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~ Terrible, Terrible Things ~
TWO DAYS BEFORE
Robin Buckley eyes burned with tears. She struggled to catch her breath as panic gripped her. She didn’t know what to do.
It had been five days, if she were to guess, since they’d been separated from the boys. But time was elusive in a hell hole like this, so she wasn’t exactly sure. All she knew was that Nancy was in her arms her body rigid and her eyes rolled back in her head. All Robin could do was look on in horror.
“Nancy!” Robin cried. “Nancy!!” She pulled her to her chest, supporting Nancy’s weight as she positioned her in her lap. She cradled her friend’s head with one hand.
Shit, they should’ve never come here. She thought. Robin had known it would a bad idea, but Nancy had theorized that if there was a gate in Lovers Lake, that maybe there was one in Eddie’s trailer too and that maybe the boys knew that too and they would find them here.
And of course, she was right. Nancy was always right. She was the smartest girl Robin ever knew. There was a gate. A nasty gapping pit that looked like just like an open maw bleeding and bubbling on the ceiling of Eddie’s trailer. But they could’ve never have seen this coming. This trance-like state that took over Nancy the same way Eddie had talked about it taking Chrissy or Patrick.
A fresh swell of panic coursed through her as hot tears slid down her cheeks. She stared at Nancy, desperately trying to find a way to reach her. To pull her out of this twisted state she was in before Vecna took her too. Robin would never let it happen. Not now. Not after these few days, they’ve been bonded in ways Robin never imagined she would be to Nancy fuckin Wheeler.
“Please.” She begged, stroking Nancy’s cheek. “Wake up Nance.” She croaked.
Nancy’s face twitched in reaction to Robin’s voice. It almost looked as if an electric current rippled under her skin. Then suddenly her eyes shot open and she heaved a gasping breath, nearly toppling Robin over.
“Holy shit.” Robin cried. She held Nancy tighter.
Nancy looked up at her. A mix of terror and confusion distant in her eyes. A rush of relief crashed into Robin. She bent and kissed Nancy on her forehead before she realized what she was doing.
“I thought you were a goner.” She choked back a sob against Nancy’s skin, not caring what any of it meant. Her skin was clammy and cold. Robin rested her forehead against Nancy’s for a long moment. She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of Nancy as she gripped her hand. After a moment she pulled away when it felt awkward, but Nancy held her hand tighter.
She blinked up at Robin. Her gaze vaguely aware but watchful under tearful eyes. Robin squeezed her hand and pulled her to sit up. Nancy made a painful noise in the back of her throat and Robin stroked her back.
She watched Nancy carefully for a moment as she looked out ahead of her. Robin watched her carefully a moment and then cleared her throat.
“What happened?” She asked softly.
Nancy’s gaze flitted to Robin’s. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. She shook her head like she was trying to erase some troubling thought.
“Was it him? Was it Vecna?” Robin gently rubbed her thumb over the top of Nancy’s hand. The action pulled Nancy’s focus back to Robin. She looked down at their hands and nodded slowly. “You don’t have to tell me anything . . .” Robin started to say.
“It was him.” Nancy rasped, her gaze levelling with Robin’s. “We have to get back home.” She muttered.
A pang of dread rippled through Robin. Her expression darkened. She swallowed thickly.
“I saw terrible things.” Nancy whispered. She began to sob. “Terrible, terrible things.”
THE NEXT DAY
“Would you slow down man?” Steve called as he struggled to keep up with Dustin. Half a mile back the kid had broken into a full sprint after an idea had hit him, leaving the others blinking in confusion and shuffling to catch up.
They had spent a day navigating their way back to Nancy’s house, which in normal Hawkins would only take them about thirty minutes on foot. But in the Upsidedown they had to go out of their way to try to make it around the huge glowing crimson craters the earthquakes had left in their wake. Not to mention their needing to take cover when any of those creatures stalked out of the shadows.
