❝𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐍❞

"Is she answering?" Steve asked Dustin, running out of the school, the others quick to follow behind him. "No! Neither of them are!" Dustin said in an annoyed tone. "Maybe the walkie was dead and you didn't realize it?" Robin tried to come up with possible explanations, walking beside Dustin. "No. I never leave home with a dead walkie. It's like one of my rules." Dustin waited beside Steve's car. Nancy quickly unlocked her car, "anyone wanna come with?" She asked before she sat down. Robin looked at her, nodding her head, "I'm coming!" She shouted, running over to Nancy.

"Nance, just follow us, alright?" Steve hurriedly got into the car, starting the engine as Max and Dustin shut the doors, not bothering to buckle their seatbelts. "Go!" Max shouted, too anxious to wait any longer. "What if she's already seen this clock?" Steve asked as he began driving, looking at Dustin in the passenger. "No, no, she would have told one of us. Especially Robin," Dustin shook his head, bringing the walkie up to his mouth. "Y/n, this is Dustin! We have a code red!" He shouted into the walkie. "Son of a bitch." He groaned.

"We'll get to her, don't worry." Steve tried to calm things down even though his heart was pounding out of his chest. "What if Steve is right? Maybe she saw the clock before Chrissy or Fred? Or maybe last night when we all went home?" Max questioned. "If she saw the clock before Chrissy or Fred, she would've been dead by now." Dustin looked back at Max. "Listen, nothing is going to happen to her? Maybe it's some huge coincidence that she's been having nosebleeds and headaches? They're not uncommon." Steve shrugged. "But it's still something to worry about, Steve! We have to be extra cautious." Max furrowed her brows.

"Are they still behind us?" Dustin asked, tilting his head to the side to look in the mirror. Max turned around, "yeah." She nodded. Steve took in a deep breath, pressing harder on the gas, hoping to make it back to the house within a few minutes.

━━━━━

"Where are they?" You mumbled, rubbing your head. Your eyes hung low, tired from standing and doing nothing all day. "Why? Getting bored of me?" Eddie chuckled, sitting up from his spot in the boat. "That, and," you reached down at one of the many empty wrappers on the floor, "we're out of snacks." You threw the wrapper at him. Eddie watched as the flimsy wrapper landed on his lap before he swatted it away. "I'm surprised they haven't tried calling us on the walkie." Eddie reached over the boat, grabbing it. "I know." You spoke, staring out the window. Nothing but the whistling of the wind, crickets, and hooting owls were heard. It was eerie.

It always felt like someone or something was watching you whenever you looked at the lonely road. "Aha!" Eddie shouted. "The damn thing wasn't on!" He laughed. You rolled your eyes. Of course, it's been shut off all day. That would explain the complete silence. "Henderson?" Eddie spoke into the walkie. Not even a few seconds went by before Dustin's voice came through the walkie, "Eddie?! Eddie, is that you? Where is y/n? Is she okay?!" Dustin sounded panicked. You turned to look at Eddie with a confused face. "Yeah, she's right here, man. Why? Is everything okay?" Eddie asked, his eyes looking at you.

With your arms folded across your chest, you walked up to Eddie. "We've been trying to reach guys all day!" Dustin shouted. "Sorry, dude, we didn't realize the walkie was turned off." Eddie scoffed. You snatched the walkie from Eddie causing him to shoot you a look. "Can you guys tell me where the hell you are? I'm starving and bored." You exhaled. "Y/n, don't go anywhere just stay right there with Eddie, okay?" Dustin spoke. "What the hell is going on?" You asked, confused. "We-we found out what Vecna's curse is!" Dustin shouted. You and Eddie looked at each other, both unable to speak. Eddie quickly stood up, walking over to you. "Y/n...you're in danger." Dustin spoke.

Your heart dropped. It was like your entire world began spinning. You hadn't even realized Eddie grabbed the walkie from you. "What do you mean she's in danger?" Eddie asked, glancing at you from time to time. He noticed the look on your face. Shock and fear, mixed into one. "Eddie, just keep an eye out for her! We'll be there soon!" Dustin shouted. Eddie looked over at you, your eyes glued to the floor like you couldn't move. "Y/n?" Eddie slowly approached you. His hands slowly rested upon your shoulders, causing you to flinch and look up at him.

"Eddie..." Your voice was barely audible. Your breathing started to quicken, and your ears began to ring. You felt like you were gonna pass out at any moment. If you were truly under Vecna's curse...you'd end up just like Chrissy. Your mind started to recall the way Eddie described her. Her body...lifting into the air. Her bones...snapping. "Woah, calm down!" Eddie held onto you as you began to shake out of fear. He slowly sat you down onto the stool, looking down at you. Tires screeched in the distance, Eddie quickly grabbed the broke beer bottle and ran over to the window. "Stay there." He instructed, poking his head out.

