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xxcrazygoodxx · 2 months ago

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Into Hell We Walk

A Season Four Rewrite—7k Words [+ 20k]

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In aftermath of failure, the teens are finally together once more.

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Chapter Three

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Steve sighed, rubbing his tired eyes hard until he saw spots. He wanted to sleep and never wake up. Or better yet, go to sleep and then wake up in a world that didn’t have Max in the hospital and Eddie barely breathing.

He had to carry Eddie out of the Upside Down. The process was weird and dizzying, with Steve stepping through, only for gravity to pull him back down to the earth. Then Steve had to simultaneously catch and pull Eddie through while the other three gently lowered him into the portal before holding him up for Steve to grab.

Through the entire ordeal, Eddie was unresponsive, his head laid against Steve’s chest limply, like he was simply sleeping. It unsettled Steve. Luckily, where they had gotten out of the portal was near the RV, so the four of them settled into the vehicle, sirens from further in town starting to scream in the air, and took off down the road, passing police cars and an ambulance.

Steve bowed his head as they passed, looking down at Eddie whose head was in his lap, knowing that in a twisted sort of way, this was their fault for dangling Max in front of Vecna and getting her and possibly the rest of the town killed.

At the time, he and the other’s were unaware of Max’s condition, but they could easily assume that she met the same fate as Chrissy and the others. It wasn’t until Erica’s voice crackled through Dustin’s walkie-talkie that they learned anything.

Dustin had answered with shaking hands, tears still rolling down his face. He refused to look at Eddie.

“Hello? Guys? Are you there?”

“We copy Erica. Is Max okay? What’s happening over there?”

“Max is…” There was a long moment of silence before Steve heard some stifled breaths. It took him a second, but Steve realized that the noises were from Erica crying. The entire RV was silent as the youngest of the group cries filled the small cabin. Dustin squeezed his eye’s shut, putting his hands into his hair and tugging hard. Nancy, who was driving, looked worriedly into the rearview mirror as Robin gently untangled Dustin’s fingers from his curls.

“She’s…” Erica tried again, the radio crackled as she took some deep breaths. “She’s at the hospital right now. I- I don’t know what happened, the door was l-locked and Lucas was screaming and when I finally got in, he was telling me to call for an ambulance so I did but Max…”

Erica paused again, voice wavering. Steve had closed his eyes. For the past couple of years, these kids had never backed down to danger. They steeled themselves and, even when they faced impossible odds, they always won. But not this time, it was clear by the way Erica, who was fiercely independent and strong, broke down over the radio. And not for the first time since he learned of the Upside Down, Steve was painfully aware that they are all just kids.

“Max is in the hospital.” Erica said after calming down, the sound of fabric rustling and a sniffle leaking through. “She’s alive and breathing, but she’s all fucked up.”

Normally Steve would reprimand her for using such language, but now wasn’t the time and telling her off never really worked before.

“I think she’s in surgery right now, but they’re saying that she might recover.”

Dustin and Robin cheered lightly at the news, grinning wide. Even Nacy, who was focused on the road, smiled. Steve also felt his face twitch, but he was quickly reminded of the person bleeding out on his lap.

“Dustin, ask her if she could smuggle some supplies out. Probably antibiotics and other medication.” He said, clearing his throat. Dustian’s grin faded, eyes darting down to Eddie before turning back the radio.

After that, there was a lot of discussion on where to go. Eddie was still technically wanted and the newly formed crack throughout Hawkins probably wouldn’t help proving his innocence.

They ended up going back to Hopper’s old cabin. The hideout worked for El when she was here, it should work just fine for Eddie. Unfortunately, it was still a mess from the summer. The roof was still caved in and everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. Steve had brought Eddie inside while the other three quickly removed the sheets from El’s old bed, trying to clean up the space as much as possible. It wasn’t perfect but it was going to have to do.

After that, Nancy dropped Dustin and Robin off at home so that they could visit their families. Everyone in town was still freaked out by the earthquake and from what Steve was told when they got back, a lot of people were hurt or missing.

Nancy had also stopped by the hospital. Steve had wanted to go, he wanted to see for himself that Max, Lucas and Erica were safe, or at least as safe as they could be. But he had to stay here and keep an eye on Eddie. The man was out cold, barely even breathing, but the bleeding had at least stopped and the thought of leaving Eddie here alone scared Steve more than he realized.

It took another hour before Nancy drove back in her own car. Where she had stashed the RV, Steve didn’t know nor cared to ask. Together, the two of them put on some clean sheets that Nancy had grabbed from her house before they quickly worked on Eddie.

Erica was able to grab some of the things Steve had asked for, but while she was there, Nancy had also taken a couple of more things in the chaos that Steve didn’t know or recognize. Either way, Steve trusted Nancy’s judgment and the two of them had quietly worked on Eddie. The man never woke up as they applied alcohol and stitched him back up. Even when Steve had to remove his nasty clothes from the upside down, which caused Steve’s face to burn as Nancy stepped out, Eddie did nothing more than groan in his sleep, face twisting up in pain before relaxing into that same unsettling calm.

Now he was here. It’s been three days since that night and Steve was starting to get restless. Yesterday, Nancy forced him to take a break guarding and watching over Eddie. Steve had instead spent that time visiting Max in the hospital. The doctors said that she was going to be fine but that she hadn’t woken up yet and is most likely in a coma. On hearing that, Steve thought of Eddie still in the cabin, not moving or talking and it worried him even more.

He also checked on Lucas. When he saw him, Steve had quietly walked up and hugged him, patting Lucas on the back as the teen stood there limply. Steve wasn’t as close with Lucas as he was with Dustin, but he still felt responsible. Not only because he was an adult who befriended the odd group of teens, but also because he agreed to let the kids be bait, just like he agreed to let Dustin and Eddie be the distraction.

Lucas had looked rough. Steve found out that Jason and his friends had found them and the two of them had gotten into a fight. When Steve asked where the basketball player was, Lucas just lowered his head and shook it.

Erica, however, wasn’t there. Their parents had come by the day before and brought the siblings home before dropping Lucas back to the hospital so he could be with Max. It worried Steve to see how much time the teen was spending at the hospital, but he knew he had no right to judge when he was doing the same thing with Eddie.

