrissy. She was his best friend, and he was grateful for her. When he approached her about this arrangement, he had to take a chance, no matter how difficult it was. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. And told her. 

She agreed immediately.  He was filled with an immense sense of relief. He knew he had made the right decision. He was comforted, knowing that he and Chrissy could still be friends, no matter what.

Eddie stepped back and apologized. “Sorry, m’lady.”  

He quickly glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Luckily, no one seemed to have seen. He breathed a deep sigh of relief and felt a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He stepped forward and quickly kissed her on the cheek.

 Chrissy's cheeks flushed, and she giggled.

 Eddie smiled and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. He released her and stepped back, his cheeks still flushed. "Come on, let's go," he said as he grabbed her hand, and they walked away.  As they walked, Eddie glanced at Chrissy and smiled at her. She smiled back and squeezed his hand. “Gotta practice.” They walked in the cool fall air, feeling the comfort of each other's presence.

 They made plans for the weekend and were excited to spend time together. 

☆

“ISN’T IT KINA ODD?” Chrissy asked.”I mean, we were told to hang out last night.”

Eddie smiled wryly.  “Weird how life works sometimes,” he said. “But we can’t understand why.” They walked silently for a moment, content in each other's company. They both knew that life was unpredictable, but it was alright. They accepted that and kept walking, their steps in sync. Eddie took Chrissy's hand, squeezing it gently. Chrissy smiled, glad that they were together. 

“I guess it was meant to be,” he said. "Yeah, it is kind of odd,"  He pulled her closer, and they kept walking. They reached the end of the street and paused, the sky watery and soft lilac light. “We could have been there last night.” Eddie shifted the guitar case on his shoulders. Eddie wore a faded ripped Metallica t-shirt, jeans, and scuffed black boots. Chrissy wore a white shirt, light blue jeans, and high tops. Eddie was dressed in a grungy, worn style, while Chrissy wore a more classic, clean look. They smiled at each other and turned, walking down the street in comfortable silence. The sun was setting, the day slowly fading into night. They kept walking until they reached the edge of town. 

The sky was a deep purple and pink.  

They were a few feet from Eddie’s shared trailer with his uncle Wayne. Eddie had lived with Wayne since he was a kid, and Chrissy had always considered him more of an uncle than an acquaintance. They looked up at the small, tired trailer as they walked up the steps.

They stood silently, the streetlights casting a warm yellow glow around them.  Eddie looked into Chrissy's eyes and smiled. She smiled back and intertwined her fingers with his. “You sure I can't convince you to stay the night in my humble abode?” he asked. “You could borrow a T-shirt and boxers. I’ll make up the couch.”  

Chrissy shook her head and said, "Not tonight. But I'll see you soon." She kissed Eddie on the cheek and waved as she walked away. Eddie watched her go until she was out of sight. He sighed and walked back into the house. 

He settled on the couch and rolled a joint. He took a few puffs and let the warmth of the smoke envelope him.  He stared out the window, watching the stars twinkle in the night sky, and breathed in the silence.  Eddie took one last puff of the joint and put it out.  Eddie closed his eyes and let himself drift away, his thoughts and worries melting away to nothing.  Eddie felt his body relax and the stress of the day fade away. “Open up, Hawkins police!”

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Synopsis: Set between seasons 3 and 4, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Erica, Nancy, Robin, and Steve are all trapped inside in the Video Rental Store after the power goes out on a dark and stormy night. With nothing better to do to pass the time, they begin telling each other scary stories and urban legends surrounding Hawkins......

Observations:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!! 🎃☠️👻🍫

This'll be a shorter review than usual since this was a fast read, but man this book was a lot of fun! The premise itself (i.e. certain main characters from the show trapped in the same location interacting with one another) is worthy of an entire episode from the show, and it's disappointing that Netflix and the Duffer Brothers never thought to film a stand-alone Halloween or Christmas or Holiday Episode (similar to what BBC Sherlock did). Even if it didn't tie into the mythology of the show, just seeing certain characters converse with one another when they barely do on the show would have been something I (and plenty of other fans) would have sat through.

The premise of this book is similar to the short Halloween Special comic I reviewed several months ago (you can find the link to it above), except that was set before season 1 and only featured one scary story told by Will to his friends. By contrast, this book takes place in-between seasons 3 and 4 after Steve and Robin get the job at the Video Rental Store, the Byers Family and El have moved to Lenora (meaning they aren't in this book), and each of the characters here get to tell their creepy tales.

The structure for Hawkins Horrors is similar to horror anthology series like The Twilight Zone, Creepshow, and Tales from the Crypt. It also reminded me a little of the Goosebumps series R.L. Stine wrote in the 90s. The big difference is while Goosebumps was tailored towards kids and had elements of comedy to balance out the horror, the stories told by the characters in Hawkins Horrors get pretty dark and gruesome, and some of them even end on chilling notes. This is not a feel-good book.

Each of the stories are urban legends surrounding Hawkins that the characters either insist are true (even though it's implied they aren't), or at the very least have some details tweaked. What's neat is, if you pay close attention, some of the urban legends told are similar to other famous horror stories, and arguably paying homage to them. Robin and Steve's story about the monster under Lover's Lake is the premise of Stephen King's "The Raft." Erica's story is similar to the plot of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (right down to the protagonist in a wheelchair seeing something he shouldn't have) except the climax takes a horrifying turn and the ending is ambiguous about the protagonist's survival. Mike's story comes off as a combination of Child's Play and The Twilight Zone episode "Living Doll." Matthew J. Gilbert wrote this book, and it's pretty clear he's a major horror fan. I wouldn't be surprised if he took inspiration for some of these anthology stories from other famous ones, and brought the Stranger Things charm to them.

On top of that, the book acts as clever foreshadowing for certain events in relation to certain characters in season 4. Nancy's horror story takes place at Pennhurst Asylum, where she will later go with Robin to learn about Victor Creel and what happened to his family. Steve's story about the monster under Lover's Lake hints at how he'll eventually gets dragged through the lake into the Upside Down:

Dustin's story is centered around D&D, and even references the Hellfire Club and Eddie (though Eddie is just referred to as "The Dungeon Master" at this point). Even Erica's story, about the only sane person who tries to warn others about how dangerous someone else is, has parallels to her being the only one at the town hall meeting in season 4 who stands up to Jason and calls bullshit on his attempts to paint the Hellfire Club as a Satanic cult.........only to get dismissed when most of the adults in the room agree with Jason and turn into a lynch mob as a result.

Hawkins Horrors was released on May 3, 2022, a few weeks before the first volume of Season 4 was dropped. I would not be surprised if Netflix and the Duffer Brothers told Matthew J. Gilbert plot elements from season 4, and gave him permission to subtly reference (but not completely spoil) said plot points. Even though I saw the show before I read this book, I still enjoyed the foreshadowing. Well played! :)

The stories were entertaining, but I was more invested in the interactions between the characters. Two of my favorite moments are at the beginning of the book, and towards the end when Mike starts telling his tale. The first is this interaction when everyone shows up minutes before the Video Rental Store closes, much to the annoyance of Steve:

Then there's this fun bit where Mike trolls everyone while the storm is raging and the power is out 😂:

It's also pretty amusing when one character tries to tell their story, and the others either question if it actually happened, starts poking holes in it (much to the irritation of the character telling their story), or even calling out when, from their perspective, the tale has a lousy ending:

It's interactions like this that make the book enjoyable. I'm glad we get to have most of the characters hanging out as friends without there being a crisis from the Upside Down that they have to deal with.

