❝𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐓❞

You held your breath, pushing your arm in a butterfly motion as you swam towards the red light. Looking closer, you noticed that Robin and Nancy were hovering over what looked like the gate. As you swam closer, they both turned their heads to see you. Locking eyes with them, you could tell they were ready to swim through the gate. Your brows furrowed as you examined it, a red glow emitting from it, with a flesh-like membrane around it. It grossed you out. Nancy nodded her head at Robin, swimming right down to it, kicking her feet. Robin followed after her, the flashlight still in her hand. Looking around one last time, you shined the flashlight back up towards the lake.

Your heart stopped as you saw Eddie swimming towards you as fast as he could. You swam back up towards him, reaching for his hand. Eddie squinted his eyes, the water messing with his vision as he looked past you and towards the gate. You stared at him, squeezing his hand to grab his attention. Eddie looked at you, a worried look on his face as he stared back at you. You pointed at the gate before letting go of his hand, turning around to swim back towards it. Eddie quickly followed after you, kicking his feet to propel himself. You braced yourself as your hand touched the membrane-like cover.

Pushing through, you gasped for air, noticing Nancy and Robin yelling in the distance. You didn't even have time to process your surroundings, blinking the water away from your eyes as you climbed out of the gate. "Robin!" You shouted, crawling to your feet before running in her direction. "Y/n!" You heard Eddie gasp as he climbed through the gate. He could see you running towards the others. From what you could see, Steve was on the ground, thrashing around. You came to a complete stop, seeing some bird or bat creature eating away at his flesh. "Asshole!" Nancy swung at the creature with an oar, the creature flying across the floor.

The creature let out a high-pitched screech causing you to wince. You ran over to Steve, grabbing one of the creatures by its freakishly long tail, dragging it off of Steve. "You ugly son of a bitch!" You screamed, smacking it with your flashlight, the sound of the flashlight beating against its flesh and bone. The bat screeched at you, flapping its wing profusely while it tried to escape your grasp. You grunted with each swing you took, beating the bat to death. "It's on me! Get it off!" Nancy screamed, dropping the oar as one of the bats began attacking her. "Nancy!" Robin yelled, dropping everything to help her.

The thing fell to the floor, twitching and moaning in pain. You lifted your leg, stomping on its small head several times. Another creature let out a screech as it came rushing towards you, its tail wrapping around your arm as you put your arms up to block. "Shit!" You yelled as it pulled you to the floor. Its tail was wrapped around your arm tightly as a snake does to its prey. The creature bit into your arms, its teeth puncturing the skin, causing you to yell out in pain. Eddie quickly took notice, snatching the oar off the ground and swinging at it, knocking the creature off of you. Eddie hit it over and over with the oar as you stood to your feet. Your eyes were wide as more came flying your way.

Nancy swung at another creature, Robin hitting it too as it came her way. "Eddie, watch out!" You screamed. Eddie quickly looked at you. You grabbed his arm, pulling him away as it came flying right towards his face. Luckily, you pulled him out of the way just in time. The bat circled you and Eddie as if it was choosing who to attack. "Back to back!" Eddie yelled, gripping the oar. You let out a shaky breath, putting your back up against his. The creature screeched furiously. You stared it down, ready to take a swing any minute. "Come on, you bastard." You said through clenched teeth. The flying creature came rushing towards you at an unimaginable speed. You gasped before instinct kicked in, throwing your arm out, the flashlight connecting with the creature's face. "Duck!' Eddie yelled.

Quickly dropping to your knees, Eddie spun around on his heel, hitting it with the oar so hard, that it broke. The thing flew to the other side as it skidded across the ground. You quickly stood back to your feet, turning to look at the others. Steve grabbed the creature by its tail, repeatedly slamming it on the ground as it went limp. He stomped on its wing, pulling at its tail so hard its body ripped in half. You all were trying to catch your breath as you all stood there, looking at those things, dead, on the ground. "Steve," Nancy rushed towards him, "are you okay?" She said in a worried tone. "Jesus H. Christ!" Eddie shouted in anger, slamming the broken oar down.

"Holy shit." You said out of breath, falling to your knees to try and regain your energy. Eddie kneeled, as he noticed your sweater sleeves covered in blood. "You okay?" He looked at you, out of breath. "Just hurts," you slowly lifted your sleeve, noticing the blood dripping. "That asshole got me good." You chuckled. "Jesus, that's a lot of blood." Eddie grabbed your arms gently. "It's okay, Eddie." You assured him. "Y/n!" Robin came running towards you. "Oh god, they bit you." She kneeled, looking at your arms. "It's fine. Someone just help me take off my sweater." You groaned. Robin grabbed the hem of your sweater, helping you lift it over your head. You sighed in relief, "I need to rip the sleeves."