Steve sighed again, looking up from his chair to watch Eddie just breathe. The other man still hasn’t woken up, which is starting to scare Steve, but Robin reassured him that Eddie’s body was still healing and it probably took a lot of energy.

Steve stood up, grunting as his knees popped. He felt like he was getting old. He then walked over to Eddie, going through the routine of moving the blankets around, brushing Eddie’s curls out of his face to check for fever. Steve had already checked Eddie’s bandages that morning.

Then Steve walked over to the end table, picking up a neon orange bottle and taking out a few pills before swallowing them with a half drained bottle of water. Eddie wasn’t the only one healing.

Now that they were out of the Upside Down, Robin forced Steve to take antibiotics for his own shredded sides in fear of infection, since rabies was no longer a concern. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that only a few hours before they went through with their plan, Steve was almost killed by the demo-bats as well.

Steve smiled. He was grateful for his friends. He had honestly forgotten about his own injuries, worried about killing Vecna and getting Eddie out of that hell hole, that by the time he realized his sides were burning, Robin was already telling him to clean the wounds and take some of the pills Nancy had brought.

The shower in the cabin doesn’t really work right now, with Hopper being gone and all, so Steve had to go to his house to get changed. After that, he and the others started to clean up the cabin. Not a lot. Nancy’s mom was trying to keep her daughter within arms reach, same as Dustin’s mom and Robin’s parents. It made Steve realize how alone he was.

He got one phone call from his parents. They were somewhere in Argentina and “couldn’t take a flight back because they were so close to scoring a business deal.” He both wanted to scream and was grateful that they were out of town. At least they weren’t in danger.

Steve left the bedroom, heading into the living room. He was getting tired of sitting there not doing anything, so he decided to start cleaning again. Robin and Nancy got a lot of the kitchen done, the floor still had chips of wood from the roof and some dust, but nothing that Steve had to worry about until the rest of the cabin was cleaned. They would just drag the mess around anyways.

Dustin had helped him with the living room. Some of the windows, not all of them, were boarded up. A lot of junk was just thrown into piles, ready to be tossed. Steven walked into the kitchen, pulling out the trash bags Nancy had stored under there, and began to fill it up, coughing as he disturbed some of the dust.

The cabin was quiet. The occasional sound of spring wind could be heard rustling the trees, but the only noise that filled the cabin was Steve cleaning the mess and his light humming. He was singing Foreigner’s I Want to Know What Love is, but he unfortunately only knew the chorus, so it got old quickly. He was on his 6th repeat when there was a thud and small noise that sounded like a whine.

Steve froze, head snapping up at the direction of the noise and held his breath. After a moment there was another sound, like something shuffling and a weak voice called out.

“Hello-”

The voice was suddenly cut off by a string of violent coughing but Steve was already dropping his bag, running over to the bedroom door and throwing it open.

Eddie was on the floor, back pressed against the bed, one hand gripping the end table, knuckles bone white, while the other one was pressed up against his chest as he continued to cough and wheeze. Steve didn’t stop, his momentum carrying him over to Eddie and picking up the man from under his armpits, which Steve regretted almost immediately because of how sweaty they were but chose to ignore it.

Together, the two of them put Eddie back on the bed, the man wincing has his coughing subsided and he could now feel the pain in his sides. Steve couldn’t stop staring, like Eddie might disappear if he blinked.

“You can let go.” Eddie said hoarsely, leaning a bit away from Steve who realized he was still holding onto Eddie’s torso.

“Right, sorry.” Steve said, choking on his own words as he stepped away, quickly whipping his hands on his pants, and grabbed an unopened water bottle from the corner of the room, handing it over to Eddie, cap already twisted off.

The other didn’t say anything, he just accepted the water and drained it quickly, grasping for breath afterwards. Steve reached out, taking the bottle gently from the man’s hand and placed it on the end table.

“How long was I out?” Eddie asked quietly, his voice still scratchy.

“About three days.” Steve said with a sigh, placing his hands on his hips as he turned to look at the metalhead.

Eddie still looked rough, which of course he still did. The man just woke up and wasn’t completely healed yet. His skin was a sickly pale color, making the bruises under his eyes and on his side look much worse. His curly hair was sticking to his forehead and from where Steve stood, he could see how much Eddie shook just by sitting up.

“You need to lay back down.” Steve said, taking a step towards Eddie, grabbing the edge of the blanket. Eddie groaned, shifting back so he was able to lay down in the bed without threat of falling off. He let Steve pull the blankets up over him, watching Steve as he silently worked, a small scowl of concentration on the former king of high school face.

“You do act like such a mom,” Eddie said with a chuckle while Steve rolled his eyes, standing up straight. “Such a worry-wart.”

“You almost died Munson,” Steve said, crossing his arms. “I’m allowed to worry.”

“Sorry,” Eddie said with a frown, eyes downcast as he started to fiddle with hands. Steve had removed all of his rings when he first changed Eddie’s clothes. The same metal circles now sat in a chipped bowl on the end table.

“Why didn’t you listen to me?” Steve said quietly, but now he was starting to get worked up. The image of Eddie dying in his arms had burned into his head and now that Eddie was awake, Steve is starting to realize that he was mad. Mad at Vecna, mad at himself.

Mad at Eddie.

“Harrington-” Eddie started but Steve looked up, fury painting his face and he pointed a finger at Eddie.

“No,” He snapped, making Eddie groan as he let his head fall against the headboard with a soft thud. “I told you to not do any hero shit and what do you do, you nearly get yourself killed doing hero shit!”

“I had to do something! The bats were coming in and there was nothing stopping them from getting into Hawkins!”

“Well, news flash Eddie,” Steve said, now yelling and throwing his hands into the air, “they’re here anyways!”

“What?”

Eddie's voice was so soft and confused that it sucked the anger out of Steve’s chest. Steve sighed, rubbing his face before sitting on the edge of Eddie’s bed, face still in his hands.

“Ah, shit.” Steve said, taking a second before looking up and turning to Eddie.

“The plan didn’t work,” he said softly, a frown forming on his face once again. “We failed.”

