Together, until the end | Eddie Munson

Back to the past

Eddie notices that Vivien begins to become anxious, her breaths are fast, and she stares intensely at something outside the window "Viv, what is it? Are you okay?" the boy asks, his delicate voice full of concern "Viv you're scaring me" he continues but no response from her
"Vivien, talk to me" the boy becomes increasingly worried but Vivien without a word comes out of the wooden door and looks at one of the trees in front of her. She is completely paralyzed.

It is a large pendulum clock, attached to the trunk. The girl brings her hands to her eyes and rubs them a couple of times, assuming she's imagining things. Suddenly some cracks poured on the glass like lightning "No...no- no"
A moment later the spiders began to come out. An infinite amount of spiders run down the clock and over the tree's trunk. Vivien winces, stumbles on the gravel and falls on her back.

And suddenly nothing. Dark.
She finds herself in a dark void with nothing around her, alone. She looks around and sees nothing but darkness, it's cold but there is no wind, she feels nothing but cold. Finally her sight clears. He's in the Wheeler's basement.

There is a table and four children seated.
Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas. They're...little like when they were 11.

"Something is coming. Something hungry for blood." Mike explains creating suspense
"A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in the darkness. It is almost here."

"What is it?" Will asks leaning towards the table

"And if it was the Demogorgon. Oh Jesus, we are so screwed if it is the Demogorgon" Dustin run a hand on his face in despair

"It's not the Demogorgon!" Lucas retorts

"An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber!" Mike says, raising his voice and gesturing while the other guys watch him carefully

"Told ya!" Lucas says, clapping a hand on the table

"Wait a minute. Did you hear that? That...that sound. Boom! Boom!" Mike slams the table "That didn't come from the troglodytes. No, that...came from something else. The Demogorgon!" he screams deploying a checker depicting a two-headed monster
"Oh we're in deep shit! Will your action!" Dustin yells completely taken from the game

Vivien closes her eyes, she doesn't understand what is happening, and finds herself on the doorstep
"It was a seven" ago Will coming out of the Wheeler basement
"What?" Mike asks a bit confused
"The roll. It was a seven. The Demogorgon, it got me" Will greats him, getting on the bike saddle "See you tomorrow"

The girl is suddenly catapulted again into another scenario. Dustin and Will are on the road pedaling on their bikes as the autumn cold air fills the environment.
"Race you back to my place? Winner gets a comic" Dustin says, rising his eyebrows
"All right. Any comic?"
"Hey! Hey! I didn't say 'go'!" He yells when Will starts pedaling faster than before "Get back here! I'm gonna kill you!"
"I'll take your X-Men 134!" Will yells happy of having 'won'.

"No..." Vivien sighs
At this point the little boy is completely alone on a dark road. No noise. The bike light starts flashing. A strange figure stands in the middle of the road, causing him a terrible fall from his bicycle.

"Will!" Vivien shouts, praying that her brother could see or hear her "Will you have to go back! WILL!" He can't hear her, obviously.
"How the hell did I get in here?"

"Viv?" Eddie calls her "Hey hey you gotta get the fuck out of there"
"But what-...how is that possible?"
"I HAVE NO IDEA! Robin pick up the walk-man in her room!"
Her eyes are white, almost behind ger head. Steve shakes her paralyzed body. "Hey no no no wake up, come on!"  He calls her name again, this time louder, alerting Dustin, Robin and Nancy. "What-what's going on? No! Vivien wake up!" Dustin screams as Steve claps in front of her face in complete despair.
"Vivien you have to wake the fuck up!" Eddie's voice cracks, he brings his hands over the girl's hair, hoping that she will wake up. He can't relive this for the third time, especially if it's her. "I can't live without you- to me you mean more than anything". Eddie's whole body trembles as he presses his forehead against Vivien's "Please open your eyes"

Vivien begins to follow Will "Vivien!"
"WHO IS IT?" the girl turns around confused, tears hanging from her eyes
"You caused this," she doesn't understand where this voice comes from. Vivien immediately stiffens when she hears footsteps and the breath stops in her throat.
"Steve!" she shouts breathless "Eddie! Steve! Can someone hear me! Dustin!"