Overall, this was an entertaining read, and a fast-paced book. High recommendations to check it out when you can!

And once again, Happy Halloween everyone!

[patchworkgargoyle]

Wanted to try my hand at the Upside Down either being or containing some kind of eldritch entity that brings Eddie back to life for its own goals, so here's about 600 words of that!

Content warnings: graphic descriptions of dying, character begging to die, typical eldritch mindfuckery.

🦇

Eddie doesn't know how he feels it, but he does. Something- some thing of the Upside Down, wriggling its way into his mind as the last words he says sigh from his lips, the last breaths of ashen, toxic air shaken from his lungs by the agonised contractions of his chewed-up torso before going still. He feels it even as his heart slows without enough blood to pump and the red lightning in the sky and Dustin's tear stained face above him go dim, grey, fading into darkness.

It is… whispering. The susurrations of windswept sand, fresh snow across ice, long grasses and the waves of the sea. Melodic and patternless to him. He thinks - or he thinks he thinks, can he think if he's dying, a microscopic sliver away from outright brain death? - that if this is how Vecna slinks his way into his victim's minds, it's not the worst thing in the world. At least he'll be dead before he can start seeing visions, and hopefully the bastard can't use his body once Eddie's been forcibly evicted from it. Maybe he should die faster to make sure-

The thing in his mind had been listening. It latches onto the word Vecna and teases it out of the sentence he'd thought, a trail of memories like bright, colourful ribbons flowing in the word's wake and how Eddie even sees this he would never know, can't even stop it from happening. The thing sifts through the memories, sorting the ribbons with curiosity. He sees it consider and discard the Hellfire campaign, the flash of his friends' joyful and enraged faces around the table and his long hours of planning set aside to drift in the blackness. Then it follows the winding, tangled trail of the last week, from the first instance of hearing what the kids decided to name their enemy to learning exactly who it was. It pauses, the memory stalled in its grasp, replayed like a rewound tape, and Eddie begins to feel something again.

Rage. The thing writhes, twisting the memory in an invisible grasp and he gets no warning before he's fucking assaulted-

Bright bursts of images fly by - craggy plateaus rolling desolate hills mountains suspended midair by nothing a fine black sand weaving like murmurations of starlings between every rock every thing under the slick skins of petal-faced creatures in every molecule - struggling against the limits of Eddie's suddenly miniscule mind - a new creature unknown burnt burning shoved through a tear exploring learning changing in ways it cannot should not - he feels like he's hurtling towards something, then smeared against glass like an insect and wiped away but not before he sees too much - the creature heals keeps burning finds it finds us and bends us warps us dominates us like no thing before no more harmony or cycle just use practice revenge - he's screaming, maybe, if he can scream in his own skull because fuck does it burn, searing his dying brain matter - it will find that tear or make more find The Girl rend her apart bring the worlds together no matter if it can't it will it rules us so it will rule them as it pleases it must endendend - please let him die please please please it fucking hurts-

NO.

GET.

UP.

A raw animal scream rips through the quiet landscape of the Upside Down, wrenched out of Eddie's empty lungs as he shudders to life alone in the twisted version of the trailer park, sobbing and unhinged from reality as he curls in on his ruined body amongst the dirt and corpses of the demobats.

The thing's barely comprehensible command echoes, gong-like, through his skull.

GET UP.

Eddie lurches to his feet.

[darkdreamersworld]

"We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones."

Stephen King

[marypsue]

It’s been a day or two since the last time I put up a sample for Sneak Peek Sunday (all credit for the concept to @daddygrandpaandthebeaver), and today felt like as good a time as any to resurrect it! Have a scene from former heroes who quit too late (aka part three of the AU where (almost) all the kids have powers):

...

“Know what I heard from Flo at the station?”

El shakes her head no. Hop doesn’t stop giving her that look.

“Sounds like there was a big power outage at the mall last night. Every fuse in the box blew. The lights were out for nearly an hour.”

El makes her eyes as wide as they’ll go, and then turns back to her plate.

“It’s weird. They’ve got no idea what caused it. What could’ve overloaded all the circuits at once like that.”

El concentrates, hard, on cutting off a piece of her pancake.

“El.”

El looks up. Hop’s staring at her, hard. She can’t tell if he’s mad. “When you and Will were over at Mike’s yesterday. Did you go to the mall?”

El looks at him with her fork halfway to her mouth, trying to decide what to say.

Hop sighs so big it makes his shoulders drop, leaning forward against the table, clasping his hands and looking El in the eye. “Friends don’t lie, right, kid?”

El quickly stuffs her forkful of pancakes in her mouth and chews, hoping don’t talk with your mouth full takes priority.

Sara, thankfully, chooses that moment to drop into the third mismatched chair at the tiny kitchen table, with her own plate stacked high with pancakes and berries. “What’s the big deal if she did? It’s just the mall.” She starts to saw off a chunk of her pancake stack, also not looking at Hop as she says, very fast and very casual, “Heather’s taking me out there this afternoon. If Jane really wants to see the place, she could probably tag along with us. I don’t think Heather’d mind.”

Hop finally looks away from El to stare at Sara like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. “It’s just the - do we seriously have to have the ‘caution’ conversation again?”

Sara slouches down in her seat and gives her eyes a huge roll, but right at the end of it she catches El’s eye and winks. El shovels another forkful of pancake into her mouth to keep from smiling.

“And no, I don’t want you going anywhere alone with Heather,” Hop goes on, jabbing his fork in Sara’s direction. “Especially not somewhere as big and crowded and public as the mall. How do you even know this girl? How do you know you can trust her?”

“I already told you, we work together.” Sara delicately rolls a stray blueberry around her plate with her fork. “The pool put her in charge of making sure tens of screaming children don’t drown every day, is that trustworthy enough for you?”

Hop doesn’t look impressed. “The pool gave Billy Hargrove a lifeguard whistle. Try again.”

“There’s just no pleasing you, is there?” Sara grumbles, spearing the blueberry with what El thinks the TV cops mean when they say unnecessary force. “I have to get a job if I’m not going to school, but god forbid I actually make friends there?”

Hop looks like he just bit into something bitter. “I never said you couldn’t have friends,” he starts, but Sara’s already giving him a wide-eyed, fake-shocked look.

“Oh, wow. I didn’t realise I needed your permission to have friends. So glad that’s allowed.”

El has to press her knuckles hard against her mouth not to giggle at the look on Hop’s face.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Sara says, still wide-eyed and too innocent. “Maybe I should invite Heather over here instead. That’d be so much safer. Right?”

“Don’t,” Hop says, like a warning. El wonders if that’s don’t do that, or don’t say that. Maybe both.