His voice cracked at the last word and Steve looked down at the floor, taking a shaky breath in, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“Max?” Steve didn’t have to turn his head to know that Eddie was on the verge of tears, he could hear it in the man’s voice. Without thinking, Steve reached out, stilling looking down at the floor, and took Eddie’s hand into his, gripping it hard. Eddie held on just as tight.

“She’s… breathing. But she isn't waking up and the doctors said there’s nothing we can do but wait.”

“Fuck.” Eddie said, clearing his throat. Steve could hear him shifting before there was a repeated pounding of a fist hitting the bed, making Steve flinch by the sudden movement. The hand that held Steve’s never let go “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

Eddie kept yelling and hitting the bed. Steve let him be, only turning around when he heard a sob. Eddie’s other hand was covering his eyes and Steve watched as he dragged it down, covering his mouth while tears continued to fall.

Steve scooted higher up the bed, pulling his hand out of Eddie, who clearly didn’t want to let go judging how quickly he tightened his grip on Steve, but let him go anyway. Steve then wrapped his arms around Eddie, gently pushing the man’s head to his shoulder as he hugged him tightly.

Eddie let out another sob and quickly hugged Steve back, holding onto him like a lifeline. Steve closed his eyes, letting his own tears fall silently as he finally let himself stop worrying about Eddie and acknowledge the fact that he was alive. That he was still breathing and solid.

-------

“Someone order a pizza?”

Dustin looked up from where he was placing the cardboard box into the car. There, stopping at the end of the Wheeler’s driveway, was a bright yellow van, a man riding a pizza on the side. Dustin, Robin and Nancy blinked at the van, Mrs. Wheeler looked at the three of them before looking back to the van as the door opened.

Out came Mike, El, Will, Jonathan, and a man with really long hair who gave a little wave.

“Oh my god!” Dustin breathed out, forgetting the box and running over to his friends. “Guys!”

Mrs. Wheeler beats Dustin, grabbing Mike tightly.

“You are never going on vacation again, you hear me?” She said to Mike, pulling away to scold him more but Dustin drowns out the rest of the conversation as he quickly hugs El and Mike, closing his eyes and squeezing them as tightly as he could.

They stayed that way for a while, eyes closed in silent relief. El was the first to pull away, but she kept a hand on Dustin’s arm. If it was for her reassurance or his, he wasn’t going to ask.

“Where is Lucas?” Will asked, hands shaking slightly as he leaned away.

“He’s at the hospital.” Dustin sniffed.

“Was he hurt?” El rushed quickly, her grip on Dustin’s arm tightened.

“Uh, no,” Dustin said softly and shook his head “Not enough for a hospital. He’s uh… he’s with Max.”

El’s breaths picked up and she quickly exchanged glances with Will, fear and a bit of hope mirrored their faces.

“So she’s safe?” Will asked hesitantly. Dustin bit his bottom lip, lowering his head down and shaking it lightly. He heard a gasp and El’s grip on his arm turned painful. He didn’t pull away.

“But,” Eleven said, blindly rapidly to keep her vision clear of tears. “But, I saved her. She’s-”

Dustin opened his mouth, prepared to ask what she meant when Robin suddenly popped up from behind him, startling the teen slightly.

“Max is still alive.” She said in a soft undertone, smiling down at El. “She’s still breathing.”

Eleven didn’t say anything. She just lowered her eyes to the ground, finally releasing Dustin to hug herself instead. Will forced a smile at Robin and Dustin before wrapping an arm around El’s shoulder, placing his head on top of hers.

After Mrs. Wheeler was done coddling Mike and Dustin informed him about Max, the new arrivals wanted to go to the hospital as soon as possible. Nancy still had to take care of all of the donation boxes for the high school, so Jonathan and Argyle, Dustin found out he was Johnathan’s friend and had helped El with her “piggyback plan”, volunteered to drive the kids to the hospital, which Mrs. Wheeler lightly protested in fear of letting her kid out of sight again but agreed with a small, pained smile when she was reminded who was at the hospital.

Dustin didn’t go. As much as he wanted to stay with his friends and visit Max again, he, Robin and Nancy had to drop off these boxes before going to Hopper’s cabin to relieve Steve from duty and to check up on Eddie. He didn’t even mention Eddie to the others. Not yet.

So now he was in the high school gym, passing out water. It hurt to think about Max and Eddie for too long, so Dustin was trying to keep his mind away from the situation by trying to make people smile, even just for a little bit.

Then he noticed a man. A man that Dustin had seen before around town, but mostly at Eddie’s place.

Wayne was by the bulletin board, frowning slightly as he removed a piece of paper before pinning a new one on. Dustin watched for a moment before quickly placing his tray of water down on a nearby table and hobbled to the man, ignoring how his hands shook.

“Mr. Munson. I’m Dustin Henderson,” he said quietly, nearly choking on his anxiety before clearing his throat to continue talking. “Can we talk real quick?”

“I can’t imagine we have anything to talk about,” Wayne said, glaring at Dustin, but the boy could tell there was no real fire in there, just sorrow. It made his chest hurt more. “My nephew is innocent and he’s missing, so I’ll keep putting up posters until he’s found.”

The man brushed past Dustin, ignoring the teen’s stammering. Dustin followed Wayne’s back, clearing his throat once more.

“I was with him,” Dustin rushed out, voice squeaking at the end. “When the earthquake hit.”

Wayne turned at that.

“And where is Eddie now?”

“I’m-” Dustin paused, looking down at the floor, hand reaching into his pocket and pulling it out. There were a lot of eyes and ears here, even if they were all preoccupied. Plus, Nancy made him swear to not mention anything about Eddie’s whereabouts until they were able to prove his innocence. It made this part a lot harder. “I’m so sorry.”

Wayne blinked at what Dustin had presented him. In his fists hung a red guitar pick, the metal chain that held it was warm from being inside of Dustin’s pocket. Eddie had snapped it off his neck in the Upside Down then after getting back to Hawkins, Dustin had found it in his jacket pocket. He didn’t know why, but he kept it with him. Guess this was the reason.

