𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 ── eddie munson

013

"Shouldn't we really talk about that?" Was the first thing Eddie said in a while. 

After Max left with her friends, Lola got up and retired to the sofa. She had turned away from him, curled up into a ball and stayed there without a word. Eddie had been trying to process all the recent happenings, I mean after what he saw happen to Chrissy he was definitely more than willing to believe such evil existed, but he also was too scared to do anything. Being told you had miraculously forgot watching your own brother die must've been hard, but he was starting to realise what was going on. That night around a week ago, last night, and right before everyone left.

"There's nothing to talk about." Lola replied after leaving the question to hang for a minute. Her voice was hoarse and scratchy, as if she'd been silently crying for what felt like hours. In reality, it had probably only been around thirty minutes, but Eddie was worried she'd fall asleep. He felt like he knew what would happen. 

He got up and rolled up the sleeves to his hellfire shirt. Slowly, he approached the girl with her back towards him. "Okay... we don't have to talk about what they said. But I think we need to talk about something else, no?"

"What are you talking about, Eddie?"

He paused, trying to think if the right way to say it. Unable to think of a viable option, he shrugged, "you're seeing things."

There was a long silence, the fear crawling slowly up Eddie's back as he patiently waited for a response. 

"What? Are you insane, Munson?" She pushed her torso up from the couch, spun her head round and pulled a sour look.

"No. Well, probably," he giggled, trying to make light of the situation, "you don't have to lie to me. I saw you, before, looking out the window."

"I saw a squirrel."

Eddie shook his head, gesturing for the girl to sit up. She did so, and Eddie took a seat next to her. "I felt your pulse," he said softly, positioning his hand around her wrist, mimicking how it was when she saw the figure, "it was going crazy. You get that excited over squirrels?"

Lola was silent. She removed her wrist from Eddie's grip and let it fall into her lap. "I'm not seeing things." 

"So you've got a credible reason as to why you almost drowned yourself in the lake last night, or why you ran out into the streets-"

She cut him off, "you promised me you wouldn't speak about that night, you promised me."

"Yeah, I did. But that was before I knew there were ghosts and monsters and alternate dimensions existing parallel to us right now," he said, staring deeply into her eyes, thinking if he stared hard enough he would be able to look into her mind and then he wouldn't need her to admit, "I know you don't really know me, but right now... today... you're all I got, Lo. So please, talk to me."

The corner of Lola's mouth curled into a smile, her cheeks flushing pink. "Lo?"

Eddie let out a loud, hearty laugh. "Yeah, you like it?"

Lola giggled, wiping the tears from her face. She nodded, her heart telling her it was time to come clean. Not that he already knew or anything.

"Fine. You got me," she sighed, her face turning sullen, "I've been seeing things."

"Things like what?"

"I don't know... people. Sometimes I know them, sometimes I don't."

"When did it start?"

"Like... a few weeks after Billy died, maybe. Ages ago. But they used to only show up when I was asleep. I sleepwalked like once a week, give or take. Slowly it happened more and more frequently. Only recently has it happened during the day. Twice." Lola explained, thinking back to the school hallway and just before.