Trouble | Eddie Munson

【23】

Both Robin and Steve look at Lily, eyes wide and mouths agape. A student was just murdered... and the scene of the crime is her boyfriend's house.

They try talking to her, but she stays silent.

She can't focus.

She's numb.

Robin runs to the back to grab a bottle of water and a bag of chips as Steve sits on the floor with Lily. Robin opens the water bottle and hands it to the witch, who takes it and drinks it as the life is still missing from her eyes.

The bell rings, and Robin quickly gets up to deal with the customer as Steve stays with Lily, sat behind the counter.

" He's gone," Lily whispers, " Eddie... he's gone."

" He's dead?" Steve asks.

" Missing," She corrects, " He's missing."

" When was the last time you saw him?"

Lily doesn't know how to answer that. She doesn't know how to say that she was there. She doesn't know how to tell him that she saw Eddie run for his life.

As the memory of that night pops up in her head, the lights within the store begin to flicker. Steve looks up while Lily continues to stare off into the distance.

He's seen this before... he knows this... but it's not possible.

It can't be.

And a little while later, as the sun begins its descent, the double doors to the family video store burst open as two freshmen walk inside.

" How many phones do you have?" Dustin asks.

" Someone was murdered," Steve points out as he motions to the TV.

" How many phones do you have?" Dustin repeats.

" Two, why?"

" Technically three, if you count Keith's in the back," Robin corrects.

" Yeah, three works," Max nods.

" What are you doing?" Steve asks, then followed by Dustin sliding his backpack over the counter and jumping over it as well.

" My pile!"

" My tapes! Dude!"

Dustin instantly jumps onto the computer as Max simply walks around the counter, but on her way, finds Lily sitting on the floor.

" Is she okay?" Max asks.

" We don't know," Steve replies.

" That's it!" Dustin exclaims as he jumps off the chair and kneels down in front of the witch, " Lulu, I need you to tell me where Eddie is."

" What?" Lily questions.

" Eddie. Do you know where he is?" Dustin asks, " We need to find him."

" I... I don't," She quivers, " I-I don't know."

" Okay," Dustin breathes, " That's okay," he gets back up and sits on the chair in front of the computer, " We're setting up a base of operations."

And of course, Steve argues.

" I need Eddie's friend's phone numbers," Dustin states as he types on the computer.

" Seriously, guys, maybe on a Monday you can play around, but it's a Saturday. It's our busiest day," Robin groans as she restacks a pile.

" Alright, look, Robin, I totally empathize, but this cannot wait until Monday," Dustin states.

" You want to strangle him, or should I?" Steve mumbles.