Eddie grabbed the sweater from Robin with his shaky hands, "this thing won't rip, it's too thick." He put the sweater between his teeth as he tried to rip it that way. "Shit. It's fine. I'll find something else." You pulled your long sleeve back down, leaving the sweater on the floor. Eddie helped you to your feet as you all walked over to Steve and Nancy. His stomach was covered in bite marks and blood. He groaned in pain as he held his stomach, "They took some chunks out of me, but other than that, never better." He sighed in pain. Robin shined her flashlight at one of the dead creatures on the floor, examining it carefully, "uh, do you think these bat things have, like, rabies?" She looked at the group. "Robin..."

"Rabies is just really scary, okay? And it's like my number one fear. And we should definitely get you and y/n to a doctor soon because we don't know what type of diseases these things are carrying. And once those symptoms set in, boom, you're done for. It'll be too late." Robin explained, rambling on as she usually did when she was nervous. Everyone just looked at her with a confused expression. The awkward silence was broken as more bats came screeching from the sky, flying towards you. Eddie pulled you near him, stepping in front of you. "Oh no." You mumbled, grabbing onto Eddie's hand. The bats came flying down towards the gate, standing dormant as they stared at you, shrieking.

"There's not that many." Steve breathed out. "What? You want to fight these things again?!" You looked at him with wide eyes. "We can take them." He said, unsure. The others stayed silent before another swarm came flying in, squealing and chittering. "You were saying?" Robin looked at Steve. "I think we should start running. Like, now!" You looked at the others. "She's right! The woods!" Nancy began running. You followed after her running as fast as you could. "Great. More running!" Robin whined, shortly following the group. You held onto Eddie's hand tightly, running with him to the entrance of the woods.

With the little time you had, you couldn't help but notice that this place, the upside-down, looked exactly like Hawkins. If you weren't mistaken, you were just in Lovers Lake, except there wasn't any water. And from a distance, you could see Reefer Rick's house on the other side of the shore. Yet, everything had these weird fleshly vines covering them, and the sky was surrounded by this weird blue aura. You haven't seen anything like this, never even thought you would. Dustin was right when he said that the upside-down was an exact copy of Hawkins. Astonishing, but horrifying. The bats howled in the distance as the five of you continued to run, jumping over anything like logs, rocks, and trash. "We can hide at skull rock!" You shouted to the others, this set of woods looking familiar.

"I see it!" Nancy shouted, pushing through the woods, running ahead of the group. Robin stayed behind with Steve, helping him through the thick bush of leaves and twigs. The bats screeched loudly as they tried to find the group. "Hurry!" Eddie ushered you under the rock first. You crawled under the rock, grabbing his hands to help him under. Nancy and Robin helped Steve sit down. The bat's sequels grew louder as they got closer. "Get under!" Nancy had her back against the rock. You peeked your head out, looking up through the trees, seeing the bats fly overhead. You scowled at them like they would be able to see you. "Ugly fuckers." You groaned. Robin looked at you and Eddie, a small smile on her face as she noticed both of your hands intertwined. You slowly lifted your arm, the blood seeping through your long sleeve. "Doesn't look too good." Eddie gently placed your arm down. "Thank you, Sherlock."

Eddie smiled at your snarky comeback. You looked down at your hand, noticing you were holding his without even realizing it. Pulling away, you nervously glanced at Eddie to see if he had noticed. "How are you holding up? Are you hurt?" You asked Eddie, inspecting his entire body with your eyes, trying to see any wounds. "I'm okay. It's you we should be worried about." He scoffed. Thunder sounded in the distance as you all anxiously sat there, trying to catch your breath and gather your thoughts. Everyone stood to their feet, slowly crawling out from the rock. "I think they're all gone." Robin looked up. "That was too close." Eddie swallowed. "Shit..." Steve breathed out, falling against the rock wall.

"Steve? Jesus." Nancy rushed to his aid. "I'm fine. It's okay." He breathed in. "No you're not, you're losing blood." Nancy looked at him. Nancy ripped the bottom of her knitted sweater as Steve rested against the rock. "So, good news, I'm pretty sure dizziness is not a symptom of rabies," Robin smiled nervously. "But muscle spasms and hallucinations and aggression are, so if you're feeling any of that, just let me know." Robin nervously rambled. "Robin?" Steve groaned. "Yeah?" She smiled. "I kind of want to punch you right now." Steve chuckled. Robin let out a nervous laugh, "still have your sense of humor I see."

