Chapter 38, Eddie, The Banished
(Ep. 2: Vecna's Curse)

Nightfall had approached by the time they arrived at Reefer Rick's home.

It was a quarter to midnight and Gwen was already struggling to remain awake. Like she always did when night came, she took out a can of her energy drink and finished it as if it were nothing but water.

Right away, Dustin started ringing the doorbell. Not a single sound was heard. Not even a faint breeze or the sound of footsteps. The silence only made Dustin more impatient that he resorted to continue ringing the doorbell incessantly to the point it became ridiculous.

"All right, that's enough," Gwen snapped, placing her hands into her jacket as she tapped her foot vigorously.

"It's settled then. I guess he's not here," Steve lazily said as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Eddie! It's Dustin!" Dustin pounded on the door and ignored the complaints from Steve while Robin, Max, and Gwen directed their flashlights to the windows to check if there was anyone inside.

From what Gwen was able to see, the house was fairly messy and there appeared to not have been anyone inside for a while. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought this house was abandoned.

"REEFER RICK!"

Steve groaned and leaned his head back in frustration, "Don't scream that. If he's actually inside, now he'll never want to open the door."

Gwen took a step back from the window. She didn't find any use continuing to knock in a place that obviously didn't have anyone. If Eddie really was here, he wouldn't go for the obvious place. He would choose a more desolate, more conspicuous location.

She walked down the porch and shone her flashlight toward the back. It seemed Max thought the same thing, who now walked alongside her to what appeared to be a boathouse.

"Hey, guys?" Max called out.

The rest of the group sprinted to them and felt the smallest bit of hope that Eddie was hiding in there. It made sense considering since Reefer Rick wasn't home, the easiest place to break into was the boathouse.

Before anyone can take the first step, Gwen was already walking in its direction. She could hear Steve and her brother scolding her for getting ahead without knowing if it was safe, but if Dustin was right about Eddie, then she was certain he wouldn't harm her if he was inside.

She knocked gently against the door and moved slowly to the window to look inside while pointing the flashlight in.

"Are you insane?!" Steve reprimanded her, causing her to jump at the loudness of his voice. "You have to wait until I make sure it's safe."

Gwen appreciated the concern, but chose to say nothing nonetheless. She didn't come to Hawkins to dwell on their past relationship, so she preferred keeping her distance to avoid any conflicting feelings from getting in the way.

(Not that they would matter since it was obvious Steve didn't see her in the manner anymore.)

The door to the boathouse was pushed open and in the group came. There was nothing but absolute darkness and not even the flashlights gave enough light. The sudden sound of a beer bottle rolling away was heard, causing everyone to turn abruptly in its direction.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Robin asked.

"Either he's hiding somewhere or he ran off when hearing us," Gwen kicked the empty bottle to the side as she looked around amidst the darkness.

"Eddie?" Dustin walked around and checked through every small gap that could be a good hiding place.

"What a dump," Steve mumbled.

Gwen shone the flashlight on his face, "It's a boathouse. Did you seriously expect a drug dealer to add some furniture and make it all nice?"

He frowned at her and placed the flashlight down to grab an oar. She stared at him curiously and wondered why he needed it in the first place. That's when he took a step closer to one of the boats and started stabbing it with the oar.

Dustin jumped at his sudden action, "What are you doing?!"

Steve continued hitting the tarp, "He might be in there."

Gwen questioned the logic behind his plan. She knew he meant well, but if Eddie really was hiding under there, it was not going to end well. "Have you considered that you can hurt him with that thing?"

Steve didn't listen.

He merely continued to hit the boat even harder.

"Take the tarp off!" Dustin demanded.

Steve briefly stopped and gestured toward the boat, "If you're so brave, you take it off."

Max rolled her eyes at their antics, noticing the empty beer bottles and candy wrappers. "Someone was definitely here."

Robin took a closer look and realized she was right, "Maybe he heard us. Got spooked and ran."

"Don't worry. Steve will get him with his oar," Dustin snapped back and smirked sarcastically at him.

Steve rolled his eyes and continued smacking the tarp, "I know you think you're being funny, but considering everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times, personally I don't find it funny in the slightest-"

"I find it funny that none of you have the guts to take the tarp off, or don't tell me you guys are afraid?" Gwen teased as she continued looking around.

Steve exhaled sharply and glared at her with annoyance, "Why don't you do it then?"

"Fine," Gwen maneuvered her way around the mess toward the boat. She was nearly about to raise the tarp, but a sudden figure jumped up with means to attack.

