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beamer
[ Eddie had thought about death before. Plenty of times. But it had never been in any real sort of way. It had been miniatures on a table top, heroic characters meeting tragic ends. It had been Boromir sent down the river, Artax in the swamp of sadness. They were always devastating, always epic-- always fictional. Because he was young, because for most of his life monsters were only things in stories, Eddie had never really thought about his own death. He was young, and still possessed a certain feeling of being invincible.
Things had changed so quickly, his entire understanding of reality crashing down around him. For the first time, he felt truly afraid to die. He saw heroism existing outside of stories, and had wanted to be like that too, no matter how afraid he was, no matter how much Hawkins hated him. He was going to be brave, in a way that made a difference, he wouldn't run away.
And he died for it.
There was nothing that could have prepared him for it, the feeling of being torn apart. Sometimes, he thinks he's still screaming. Everything was dark around the edges, time seeming to slow as he shared his final words with Dustin. Then he was gone. Or perhaps, not gone, but... elsewhere. Somewhere dark and infinite. If this was hell, maybe he's lucked out. There's no fire, no winged assholes with pitchforks. Just nothing, reaching out in all directions.
It was in the darkness that he heard it. Something had called out to him, and Eddie had answered. He can't quite remember it, the way he was remade. It had hurt, had felt like hellfire burning through him. Eddie was acutely aware of how every inch of him was stitched back together. The same, and yet so impossibly different. He was still Eddie, in some small way. But he was also something else.
Eddie hits the ground running, literally, thrown from the void and back into the town that despises him. He's hungry, so hungry, the feeling overwhelms him. He can't think about anything else until he finds someone, a man wandering down one of the devastated streets. Eddie overpowers him easily, and takes what he needs. It's as he's wiping the blood from his mouth that an order strikes through him, straight from the lips of his creator.
Eddie is a general now. And he needs recruits.
A name flits across his mind, and Eddie smiles to himself. Someone he knows-- knew, once. Eddie takes a moment to make himself presentable. Rather, to make it look like he hasn't just killed someone. He looks like he's been through hell, and that's true enough, but he doesn't head out until the only blood on him is his own. He's quick and quiet in a way he never was before, and he's in front of the darkened house before he knows it. It looks almost deserted, and an old memory tells him that Steve's parents are out of town more often than they are in it.
Perfect.
He does a lap around the house, trying to determine which window might be Steve's. He makes his best guess, and sends a perfectly aimed pebble up into the darkness. ]
Harrington! [ It's eerie, how much his voice still sounds like his own. ] You up there?
Things had changed so quickly, his entire understanding of reality crashing down around him. For the first time, he felt truly afraid to die. He saw heroism existing outside of stories, and had wanted to be like that too, no matter how afraid he was, no matter how much Hawkins hated him. He was going to be brave, in a way that made a difference, he wouldn't run away.
And he died for it.
There was nothing that could have prepared him for it, the feeling of being torn apart. Sometimes, he thinks he's still screaming. Everything was dark around the edges, time seeming to slow as he shared his final words with Dustin. Then he was gone. Or perhaps, not gone, but... elsewhere. Somewhere dark and infinite. If this was hell, maybe he's lucked out. There's no fire, no winged assholes with pitchforks. Just nothing, reaching out in all directions.
It was in the darkness that he heard it. Something had called out to him, and Eddie had answered. He can't quite remember it, the way he was remade. It had hurt, had felt like hellfire burning through him. Eddie was acutely aware of how every inch of him was stitched back together. The same, and yet so impossibly different. He was still Eddie, in some small way. But he was also something else.
Eddie hits the ground running, literally, thrown from the void and back into the town that despises him. He's hungry, so hungry, the feeling overwhelms him. He can't think about anything else until he finds someone, a man wandering down one of the devastated streets. Eddie overpowers him easily, and takes what he needs. It's as he's wiping the blood from his mouth that an order strikes through him, straight from the lips of his creator.
Eddie is a general now. And he needs recruits.
A name flits across his mind, and Eddie smiles to himself. Someone he knows-- knew, once. Eddie takes a moment to make himself presentable. Rather, to make it look like he hasn't just killed someone. He looks like he's been through hell, and that's true enough, but he doesn't head out until the only blood on him is his own. He's quick and quiet in a way he never was before, and he's in front of the darkened house before he knows it. It looks almost deserted, and an old memory tells him that Steve's parents are out of town more often than they are in it.
Perfect.
He does a lap around the house, trying to determine which window might be Steve's. He makes his best guess, and sends a perfectly aimed pebble up into the darkness. ]
Harrington! [ It's eerie, how much his voice still sounds like his own. ] You up there?
no subject
steve's doing his best to-- to cope. maybe. to push down the feelings of how badly
hethey failed. how vecna still won in the end, how max is gone and maybe for good if el can't do anything about it. she can't do anything about eddie and that, fuck, that kills steve too because eddie munson didn't deserve any of the shit he went through.steve thinks, maybe, maybe if he'd been faster it would be different but even he's not that stupid. there was no way. that kills him too.
he's home right now. his parents are out of town again, this time looking for a new home outside of hawkins and talking of trying to sell in loch nora but steve's not sure anyone's going to buy. not now. not that it matters. he's home alone again though, this time holed up in his room as he stares up at the ceiling from his bed. it's-- he's not sure what to do with himself.
then he hears it, the sound of something against his window. steve pushes himself up, frowns, carefully makes his way over. he doesn't know what he'll find at this hour when the kids are actually sticking to a curfew for once. jesus, that's a scarier thought than the town splitting open. steve pushes the glass open though, expecting to see dustin of all people and instead--- ) Eddie?????
( is he hallucinating? ) Munson? What the fuck??? ( he has to be hallucinating. )