Nancy kneeled down, taking the ripped part of her sweater and wrapping it around Steve. Eddie turned away. "Hey guys, I would really love it if I could get some emergency help too!" You pointed at your arms, showing the blood. "We can get supplies at my house!" Nancy shouted. You let out a sigh, clenching your eyes shut, trying to resist the pain. "You don't look like you are fine." Eddie looked over his shoulder. "It just hurts Eddie, that's all." You walked towards him. The thunder loudly clapped once again. "You're such a liar, you know that?" He shook his head at you. "What do you mean?"

"You dived into that stupid lake even though you said you wouldn't." Eddie sighed. "I lied because I knew if I didn't, you'd hold me back. Anyway, for someone who was so scared, why'd you dive in anyway?" You winced, lifting your arm. Eddie looked at you, opening his mouth to say something but he quickly shut it. He knows the true reason why he dived into that water. It's because he dived in after you. He didn't want anything to happen to you. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but he cares about you. "I'm a wanted man, remember? Can't just sit out in the middle of the lake." He raised a brow at you. You smiled to yourself, looking away from Eddie. You knew he was lying, but decided to play along.

"Y/n, how're holding up?" Robin looked down at your arms. "Just hurts. That fucker got a good few bites. Small but painful." You chuckled. Eddie grunted as he climbed up onto a rock, using his hands to steady himself. He stood to his feet, looking over through the woods. "So, uh, this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?" Eddie turned towards the group. "Right on the money." Nancy glanced up at Eddie as she helped Steve. Eddie nodded in disgust as he tried stepping down from the rock. "Be careful for the vines! It's all a hive mind!" Nancy informed. "A what?" You questioned. Eddie looked down at the moving flesh vines on the rock, his arms out as he balanced himself. "All the nasty shit around here, they're like all connected or something. You step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on Vecna." Steve spoke.

"Well, shit." Eddie pursed his lips, stepping over the vine on the rock. "So everything from Hawkins is still here, except for the people? Right?" You walked over to Nancy. "Yeah, basically." She sighed. Robin walked up next to you, "that means we can go to the police station, get guns and grenades and whatever the hell else to kill those bats guarding the gate." Robin quickly spoke. "They may have guns, but I doubt they have grenades, Robin." Steve looked at her. Nancy looked at you two, "we don't have to go all the way downtown for guns," she paused. "I have guns in my bedroom." Nancy admitted.

"I'm sorry, did you just say you have guns in your bedroom?" Your brows knitted together. "A Russian Makarov and a revolver." She cocked her head to the side. Eddie jumped down from the rock, staring at her in shock. You scoffed, walking towards Eddie. Eddie slid his vest off, throwing it at Steve. "Cover up, dude." Eddie spoke bluntly. "The guns are a great idea, but my arms are all chewed up and I would really like to do something about that." You lifted your sleeve. "Right," Nancy shook her head. "My house has a first aid kit you can use."

Within a blink of an eye, the ground began shaking uncontrollably, a loud rumbling with it. You fell towards Eddie as he grabbed onto you. "Oh my god!" Robin yelled, falling. You and Eddie fell onto the floor, his hand wrapped around your waist. "What the hell was that?!" You yelled, panting heavily. A loud shriek could be heard from the distance as you all tried to catch your footing. You looked towards the sound in fear, Eddie doing the same. "Yeah, so guns seem like a pretty good idea to me." Eddie spoke. "Yeah, me too." Robin panted. "Then, let's go." Steve turned his flashlight on, leading the way.

You and Eddie watched as he and Nancy walked past the two of you. Quickly getting up, Eddie helped you. "Thank you." You smiled at him, grabbing his hand. You carefully stepped over the vine, following after Nancy and Steve, your hand slipping out of Eddie's. Eddie watched as you walked away from him, fiddling with the rings on his fingers. "

━━━━━

The five of you have been walking for some time now, stepping over the gross vines and losing your minds, wondering if you were wandering in circles. "How're your arms?" Nancy looked at you. "Uh," you looked down, "could be better." You snicker. "Don't worry, once we get that first aid kit, you'll be good as new." Robin smiled. You and Nancy both laughed with her. Nancy looked over her shoulder, seeing Eddie and Steve walking together. She smiled before looking at you, "so, y/n?" Nancy looked at you, a smirk on her face. "Yeah?" You turn your head to look at her. "Are you and Eddie, like, a thing?" She lets out a small laugh, feeling silly for asking that question. "Me and Eddie? No." You look away, shaking your head with the slightest smile. "You do like him though, don't you?" Robin questioned.