He let out a deep breath once he saw Dustin and Robin running down to the boathouse, the others following behind them. "Y/n!" Dustin barged through the door, his breathing labored. Robin quickly walked up to you, "y/n, are you okay?" Robin grabbed your hand. "No! I'm not fucking okay!" You stood up from your seat, the others walking in. "How-how do you even know Vecna is after me? Huh?" You looked at all of them, Nancy and Max walking in last. "Because he's after me too," Max walked up to you.

"We broke into the school and found Chrissy's file in Ms. Kelly's office." Max started. "Like school counselor Ms. Kelly?" You asked. Max nodded, "she was having headaches, nosebleeds, lack of sleep, nightmares, and then these visions." Max explained. Your eyes scanned hers, recalling just today when your nose started bleeding. "Today," Eddie looked at you, "your nose was bleeding today." Eddie walked up to you. You blinked, looking at Max, "were you...having these problems too?" You asked, your voice shaky. She nodded, "I saw it. I saw a clock in the school today. Like an old grandfather clock."

"It was like she was in a trance," Dustin looked at Eddie, "like you said Chrissy was." Dustin explained. "Fuck. Fuck." You mumbled, your eyes brimming with tears. "But, she's fine right?" Eddie asked, looking at the others. "When did the headaches start?" Max asked. You shook your head, shrugging your shoulders, "like four days ago." You gulped. All of them looked at each other, fear in their eyes. "Oh, fuck." A tear slipped from your eye as you walked away from the others. "We have to keep an eye on her and Max." Nancy added.

"We all just can't stay here tonight. Where are we gonna go?" Steve asked, looking at everyone. "My house. The basement is big enough." Nancy nodded. "Yeah, except Eddie can't go." Dustin pointed at him. You zoned out of the conversation, still on the other side of the boathouse. Eddie glanced at you, noticing how you isolated yourself. He let out a deep breath, walking away from the others. "Hey," He said softly. You sniffled, wiping your tears before looking at him. "Maybe it's just some stupid coincidence." He tried to reassure you. "But everything Max said is exactly what's been happening to me over the past four days, Eddie. It can't be a coincidence. No way in hell." You clenched your eyes shut, letting out a deep breath. Eddie stared at you with concern.

"What the hell am I going to do? Before I know it, I'm gonna end up like Chrissy." You shuddered, moving away from Eddie's touch. Eddie looked over his shoulder at the others, all of them devising a plan to help you and Max. "All I'm saying is that we should just keep an eye out on both of them. We know they're in danger and we know what happens once you are under Vecna's curse." Nancy looked between the group. "Yeah, but we truly don't know what Vecna is," Robin shrugged. "We have no way of knowing how to fight off this curse." She looked at Nancy.

Nancy gave Robin a half-smile, reaching into her bag and pulling out the printed newspaper article they found at the library, "which is why we have this!" She handed out a paper to everyone. Steve grabbed the paper, furrowing his brows, "what is this?" He looked at Nancy. "Well, when me and Robin were at the library, we didn't exactly find much, except for information about Victor Creel. Apparently, in the fifties, he claimed a demon attacked his family, killing his wife and kids. But, of course, no one believed him and he was found guilty of the crimes." Nancy folded her arms across her chest.

"The fifties? That doesn't add up. How could have Vecna been around in the fifties?" Steve rubbed his head, looking at Dustin. "I'm not sure, but if anyone knows anything about Vecna, it's Victor Creel." Nancy looked at everyone. Her eyes then focused on you at the back of the boathouse, isolating yourself. Everyone turned their heads, looking back at you. "We have to figure something out quickly." Robin stated, biting her bottom lip. "Y/n?" Steve called out to you. You looked up at everyone, walking past Eddie, "I need some fresh air." You mumbled under your breath.

"Woah, woah, you can't just go out walking alone like that." Eddie stopped you. You nudged his shoulder off, giving him a cold stare, "I'll be fine." You assured. "Eddie is right, y/n." Dustin looked at you, holding his hands out to try and stop you from proceeding any further. "So, what? Now I'm on house arrest?" You asked in a sarcastic tone. "We get it, y/n. We know you're scared, okay? But to keep you safe, you have to stay with us." Nancy spoke in a calm voice. "You get it? You get it?!" You walked up to Nancy. "The only one who gets it is Max!" You pointed at her. "We're both gonna fucking die in who knows how many hours! And no one knows what to do!" You shouted. The stress and fear were getting to you.

You immediately backed down, "I'm sorry," You apologized to everyone. "But, all I want is a breath of fresh air. Please?" You looked at the group, hugging yourself. Nancy and Robin slowly nodded their heads, "yeah, fine." Nancy stepped aside, allowing you to walk out of the boathouse, the wooden door creaking loudly as it shut. "You can't blame her, Nance." Steve leaned against the wall. "No, no," Nancy shook her head, "I'm not. I just wanna keep everyone safe, you know?" She took a deep breath in, trying to keep a brave face on. "Is she gonna be okay?" Eddie asked, slowly walking up to the group.

