Hawkins Unraveling

CH 5 : All Mixed Up

"June? June, hey, June! June! Robin! Robin, get your ass up here! June!"

June jolted in place, gasping deeply. The pressure in her skull had finally broken, and now she wilted, grimacing in a mix of pain and relief. She was on her knees– how had she ended up on her knees?

"Fucking hell. Hey, June? Robin!"

June gradually registered the panicked voice by her ear, the insistent tap of fingers against her clammy cheeks– Steve. "God."

Steve choked out a single laugh. "Not god, no, but close enough." He sighed heavily, and she felt the release from his body in her own. Was he holding her? He was. He had to be.

"What? What's happening? What is it?" Robin came racing up the stairs until she stood, panting, in the doorway of Steve's room. "Junie."

"I'm fine," June answered, pushing up and away from Steve, who still had her somewhat cradled on the floor. "I'm- I don't-"

"You passed out," Steve told her. "I heard you drop. The thud, it wasn't right." He swallowed hard. "You were on your knees."

She was? June touched her forehead. "My head-"

"Jesus, did you hit it?" Steve's fingers were in her hair then, pushing and prodding around her scalp for any bumps or bruises. "I don't think-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," June muttered, pushing his hands away. She blew out a heavy, frustrated breath. "I don't- It was nothing."

"You passed out, June," Steve ground out, agitation in his voice. "You were on the fucking ground."

She remembered the piercing pain in her head as she'd changed clothes, the way she'd leaned her weight on the dresser that now she propped herself against. "My head hurt. I got dizzy, lost my balance, that's all."

Maybe she would have believed it if she repeated that story a few more times, and maybe both Steve and Robin would have to, but then Robin gasped and pointed at her. "June, your nose."

She felt it, the warm wet trail that rolled above her upper lip. She swiped at her face with trembling fingers, and they came back red– blood.

For the first time since this whole mess had started, June was suddenly terrified.

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The three of them were quiet the next morning as they piled into Steve's car. After June's incident, Steve had insisted they all stayed in the same room. He'd herded her and Robin into his bed, and then he'd dragged a fold-up chair into the corner of the room, where he'd sat and "slept." June knew he'd barely gotten any sleep because she'd barely slept herself.

Dustin and Max were less tense when they got into Steve's car a little while later. Dustin had the most energy, fighting to fit the bag of food he'd brought for Eddie comfortably in the backseat around the others. As soon as he stopped fidgeting, he looked at Steve and June. "What'd I miss?"

June said nothing. Steve's jaw tightened as he put the car in drive. "We'll tell you later."

Eddie was considerably still on edge when they showed up, but he wasted no time digging into the food they brought him. As he ate, Dustin started talking. "So do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

Eddie shot him a look. "Bad news first always."

"Right." Pulling out a walkie talkie, Dustin said, "So the bad news is the cops definitely think it was you who killed Chrissy, and they're out looking for you."

Eddie looked alarmed. "And the good news?"

"Your name hasn't gone public yet, which means not everyone knows to look for you. That's good, because we know where you are, and we're gonna sort this out."