Sara waves a hand, making all her bangles clack and jingle. “Well, Jane has her friends over all the time, so -”

“That’s different and you know why. Don’t change the subject.” Hop turns back to El just as she starts to push her chair back from the table. So much for escaping before he notices. She pulls her chair reluctantly back to the table and slouches down in it, crossing her arms as Hop points at first her, then Sara, with his fork. “I do not want either of you anywhere near Starcourt. Got it? Especially not unsupervised. It’s just too big a risk.”

“Anything fun is a risk,” Sara says, like she doesn’t even notice the hard stare Hop’s giving her. El stuffs what’s left of her pancake into her mouth at once, ready to break for freedom when she gets another chance. “You know what I used to do for fun? Rob convenience stores.”

Hop shuts his eyes, for a long second, pressing a hand against his forehead. “What part of chief of police -”

El takes this as her cue to scoop up her empty plate and slip away from the table, dropping off the plate in the sink before she makes for the door. She ignores Hop’s call of, “Hey! Hey, kid, we weren’t done talking!”

[randombookreadersworld]

[trensu]

I set myself a goal to have this fic finished and postedon ao3 by Halloween. As you can tell, I have failed miserably since it's neither finished or posted. In my defense, my hands were in much more pain than usual for most of October and so far November's not looking so great either.

Still, I feel kind of shitty about missing my goal, so I decided to post the first couple of scenes here. This fic is part of the Hawkins Halfway House series and we'll be meeting Billy in it. Enjoy!

Eddie was enjoying a quiet, little Horrors-free day with House. He’d dropped off Max and the Sinclair siblings with Steve in the morning since they hadn’t been able to hang out with Dustin and El for longer than any of the little Horrors deemed acceptable. El had been living with Steve for about a year now, and Dustin nearly twice that long. The transition hadn’t been as painful as expected but the kids were not used to being apart from each other, so an arrangement was reached that every other weekend, the kids could spend the night together either at House or at Junior.

This weekend, the kids had opted to stay at Junior with Steve. Depending on how things went, they might stay longer seeing as the kids were on some extended human holiday weekend as of the night before. If that happened, then Eddie planned on having some slow lazy mornings. However, it was now past lunchtime and he really needed to restock their stores of red meat, thanks to the pair of werewolf cubs in his care. He had very quickly become the local butcher’s favorite customer because of them.

Eddie had just about convinced himself to get going and be a responsible adult when the phone rang. Eddie made his way over to where House decided to keep the phone hooked up this week. He leaned against the wall, already fiddling with the phone cord, as he answered.

“Hawkins Halfway–”

“EDDIE,” Dustin screeched over the phone. “You have to come over right now. Steve is DYING.”

“What?” Eddie asked, bolting upright from where he had slouched. He heard the voices of the other kids over the line.

“He is bleeding. Blood should stay inside humans,” El said seriously.

“Bleeding? Where? What happened?” Eddie asked, resting the phone between his shoulder and ear to free up his hands. He got a bit tangled in the cord in his hurried searching of his pockets for his keys.

“Guys,” Steve’s voice broke through. “Guys, I’m fine. Oh god, Dustin, who are you calling? What did I say about using the phone? Junior, what did I tell you about letting the kids use the phone?”

“This IS an emergency!” Dustin protested, loudly.

“There’s so much blood,” Lucas could be heard in the background. “It’s like that time I ate a rabbit just before the moon set.”

“See, Eddie? HE’S DYING!” Dustin shouted directly into the receiver.

“You called Eddie? Dustin, give me the phone,” Steve said. After a brief scuffle, and what sounded like the handset being dropped to the ground only to get hastily picked up, Steve was speaking directly. His voice sounded funny. “Eddie, hi!”

“What happened? Dustin thinks you’re dying,” Eddie said.

“I’m fine! Nobody’s dying,” Steve said. Then, presumably to the kids, “Give me some room, I don’t want to drip on any of you.”

“Steve, are you bleeding?” Eddie asked, his worry mixing with irritation.

“Yeah, but I’m okay. It’s a bloody nose,” Steve said, which explained why he sounded weird.

“And a bloody mouth,” Lucas added.

“His eye’s busted up, too!” Erica said loud enough for Eddie to hear.

“Yes, thank you for that,” Steve said to the kids in that bitchy tone Eddie secretly enjoyed hearing. “Go watch some TV while I talk to Eddie. I promise I won’t fall over dead.”

“I’m coming over,” Eddie decided out loud.

“You don’t have to, honestly, the kids are freaking out over nothing,” Steve insisted.

“You’re due for a home inspection anyway. See you in ten.”

Eddie hung up before Steve could protest.

–

Eddie didn’t have a chance to knock on the door before it slammed open and he was swarmed by the kids.

“He’s in the kitchen,” Lucas told him.

“We couldn’t remember how much blood humans are supposed to keep inside,” El said.

“Yeah, so Dustin freaked out,” Erica snorted derisively.

Dustin started to argue that his concern was legitimate, but Eddie pushed past all of them to get to the kitchen. There, Eddie nearly swallowed his tongue because Steve was indeed in the kitchen. Shirtless. And bent over the sink. The steam rising from the running water dampened his chest hair and made his skin dewy. The muscles in Steve’s arms flexed distractingly as he scrubbed almost violently at a bloodied shirt.

Eddie didn’t have much time to enjoy the view because as soon as he finished processing the vision, he caught sight of Steve’s face. He immediately understood why the children panicked. Steve’s face was a mess. Steve had done his best to clean up most of the blood, but his nostrils were still rimmed with some, and the split lip started to bleed again when Steve looked up at Eddie. The skin around his eye was puffy and bruised.

“It looks worse than it is,” Steve said immediately. “No concussion!”

Eddie covered the distance in a few long strides. He reflexively reached out to touch Steve’s face, then pulled back when he realized what he’d been about to do. Eddie had been adamantly ignoring the small crush he was harboring for his kids’ foster parent. Unfortunately, it meant he had to forcibly ignore opportunities to touch Steve as much as possible. In this case, it resulted in Eddie fluttering his hands uselessly around Steve.

“What happened?”

“First, you should know that I handled it and I was already planning on calling you to give you a rundown of the situation. I wanted to clean myself up a bit before calling but that didn’t go as planned, obviously.”

“Steve.”

“I’m fine, really. I’m more worried about Max.” At Steve’s words, Eddie’s whole body tensed.

“What happened to Max?” Eddie asked before it occurred to him, “She wasn’t with the other kids. Where is she?”

“She ran to her room as soon as we got home. She’s kind of shaken up. I haven’t had the chance to talk to her about what happened because the others saw me and were freaking out the whole ride home.”

“I can talk to her,” Eddie said immediately. Steve nodded as if he hadn’t expected anything different, and began to explain what happened.

“I took the kids to the park nearby to burn off some energy before dinner,” Steve said. “Max stayed in the parking lot because she wanted to practice using her skateboard.”

While Steve spoke, Eddie maneuvered himself around the familiar kitchen. He grabbed a clean kitchen towel and dug out an icepack from the freezer. After wrapping it up, he handed it to Steve, who delicately placed it over his eye.

Steve continued to explain how he made sure he settled in a spot that would give him a good view of both the parking lot and the playground. Everything had been going well. All the kids were having fun, although Max had tumbled a couple of times while trying to find her balance on the skateboard. Then Steve had been distracted.