"Um," Robin exchanged looks between Nancy, Steve, Dustin, and Max, "she's gonna be fine. She usually gets like this when she's on edge." Robin explained. "But she's not gonna end up like Chrissy, right? Like it's just some huge coincidence?" Eddie blinked, waiting for an answer from the others. "She'll be fine." Dustin could tell that Eddie wasn't taking the news so well either. From what he saw that night Chrissy died, Eddie couldn't explain the fear and shock he felt. It kept replaying in his head over and over again like a loop. He didn't want to witness the same thing happen to you.

"We just have to come up with a plan and somehow talk to Victor Creel, who is locked up in Pennhurst Asylum." Nancy sighed, starting to realize how ridiculous this entire plan sounded. "And how are you going to do that?" Steve questioned. Nancy looked at Robin, a smile on her face, "us girls will come up with a plan. But, I say we all head back to my place to rest up," Nancy turned to Dustin. "You mind getting y/n for me?" She asked. Dustin nodded, walking outside, the wind blowing through the trees causing them to rustle. "Y/n!" Dustin shouted, the leaves crunching under his feet as he took small steps.

"Where the hell is she?" He muttered, walking up to the house. The porch was empty. "Don't tell me you did what I think you did," Dustin whined. "Y/n!" Dustin shouted again. No sign of you. Dustin began to panic. You must have run off. "Shit!" Dustin sighed, running back towards the boathouse. "Guys! Guys!" Dustin busted through the door, catching everyone's attention. "I can't find her." Dustin panted. "What?!" Robin pushed Dustin out of the way, walking outside. Eddie perked up, "where is she?" He questioned, looking at Dustin. "I-I don't know! She must have run off!" Dustin shrugged. "Guys she's not here!" Robin shouted, running back down to the boathouse.

"Son of a bitch," Steve sighed. "Come on, let's go!" He ushered the others out of the way, pulling his car keys out of his pockets. Eddie looked at the others as they left the boathouse, in a hurry to find you, wherever you went.

━━━━━

You walked the barren road, no cars have passed for the last few minutes. You didn't mind the quiet time, you needed it. You needed to leave, too many things for you to process at once. Why you? Why Max? What did the two of you do to be cursed? You didn't want to think about it but it was the only thing on your mind at this point. You thought the walk would help, at least help distract you a little bit, but it did the exact opposite. You inhaled deeply, dragging your feet across the road.

The woods were quiet, not even the sound of crickets or an owl hooting in the distance. And it was so cold. The breeze brushed past you, causing you to shiver. You hugged yourself, hoping to warm up a little bit. You don't really remember how long you've been walking, or if the others were out looking for you, but all you knew is that you needed to head back to the boathouse, it was the only place closest to you. Home was too far away, and without a car, you weren't willing to be out here by yourself for that long.

"Y/n..." A deep and twisted voice whispered in your ear, the wind blowing by at that exact moment. You spun around on your heel, quickly looking behind you. There was nothing. No one. You furrowed your brows, picking up your pace as you made your way back to the boathouse. With every few steps, you could feel eyes on you, like someone was watching you from the woods. You peered over your shoulder every now and then, feeling like you could hear someone following you. You grew concerned, walking quicker, forcing yourself to push past your limits.

━━━━━

"I don't see anyone." Robin peered out the window, Steve slowly driving down the road. "Nothing?" He asked, peering over at his side. "Nothing." Robin responded. "Dustin, anything on Nance's end?" Steve looked back. "I'll check," Dustin grabbed his walkie. "Hey Nancy, this is Dustin. Did you find anything on y/n yet?" He asked. Static came through, "nope. Nothing yet." Nancy spoke. "Maybe she just went home or something?" Max shrugged. "No, no. Her house is too far away, she wouldn't have made it that far." Steve shook his head.

"Picked up a ride from a stranger?" Max tried to come up with possible answers to your disappearance. "Y/n would never get into a car with a stranger. And if she ever did," Robin poked her head out the window, shining a flashlight into the woods, "she's either completely wasted or on some serious drugs." Robin plopped back down into her seat, letting out a defeated sigh. "She's just scared and ran off. That's all there is to it. We can't blame her for lashing out back there." Steve took a deep breath in, trying to get the others to sympathize with your reactions.

"No one is blaming her, Steve. We just want to find her, that's all." Robin glanced at him. Robin was worried for you, scared to find you dead in the woods somewhere or hear about your name on the news. She just wanted to make sure you were okay, to make sure you were safe. As long as someone else is around you, she has a little bit of comfort in knowing that you're not alone. "Maybe Max is right. Maybe she did catch a ride home or something." Dustin looked at Max.

