𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫

76. The Piggyback (part 1)

March 25, 2023

Richie jogged quickly after the others, Stan and Bill trailing closely behind him. His grip tightened around his makeshift spear, and his other hand held onto the lid of a trash can that was now being used as a shield.

Steve was the first to make it to Eddie's trailer, opening up the door and quickly checking to make sure no one was inside. Once they were clear he flicked on the light switch, allowing the entire room to be illuminated. Steve threw down all of his supplies, wrapping his hands around the many sheets and towels that connected to the upside down.

Before he could start climbing, Dustin grabbed hold of his jacket sleeve. "Hey, be careful." Steve looked at Dustin's round face, seeing his worry-filled eyes, making him bite his lip from nerves. He didn't know what to say, he didn't think words could do justice to anything that he wanted to say, so instead, he simply nodded his head.

"Well, here goes nothing." He jumped, wrapping his legs around the makeshift rope with ease. He quickly made his way up until he could feel his body flip, allowing him to land on his feet. He wobbled for a moment before he regained his footing.

He ran towards Eddie's room, grabbing hold of the even dirtier mattress and dragging it underneath the opening of the gate. "Alright, come on."

Nancy shredded her bag to the floor, Robin bending down to help her up. Then, they all began to throw their things down through the gate and into the upside-down once Steve and Nancy were ready to grab everything.

Stan was the next to go, Bill having a hold on his waist as he began to scale up the rope. "Woah there." Bill laughed as Stan seemed to slip slightly down the rope, making his grip tighten around his waist.

"Alright, not in front of the kids." Richie growled underneath his breath. This just earned an eye roll from Stan. "Yeah, I know you're my best friend, Urine." Richie shouted up at Stanley as he now was helping Bill up the rope. "You're next, Munson." Eddie just rolled his eyes as Richie bent down like a knight.

This earned a flick to the head from Eddie, but he still couldn't help the ghost of a smile flicker across his face. "Birdy." He grabbed hold of his friend's hand, giving it a tight squeeze before placing his hands underneath her foot to push her upwards. Finally, once Dustin and all of their bags and weapons were down with the others, Richie jumped up and began to pull himself up, making his way quickly to the others.

These few seconds allowed him to realize how much his body was shaking, he could feel his heart racing without even putting much effort into this small form of exercise. He knew it was because of his nerves, he knew that even with this plan. The plan is to use Max as a pawn, but he hoped maybe Vecna would take him instead. Better yet, he hoped neither of them would be harmed.

Richie landed on his back on top of the mattress, a few moments passed as he lay there thinking about what was going on. But, Robin quickly held out her hand and helped him to his feet.

They walked out the front door of the trailer, Richie, Eddie, and Dustin staying back at the front door as they watched the others walk away. "Alright, you guys know the plan," Steve turned, looking at all three of them before his eyes landed on Eddie's and stayed there. "remember, draw the bat's attention, okay? Just keep them busy for a minute or two. We'll take care of Vecna."

A sigh came out from Richie's mouth, he could feel his chest tightening. "I still don't understand why I can't go with you guys, I should be there to help." He protested this yet again, yet, no one seemed to be listening to him.