Erica had gotten a bit too into a game of chase. She had started to get a little wolfy around the edges. Lucas had immediately shielded her from view by throwing his hoodie at her face. Steve guided her a farther away from the playground to somewhere more quiet and secluded to give her a moment to calm down. Once she had collected herself, she and Steve rejoined everyone at the playground. Steve had given the playground a quick lookover to make sure everyone was still accounted for, but when he’d looked for Max over at the parking lot, a man was with her.

Steve had been too far away to hear what the man was saying, but the man was way too close to her. Max had frozen in place. If the unknown man approaching her hadn’t been alarming enough, seeing her freeze like that set off all sorts of bells. While Max wasn’t Steve’s foster kid, he knew her well enough by now to know that, when cornered, Max's first instinct was to fight, not flee or freeze.

“I ran over there as soon as I saw what was happening,” Steve told Eddie, as if Eddie would ever doubt him. Steve had a protective streak to rival a werewolf. “By the time I got to them, he had grabbed her by the arm.”

Steve had shoved the man away from her the moment he had gotten within reach. From there it had devolved into a fistfight that left Steve in his current state. Thankfully the other kids were too wrapped up in their playground games to realize what was happening at the time but one of the other parents at the playground had seen and used the nearby payphone to call the police. The cops showed up to break up the fight. As far as Steve was aware, the man who had grabbed Max was taken away by the cops. They took some statements from witnesses, but Steve, to Eddie’s utter lack of surprise, insisted on going home with his kids rather than going down to the station.

Eddie was grateful for that. He had seen how cops treat people they consider less than human, even when they didn't have an ounce of supernatural blood in them. Little Horrors in distress were not always great at keeping their human faces on.

Once Steve finished updating Eddie, he went to reassure the other kids while Eddie made his way to see Max. Eddie had barely stepped into the guest room Junior had made for Max before Max shot to her feet. She was very pale, made even more apparent by the dark red feathers that had sprouted through her hair and along her face. Her hands were rough and clawed.

“He found me,” Max said. “Billy found me. He tried to take me away.”

Eddie swore under his breath. It was just as he had suspected. He didn't think the cops would hold Billy for very long. He had to start planning a defense but first, he wanted to comfort Max, offer some reassurance. He stepped closer to her but slowed his movements at Max’s flinch. Instead, he redirected and leaned against the dresser close to Max. Her jaw was tense. She crossed her arms, clutching at her elbows.

“But he didn’t,” Eddie said firmly. “You’re still here. Steve stopped him and you’re safe.”

Max’s breath hitched.

“Is…is Steve mad at me?” Her claws dug into fabric at the elbows of her hoodie, nervously shredding it. “I have my backpack in the closet. I can leave. If he’s mad.”

“What? No, no, no, Max, Steve’s not mad at you. He’s worried, but he’d never get mad at you for something like this.”

Her voice dropped to a shamed whisper.

“But Billy hurt him so bad. He broke Steve’s face,” her breath hitched again, but she had yet to break into tears. It hurt Eddie to see her try so hard to keep it together. “It's all my fault, he’s going to be so mad.”

“Max Mayfield, listen to me,” Eddie said fiercely. “None of this is your fault. This is all on that hunter. Steve doesn’t blame you and he’s not mad at you.”

She gnawed at her lip, eyes cast down. She didn't believe him, he could tell.

"Billy's going to come back. He’ll hurt Steve again," Max said.

"If that happens, and I'm not saying it will!" Eddie said. Though he knew she was right about Billy. Billy was a stubborn, possessive, and angry man. "But if it does, it still wouldn't be your fault. He's a grown up making his own awful decisions, okay?"

"Okay," she said despondently, though she no longer sounded like she would break into tears.

"I need to let Steve know what to expect but he'll probably come up here after to check on you if you're okay with it."

Max nodded jerkily, not looking at him. Eddie suppressed a sigh. Max had been making so much progress, opening herself up more to others and getting attached to things that interested her. If Eddie hadn’t hated Billy already, the sight Max retreating into herself again because of his reappearance would’ve done it.

"Do you want to be alone? Or do you want some of your friends up here with you?" Eddie asked.

Max shrugged. Eddie glanced over at the unmade bed. The underneath looked darker than it probably should be. He smiled tentatively at Max.

"I think El is already under the bed, so if you want to be alone…"

An oozing black tendril squirmed out from underneath the bed to wrap gently around Max's ankle. Some of the stress that pinched Max’s expression eased at the touch. She easily dropped to the ground and scooched into the cramped space beneath the bed.

“You are safe, Max,” El’s voice hissed from the dark space.

Eddie left the room and closed the door quietly behind him. It was time to fill Steve in on some things he had hoped would never come up.

[rindecision]

Chapter 14: Disclosure - The Devil of Hawkins

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |

“Do you really think we’re going to find anymore, Chief?” Officer Phil Callahan asked from the passenger seat of Chief Calvin Powell’s truck.

��I have no idea, but we’re going to keep looking,” Powell said as he turned the truck away from the setting sun, and onto the road leading to Lover’s lake.

“We haven’t found anyone in over a week; I think we’ve found all we can. It didn’t even take us this long to find the Byers’ kid.”

“So what,” Powell snapped, “you want us to just leave them for dead?”

“At this point they already are.” Callahan removed his hat and ran his hands over the bill.

Powell sighed with a growl. “I promised the town I would keep looking until I found them, alive or dead.”

“Dug yourself a hole there didn’t ya?” He put his hat back on.

“Do you ever shut up, Callahan?”

“I mean, do you think Jim would still be looking?”

“It doesn’t matter what Jim would do, now does it?” Powell snapped.

Officer Callahan stiffened momentarily. “I still expect him to kick-in that front door one day.”

“He was an asshole, but you couldn’t deny he was a good cop. When he showed up anyway.”

“Do you think he ever slept with Joyce Byers?”

“Seriously, man!” Powell barked.

“Hey, what’s that?” Callahan squinted at something in the distance, a small tent set up beside the road.

“I don’t remember authorizing this,” Calvin said suspiciously as they got closer. A man in a military uniform walked out and held out a hand to stop them as they approached. The man walked up to the driver’s side window and Chief Powell rolled it down. “What is all this?”

“I’m sorry sir, I cannot let you pass,” the man said firmly.

“I’m the Hawkins Chief of Police, I didn’t hear anything about a blockade to Lover’s Lake. Mind explaining what you’re doing here?”

“I’m not authorized to say, sir.”

Powell closed his eyes in annoyance. “Who’s your superior?”

“Lieutenant Colonel Jack Sullivan, sir.”

“Shit,” Powell said quietly, looking at his steering wheel. He gripped it and looked back at the man. “I’d like to speak with him personally, please.”

Callahan groaned. “Do we have to?” he whined.

Powell ignored Callahan and kept his eyes on the soldier. “Is that something you can do?”

“I can try, sir, but he may not honor your request.”

“I’d like you to try.”

“Yes, sir.” The man gave a small nod and removed a radio receiver from his belt. “This is Private Connor, from the north blockade. I have the Hawkins Chief of Police here. He would like to speak with Lt. Colonel Sullivan. Over.”