Wayne shakily reached a hand out, taking the pick out of Dustin’s hand. Then the man started to cry and Dustin closed his eyes at the sound, unable to look at Wayne anymore. Wayne let out a sob and sat down on the edge of a cot, looking at the pick intensely.

Dustin took a deep breath in, trying to hold back his own tears. It hurt to see Wayne break down. He just hoped that the man could forgive him later for lying. The teen walked over, sitting down next to Wayne, silent for a moment before speaking.

“I wish everyone had gotten to know him,” his voice cracked. He wasn’t lying about this. “Like really gotten to know him because they would have loved him. And in the end he never stopped being Eddie.”

Wayne closed his eyes, bringing his closed fist to his head. Dustin felt his own tears start to spill over.

“You know, I never even saw him get mad. He could’ve ran. He could’ve saved himself. But he fought to protect me and this town. A town that hated him. He’s not just innocent, he’s a hero.”

Dustin reached up, whipping his tears away, before adding on softly.

“My hero.”

Wayne took in a deep breath, nodding his head. Dustin continued to sit with the man, neither of them anything. Eddie was going to be fine. He’ll get all healed up then after they prove his innocence, Dustin will personally apologize to Wayne for causing him so much pain.

After a moment, Wayne thanked Dustin and left, the older man walking solemnly out of the gym. Dustin watched him leave, sitting in the silence before getting up to continue passing out water and food to people. As soon as he was finished he went to go find the others.

Nancy was on clothes duty and Robin was talking nervously to a girl that Dustin had never seen before.

“Who’s that?” He asked, hoping that his words would cover the sound of him sniffling.

Nancy looked up, following Dustin’s finger to the pair, before shrugging.

“That's Viki. She and Robin are in band together.”

“Oh,” Dustin said, watching the two of them. Viki had just said something that made Robin laugh, causing the taller girl to lean into the redhead’s side. Interesting.

“Ready to go?” Nancy asked Dustin. He looked away and gave Nancy a small smile.

“Yeah. Let's get the others and visit Eddie.”

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On the drive to the cabin, Dustin explained Eddie’s condition to the others. Really it was only for Mike, the others didn’t know the man other than in passing, before everything went to shit. He told them about the murders and how the entire town thought it was Eddie to the very end with Eddie cutting the rope from the portal and Steve trying to keep him alive.

It was a bit of a somber drive, but eventually Dustin poked fun of Mike’s Hawaiian shirt, making El and Will snort. Very soon the car was filled with teenage laughter once more. The mood continued even as they approached the cabin. Mike and Dustin were now arguing over whether or not the movie “Chopping Mall” was worth seeing, with Will reminding Dustin that his mom didn’t want him to watch a horror movie involving a mall and El asking what it was about.

Eventually they parked and got out of their respective vehicles. Dustin lightly pushed Mike as the two of them laughed, Will and El quietly talking to each other with their heads close together. Robin was nodding along with whatever conspiracy theory Argyle was talking about while Nancy and Jonathan lead the charge, quietly walking beside each other.

They reached the front door, some still talking loudly, as Mike rushed forward to open the front door, still arguing with Dustin before he was interrupted.

“Shhh, guys quiet down.” Steve hissed, looking up from where he was, still picking up trash and putting it into bags and froze. There stood the Cali kids, Jonathan and some dude included. Steve almost dropped his broom but he made himself stay where he was. He took note that Lucas wasn’t here, probably at the hospital with Max still.

“We’re not even being loud.” Mike said, throwing his hands up. Nice to see that his attitude hadn’t changed. Dustin bumped him again with a frown, making Mike gasp in betrayal.

“Eddie is trying to rest.” Steve said with a sigh, but he couldn’t hide the grin that creeped on his face. Especially at how Dustin perked up, mood changing in an instant.

“Is he…” Dustin said, taking a small step forward. Steve smiled fully, giving the teen a small nod. Dustin’s eyes went wide and he sprinted to the bedroom. Mike, Will and El’s faces were covered in confusion, but following their friend nonetheless. Robin’s head also darted back and forth from the bedroom to Steve.

“He woke up a while ago,” He said. “I figured it was best to let him rest before you all got here.You know how loud they can all get.”

Right on cue, a lot of crying and exclamations escaped El’s old bedroom, making Robin wince at the noise. She stepped closer to Steve, peering into the room though the small crack in the door before leaning close to Steve.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, eyes darting to Steve’s face before looking back into the room.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Steve said, tilting his head slightly. Nancy and the other two men also walked into the bedroom, Nancy telling Dustin and Mike to get off of Eddie’s bed while the guy with long hair introduced himself as Argyle.

Robin rolled her eyes with a sigh.

“I know you Steve. Probably better than you know yourself. I let you be while Eddie was… sleeping, but now he’s awake and I want to make sure my best friend isn’t beating himself up.”

“I-” Steve paused, frowning. He didn’t want to have this conversation now, not with everyone here. “Can we just talk about this later?”

“Sure buddy,” Robin said with a sigh, nudging Steve in the shoulder. “Just know I wont forget it and will hunt you down if you try to escape.”

Steve laughed lightly.

“Understood.”

After a moment of letting the laughter and jokes pour out of the bedroom, Steve walked in to shoo everyone out, telling them that Eddie still needed to rest and that they were here to clean up the place, not to bother Eddie.

The teen’s and Argyle groaned but they all complied and began to clean up the house, trying to not be so loud as to bother Eddie. It didn’t really work of course. Mike and Nancy, despite not seeing each other for about a week, acted like nothing had changed and began bickering again. Will, Dustin, and El worked on cleaning the bathroom while Steve and Robin tackled the piles of junk, and Jonathan and Argyle had escaped outside.

Eventually, Nancy made it outside of the cabin to Jonathan , looking to board up the rest of the windows and to escape her little brother. Jonathan ended up holding the boards in place while Nancy hammered the nails in, both working silently while Argyle, who had abandoned work, searched the forest floor.

In any other circumstance, this might have been a nice way to relax and just enjoy the sun, but Jonathan was beginning to feel a knot grow in his stomach as Nancy continued to work.

