The Devil's Gift/The Bloody Handed

1

"Eddie?" I look at a man who looks like he just got reunited with his lost puppy. I just saw him yesterday, what was so- I see a slim tall woman besides him. She wore a tight blonde bun and a nurses outfit. She looked just as bewildered as Eddie did. I grasp at my body, feeling as if maybe I'm just a ghost and they can see dead things. I look at my hands and flip them over, trying to connect back to my current reality. My hands were extremely pale and littered with splotches and veins. As I look down, I see a small clear tube hang down. I tug on it, feeling it gripping onto my nostrils. Was I.. on oxygen? I hear the machine pump. I clench my fists together and feel a sharp pressure coming from my left arm. I look over and see a needle inside of me, hooked up to a tube, hooked up to a bag. The machine starts to beep rapidly. I slowly take the IV out and drop it to the ground, small spot of blood coming from my arm. Right by the IV stood a nice scar- a bite mark.

I look back up to Eddie who has still not yet said a word. I sit up faster. "Eddie, thank God-" I suddenly feel a sharp pain right below my ribs on the right side. I hiss in a sharp breath. I reach back and pull the hospital gown opening from the back, sliding it over. There stood a symbol. Freshly red, and scarred. It was raised, and not going anywhere. The nail from the shield that probably led me to get several tetanus shots. Now I knew why I was here. The Upside Down. Vecna. Demobats. Biting. Choking. Blood. I was dying. I died, I was sure of it. Everything just went black. I had no feeling, no senses of any kind. I don't have any recollection of being dragged in here.

Eddie breathes out a sigh of relief and literally runs to me who is just a couple feet in front of him. The nurse runs down the hallway, yelling for a doctor. Eddie sits down on the right side of the bed, taking my cheeks in his big hands.

"Wow," I say. "You actually look clean for once." I cross my arms impressed. He laughs and immediately pulls me into his body, but does it softly.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you." His hand rubs my back once and he pulls back looking into my eyes. He then takes my cheeks again, pulling my face towards him. He plants his soft lips onto the top of my head, leaving a tinging sensation throughout my body. He holds my head to his chest. He didn't smell of sweat and dirt, but he smelled of weed, cheap body wash, and maybe a half spritz of knock off cologne.

"Eddie, I- are we safe? Is everyone safe?" I look around and spot a beer bottle with.. leaves and colorful weeds sprouting out of the top? "Before you answer. If I may ask, what are those?" I point to the bottle, trying not to laugh. I look back to him and he rubs the back of his neck. "I tried, there's not much left of Hawkins to pick from you know. I didn't know weeds could be colorful-."

My head immediately snaps to him. "What do you exactly mean by that?" Weren't we in Hawkins?

"Why weeds shouldn't be colorful?" He asks.

"No, Eddie. The other thing." I wipe my face.

"Oh.. yeah." He looks up at the ceiling and puts his hands in his pockets. "When we were driving you here.. the ground just.. started to break right under us. Huge glowing cracks, with no end. We got lucky we got here. Right after I let them take you, I was thrown on the ground and cuffed. On top of that, everyone is either taking shelter in this hospital or they're at Hawkins High. They mainly transported everyone over there for Red Cross rescue duty. Everyone thinks it's a natural disaster." He looks down. "As for your other question, everyone is fine. Except Max. She is in a coma like you were, but.. Vecna got to her. They're expecting her to be blind. Maybe permanently. Or maybe worse."

"Oh no.." I look at the ground and shake my head. She was a literal kid. What happened to the plan? "What now? What do we have to do? We need to plan, Eddie!" I whisper.

"Nope. Nuh uh." He shakes a finger in front of my face, standing up. "Take the word no and eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because you are not going anywhere until you're 100% healed."