There was a moment of silence before the radio crackled back to life. “This is Sullivan, I’m on my way.”

“Roger that, sir.” Connor put the radio back on his belt.

Powell nodded, “thank you.”

“Your welcome, sir. Now, if I could have you pull to the side in the meantime, to allow authorized vehicles to pass.” Private Connor stepped back and held an arm out in the direction he wanted the Chief to park.

With an annoyed exhale, Powell backed the car off the road as directed. “What are they up to?” he said to himself.

Callahan shivered, “If it’s the military, shouldn’t we just let them be?” He strained his neck to see as far down the road as possible.

“And what am I supposed to say if someone asks me why Lover’s Lake is closed?”

“I don’t know,” Callahan said as he leaned back into his seat, “that it's top secret government shit?”

“Yeah, like that won’t get me fired,” Powell said sarcastically.

---

“It’s a small cabin,” Hopper said as he tossed blankets and pillows down to Steve from the kitchen loft, “so you’ll have to crash on the couch or get creative.”

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” Eddie took the bedding from Steve and tossed it onto the couch. “Right Steve?” he gave him a wide smile.

Steve wasn’t sure what to make of his meaning. “Yeah, we’ll be fine.” He tossed the last pillow to Eddie.

After Eddie tossed the pillow onto the couch, he walked up to Steve and rested his chin on his shoulder. He could feel Steve stiffen, making him smirk. Hopper climbed down the ladder and quirked an eyebrow at the pair. “Still no concept of personal space I see.”

“Psh,” Eddie hissed playfully, “who needs personal space?”

“It’s going to get you punched one of these days,” Hopper warned, walking into the living room.

“Already has,” Eddie confirmed as he removed his head from Steve and stretched with a yawn.

“And you still didn’t learn your lesson?”

“Nah, it’s going to take more than that to get me to stop.” Eddie fell heavily onto the couch, blankets and pillows scattering around him.

Hopper shook his head. “No wonder you haven’t graduated.”

“Hey, not fair.” Eddie looked up at him. “That’s also because I’m lazy,” he added with a smirk.

Steve snorted as he sat in the recliner.

Hopper looked at Eddie, confused. “That’s not something to be proud of.”

“Maybe not, but why deny it?” Eddie put his hands behind his head and leaned back.

Hopper sighed. “God, I’m glad I’m not your dad.”

“I dunno, maybe I would have turned out better. At least you aren’t in jail.” Eddie laughed and sat forward. “Actually, weren’t you the one that took him in?”

Steve shot a shocked look at Eddie. He didn’t know his dad was in jail.

Hopper looked at him with a pitied expression and a sigh to match. “Yeah, unfortunately. Sorry about that, kid.”

“Don't be.” Eddie smiled, leaning back against the couch. “I’m glad you did, my life got a lot better after moving in with Wayne.” He briefly wondered what his uncle would think about everything that’s happened. He lightly laughed to himself thinking Wayne would try to send him to a loony bin.

“Your dad was something else.” Hopper leaned against the wall near his bedroom.

“No, shit,” Eddie huffed.

Hopper shook his head. Steve looked between them. “What did he do?”

Eddie snorted, “What didn’t he do.”

“Pretty much,” Hopper agreed. “But, I don’t think it’s my place to give the details. I’ll leave that between you and Ed.” He turned to his bedroom curtain. “Goodnight boys.”

“Night,” they said together.

Steve watched as Eddie closed his eyes and sighed. “You don’t have to tell me,” he clarified.

“I don’t mind,” Eddie leaned forward with a serious expression, “but, maybe not tonight.” He looked at Steve softly.

“That’s fine.”

He took a deep breath and forced a smile. “So who gets the couch?” He lowered his voice, “or we could try to share it.” He raised his eyebrows.

“That cannot fit two grown men.” Steve laughed, matching Eddie’s volume.

“No, y’see,” Eddie laid back on the couch, his feet and head on each armrest. “I’ll be like this, and you can be on top of me.” He looked over and winked at him.

Steve rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide his smile. “Does it ever end with you?”

Eddie sat up and smiled at him with a tilted head. “Not when you’re around at least.”

Steve squinted at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Eddie licked his lips and looked at Steve’s for a moment before meeting his eyes and mouthing out the words. ‘I want to kiss you.’

Steve felt his chest tighten as he looked away, disproportionately flustered. Eddie got a deep joy from watching him blush, or any reaction he could get out of him. He stood and tossed a blanket and pillow onto the unused armchair. He set up the couch into a makeshift bed. When done, he stepped back and held his arm out with a small bow, offering it to Steve. “Your bed awaits, princess,” he spoke softly.

Steve squinted at him. “Princess?” he hissed.

Eddie huffed a small laugh as he walked next to him. “What? You’re kind of a princess.”

“How?” Steve said offended and trying to keep his voice down.

Steve watched him wearily as Eddie picked up his hand, knelt down in front of him, and kissed the back of his hand cordially. Steve whipped his hand from Eddie’s and looked away quickly. Eddie grinned playfully, “because you blush at stuff like that.”

“I-” Steve caught himself before he spoke too loudly, “I did not.”

“You so did, and you still are.” Eddie stood and offered a hand to help Steve up.

Steve felt his cheeks, they were warmer than he would have liked. He looked up at Eddie, annoyed, and swatted the hand, standing on his own. Eddie laughed quietly as he watched Steve flop onto the couch, roll into the blanket, facing away from him and into the back cushion of the couch. His laugh tapered off into a sigh. He picked up the blanket and pillow he tossed on the armchair and moved it to the recliner Steve was in. Getting comfortable was a challenge as he leaned back the recliner and curled himself up into it. He closed his eyes, trying his best not to think about the events of the day.

---

“Finally,” Chief Powell exclaimed as he saw a vehicle approaching.

Callahan snorted awake and looked around. “Wha?” The hat he was using to cover his face fell into his lap.

“They’re here,” Powell stated.

“Oh, shit.” Callahan wiped the drool from his face and sat upright.

The vehicle pulled up next to them and Powell got out. Callahan decided to stay behind. Sullivan met him halfway between the cars. “You must be Chief Powell,” he greeted.

Powell saluted as he approached. “Pleasure to meet you Lt. Colonel Sullivan, sir.” Powell lowered his hand and tried to match Sullivan’s impressive posture.

“What do I owe the honor?” Sullivan stated firmly.

“I’d like to know why I can’t get into this part of my jurisdiction.”

“Straight to the point, I like that.” He vaguely smiled before continuing. “While this is part of Hawkins it’s part of the country first, so as you know, that makes it my jurisdiction before it’s yours.”

Powell tensed, realizing that he wasn't likely to get any straight answers. “I have missing people I need to look for.”

“And I plan to help. I have my men covering nearly every inch of this area, if we find anyone, you will be the first to know, I give you my word.”

“I highly doubt that’s the main reason you’re here.”

“Chief Powell,” there was warning in his voice, “I have no obligation to inform you of my operations, but I will say that it’s in your best interest to leave us be and trust us. We only plan to help.”