“Hey Nancy, I'm sorry I wasn’t here,” he suddenly blurted out. Nancy looked up with surprise, like she didn’t expect Jonathan to talk to her. She blinked a couple of times, thinking, before turning back to the wood.

“Well, to be honest I’m kinda glad you weren’t,” Nancy winced, pausing in her hammering. “I mean… I’m glad you were with Mike and the others.”

“Right,” Jonathan said, nodding his head. Nancy flashed him a smile before turning back to the window, lifting the hammer back up to put the last nail in. Jonathan watched quietly, mind wondering. It wasn’t until after Nancy was done that he spoke back up.

“Hey, are we okay?” He stammered out, letting his arms fall to his side.

Nancy, who was in the process of walking away, stopped and turned slowly back to Jonathan. There was a brief moment of silence while Nancy bit her lip thinking.

“I don’t know,” she said quietly, hammer hanging loosely by her side. Jonathan swallowed hard and looked away.

“Life is hard,” she continued. “It keeps changing everything up and I can’t keep saving the fucking world and deal with normal life too. It feels like I’m being torn apart and I just-”

She paused again. Jonathan looked back up, his eyes meeting her’s. He knew how this was going to end.

“I just want to focus on one thing right now and that is figuring out how to kill Vecna.” Nancy finished, bending down to drop the hammer in the tool box.

Jonathan remained silent, keeping his focus on the hammer.

“I-” he swallowed thickly. “I understand. Everything feels a bit too much right now and I haven’t been a good boyfriend recently. Or even a good older brother.”

Nancy smiled, silently accepting Johnathan’s apology.

“How has Will been?”

“He’s as strong as ever,” Jonathan said with a sniff, finally looking up from the toolbox, glad for a change of subject. “He and El have been dealing with a lot on their own. El nearly took a girl's head off at school and Will’s been too quiet lately. Feels like I failed them, you know. I should have been there to help El settle into school, get used to a normal life. I probably should have hung out with Will more, since he left everything behind at Hawkins.”

He laughed, smiling slightly as he leaned against the wall.

“The two of them are so quiet and headstrong. It’s almost like they’re twins.”

Jonathan and Nancy laughed a bit at that. At some point Jonathan was going to have to tell El that she was family. Properly. Not in the back of a kitchen in a pizza place while she gets tortured trying to save her friends.

“She really fits in, doesn't she?” Nancy said, pulling Jonathan out of his head. It was like she had read his mind. Maybe she could just see it on his face..

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “She’s almost as odd as us Byers.”

Nancy tried to hide her grin behind a fake gasp of shock.

“The Byers, odd? What?” She drawled out, making Jonathan snort. He reached across the gap between the two of them to push Nancy slightly in the shoulder. She bursted out laughing, stumbling away.

“Alright, I get it,” He said as Nancy tried to stifle her laughter. “We better finish the windows before Steve comes out here and kicks my ass.”

He bent down, picking up the tool box while Nancy, still calming down, turned around to grab a board from the pile of wood. The two of them walked to the next window and continued on hammering in rhythmic silence.

-------

“Did she talk to you at all?” Mike asked quietly, perking up as Will left El to her cleaning of the bathroom. Will looked over his shoulder, seeing movement from the crack in the door. Her face was expressionless, almost cold, as she scrubbed the sink, trying to get the metal of the faucet to shine once more.

Mike was sitting on the couch taking a break. Dustin had sneaked back into Eddie’s room a while ago, so it was just Will and El cleaning the bathroom for a while, the two of them talking softly.

Will set the trash bag he was holding down.

“Not much,” he said, turning back to Mike before taking a seat next to his friend. “Dr. Brenner didn’t think she was ready and now she’s thinking he was right.”

Mike scoffed, shaking his head.

“That's bullshit. If it wasn’t for her, Max wouldn’t be alive right now.”

“I know. But she-” Will frowned, clasping his hands together. “She’s never lost before. Not like this.”

“She might get another chance,” Mike sighed, picking at the edge of the couch. “But still, I hope One is dead and rotting.”

The two sat in silence. Mike wished that there was more they could have done. He didn’t like losing and this definitely felt like a loss. At least it wasn’t a TPK.

“You know, now that I’m here in Hawkins, I can feel him,” Mike turned back to his friend, watching as Will closed his eyes with a shutter, rubbing the back of his neck like he was trying to remove an invisible spider web. “He’s hurting but he’s alive… somewhere. A-and he’s never going to stop. Not ever. Not until he’s taken everything and everyone.”

Will shuttered and Mike lifted his arm to place it around his shoulder but paused. They hadn’t talked about what had happened in the van just yet. There was still this uncomfortable air of uneasiness surrounding the two of them. Add in how Mike treated Will at the airport just a few days ago and he felt even more awkward, making his stomach clench up and he ended up dropping his arm by his side again.

Will opened his eyes, turning his head to see El inside the bathroom beginning to place the items that belonged on the counter top back in their proper places. Mike followed his line of sight, watching his girlfriend silently.

One did win. That's what sucks about all of this. He won and now he had gates from the Upside Down open and ready to launch his attack. The only question is why hasn’t he done it yet. Of course the obvious reason is because he’s injured, but maybe he’s a lot closer to death than any of them realize.

Maybe they have to strike first.

There was the sound of pounding footsteps and suddenly Jonathan was throwing the front door open, panic on his face.

“Someone is pulling up.” He panted, looking over the kids before making eye contact with Steve.

Instantly everyone was in motion. Robin armed herself with Nancy’s shotgun while Steve held up his broom like a club. Mike and Will leaped off the couch, El rushing out of the bathroom to stand with them, confused but ready. Dustin opened the door to El’s old room, Eddie still laying in bed, and looked at Steve, fear obvious on his face. Steve gave him a quick nod, eyes briefly looking up to meet Eddie’s, and rushed outside behind Robin.

Argyle was stumbling back to the cabin as a black car pulled up. The crew rushed outside, Robin placing herself by Nancy’s side, who was holding onto a hammer, knuckles white but her face determined. Jonathan held back El and Will on the porch, ready to rush them back inside if need be. El might be strong, but he could see the exhaustion on her face and knew that both she and Will have been through enough. If it came down to a fight, getting his siblings out was his top porosity.