They armed themselves with the only weapons they could find in Rick’s cabin – which given the circumstances, weren’t too shabby. Eddie carried a pickaxe. Erica donned an old fisherman’s knife that she wore on a sheath on her belt. Dustin affixed an army knife to a stake to make a spear and Steve tucked Rick’s .35mm pistol into his waistband. So far, he hadn’t had to use it and he hoped he wouldn’t need to.
“Dustin!” Steve called again, finally catching up to the kid’s side. He grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “Where are you even going? This isn’t the way to Nancy’s.” He scowled.
Dustin let out a frustrated breath as Eddie and Erica shuffled up beside them, also out of breath.
“Yeah, what fuckin gives man?” Eddie heaved a breath, wincing when all the injuries on his back stung at once from the effort.
“We’re not going to Nancy’s.” Dustin sucked in a breath.
“Yeah, no shit.” Erica glowered.
Dustin shot her a stern look.
“And why the hell not?” Steve asked.
“Because it’s taking too long.” Dustin let his arms fall to his sides, exasperated. “We’d have to walk clear across past Curly to make it around the rifts.” He gestured behind them.
“So what?” Steve grimaced. “We stick to the plan. That’s what we agreed on.”
“We’re wasting time is what we’re doing.” Dustin spat. “We need to change course.”
“Whoa!” Steve put up his hand. “Going back for the girls is not a waste of time.” He shot back.
Dustin let out a sigh, regretting his words. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Then what did you mean?” Steve stared at him and put a hand on his hip.
Dustin took a deep breath. “It’s been what? Two days since you last saw them?”
“Three.” Eddie chimed in.
Dustin blinked. “I’m pretty sure since you two didn’t show up when they thought you would,” he waved his hand between Steve and Eddie. “That Nance decided she needed to check things out. They probably discovered the same thing we did. That their trek was just as impassable to get to Steve’s as it is for us to get to them.”
Steve narrowed his eyes at him.
“So, she probably decided to try the one place she knew you’d probably go.” He nodded at Eddie. “To Eddie’s.”
“But . . .” Steve started to argue.
“The gate.” Eddie muttered when the thought struck him.
Dustin snapped his fingers and pointed at him. “Right. The gate.” He glanced at Steve. “She probably figured it out.”
Steve jerked his head and frowned. He glanced at Eddie, who looked back at him with resolution in his eyes and Steve felt a little twinge of affection for him.
The kid was probably right. Nancy Wheeler and Robin Buckley were no damsels in distress. They’d change their plan if they sensed anything was wrong.
Steve glanced over his shoulder at the dim expanse of the rotten forest and glowing rifts behind them. Something shrilled in the distance and the sound sent a shiver through him.
“Alright.” Steve turned to them. “We’ll go to Eddie’s. But from now on, no taking off without the others.” He shot a look at Dustin. He nodded tightly.
The others nodded in agreement and together they followed each other out of the clearing, with Eddie leading the way.
Nancy couldn’t seem to get her hands to stop shaking as she tried to hold onto the bottle of water Robin had retrieved from their pack.
“Here.” Robin said softly, taking the bottle gently from her hands. “Let me do it.”
She knelt in front of Nancy where she was sitting with her back against the wall and her long legs spread out in front of her.
Nancy looked blankly ahead as Robin placed the bottle to her lips. She took a sip and let out a shaky breath.
Robin sat back on her knees and frowned. “Nance.” She treaded carefully. “Did you want to talk about?”
Nancy’s gaze flicked over to Robin, and it pulled her out of her stupor. The coil of fear that had been twisting inside her started to relax when her eyes met Robin’s. She reached out and took her hand, which Robin happily gave her.
Robin slid over to sit beside her and Nancy leaned into her. She rested her head against Robin’s and for a long moment they sat listening to the ambient sounds of the dark world just outside the thin trailer walls.
“He showed me things.” Nancy finally broke the silence.