Powell twitched, trying not to get angry at a superior. “Very well, sir,” he hissed, turning back to the truck and getting in.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Sullivan said coolly.

Without even looking back he turned the truck on and pulled away. Callahan looked out the back, Sullivan was standing in place, watching them leave. “I get villain vibes from that guy,” he said as he turned his attention back out the front window.

---

“Hey Steve,” Eddie whispered, testing if Steve was asleep.

"What?” Steve responded quietly.

“Can’t sleep either?”

“Nope.” Steve rolled over and looked at Eddie as he sat up in the chair. At some point, Eddie had taken his shirt and vest off.

“Want to join me for a smoke?”

“You brought your cigarettes?” Steve said sitting up.

“No... but,” he picked up a half-empty pack of Camels that Hopper left on the coffee table. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

Steve chuckled and stood. Eddie smiled, slipping two sticks out of the pack and pocketing them along with the lighter next to it. They walked quietly to the front door and Eddie unlatched the locks as silently as possible. Once open, he offered for Steve to leave first, he followed and softly closed the door. They walked behind the cabin and Eddie saw the pictures tacked to the tree. “This where you guys had my funeral?” He knelt down in front of it looking at the pictures.

“Yeah.” Steve walked up behind him. The bright moonlight shone on his back, illuminating his wing slots.

Eddie scanned the photographs. The large central one was one of his senior photos. It was of him holding his guitar and sticking his tongue out. The others were various shots of his band and Hellfire. Something caught his eye in the grass. When he picked it up, he saw that it was a red and black four-sided die that matched the design of his guitar. He missed playing with them and looked forward to reuniting with, at least a few, of his friends. He slid the die into his pocket and looked up at a Corroded Coffin poster. The rest of his band wasn’t involved in this mess, and he’d like to keep it that way. Eddie closed his eyes, trying not to get lost in thought of everything that’s happened. An electric shiver coursed from his wings, forcing Eddie forward with a sharp intake of breath. He caught himself before actually falling. He sharply spun to look up at Steve who was holding up his hands. “You trying to start something, Harrington?” He slowly stood.

Steve watched as Eddie rose to his full height. “Wasn’t trying to.”

“Then what was that?” Eddie took a step closer to Steve.

“Me not thinking about it?” Steve questioned uncertainly.

Eddie laughed and relaxed. He tended to forget just how simple Steve was, but that only added to his charm. He calmly walked up to Steve who was getting tense as he got closer. Eddie grinned “Something the matter, Harrington.”

“I- uh.” Steve was having a hard time meeting his eyes. “I thought you just wanted a smoke?”

“That was part of the plan.” He smirked.

“What’s the rest of the plan?” Steve was reminded of their first night together.

“How about we find out?” Eddie wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist. “I still want that kiss,” he said softly.

Steve gently pushed him away, anxious about being seen. “If either of them look out a window they could see us.”

“I think it adds a thrill.” Eddie placed a hand on Steve’s cheek.

“I don’t,” Steve whispered looking around, the windows to the cabin were all still dark.

“Then how about we take this deeper?” Eddie nodded to the woods.

“What?” Steve looked at him, worried by what he could mean.

“Deeper in the woods, so we won’t be seen.” Eddie smirked. “What did you think I meant?”

“Nothing, let’s go.” Steve walked away from Eddie and into the woods, making sure it was in the opposite direction of Hopper’s room. Eddie followed eagerly with a pursed grin.

Eddie saw a gleam of something on the ground and rushed up to Steve. “Whoa,” he said holding his arm out to stop Steve from hitting a tripwire.

“Shit, thanks,” Steve said, carefully stepping over it.

After another minute of walking, they were well out of sight of the cabin and Eddie took the opportunity to grab Steve’s wrist, spin him around, and pin him to a tree. He slid his hands on either side of Steve’s neck and wasted no time taking the kiss he wanted. Steve tensed anxiously. Eddie smirked, “don’t worry, we’re out of sight, I checked.” Steve relaxed slightly as Eddie continued the kiss.

Steve felt himself getting weaker and accepted the kiss as Eddie slid his tongue between his lips. He groaned and placed his hands on Eddie’s waist. Maybe it was because they couldn’t finish earlier, but he was feeling the effects of the kiss stronger than usual. Eddie slowly pulled away, getting Steve to follow the kiss before letting it break. Steve’s eyes darted between Eddie’s eyes and lips, almost desperate for more.

“About that smoke,” Eddie smiled.

Steve shook himself out of his haze. “Sure.”

Eddie wanted to continue but didn’t want to be overly eager. He pulled the cigarettes out of his pocket and put one in Steve’s mouth, getting a surprised cross-eyed look down at it. The other, he delicately bit to stabilize as he lit it. Eddie put the lighter away and grabbed Steve’s chin firmly. He lined up the ends of the cigarettes. Steve realized what Eddie was doing and inhaled a cherry onto his own cigarette. Eddie stepped back and smiled.

Steve coughed as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and looked at it. “Holy shit, that actually works.”

Eddie laughed as he took a quick drag, coughing at the intensity of the cigarette. “Fuck,” he exclaimed, “they’re unfiltered.”

“Is that why they’re so strong?” Steve laughed, coughing out his last lungful.

“Too intense for ya, Harrington?” Eddie teased.

“No,” Steve defended, “it just took me by surprise.”

Eddie grinned, took a long drag from his cigarette, and pushed Steve against the tree behind him. He forced his tongue into Steve’s mouth, slowly exhaling the smoke in the process. Eddie’s smoke flowed out from between their lips and out their noses. Eddie stepped back and wiped his own lips with his thumb. “Tobacco suits you.”

Steve didn’t know how to react to that, so he just stared at Eddie, his heart racing. Trails of smoke flowed from Eddie’s nose, making him look even more demonic.

Eddie took a few more steps back and leaned against a thin tree. “Your cig is burning.” He crossed his arms and took another drag.

Steve just realized he was staring and turned his attention to his cigarette. Eddie smiled softly at Steve’s discomfort. Steve took a long drag and sighed out the smoke, a small cough expelled the last of it from his lungs. “Hey...”

Eddie tilted his head at Steve.

Steve leaned back against the tree running his empty hand through his hair. He was uncomfortable with what he’d been meaning to talk about but knew he had to. With a quick puff off of his cigarette, he blew the smoke through his nose and started. “I wanted to talk to you about this today anyway, but that was before Robin interrupted us. Do you remember when I mentioned that nightmare that was bothering me?”

Eddie furrowed his brow, “yeah.” He was concerned about where this was going.

Steve cringed and forced through the tightness in his chest to speak. “Well, I wasn’t being completely honest when I said it wasn’t a Vecna dream.”

Eddie coughed on the smoke in shock. “What?”

“I don’t think it was like Max’s nightmares though.” Steve looked at the ground.

“Why didn’t you mention this sooner?” Eddie thumped his own chest with a fist to get out the last cough.

“I don’t know, man” Steve paused to think, “it felt weird to talk about. Heck, even now it feels weird.”

“Well you’re spilling the beans,” Eddie demanded.

“Yeah, I know.” Steve sighed, leaned back against the tree, and took a long drag. After a slow exhale, he began telling Eddie about his dream.

