𝑽𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑬𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒆, 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐

Friends don't lie

*Eddies POV*

When I reached the old hang out spot I pondered if she would really come. Sure Robin was smart, but she could be a little clumsy, not to mention a complete ditz at times. Hopefully the part of her who overthinks the little things, like meeting a stranger in the woods and knew she was friends with Steve, would actually come.

Laying on my back on the picnic table I waited for them. I didn't have a watch, since mine got water logged a couple of days ago, I could only hope time was moving faster then it felt. After a while i started to doubt they would come, but suddenly I heard a twig snap and I leaned up from my resting position.

"What?!" a man's voice asked, "you yank me from my important duty of folding clothes because a random guy told you to meet him in the woods?!"

"YES, oh my god I knew if I told you inside you wouldn't have come, so just trust and follow me, I think it's around here somewhere..." a woman who I recognized as Robin say.

Preparing myself to confront them I jumped off the table and hid my trembling hands in the front pockets of my pants. They must have heard the leaves crunch under my feet when I landed because they both turned their heads to face me.

Before Steve got sick of being dragged out of the makeshift shelter, I took off my hat and glasses before he could leave.

I could see so many expressions in such little time. Confusion, then fear, next sadness and grief. But before I could say anything Robin reacted first, she started jumbling together incoherent sentences with unbelievable speed. Slowly walking my way she stopped about an arms length away and reached out a finger to poked my nose.

My eyes widened, because what the hell kind of reaction was that. Wasn't she supposed to slap me and say something along the lines of 'never do that again'?

But Steve ruined this weird reunion by stepping up and yanking my arm. This time I did let a scream lose, I could feel the bites on my arm tear open from their healing process and warm blood seeped down my wrist. I dropped to the grass and clung to my arm. Writhing with the familiar pain I rolled up my sleeve to get a look at the now very much reopened injury. Taking a deep breath I removed the bandage and heard Steve and Robin gasp from above. The pain subsiding, I stood and took off my flannel to make a makeshift bandage to stop the bleeding.

"Your supposed to be dead." Was the first thing Steve said.

I watched Robin nudge him and point to my mouth, which was in a grimace from the freshly open bite wound. I realized she must have spotted the teeth and I pressed my lips together as fast as possible. But they both were already looking and I knew they had seen them. I knew I came here to explain, but my face flushed from the embarrassment of it all. Before Robin could hail a million questions I took a deep breath and told them to sit.

We all sat at the picnic table and I told them the whole truth, from the point of waking in the upside down, to passing Hawkins high in search of them. When I finished they didn't say anything for a while, which was surprising for Robin. They sort of glanced at each other and then back at me.

"So when can we see the tail and wings?" Robin broke the silence in her bubbly voice.

*Steve's POV*

When Robin pulled me away from volunteer work and declared a state of emergency, I left without hesitation. Knowing her I thought it had to do with the hopeful change of her relationship with Vickie. As she dragged me outside I figured she just wanted some privacy to talk about it, but then she started dragging me towards the woods.

I began to question her, "Robin why are we headed into the woods?" She continued to drag me into nowhere, "we could be helping people inside the school you know. They are confused and lost and need us." I tried to push, but she wasn't having it.

"Steve, would you really think I would take you out here if it wasn't an emergency? Some guy tapped me and whispered into my ear, my ear for heaven sake, to meet him in the woods! How creepy is that, I mean he could be a bad guy, hopefully he's good, but what if he's not? Also he sounded oddly familiar not to mention, scared. Plus I couldn't stop thinking about him, so I figured the best way to get it out of my head was to see what he wanted. Oh, he  also wanted to see you, but I'm only bringing you for protection. Not that your any good in a fight." Exclaimed Robin as she spoke in rapid fire.

I tried to push that we should just head back to the school but she hardly gave me room to speak, so I ended up following her deeper into the woods.

When we made it close to 'the location' she said something like "it's around here somewhere." She proceeded to not look where she was going, she was to busy moving her mouth to notice an overly large stick, which by the way made the most satisfying noise as it broke under her foot.

The snapping twig must have alerted someone because I heard the sound of crunching leaves from behind us. Whipping around to see what the noise was, a average size guy stood near o bench. Come to think of it Robin was saying we had to meet someone back here. I was about to turn and head back, because this was a waste of time, I could be sorting clothes or helping search for missing people.

But then I saw his face as he removed a pair of sunglasses. His long curly hair fell from the cap and I immediately recognized the rings on his hands. Plus his opposing music taste from mine was plastered on his shirt, which was hard to miss.

I was to stunned to speak, let alone move. Robin acted first, she started to speak almost super sonically, mostly to herself, and walk in the direction of the guy who looked a lot like Eddie. But then she touched his nose and I knew she had either lost it or wanted to make sure he was real.

In my mind I figured it was a trap, I wished I had my weapon at a time like this. But as bravely as I could muster I marched over and grabbed his arm before he could take action against us.

Suddenly he screamed, and that spooked me enough to let go. As he fell to the ground I could see something stain through his shirt and drip down his arm and into the grass. But it was much worse when he pulled his sleeve up, so much worse that I let out a involuntary gasp.

As he stood I thought to myself, "your supposed to be dead." But he gave me pained look and I knew I had said that out loud by mistake. I was about to apologize but Robin interrupted by bumping my shoulder against hers. She nodded to Eddie's face and I saw an odd pair of teeth. They looked a lot like those cheap vampire fangs you can win at the arcade, only his were more realistic.

I could only stare as he shut his mouth when he noticed us watching. To cope I was about to say 'that's sick man, now your like Ozzy what's his face.' But the joke died on my lips as he requested us to sit.

He did have some explaining to do. Looking at his style and the recent bat wounds seemed like concrete evidence that he was alive and here. But I learned not to trust and thought this could be some psycho vision sent by Vecna. Now instead of my bat I could really use some music.

I sure as hell hope the next thing that came out of his mouth are both convincing and truthful, because friends don't lie.