You turned to look at her quickly, shining your flashlight in her face, "who said anything about that?!" You knitted your brows together. "Watch it!" Robin pushed your flashlight in a different direction, blocking the light from her eyes. "No one," Nancy spoke. "It's just...obvious. Wanting to be with him instead of investigating the Creel house, hugging him at Skull Rock, holding his hand, and last but not least, the eyes." Nancy raised her brows. "Pffft, no. You got it all wrong. Me and Eddie," you looked back at him for a quick second before turning back to Nancy, "we're just friends. I swear."

"Y/n, you don't have to lie to us. If there's any time to confess, the time is now. Plus, it's not like we'd tell him." Robin shrugged. You took in a deep breath, "okay, maybe a little bit." You stepped over the vine. "I knew it!" Robin cheered, clapping her hands together. "See!" Nancy smiled, nudging you. "I don't know, I guess over the past few days, I've actually got to know him. Other times, we'd just sit in silence while working on a project or he'd talk my ear off while I waited to go home." You admitted. "What changed?" Nancy questioned. "I'm not exactly sure. I just...suddenly started to like him. He's funny, he's caring, and he makes me smile. What more can I explain? But, I doubt he feels the same. It'll soon pass." You shrugged.

"Are you kidding me?!" Robin nearly shouted. "What?! It's true! And don't be so loud!" You slapped Robin on her arm. "He's head over heels for you, y/n!" Robin beckoned. "I said don't be loud!" You shouted in a whisper, looking back to see if Eddie heard. "She's not wrong. All of us can tell there's tension between you two." Nancy jumped over a vine. "Doesn't mean he's head over heels." You dismissed their accusation. "He stares at you with adoration, y/n. Good god, you're blind." Robin rolled her eyes, sighing in annoyance. "Well, it's better to assume the worst than get my hopes up."

Steve and Eddie watched as the three of you girls conversed secretly in front of them, looking back from time to time. "What do you think they're talking about?" Eddie leaned in near Steve. "Probably girl stuff." Steve frowned, watching his step. "Ah," Eddie nodded. "Hey man, are you and Nancy a thing?" Eddie asked, looking at Steve. "Me and Nance? Nah." Steve shook his head. "Really? I mean, I would have thought you two were something with the way she dove in after you." Eddie shrugged. "What do you mean?" Steve looked at Eddie, confused. "She dove in straight after you. Wasted no time, Harrington." Eddie threw his hands up in the air. Steve smiled, shining his flashlight at the ground. "What about you and y/n?" Steve asked.

"What about y/n?" Eddie furrowed his brows, carefully stepping over the vines as the thunder clapped loudly and red lightning lit up the sky. "I mean, you two seem very...close." Steve gave Eddie a suspicious smile. "That's nothing. We're just...looking out for each other." Eddie shook his head. Steve scoffed, "god, she said the same thing." Steve rolled his eyes. "What?" Eddie quickly turned his head to look at Steve. "Before I dropped her off at the boathouse, she admitted you two were only friends. But, I hate to admit it, you're both terrible at hiding it." Steve pursed his lips. "That girl right there," Steve pointed at you, "wants you, man." Steve's eyes locked with Eddies. "She's too good for me." Eddie admitted. Steve put his hand out in front of Eddie, stopping him from walking. They both looked at each other.

"Maybe that's what you need. You ever thought about that? She's smart. She's pretty. She willingly ran away from the cops with you. Y/n L/n ran from the cops with Eddie Munson. She doesn't hesitate when it comes to you, man," Steve spoke what he's been wanting to say all this time. "Now, if you ask me, that's the full package. You better get to her before anyone else does. She likes you, Munson." Steve patted Eddie's back, continuing to walk. Eddie stayed to himself for a few seconds, looking at you as you walked with Robin and Nancy. "Okay," Eddie sighed, "maybe I do have a thing for her." He clenched his eyes shut. "Now that's what I'm talking about," Steve smiled. "Make a move while you still can."