Eddie slid down the tree and sat cross-legged at the base, contemplating everything Steve said. When he was done with his cigarette, he mindlessly buried it in the soil beside him. He got a bad feeling from Steve’s dream and was reminded of when he first came to down there.

“Then I woke up sweating bullets,” Steve finished.

“Jesus,” Eddie exclaimed softly, putting his face in his hands. Steve may be too dense to notice, but Eddie knew that had to be a warning.

“What?” Steve mirrored Eddie’s position at the base of his own tree. He put out his cigarette and buried it as well. “Is that what actually happened?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” Eddie lifted his face from his hands and looked at Steve with a scared expression. “When I say I just randomly woke up in there, I mean it.” He groaned and leaned back against the tree, looking up into the canopy. “I don’t remember any of that, but I did wake up in a place like you described, barren, unlike anything in Hawkins...”

...

With a groan of pain, Eddie woke up in an unfamiliar place. The sky was cloudy with crimson lightning in the distance. As his eyes focused, he noticed he was staring into the face of one of the bats. He screamed, it screamed back and flew away along with a small flock. He quickly moved to sit up but was met with excruciating pain over his whole body. He felt pain in places he didn’t even know he had. A new sensation confused and scared him as he felt the existence of something over him. Not only did he feel something was on him, but he could feel it as if it was a limb. Nervously, he looked down to see a large fleshy blanket over him. He screamed and moved to push it off, but it hurt, the movement and the thing he pushed. In a panic, he shouted and tried to crawl backward, but the thing followed him as if attached. “What are you!?” he squealed, finally pushing it off of him. The feeling of it sliding off of him traveled to the center of his back. Whatever that was it had a hold of him.

With a shaky hand, he reached behind his back, terrified by what he might find. His fingers grazed a large open wound, he grit his teeth with a loud groan of pain at the touch. He reached his fingers further and felt the end of the thing he just pushed off of him. It was inside him. His fear rose as he realized that whatever that was, it had him tight. He shook violently as he reached back and gripped the bottom of it, wincing at the pain. With a deep breath and a loud shout, he pulled at it in an attempt to remove whatever it was. It felt like he was pulling an arm out of its socket. He let go and curled up on the ground panting at the pain. “What the fuck?” he whimpered. He took a deep breath and yelled, “what the fuck?!” at the top of his lungs. Whatever was on his back was there to stay.

After letting himself rest until he was no longer shaking, he stood, still in pain, but it was borderline tolerable. He carefully reached behind him to get a better feel for his new additions. The sensation of a new limb was strange as he could feel it anytime it hit something. With a gentle touch over his back, he found there were two. When he brushed against one, the thing twitched like a reflex, scaring a yip out of him. He removed his hand and looked around. He could see a forest in the distance on one side, and nothing but barren, mountainous, rocks in any other direction. The only thing that made him hesitate to head into the woods, were the vines covering the ground. But that also told him Hawkins was likely in that direction.

As soon as he started walking, he could feel the things on his back dragging on the ground. It felt like running your knuckles across a brick wall. He turned to look at his spiny, fleshy cape and tried to find a solution. He cringed at the look of them, they reminded him of the demobat wings. A thought crossed his mind. If they are a part of me, can I control them? He’d never thought about what it takes to move his arm, so trying to figure out how to apply that same method to a new muscle was a strange process.

He lifted his arm, and looked at his hand, contemplating. His train of thought derailed when he saw that his hand was covered in dark veins. “What the hell?” He looked at his other hand. The same. He lifted his shirt and saw they were on his stomach as well and that the bite wounds had healed. Curiosity hit him, and he pulled at the belt of his pants looking into his boxers. The veins were also all over his dick. “That’s weird,” he said, releasing his pants. “Am I diseased?” He lifted his hand in front of his face and looked at it. The memory of Dustin crying over him came to mind. “Am I deceased?” He looked around the area. Is this hell? “Might as well be,” he muttered.

With a sigh, he turned his attention back to trying to move the things on his back. He turned his head to look at one, and was surprised to see that it had fanned out beside him as he’d wanted it to be. I guess I don’t have to think too hard on it. He flexed it, spreading the spine and stretching the webbing. They really do look like wings. He turned and did the same with the other one. “Are they wings?” Even though they still hurt to move, he spread them out behind him and pulled them forward, hunching his shoulders in the process. The force was strong enough to hurl him backward onto his ass. “What the fuck?” he said, dazed, looking at the limp wings next to him. “No way,” he was in disbelief at what just happened.

He stood up and dusted himself off, not that there was any point with how filthy his clothes were. A huff of a laugh escaped him. There’s no way I have wings. “There’s no way.” If it wasn’t for the pain he’d be convinced he was dreaming. He had to know for sure. He clenched his teeth against the pain and ran, flapping the wings as hard and as fast as he could. It wasn’t long before he was lifted off the ground. “Holy shit!” In his surprise, he forgot to keep flapping and fell the couple meters back to the ground. He shouted in pain on contact with the hard earth. “Yep, they’re wings,” he groaned, getting himself back to his feet. Why the hell do I have wings?

He rubbed his elbow as he looked around, he was much closer to the forest than he felt he’d traveled. After a couple of steps toward the trees, he realized his wings were dragging again. He twitched them a couple of inches off the ground and continued. Holding them up was harder than he expected. It was a similar sensation to holding your hands above your head for a while, just without the blood draining from your fingertips. With a sigh he let them drop. The relief of relaxing a sore muscle washed over him. What the hell am I? “Where the hell am I?” He looked around the edge of the forest as he put his arms behind his back and manually lifted the wings off the ground. He cringed and vaguely gagged as it felt like he was picking up a shower curtain made of skin and bones.

Gradually, the vines covered more and more of the forest floor. Eddie did his best to avoid stepping on them. He found a small clear patch at the base of a tree and decided to take a break. He tiptoed his way over and sat at the base of the tree. He leaned the back of his head against it, making sure not to press his whole back to the tree. The wings hurt enough as is, he didn’t need the pressure of his body against them. He sighed with relief as he folded the wings over his lap. He stretched his arms and shoulders. A pleased groan escaped him as he got a few pops out of his neck. Eddie looked up at the dead tree he was leaning on and the others around it. He had no clue what he was doing, where he was going, or why he was alive. The only thing he knew is that he wanted to get out of the Upside Down.

Eddie let his head fall, looking down at the pale fleshy wings on his lap, and his matching hands. A part of him wanted to be excited about it, how many people dream of having wings? But right now he just saw them as a burden and a statement that he wasn’t himself anymore. They were a punctuation that things weren’t over. The worry that the team had failed, crossed his mind. But then why did all the bats suddenly stop attacking? Panic welled up inside him, remembering something Dustin said. If they did win, that means all the gates are closed, and he’s stuck there. But if they lost that means everyone is already dead, and he has nothing left to return to. Either way, he was screwed. He let his head fall back against the tree and closed his eyes.