Mike figured since Nancy was ready to charge he would be as well, so it surprised him when Steve quickly grabbed his shoulder and gently pushed him back towards the porch and his friends. The teen paused, watching as the king of highschool stood next to his sister and Robin, broom raised high. Mike didn’t think a broom looked super intimidating, but still a small bit of respect bloomed as he walked back towards the steps, shifting focus to the unwelcome company.

Slowly the vehicle pulled to a stop behind the pizza van. There was a long silence, all the teens bracing for a fight, when the car door opened with a click and out came Joyce Byers.

She looked tired, the type of tired Jonathan recognized as jet lag. Then he realized that he was looking at his mom. The second thing he realized is that El and Will have broken free of his grasp, running to their mom who was already crying.

He ran after them, watched as she embraced the younger teens, kissing their foreheads and whispering something into their hair. As he got closer, she looked up and lifted a hand, waving him in. Jonathan stumbled into his brother and sister, reaching his arms around his siblings to embrace his mother.

“Oh, my babies,” Joyce whispered hoarsely, kissing each one once more. “I'm so glad you’re all okay.”

“But what about your trip?” Jonathan croaked out, feeling his own tears wet his cheeks.

“I cut it short.” Joyce smiled, kissing him on the forehead.

Eleven pulled away first, wiping her face as she did so.

“How?”

“How,” Joyce chuckled. “You should be asking why.” She looked behind her, smiling as another figure slid out the car.

Eleven’s breath stuttered. He looked thinner and his hair was shaved, but he still looked the same as the day he died. Hopper smiled sadly, tears gathering in his eyes as he watched his daughter gasp and barrel into him, making him stumble at the force.

He folded over her as if shielding her from the outside world. Hopper could feel his hands shaking as he reached up and cradled El’s head, feeling what little hair she had left, and remembering a day he got a call for a shaved headed boy running through town.

Hopper bent down and kissed her forehead, making El look up. She blinked, tears still falling down her face and pointed up at Hopper's own shaved head.

“We match.”

The man chuckled, running a head across his head.

“Yeah, I suppose we do.”

They smiled at each other. Eleven still couldn't believe that her dad was alive. She mourned him almost an entire year, they held a funeral and everything. She couldn't believe that he was right here in front of her, as if the last few months hadn't happened.

Her smile stuttered.

She should feel happy, she is happy, but there was a small part of her that was… angry. Or rather more resentful. El resented Hopper's death, resented moving to California, resented going to that fucking school.

She resented that she bashed Angela head in, she resented the fact she didn't hit her harder.

El resented Joyce for leaving them, resented her for not telling El her father was alive. Resented Hopper that he told Joyce that he was alive and not her.

“You okay, kiddo?”

Eleven blinked, her thoughts drifting far away somewhere in her mind, waiting in the cold, wet dark. She looked back at Hopper and smiled, burying her face into his chest and squeezing him as hard as she could.

She wasn't going to let him go ever again.

-------

A part of Lucas regretted not going to see Eddie, but at the same time he couldn't just leave Max. After the others had left, he had watched Max for any signs of life before shuffling to a vending machine down the hall.

After he got his coke, he just kinda wandered around. The urge to move around had hit him suddenly and seeing as how Max wasn't going anywhere, he explored the floor.

Ever since the quakes, people have been piling in. Most are injuries from clasped buildings, a couple of them are car crashes. Lucas found it was hardest to look at the families desperately looking for their loved ones that have since disappeared.

He shuttered as a man with a little girl in his arms reached out for any nurse that would stop long enough for him to ask if his wife had checked into the hospital. Lucas wondered if Jason's family was here looking for him.

Quickly, Lucas shook the thought from his head, turning back to Max's room. He's done wandering around, scared of what he could find if he continued.

He shouldn't feel guilty for Jason dying like that, burned away into ash as the other teen screamed in terror. If anything, he didn't really care that the basketball player was dead. Maybe that's where the guilt came from. At one point they had been teammates, maybe even friends, but it could be that he had already mourned that friendship before it even started.

The worst part of it all was that he didn't blame Jason one bit. Yeah it sucked when Jason and the others already decided Eddie’s guilt; it sucked when the whole team turned on him (deep down he knew he did that to himself). Hell, it sucked when Jason started beating the shit out of him while Lucas watched Max slowly die in front of them; Lucas trying to get Max's headphones on while Jason tried to do what he believed was right so he could prevent what happened to Chrissy from happening to anyone else.

Or maybe his guilt is from the fact that he would have done the exact same thing. Is doing the same thing. The only difference is that Lucas has dealt with the horrors of the Upside Down before, knows what it can do and what Vecna is willing to do. Knows that when it comes down to it, Lucas might take joy in watching Vecna die.

As the last bit of Lucas' thoughts made themselves known, he found himself already at Max's door, opening it with a soft click.

Inside, Susan Mayfield was sitting at her daughter's side, softly brushing her long red hair with a bright yellow brush. Lucas paused in the doorway, his dark thoughts fading as Max’s mom looked up at him with a sad smile.

Lucas didn't have a chance to properly meet Max’s mom, just in passing. When Billy was around, it wasn't safe for Lucas to even be near Max’s house, let alone near her street. After the mall, things weren't great but they weren't bad either. But then Will and El moved, and soon after Max started to drift away, looking more exhausted and snapping at everyone. Then finally her mom and stepdad got divorced, forcing them to move at the beginning of the spring semester to the trailer park.

Then things continued to go downhill until finally Max had enough of Lucas and broke up with him. He didn't fight it, a part of him really wanted to, but he didn't know what to say, how to comfort her. Lucas could tell something was wrong but Max refused to open up and he was scared of losing her completely.

In a way, Max was right. While Lucas respected the fact that the two of them were no longer dating, he still loved her and he just couldn't let her go.

“Please, come in.” Susan said, holding a hand out to the empty chair on the other side of Max.

“I don't mind coming back some other time.” Lucas said, clearing his throat. Most businesses in Hawkins had shut down, especially those closest to the center of the town, so Mrs. Mayfield spends most of her time here. One time, after Lucas' parents forced him to go home, he came back to her crying, begging for Max to wake up. After that, he tried to make sure his visits weren't too long.