"But I doubt she feels the same way. I mean, look at me, Harrington. I've stayed back twice. Twice! I sell drugs, I live with my uncle, play D and D with teenagers, and play in a band that only has a crowd of five." Eddie shoved his hands in his back pocket. "Who says that's not what she's into? That's why you have to make a move. What's the worse that could happen?" Steve asked. "A lot." Eddie blew air past his lips. "Well, tell me, what do you like about her?"Steve walked beside Eddie. "She's smart as hell, like, I can't even explain it. She's funny and laughs at my dumb jokes. She's brave, a real badass. And most of all, she puts up with me." Eddie poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. Steve raised his brows, "wow, that's, uh, that's a lot." Steve chuckled.

"Yeah, no shit, Harrington." Eddie cleared his throat, trying his hardest not to feel awkward. "Ask her out, man. After everything," Steve gestured with his hand, "is done and figured out. I'm sure she'd be thrilled. She likes you. Trust me. I would know." Steve pointed at himself. "Hey, boys!" You shouted, walking backward. They both looked up at the three of you. "Stop being slow and hurry up, yeah?!" You cupped your hands around your mouth, shouting at them.

Just as you went back to turn around, the ground began shaking again, a loud rumbling filling your ears. "Shit!" You screamed, holding onto a tree as you tried to steady yourself. "I hate earthquakes!" Robin yelled, falling to her knees, trying to balance herself. Nancy held onto a tree as well before she began running off. "Nancy? Nancy!" You screamed. "Where are you going?!" Robin shouted. Nancy continued to run through the woods, tiptoeing her way over the vines. "Nancy!" You yelled, running after her. From a distance, you could see the edge of the woods, Nancy standing there as she looked ahead. You, Robin, Eddie, and Steve all rushed beside her.

Red lightning flashed in the sky, and the electrical towers and telephone poles bent and eroded, toppling over each other. "Isn't that your house?" You looked at Nancy. She nodded as she tried to catch her breath, "let's go." She began walking in front, headed straight for the house. "Yay, more walking." You sighed, wiping your hands on your jeans. You looked down at your arms, rolling your sleeve up carefully. You winced at the site, your flesh was torn into. You desperately wanted to wrap something around the wounds. "Come on, we'll get you fixed up at the house." Eddie placed his hand on your back, gently pushing you to walk. You nodded, pulling your sleeve down. "If you think about it, you'll have a badass story to tell." Eddie smiled at you.

"Yeah, as if anyone would believe a flying bat monster from another dimension was trying to tear me apart." You rolled your eyes playfully. "It only makes it more interesting," Eddie's hand slipped from your back. "Does it still hurt?" He asked. You nodded silently, stepping over the vines. "Once we get back to the real Hawkins," Eddie looked around, "a few painkillers should do the trick." He adjusted his pants, pulling them up. "Once we get back to Hawkins, there's a lot of things I want to do." You raised your brows. "Like what?"

"Like get this shit over with," you spoke quickly, looking at Eddie. "And of course have you play the guitar for me." You nudged his arm with your elbow. "I thought you called the deal off?" Eddie smiled at you. "Well, it's back on. So, you play the guitar for me and I get you your precious six-pack. Promise?" You held your pinky out. Eddie looked down at your hand, "there's just one more thing." Eddie spoke slowly, hesitating to ask his question. "What is it?" You gave him a puzzled look. "Let's make it a date." Eddie quickly spoke, letting out a heavy sigh. You looked at him in shock, your mouth slightly agape. " A-a date?" You blinked.

"Yeah, why the hell not? You know?" He slowly turned to look at you. He was unable to read your expression and was afraid you might reject him. That was until he saw the corner of your lips curve into a big smile. "A date it is." You grabbed Eddie's hand as he held his pinky out. Eddie smiled wide, his pinky interlocking with yours. "You know, if it's gonna be a date, then we need to watch a movie too. I was thinking Nightmare on Elm Street? Maybe Friday the 13th? Or Halloween?" You fidgeted with your fingers.

"Halloween definitely. It's a classic." Eddie had a small smirk plastered across his face. "Popcorn? Soda? Juice? Candy? Takeout? There are so many options. And," you turned to look at him, "your place or my place?" You held your finger up. Eddie shook his head at you with a big smile, "we'll figure it out in due time. For now, let's get you patched up." Eddie gave you a playful push as you two hurried to catch up with the other three.

𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬:
Chapter 10 is here. If you haven't watched volume 2 yet, please look away and do not read this note lmao. But I'm not really sad anymore cause I've literally gaslit myself into believing Eddie is still alive. No joke. I've come up with so many theories that my baby is still alive. I'm in denial. I know. But they had no right to do him so dirty. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!