Robin gently squeezed her hand, encouraging her to go on.
“Things that haven’t happened yet. The most awful things.”
Robin gulped down a bubble of nerves. She didn’t want to ask, but she did anyway. “What kinds of things?”
“I saw a dark cloud, spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. A giant creature was a huge gaping mouth.” Nancy muttered, shivering. Robin put her arm around her and pulled her close. “I . . . I . . .” Nancy choked back a sob.
“It was just a dream or . . . a trance.” Robin tried. She wanted to be helpful, but she was struggling to find the right words to comfort her friend.
“It was real. I saw it.” Nancy croaked out. She sat up straighter and turned to look at Robin with a challenging look in her eyes.
Robin nodded tightly. “I believe you.” She whispered. “I believe you Nance.”
A single tear ran down Nancy’s cheek. Robin reached out and wiped it away. The gesture caused Nancy’s breath to catch and she placed her hand over Robin’s and pressed it to her cheek.
“Thank you.” Nancy whispered. “For being here and for believing me.”
Robin’s eyes stung with tears. She didn’t want Nancy to see, so she pulled her close to her side again, letting and let her lean her head on her shoulder. There was a mix of emotions that felt like they were having a battle inside Robin. Fear. Confusion. And . . . affection. The type of affection that was like a stubborn guest you couldn’t get rid of.
She cleared her throat. “Just rest, okay?” She murmured. “Let’s just rest for a while and we’ll get back out there and find the boys.”
Her reassuring tone caused Nancy to lean into her more closely. Her wavy curls brushed Robin’s cheek as she nodded in agreement. Robin fought the urge to kiss the top of her head. Instead, she rubbed Nancy’s arm gently.
Soon they both drifted off into a fitful sleep.
~ * ~
Nancy startled awake, her eyes darting around the room. They couldn’t have been asleep for long because the room hadn’t grown any darker and the shadows of the dim light coming in through the blinds hadn’t shifted.
Robin eased her arm back that had been nestled at Nancy’s side. She winced from the achy pins and needles that ran through it from having fallen asleep.
“You okay?” Robin’s voice was gravelly.
Nancy looked around the room and slowly nodded her head.
They got to their feet and Nancy busied herself with checking their packs while Robin looked around the trailer for anything that they could take with them. They worked in silence as they packed first aid items, some old crackers and a few bottled waters into their packs.
After everything was secure Nancy said as she shrugged on her pack and slid her gun into the holster on her waist. “Ready?” She asked.
Robin gave a quick nod, and they started for the door.
They gazed out to the grim night, tinted red and humid.
Nancy turned her head and looked at Robin. She reached down and took her hand.
“Let’s go.”
They could see the paved road of the interstate just ahead of them as they trekked up a small embankment. Forest Hills Trailer Park would be just a couple miles from where the highway bent to the west. They were close. But they were also more exposed since the canopy of trees had thinned out. It made Steve nervous.
A layer of fog crawled along the road. Eddie came to a halt where the dry grass met the road and squinted out beyond. Steve walked up beside him and glanced over at Eddie.
“You okay?” He asked.
Eddie softly sniffed. He smirked as he looked over at him.
“Never better Stevie.” He huffed a humorless grunt.
Steve wished Eddie wasn’t always such a smart ass. Especially now when Steve felt genuine concern for him. When Eddie noticed the frown on his face he back peddled.
“Sorry. I’m fine.” He murmured, subtly leaning closer to him. “It’s just surreal, ya know?” His gaze slid back in the direction of the trailer park. “It’s home but like, if home were in hell.” He took a deep breath. “I guess in a way, it’s fitting for me.” He chuckled.
Steve blinked sharply. “What do you mean?” He was getting ready to protest Eddie’s thought when the metal head shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t pay any attention to me. Thinking this place was badass was stupid of me. It just wants to kill us every turn we take.” He said grimly.