She can't figure out who it is, it's too dark around her.
"Vivien" she turns suddenly when she feels touched by a slimy thing
"It is not possible. You- you are dead"
"Yet I stand here in front of you," his voice rumbling all around.

"ROBIN!" Eddie starts to tear from despair, cupping his hands on her face "Ok ok- now we'll save you, okay?" Her white eyes give him goose bumps "Not another time- not you..."

"Come on! Come on!" Steve yells, shaking Vivien's shoulders.
Robin immediately ran to Vivien's room, looking for music "Here- I found this. Shit... Vivien!" she falls to the ground with tapes in her hands. "What is her favorite song?

"NO- NO! Eddie! Steve! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" the girl starts to run away, looking for a hiding place. She runs despite her weak legs could make her fall at any moment
"You caused all this."

"You can't hide from me, Vivien. Everyone knows it was you. Your brother's childhood, ruined."
"No! No it's you. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN YOU!"

"The Starcourt. Maxine, she's involved because of you."
"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER!" the girl growls, her tone makes him understand that he's hit her weak spot. Vecna's jaw tightens as he stares at the girl in front of him. He wants to kill her, but he wants to hurt her first, even more than she's already suffered. The last bit of composure she had is gone. She can no longer run, she is exhausted. The girl falls to the ground, covering herself with her hands.

"When I was in her mind, I saw your memories. She tried to threaten me, I enjoyed listening to her weak threats. But where were you?" he keeps coming closer to her
"Shut up," Vivien yells, looking at him, "Don't you dare touch her. Never again."
"Oh no. Maxine is an old story. I'm going to focus on you now," he stares at her in a terrifying way, stretching his right hand toward her.
"Fuck you, slimy shit" she pulls up with his nose. Everything seems heavier while tears fall from his eyes, her lower lip trembles violently.

"Asshole! Will you leave Will alone forever if you take me? HUH?"

Before they could put headphones on her ears, the girl comes out of the trance
"Vivien. Vivien!"
She winces and her eyes return to their natural color, her body collapses to the ground. At first she tries to escape from the arms she feels around her body, starting to wiggle in fear and looking around anxiously. " Viv... Viv it's me, Eddie"
Her breath is trembling, her lungs are trying to get the oxygen they need, "You're okay, we're here. Focus on my heartbeat."
"E-Eddie- Steve-" her breath still uneven but when she notices that she is in Eddie's trembling arms, she squeezes him tightly, almost hiding in his chest. He detaches for a second, looking into the boy's eyes and placing her hands on his cheeks to make sure it was true.
"Is it real?" Eddie nods, his face streaked with tears

Steve's lips kiss a temple at her hairline "Vivien- o my god...shit"
"Steve- Will? Will is fine? W-where is he?" the girl starts to agitate looking around for her brother
"He's inside. He's fine, everything's fine" Steve reassures her and she sighs of relief
Obviously it's not all right, but right now she just needs to come to her senses. "I need to c-calm down."

"What the hell happened?" Dustin ask her with a look of concern in his face while he sits next to her
"I saw it- It was there...it was-it was right there. A grandfather's clock"

"Attached to the tree?"
It can be seen a tinge of fear in the girl's eyes. She's scared. She's terrified. Scared that she was gonna die. Scared that it would be the end. But she's also confused.

She nods "It's not just that..." she squeezes her eyes as more tears come out "She was chasing me... Vecna"
"Vecna?" Nancy asks approaching the girl
"We killed him-"
"I thought you killed him," Eddie says interrupting Steve
"Yes...or so we thought so." Robin replies
"Christ!"

Dustin realizes, crossing Vivien's gaze "Of course. The nosebleed- the migraine. Shit they were the symptoms of the curse, Vivien. We're in deep shit"