“I wouldn't mind the company,” Susan said softly, looking down at Max's still form. Lucas paused, taking a second to see the similarities between Max and her mother within their hair and on their faces, before sitting down in the unoccupied chair.

The two of them sat in silence, both watching Max for a single twitch, but all they saw was her steady breaths. He tried not to think about the wide empty space El saw within Max's head, he had to believe that she was still here.

“I tried playing her some music earlier,” Lucas looked over, noticing a small black transistor radio sitting on the bed next to Max. “But most of the stations are down or just advising residents to stay away from the fissures.”

Lucas nodded. His father has the radio in the living room constantly, waiting for… something. A sign maybe. He had come down the stairs the other day to his parents discussing leaving Hawkins. He didn't stick around to listen to the conclusion.

“I could read more if you'd like,” Lucas offered, turning towards the table behind him where he had left Peter Straub and Stephen King’s novel The Talisman.

“That would be nice, thank you.” Susan smiled once more before turning back to Max, continuing to brush her daughter's hair and Lucas picked up from where he last left off.

For that brief moment, Lucas imagined that he was Jack Sawyer, questing for a cure-all.

END CHAPTER THREE

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simplegenius042 · 10 months ago

Text

Late WIP Wednesday/Thursday

Tagged by @socially-awkward-skeleton and @imogenkol

Tagging @aceghosts @noodlecupcakes @direwombat @voidika @la-grosse-patate @inafieldofdaisies @cassietrn @adelaidedrubman @shellibisshe @josephseedismyfather @icecutioner @derelictheretic @shallow-gravy @strangefable @rhettsabbott @josephslittledeputy @cloudofbutterflies92 @skoll-sun-eater @carlosoliveiraa @g0dspeeed @wrathfulrook @afarcryfrommymain @strafethesesinners @turbo-virgins @raresvtm @softtidesworld @starsandskies @ladyoriza @florbelles @minilev @yokobai @thewanderer-000 @omen-speaker @justasmolbard @alypink and @sledge-in-space + anyone who'd like to join.

WIPs for The UnTitledverse and The Silver Chronicles, specifically The Tale Of Mario Emmet and Silva's Hope respectively. You can read these WIPs under the cut:

The Tale Of Mario Emmet is a fic set during the Five Nights At Freddy's: The Silver Eyes. This fic primarily focuses on my original character Mario Emmet, one of my main characters in The Perfect Storm saga and The UnTitledverse series as a whole, his journey of shedding his xenophobia towards others, and companionship with his human friends and eventual romance with Charlie Emily. It also somewhat diverges from the novels however by having "Dave Miller" unable to secure a spot as a night guard for the mall that surrounds "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza" (unfortunately, he will show up later). Mario's first introduction to Charlie and friends was while he was under the guise of a human... his second official introduction is messier and more hostile than the first, as shown below:

[TW: Description of a grotesque inhuman transformation. Very minor violence and blood as of now]

"Where do you think you're going?"

Charlie froze. Dread returned like the force of a freight train. John was quick to twist around, and his reaction confirmed her fear.

Mario was free.

As the others followed John's example, Charlie slowly glanced back to see Mario stepping out of the darkness of the animatronics maintenance room.

He wasn't close to her, separated several feet from each other, a gap that echoed the visceral betrayal of broken trust.

Mario's silver eyes glared into Charlie's brown with that same soul piercing gaze once more. From what Charlie could observe, Mario was hardly tired from the events of the night, nor of his earlier detainment. He held himself tall with determination and grit that matched her own.

"You aren't now, are you?" Mario chuckled, finding the idea incredulous, "After what you've all done tonight? None of you are leaving this building."

Clay took authoritative action immediately, taking his service weapon out to aim at the culprit behind his son's kidnapping and torment. John chose to take the chance to prioritize Charlie's safety over his own, stepping forwards to pull her back.

His initiative was inconvenienced by Charlie's unmoving state, though she was still conscious enough to pace a few steps back with him.

"Mario Emmet, put your hands in the air now!" Clay ordered the night guard, "You are under arrest. Any weapons you have on your person, you are to relieve yourself of them now. If you resist and attempt to endanger the life of civilians further, I will be forced to take lethal action. Do you understand?"

Mario did not shift his focus to Clay, intent on keeping Charlie trapped in their shared eye contact. His features twist to something less angry, and more doleful. He spoke, and Charlie could not help but believe that his words were solely for her to hear.

"Why couldn't you just let it rest?"

Charlie could not find it in herself to speak nor reply, and found herself unable to as John further pulled her behind the chief of police.

Mario soon returned to glaring, shifted his attention to Clay as he scrutinized the wider man.

A tense silence overtook the building; Mario staring down Clay, Charlie being held protectively in John's arms, Jessica supporting Carlton while Marla and Lamar kept their arms defensively on Jason.

From what Charlie could deduce, past Mario's glare was a pensive consideration. She could tell he was weighing his options, in spite of what little opportunity Clay was leaving him with.

Clay's features hardened, as he kept his weapon on Mario with little intent to misfire should Mario prove to be more unreasonable than he was.

As Clay was about to open his mouth to give a warning, Mario broke the tense silence with a sigh, raising his hands up in surrender. It caught Charlie by surprise; it seemed uncharacteristic of him to take such a chance. He didn't have any weapons on him, that she was sure of.

In spite of what should be an uplifting turn of events on the long frivolous night, she couldn't help but feel something felt wrong, but she couldn't figure out why.

Clay released some of the tension he had been shouldering, one hand retreating from his service weapon to reach for his cuffs as he steadily made his way towards Mario.

With Clay's guard weakened, a newfound glint sparked in Mario's eyes.

Charlie noticed it before anyone else, but was unable to efficiently put a stop to Mario's following actions much like everyone else.

Clay had taken a step closer when his shoulder was pierced by a bulky and sharp serrated appendage. It wasn't a hook like Foxy's; more similar to the claws of a praying mantis.

He lost grip of his weapon from the sudden pain of a well-planned attack. The claw separated from Clay, dripping blood to stain the dirty tiles. A red stain grew on his clothes around the wound.

