Trouble | Eddie Munson

【29】

But that number pales in comparison to the horror that just took place. A young boy was just murdered. An innocent persona was killed, right in front of their eyes. Even in his state of pure shock, Jason is able to drag his friend's dead body to the shore, where he holds his friend in his lap as the boy still in the car uses a pay phone to call the cops.

Thankfully, they don't see Lily, even with her feet submerged in the water barely covering her ankles. Her eyes are still locked on the boat, wadding side to side in the lake with no soul inside.

Her brain hardly works. It's unable to comprehend. It's unable to think. Her heart is pounding and her palms are sweaty... but her mind is blank.

Only when police sirens begin blaring does Lily snap out of her daze. Eddie has fleed, and now, so must she. Lily steps out of the water and begins to sprint down the mud and leaf-filled ground in her wet soggy boots, running and running without being able to think of where she should go.

The police soon arrive on the scene, where the dead body is taken to the coroner and Jason is questioned, but clearly still in shock. His mind now fractured... but he's seen the truth. And in his mind, it's all Eddie's fault. He doesn't know that Vecna pulls the strings, so for him it's an easy conclusion.

Eddie did it.

Eddie killed Patrick.

He has powers gifted to him by Satan.

And it's all thanks to Lily's parents... Agnes and Wanda.

Fortunately, the police don't buy his shit. They think he's just in shock, that's all. But a conclusion must be made. A person of interest must be identified.

As the sun comes up and morning rounds the corner, Lily finds herself to be absolutely exhausted. She's run around nearly the entire lake. She's cold and wet, thirsty and hungry. Her leg ache and her feet are swollen.

But over on the other side of the lake... things are about to get much, much worse.

" As many of you know by now, the Roane County received a call a little after midnight, reporting a homicide here on the lake. Officer Callahan here and myself arrived first on the scene. We made our way over to the shore of Lover's Lake, about ten yards from that house you see behind me. It was there that we found the victim, an 18-year-old senior at Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney. His limbs... his body, was disfigured. There was an eyewitness on the scene, which we will not be naming. We've also identified a person of interest. Eddie Munson. We encourage anyone with information to please come forward."

" Dustin, can you hear me? Dustin?"

Lily hears the faint sound of radio static from the distance, so she takes a deep breath to pull herself together to keep going. And the closer she gets to the sound of the radio static, the large boulder in front of her slowly becomes more and more definable.

She's at Skull Rock.

And the closer she gets to it, the more she's able to see her favorite tuft of brown hair. Lily accidentally steps on a twig as she makes her way toward him, making Eddie jump nearly ten feet high as he turns to look. But once he sees his girl, it's all over. He's rushing to her in an instant and catches her just before she collapses from exhaustion.

The panic between them settles as they're finally able to be in each other's arms again after so long of being apart.

" I'm sorry, Eddie. I'm so sorry," Lily sobs as she lifts her head, " I-I was coming to help you but then he just--"

" No, no, no it's not your fault, it's okay," He gently shushes as he pets her hair a few times, then leans close to kiss her forehead, " It's okay, princess."