"Anything guys?" Nancy asked over the walkie. "No." Dustin responded, disappointment in his voice. "Fine. We'll check her house." Steve complied, stepping on the gas.

━━━━━

It was like a weight was lifted off of your shoulders seeing Reefer Rick's house. Steve or Nancy's car wasn't in sight. You looked over your shoulder one last time, slowly but surely making your way down to the boathouse. "Eddie?" You called, slowly opening the door. Eddie popped up from the corner as he saw you enter, "where the hell were you?" He asked, a small hint of resentment in his voice. "I just needed a walk." You looked at him. "Yeah? Well, now the others are on a manhunt for you." Eddie pointed to the outside. "I needed time alone."

"It's been an hour, y/n." Eddie informed you, lifting the sleeve of his jean jacket to look at his watch. "No, it hasn't." You shook your head, not wanting to believe him. There was no way in hell you were walking alone on the road for an hour. It only felt like twenty minutes. "Uh, yes the hell it has." Eddie took off his watch, throwing it at you. You caught it in your hands, seeing it was almost ten-thirty at night. "What the hell?" You questioned, looking up at Eddie. "Next time, try not to run off while some other-dimensional monster is trying to kill you. Just a tip." Eddie tilted his head. "Yeah, thanks for the heads up, Sherlock." You threw the watch back at him.

You sat on the stool, fiddling with your fingers as Eddie sat on the edge of the boat. "You know," Eddie looked at you as you began talking, "when I was walking...I heard a voice call out my name." You admitted. "Like a scream?" Eddie folded his hands together. You shook your head, "it was like a whisper like it was right in my ear. And...and it felt like someone or something was watching me the entire time." You know it sounded crazy, but with what's going on right now, it sounded like the most normal craziest thing. "Do you think it was..."

"Vecna?" You finished Eddie's sentence. He nodded slowly, toying with his rings. "I don't know. If it was him, does that mean it's it for me?" You looked at Eddie with concern. "I don't know either." Eddie spoke. "Did Chrissy ever mention anything?" You asked out of curiosity. "No," Eddie looked to the floor, "she was just really jumpy and on edge the entire time. Kind of like...you." Eddie gestured. "Max said she heard and saw a grandfather clock. Is that when it's determined? My death?" You were asking Eddie questions he didn't have the answer to. But having him here, just to talk, was oddly comforting. It helped put you at ease.

"No, I think it's when all the headache and nosebleed shit starts happening." Eddie touched his face, motioning with his hand. "But why Chrissy?" You asked, scrunching your face up in confusion. "But why you?" Eddie asked. You looked at him, your eyes locking with his. There was a few seconds of silence, tension between you two before you broke eye contact, "I'm not sure, Eddie." You looked down at the floor. Eddie grabbed the walkie, handing it to you, "let them know you're here so you can go home with them."

You looked down at it, "I don't feel like dealing with that right now. I'm not in the mood for a lecture from all of them." You shut the walkie off, placing it on the floor. "So, you're just gonna stay here for tonight? In my luxurious boathouse?" Eddie cracked a smile. You let out a small laugh, looking away from him, "shut up," You stood up from the stool, walking over to Eddie. "Scoot." You ordered him. Eddie moved over to the side, allowing room for you to sit beside him. "I'm starting to get the idea that you like spending time with me." Eddie teased, looking at you. "Spending time with the freak? How could I?" You rolled your eyes, nudging him.

Eddie smiled, "don't deny it. I'm pretty fun to hang out with." He looked at you, waiting for you to look back at him. "Mmm...I think I'm gonna need a little more time to determine that." You looked at him with a smile, locking eyes with him once again. "Does that mean you're gonna hang out with me more?" Eddie asked. "Only for our project. Remember, Munson?" You raised a brow at him. "Ah, right, the stupid English project we were assigned." Eddie pointed a finger at you. "That'll be the last time we will ever hang out." You looked away from him, a small smirk on your face.

"Maybe...I can change your mind?" Eddie asked, looking down at the floor. You looked up at him, seeing a smile on his face as he toyed with the end of his shoestring. "That's if you do a good enough job convincing me." You said softly. "I'm pretty good at that." Eddie let out a breathy chuckle, glancing at you. "Good. I'd like to see you try." You nodded. "Deal." Eddie held out his hand for you to shake. "Deal." You grabbed his handed, shaking it. As you let go, you slowly lowered your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes. Eddie just sat there, letting you use his shoulder as a pillow. Usually, he would mind, but he knows you had a tough night. He just hopes nothing bad happens on his watch.

𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬:
Here is chapter 4! I am glad so many of you are liking this book, it means a lot. I hope you stay interested as it progresses :)