A break of a twig snapped him out of his self-pity. His eyes popped open, and he slowly turned his head to see a pale, slender, faceless beast, easily eight feet tall, walking toward him. Based on the descriptions he’d gotten, he knew that had to be a demogorgan. Shit. Eddie remembered being told they were attracted to blood, and he was covered in dry blood. Shit! He knew he had to do something, but what could he do against a beast like that? It was still a ways away, but he knew that thing could gain on him in no time if he started running. He watched as it crouched and moved its weird facial petals in what he could assume was a sniffing motion. It turned to face him and made a high-pitched cooing sound. Shit!

Eddie panted for a minute debating his options. This was not something he was comfortable fighting, so run it was. He stood up and burst into a sprint. A louder growl of a coo followed after him and he didn’t dare look back. The pain of his wings dragging on the ground wasn’t enough to stop him. In fact, it reminded him that he could fly. He scanned the forest for a clearing as he ran. There were no openings, and if he tried to fly from where he was, he’d knock into the trees for sure. His distraction made him step on one of the vines, and a strange sensation coursed through him. He suddenly knew exactly where he was and that there was a house just out of his sight to his left. He turned, and sure enough, he saw a secluded two-story building. As soon as he breached the trees he flapped his wings with a strained shout, hurling himself toward the roof. His foot clipped the edge of the roof, tumbling him across it. Luckily it wasn’t a steep slope, so he didn’t roll off.

As soon as he got his balance, he looked over the edge of the roof. There was no sign of it. He turned onto his back, wincing as he rolled on top of his wings. “That was insane.” He looked up at the rolling sky, trying to catch his breath. “This is insane!” he shouted angrily. His chest started heaving in a panicked laugh. “What the fuck?” he hitched, eyes watering. A scraping nearby caught his attention, he coughed on a laugh as he sat up to see a smaller dog version of the thing that was chasing him. A couple more crawled over the edge of the roof behind it. “Motherfucker!” He shook his head and stood. Running to the edge, he ungracefully launched himself off of it before the dogs could reach him. His back hurt far too much to maintain flight, but he managed to use them to glide to the ground and continue running.

With the inhabitants obviously knowing he was there, he stopped caring about avoiding the vines and instead focused on not tripping. His legs were already weak, making his steps inaccurate. Every time his foot landed on one of the vines, he got an instinctual pulse telling him exactly where he was. It made him think of a submarine radar but as a feeling. It confused and scared him, but he also appreciated it as it was able to guide him to a familiar place, Loch Nora. It was a rich neighborhood, so there were lots of large houses. He chose a nearby one and ran inside, closing the doors behind him. After a couple of breaths, he turned to look out the small window. Nothing was there. He slid down the door, sitting at its base. His chest started to heave again, and he started to feel nauseous. “Why?” he whimpered. “What did I do to deserve this?” He rested his head against the door and let the tears flow. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, his wings following suit.

[duranduratulsa]

Now showing on DuranDuranTulsa's Television 📺 Showcase...Stranger Things: The Massacre At Hawkins Lab (2022) on Netflix #tv #television #horror #scifi #strangerthings #massacreathawkinslab #davidharbour #finnwolfhard #noahschnapp #calebmclaughlin #sadiesink #gatenmatarazzo #joekeery #winonaryder #MillieBobbyBrown #PaulReiser #robertenglund #nataliadyer #charlieheaton #mayahawke #matthewmodine #josephquinn #priahferguson #carabuono #gabriellapizzolo #hendrixyancey #2020s #Netflix #durandurantulsa #durandurantulsastelevisionshowcase

[littlechivalry]

I love the idea of our Hawkins teens going to a showing of a Rocky Horror so much so please join me in this:

Eddie's driving. He's excited, loves that he gets to 'pop their cherry.' He pulls up to Harrington house expecting to see Steve and Robin posted up outside in full Brad and Janet regalia.

Eddie of course is dressed as Eddie and of course he thought about Frank but that might be too much. Steve is cool but is he cool? Eddie hopes but he's not an idiot.

Instead of proper Midwestern church clothes he finds Robin standing out front in a raggedy black suit, her hair greased down while Vicki (and yes Eddie had had his suspicions) is next to her dressed as a maid with her own bright red hair teased out to heaven.

"Riff Raff? Magenta? I didn't expect to see you two here."

Vicki laughs but Robin gives him a look that makes a shiver run up his back.

"So where's Steve? Decided to stay home?"

The last syllable barely leaves his lips when the door opens and - - -

LEGS. Fishnet stocking LEGS. Tap pants and a bustier and a shining tail coat and a top hat and a blinding grin and LEGS.

"Columbia?"

Steve laughs and dances down the steps and he's wearing tap shoes too? Eddie may not survive this.

Robin laughs at him but Vicki pats his shoulder in commiseration.

The drive to Indy is filled with jokes and conversation and music and Eddie is paying attention to the conversation. And he is paying attention to the road. But

LEGS

They get to the theater and get their props and their seats. A few songs in Steve begs off to go to the bathroom. Does Eddie watch him go? Of course. Can he actually see him very well in the darkened theater? No. But it's the principle of the thing.

Then the music starts up for the Time Warp and Eddie is on his feet along with everyone else in the theater. There are performers on stage dancing along with the movie, a long line of tuxedo clad strangers when suddenly a figure goes flying across the stage and Eddie can hear Robin and Vicki whooping but he is frozen.

It's Steve. Tapping. It's a perfect recreation of Columbia's dance routine and when the other boy finally comes to a stop, gasping, on a chair at the corner of the stage Eddie finds his voice screaming louder than he has at any concert he's ever been to.

A few minutes later Steve makes his way back to his seat and Robin lunges past Eddie to throw herself at him. Eddie can make out that she's talking but not what she's saying.

They make it through the rest of the show and it's amazing. Eddie's second favorite moment may be when Steve and Robin wrapped their arms around him during "Eddie" wailing out fake sobs.

They sing and shout themselves hoarse. The ride home is quiet but in the best possible way. Robin and Vicki are as good as sleeping in the back of the van and Steve is leaning against the window, humming along with the radio.

"Hey," Eddie says softly. "Where did you learn to dance like that?"

Steve smiles but it's barely a shadow of his usual smile and it fades fast. "When I was little my mom still gave half a shit about being seen as a good mother so she put me in dance classes. It didn't last too long. My dad didn't like it and after a while it became more important for her to be seen as a good wife so I was taken out and put into every sport."

Eddie doesn't say anything. Can't say anything.

"I really liked it though? I can't play music and I'm not much of a singer but I really like dancing. Robin had to put up with me practicing this almost constantly for the past few weeks. I thought she was gonna kill me."

"So you learned this for tonight?"

Steve turned to face Eddie and smiles. "I learned it for you, man. Thought you would get a kick out of it."

The small ember of Eddie's crush on Steve had initially been lit years ago in high school. He had banked it carefully, couldn't bear to let it go cold but too worried about losing Steve as a friend to let it flare bright.

"You learned it for me?" Eddie's stomach feels warm

"Yeah," Steve says, smiling. "Every Eddie needs a Columbia, right?"

Steve is laughing at him and that only makes Eddie feel warmer. Steve. His crush, Steve. Steve did this for him.

"Yeah," Eddie says. "Yeah, he does."

"Thought so," Steve says, turning back to the window.

Eddie drives them back to Hawkins in a silence full of potential.