Eddie went after the first person he saw, which happened to be Steve. He stormed toward him and pinned him to the wall too harshly. In his other hand, he held a broken beer bottle to hold against Steve's neck.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!" Steve panicked.

Gwen stiffened at the sight.

She didn't think twice about running in his direction, but a sudden hold on her prevented her from reaching Steve.

Behind her and Dustin, the group were just as concerned, but remained calm to prevent the situation from worsening.

"Eddie! Eddie! Stop!"

Dustin's voice was able to divert Eddie's attention from Steve. He stared at him for a mere moment with frightened eyes before switching to Robin, Max, and finally to Gwen.

"It's me," Dustin took ragged breaths and waved his hand in the direction of his other friend. "This is Steve. He's not going to hurt you. Right, Steve?"

Gwen seriously hoped her brother would be able to get through to him. Seeing the man she loved frightened to the core with a sharp edge against his throat terrified her that she could lose him at any second. Just standing here made her feel completely useless that all she wished was to be able to do something without risking him even more.

Steve gasped and stuttered through his words, "Right, yeah." He held tightly to the oar and waited for the right opportunity to use this against Eddie and free himself from his grasp.

Dustin glanced down, realizing one wrong movement from him could cost him everything, "Steve, why don't you drop the oar?"

The oar came crashing down and thumped loudly against the floor, which made Eddie press the shard closer to Steve's neck.

"Eddie! He's cool! He's cool!"

Steve faintly nodded, "I'm cool, man. I'm cool."

Eddie glanced over in Dustin's direction. His grip never once loosened on Steve from fearing this was anything other than a trick. He was absolutely certain everyone viewed him as a killer and considering all the things he heard about, he didn't believe he was simply here out of the kindness of his heart.

"What are you doing here?" Eddie asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"We're looking for you," Dustin tried taking a step closer, but stopped when seeing Eddie tense at his movement. "Eddie, this my sister, Gwen. The one I told you about," he explained in a gentler tone, "She's the one that learned how to play D&D."

Gwen quickly nodded, "But I'm terrible at it, so you might need to give me some lessons so I can finally become a higher level."

"You know Robin from band," Dustin continued, gesturing toward her as she started imitating a trumpet sound with a gentle smile. "This is my friend Max. The one who never wants to play D&D."

Eddie seemed to be getting calmer at the introductions.

"Eddie, we're on your side," Dustin assured him while the others quickly agreed. "I swear on my mother! Right, guys?"

"Yes. Yes, we swear."

"Apparently on our mother," Gwen's voice came out shakier than she hoped and it sure didn't help continuing to see Steve pinned to the wall.

"Yes, Dustin's mother... on Gwen and Dustin's mother," Steve quickly agreed, eyes wandering over at Gwen that helped his nerves slowly fade.

Eddie seemed reluctant to let him go. He stared intensely at Steve's eyes, debating on whether or not it was right to trust someone that did nothing but be a complete asshole.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Eddie decided to give in and released Steve. He took a few steps back, ignoring everyone making their way to check if their friend was okay.

Gwen stayed behind and located herself in front of Steve. She kneeled in front of him, her hands reaching for the base of his neck as she gently tilted his head to the side. Her eyes studied every inch of his skin, narrowing them to get a better look as the moonlight hit him perfectly and gave her more of a chance to make sure there were no accidental cuts. She trailed her fingers down his neckline, his warmth radiating onto her like a cozy campfire.

"You're okay," she assured him and he exhaled in relief, as if he had been waiting for her to assess his wellbeing and declare him to be safe.

"Thanks," Steve whispered, his eyes glancing up to stare into hers. Even under the low lighting, they were still a vibrant blue, reminding him of the ocean and blue skies that alleviated his heartaches and sent him into a grand state of bliss.

God, if he could drown in them, he would do it in a heartbeat.

"Eddie, we just want to talk," Dustin softly said, his hand reaching for the broken bottle in his hand.

Gwen looked over at Eddie and as if her eyes could shoot daggers, she piercingly glared at him with intensity. He averted his gaze to the ground and it suddenly filled her with sympathy when seeing him in complete distress. With just one look, she already knew Dustin was right and Eddie couldn't have done anything to Chrissy.

"We want to know what happened," Robin's voice was low and gentle.

Eddie sniffled, peering at him through his shoulder before saying, "You won't believe me." His fingers curled around the broken bottle even tighter, shaking uncontrollably as he stared off into the void from remembering every single minute of Chrissy's death.

