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EDDIE WAS GOOD AT DISTRACTING Pauley from how distressed she was. She didn't tell her brother about anything, she didn't come home last night, she didn't tell her friends — well, the club. "So then I remember just taking off my pants and running." Eddie explained and the two laughed at the story. "You didn't get caught?" Pauley asked and Eddie shook his head as he looked through the various things on the shelves. "Nope." He answered, popping the "p" as he did. Pauley had an impressed look on her face, "Wow." Was all she said before she gave him a few golf claps. The time was probably ten now — oh, and this was the start of her spring break — it sucked but... Eddie made it good.

It wasn't until voices from outside made the two stop talking. Eddie grabbed an empty bottle from a nearby shelf and hit it against said shelf — making it break in half to be a homemade shank. Pauley couldn't help but be confused at his actions but he waved her off — her expression said enough. Eddie got back in the boat and quickly pulled in Pauley with him. Their faces were inches apart and Pauley swore that she could feel his breath fanning her face — the tarp covered them and they waited for the voices to get closer. "Hello? Is anyone home?" The voice was slightly muffled but Pauley swore it sounded familiar to her.

"What a dump." Another voice said — it was a male's voice — Eddie looked at Pauley out of the corner of his eye, she looked back at him. Suddenly, Pauley felt a poking sensation on her leg, she couldn't help but mouth an "ow" but Eddie brought his other hand up and covered her mouth. "What're you doing?" The familiar voice asked, "What are you doing?" They asked again and the person poking answered, "They might be here." Pauley furrowed her brows.

People were looking for her and Eddie.

"So take the tarp off." The other voice reasoned but the one poking scoffed, "If you're so brave, you take the tarp off." The floorboards creaked. "Hey look over here. Someone was here." Another voice said and the person stopped poking — "Maybe they heard us, got spooked, and ran." The familiar voice spoke again, "Don't worry. Steve will get them with his oar!" They teased and the one poking — now identified as Steve — scoffed, "I know you think you're being funny, but considering everyone in this room has died nearly a hundred times, personally, I don't think it's funny in the slight—" Steve was cutoff by Eddie jumping out and cornering him, holding the bottle up to his neck.

Pauley was just as surprised as the others, looking at Eddie and Steve — who she recognized as Steve "The Hair" Harrington — and the others there were Dustin, a red headed girl, and Robin Buckley who she had fourth period with. Focusing at the problem in the moment, Pauley got out of the boat, "Eddie, Eddie, calm down." She said and Dustin nodded at her words, "Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Steve said in a panicked tone — holding his hands up and he lifted his chin slightly.

He looked at Eddie fearfully. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Eddie! Eddie! Stop!" Dustin yelled as Eddie looked at him and the others. "Eddie! Eddie! It's okay!" Pauley said making Eddie look at her — his eyes softened. "Look, it's me and look," she motioned at Dustin, "it's Dustin." She motioned at the kid next to her. "This is Steve." Dustin explained — motioning to the man under Eddie. "He's not gonna hurt you or Pauley. Right, Steve?" Dustin looked at him with wide eyes — urging him on to answer, "Right, yeah." Steve answered, going to nod but the bottle at his neck stopped him. "Steve, why don't you drop the oar?" Dustin said and Steve gulped before dropping said oar.

Eddie put some more pressure on the shank and Steve groaned, "He's cool. He's cool." Dustin reassured again making Steve speak this time, "I'm cool man, I'm cool." Eddie looks between him and Dustin before looking at Pauley, she nods for him to pull away. Eddie looks back at Steve before pulling away, "What are you doing here?" He asked as he dropped the bottle and stood next to Pauley, "We're looking for you two." Steve answered with a huff before Dustin spoke, "We're here to help." Dustin motioned to the other people there, "You guys know Robin from band. This is my friend Max — the one who never wants to play D&D." Max spoke up this time, "Eddie, Pauley, we're on your side."

The two quirked their brows in confusion making Dustin nod, "I swear on my mother. Right guys?" There were murmurs of agreement amongst everyone — and of swearing on Dustin's mother. Eddie couldn't help but just crumble — sitting down on a nearby bucket, "Jesus Ch—" He was cut off by Pauley who sat down next to him, "Eddie, they're here to talk to us." She grabbed one of his hands and held them in her slimmer ones — she gave him a comforting smile. Max sat down across from the two, "Pauley's right, we just want to talk, okay? We want to know what happened." Eddie couldn't help but scoff, "You won't believe us." Max raised a brow, "Try us." Eddie couldn't help but squeeze onto Pauley's hands.

"She just — her body just, like, lifted up into the air and uh, and she just like.. hung there. In the air... and her bones... uh, she.." Eddie couldn't help the whimper that left his throat. Pauley spoke, "Her bones began to snap... and her eyes — they just like, popped right in their sockets." Eddie sniffed slightly, thinking back to the moment, "Pauley was in shock so I just sort of got her to run out of the house and leave — I didn't know what to do... I just left her there." Eddie couldn't help but scoff, "You all think we're crazy right?" Dustin shook her head, "No, we don't think you're crazy."

Eddie shook his head, "Don't bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds!" Steve spoke, "We're not bullshitting you." Robin spoke next, "We believe you." Dustin sighed, "Look, what I'm about to tell you two might be a little.. difficult to take." Pauley nodded, "Okay." Dustin looked at the two, "You know how people say Hawkins is.. cursed? They're not... way off. There's another world, a world beneath Hawkins, sometimes it bleeds into ours." Eddie furrowed his brows, "Like ghosts and shit?" Robin shook her head, "There are some things worse than ghosts." Dustin continued, "These monsters from this other world — we thought they were gone — but they've come back before. That's why needed to find you two — if they're back again, we need to know."

Robin spoke this time, "That night, did you guys see anything? Dark particles, maybe? It would almost look like dust, swirling dust." Eddie shook his head. "No, man, there was nothing you could see or, uh.. touch." He looked at Pauley and she shook her head, "There was nothing I could see.. or feel." Eddie sighed, "You know, I tried to wake her — we both did, man. She couldn't move." Pauley nodded, "It was like she was in a trance or something." Dustin spoke, "Or under a spell..." Eddie furrowed his brows before he looked at Pauley — she soon realized where they were going with this. "A curse." The two said in unison before looking at Dustin — the teen nodded. "Vecna's curse."

"Who's Vecna?" Steve questioned, now intrigued. Dustin answered him, "An undead creature of great power." Eddie spoke after him, "A spell caster." Pauley spoke after him, "A dark wizard."

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