Steve narrowed his eyes, fighting the urge to tell him he’d never let anything hurt him. But before he could Dustin and Erica shuffled up beside them.
“Jesus Christ.” Dustin huffed. He was irritable and out of breath. He held a hand over his side as he looked out into the distance.
“This was your idea, remember?” Eddie smirked at Dustin. The kid glared back.
“Do you guys get the sense we’re being watched?” Erica asked, her expression guarded.
Steve’s eyes scanned the area around them and then up to the eerie sky. He hadn’t noticed or had that same feeling but now that she mentioned it, he sensed something was off.
“Let’s get out of here.” He muttered, not taking his eyes off the tree line.
They strode down the highway but only made it a few feet when Eddie started to feel lightheaded and his vision got blurry. He subtly staggered on his feet. Steve arched his brow at him, unsure if he’d seen Eddie’s wobbles from the corner of his eye.
Eddie brushed his bangs away from his sweaty brow when suddenly he buckled to his knees and gasped.
Steve raced to his side. “What is it?” He demanded.
Eddie let out a whine as he tried to reach behind his back. He rocked back and forth on his knees, hissing from pain. “My back.” He stammered. “It – it feels like it’s on fire.”
Dustin crouched before him and Erica frantically pulled a water bottle from her pack, not knowing what else to do.
Goosebumps prickled at the back of Steve’s neck. The air around them shifted as the wind kicked up in the trees.
Steve heard the enormous whooshing before the others did. He didn’t hesitate. He grabbed hold of Eddie and jerked him to his feet.
“Run!” Steve commanded. He wrapped his arm around Eddie’s waist and forced him to run. They made for the dense tree cover back in the forest. Wind swept around them, kicking up dust, grit and fog.
Another whooshing sent new fear coursing through Steve because it was closer. Eddie grimaced at his side as he tried to keep up. Steve couldn’t look back but he hoped that the kids were out of harm’s way.
An ear piercing shrill blared through the expanse. They had just made it into the forest when Eddie cried out in pain and went limp at Steve’s side. Steve did his best to drag him back into the thick bushes where he couldn’t be seen.
The sound of scraping shoes against dirt bounded into the forest behind them.
“Steve!” Dustin called. But the kid quickly realized where Steve had taken shelter. He and Erica joined them under the bush.
They all lay on their stomachs, their chests heaving. They struggled to stay quiet as they caught their breath.
The huge wings of the enormous demobat circled overhead, flying so low that its wings brushed the tops of the trees. It chittered as it looped around and the sound sent a sick feeling sliding down Steve’s gut. He fought the urge to vomit, swallowing hard.
He hadn’t realized until then that Eddie was clenching Steve’s hand so tightly the tips of his fingertips were white. He turned his head to look at him. Eddie had his eyes squeezed shut and his head bobbed lightly as he mouthed something that looked like a silent plea.
“Hey.” Steve pressed against him. Eddie’s eyes shot open and jerked his head to look at Steve. The fear in his eyes bloomed brightly. “I’m here.” The jock said. “I’m here Eddie.”
He snapped out of his panicked reverie and blinked rapidly at Steve that he could almost see the relief wash over his face.
Another shrill echoed out and Eddie snapped his eyes closed again. He sucked in his breath, cutting off a cry. Steve looked up, watching as the enormous monster pass overhead. He didn’t claim to know anything about demobats but from his experience he didn’t think they could see very well. He wondered if the same was true for this behemoth of one.
Just when he was thinking of a way he could plan a clever escape, a shot rang out. Steve instinctively ducked his head while the others blinked in surprise.
The creature let out a scream as it quickly changed course and swiftly flew to the west, toward the sound of the gunfire.
Steve’s brain hiccupped, not understanding what he’d just heard.
And then the realization struck him and he shot to his feet.
“The girls!”
Do Steve and the group race off in the direction of the gunfire hoping to find the girls?
OR
Does Steve order the others to stay behind so he can investigate the situation himself?