Slowly, Dustin reached for the bottle once more and gently removed it from his tight hold. Eddie flinched lightly at his touch, making Dustin raise his hands in surrender for a few seconds until setting the bottle away from them.

"Try us," Max said from behind them.

Eddie stared attentively at the group, wondering how exactly to begin because he didn't even know how to explain without sounding crazy. They seemed understanding now, but what happens when they hear the truth? Would they still believe him to be innocent or believe he was making it up to save himself?

"You can trust us," Dustin assured him, "All of us."

Taking a deep breath, Eddie decided to take a leap of faith, praying they wouldn't believe the worst of him when hearing everything.

__________________

"Her body just, like, lifted up into the air..." Eddie's voice faded into a broken silence. He stared at the emptiness, replaying everything as he wondered if there was something he could have done to save her. "And she just... hung there."

Silence fell upon the boathouse.

"Her bones started to snap..."

Explaining everything felt like relieving it again. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. He saw her floating into the air, twitching uncontrollably, jaw breaking, and eyes exploding into her head. She needed help and he couldn't offer it. "Her eyes, man. It... it was like there was something, like, inside her head, pulling. I- I didn't know what to do, so I- I ran away. I left her there."

Nothing but guilt was all Eddie felt. He had always seen Chrissy at school and thought she was just a self-absorbed cheerleader, but after speaking to her, he came to realize she was more than she let on.

And instead of helping her when she needed him, all he did was leave her.

He scoffed at his action, "You all think I'm crazy, right?"

Dustin shook his head, "No. We don't think you're crazy."

"Don't bullshit me, man!" Eddie exclaimed. "I know how this sounds!"

"We're not bullshitting you," Max quietly responded.

"We believe you," Robin added.

"I just... I just left her there," Eddie mumbled to himself. "I should've done something. I should've- I should've helped her!"

Gwen understood exactly how he felt. Ever since the Upside Down was discovered, she constantly blamed herself for not having done enough. Many deaths could have been prevented and she was still here.

She wasn't worthy of the sacrifice Barb made. She didn't deserve to survive after the mall burned down since she knew about the monsters and Billy didn't. Standing there watching him get killed by the mind flayer had been the most cowardly thing, and it happened because of her. If she had kept driving that summer night, Billy wouldn't have gotten possessed and all those people would still be alive.

Hopper would still be here and El would still have her dad.

She had been the cause for everyone's misery.

How could she live with that?

How could she move on and pretend this wasn't destroying her?

She couldn't tell him not to blame himself, because it would hypocritical. Nothing she could do or say would ever rid him of this guilt, so she simply remained silent.

"This isn't your fault, Eddie," Dustin tried to reassure him. "Look, hopefully what I'm about to say is able to help in some twisted way. You know how people say Hawkins is... cursed?"

He nodded.

"They're not way off," Dustin continued. "There's another world. A world hidden beneath Hawkins that sometimes bleeds into ours."

"Like, ghosts and shit?"

Max shook her head, "There are some things worse than ghosts."

"These monsters from this other world," Dustin explained. "We thought they were gone, but they've come back before. That's why we needed to find you."

Eddie listened attentively.

"If they're back again, we need to know."

"That night," Robin spoke up, "Did you see anything?"

"Dark particles, maybe?" Max asked.

Gwen was reminded of everything that transpired these past years. She left Hawkins to try to salvage the last part of her that remained, but the distance didn't help. Everywhere she went, she was haunted by her demons. She was plagued with the torture of remembering and escaping would be rendered useless.

Hawkins was her curse and as long as she was still breathing, she would forever be trapped.

She took a shaky breath and clutched onto her necklace. The feeling of the ring against her skin replenished her unlike anything, but it was something momentary. Something that reminded her of what this town took from her... and how she let it.

Gwen looked away from the group, but suddenly felt a drop of blood fall onto her hand. She thought nothing of it and simply wiped her nose on the inside of her sleeve.

"It would almost look like dust, swirling dust," Dustin continued to explain.

Eddie tried to remember anything that resembled what they were describing, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. "No, man, there was nothing you could see or touch. You know, I tried to wake her, but she couldn't move. It was like, she was in a trance or something."

Dustin's eyes widened with contemplation, "Or under a spell."

Eddie caught on to his D&D reference, "A curse."

"Vecna's Curse."

"Who's Vecna?"

Dustin's heart dropped at the severity. All of the previous monsters they fought were nothing against Vecna, "An undead creature of great power."

Eddie's voice dropped to a whisper, "A spell caster."

"A dark wizard."