Clay stumbled back, with both Charlie and John forcing themselves to move in order to catch the chief as Carlton called out for his father in alarm.

With Clay groaning and hissing under their arms, Charlie turned her attention back to Mario, and her eyes widened.

The claw retracted to Mario's arm, shifting and breaking apart into his hand. He flexed his hand, rubbing his wrist.

His silver eyes held the group where they stood, most trying to understand the logistics of what just occurred. Charlie, though, was the only one amongst them that came to a conclusion that, while unbelievable, was comprehensible to her.

Mario sighed, sneering at the group with a disdain that, in the short time Charlie knew him, didn't think he was capable of.

"I know that this is... hard for you to come to terms with," Mario stated, and though cold, there was a hint of sincerity, "I know the instinct to run, hide, resist... is coursing through your blood as we speak. Your... fear is evident. And I know you will think this unfair."

Mario took a step forward, the ceiling light above him flickering. Perhaps it was age. Or maybe, Charlie found herself thinking, It is something else entirely.

"After all, it's not your fault that you came here tonight," Mario continued, his voice low but audible, "You were lured here by your grief. Your longing for a friend who was taken from you - unjustly, of course- by a malicious force that held no remorse nor empathy for the victims he left bleeding. For that I cannot fault you. For that, you have my sympathy."

The ceiling lights soon followed the example of the first, all flickering at a pace with no rhythm, no justification given the functional state of the generators.

As Mario continued his slow approach, Charlie and John dragged a pale Clay to the safety of their group. There was a small gasp from within their half-circle, grabbing Charlie's attention like everyone else's.

"The exit!" Jason called out, panic creeping into his tone.

Following where the boy pointed, the group felt dread crawl its ugly head to peek into their hearts as they realized the root of Jason's distress- the broken down bricks that Clay had entered through the restaurant was mended once more into a solid wall.

Their exit was gone - including the sealed door.

"However," Mario gained the groups attention as the atmosphere grew tenser, "In spite of my lenience to allow you to make your peace while you could, you have continuously encroached upon my territory, disrupted my nest. My haven, with little apology and little sincerity in your promises to leave, with an intent to keep coming back. Like your redhead friend, you've all reached too close to the sun little Icarus's. So now, there must be a penalty."

His words became more distorted as he spoke, an echo behind his voice as his body began to twitch as unnaturally as the lights above them.

With each passing flicker, Charlie witnessed how his body changed; the skin on his face hardened and grew pale, his body slimmer till his skin seemed to cling to his bones, like some starved beast. Limbs elongating until he was tall and lank, his uniform morphing into his body as it darkened and changed color.

Claws that weren't too dissimilar to steel broke from his finger tips, as well as femur spines that belonged to an insect protruding from his thighs. His withered into nothing, white stripes forming across his dark limbs.

Despite what she was witnessing - what they all were witnessing - the worst part was the sounds. Hearing flesh tearing like paper, snapping and crunching like bones, and a guttural groan unlike that of a hungry predator was an unsettling experience that sickened Charlie.

The transformation neared its completion, with Mario's head widening to inhuman degrees; his forehead, complimented with a concerning crack on the left, became a discerning appearance, just as his mouth widened too- spread past the limits of an actual human.

Various unnatural features decorated his face and body; the circles imitating rosy cheeks, the pair of twin specks that seemed to emulate brows, red lipstick around the lip-less mouth and the twin trails of blue that ran down to his smile. His no longer wore a uniform; it was instead replaced with a sleeveless buttoned vest that manifested a small cape that reached down to his hips. A flower bloomed on his right side, and a bow tie at his neck.

The last change was his eyes; the white of his sclera melted into the creeping darkness, his silver iris with it. A new pair of eyes replaced them, rolling up from below. His pupils were white instead of black, his irises shined silver with a small darker ring separating the pupil from the bigger, more mesmerizing rings.

His appearance was alien and wrong and... so familiar to Charlie. Perhaps an unfinished animatronic glimpsed in his garage. But this... was warped and personalized in a sense - tailored to fit his preferences. The thought invoked rejection towards the impossibility of the situation; seeking logic that wasn't there as confusion froze her in place.

Everyone else were more afraid than anything else. Except for Mario, who seemed apologetic rather than enthusiastic.

"You have disturbed my nights long enough, taking what little I could grant you. What little I could conserve. And thus, there must be a 'give' to return on your part," Mario stated or... whatever he truly was, with voice littered with guttural snarls and chitters, "Know I did not want this. I'd never think to do this. But you've left me with little choice. I've ignored my hunger long enough. And besides..."

Mario gazed directly into Charlie's shocked brown eyes.

"...you can't fight your nature."

Jessica's hands gripped onto Charlie, pulling her closer to the huddled group as Carlton took over supporting his dad from John. His grey eyes glanced over to the animatronics that were by the sidelines... including the golden bear that Michael was inside.

"Uh... guys," he caught the others attention, directing it to the animatronics on standby.

Until all, with exception to Michael, began to make their way to the hallway.

Why aren't they staying?

"Go join the others Michael," Mario tells the Golden Bear. There seems to be some garbled indiscernible reply from the suit... a protest perhaps?

Though it's seems to be all for naught when Mario snaps back, "Go back to slumber Michael. I'll make this quick."

Michael lingers, but the glint of life in the bear suit's sockets flicker out; darkness cast over the yellow suit.

"Now," Mario growled when he turned his attention to them, clawed tendrils breaking from under his shoulders, as another pair of thin legs extend out from the two limbs, reminiscent of a spider, "It's time to feed."

For Silva's Hope, allow me to present to you Silva's first of many face-offs with one Nadi Sinclair, aka John's right hand (and simp), aka former member of Taskforce 141 (from Call To Arms duology), aka a really good shot! Enjoy below:

[TW: Violence and blood and dead Peggies]

Another shot rang out, the glass of the wrecked ute shattered above her.

Silva scooted away from any openings her unseen attacker had on her, shrunk low while she kept her limbs close to herself.

With another shot, a bullet dented into the ute, but remained strong against her attacker.

She could hear gunfire and shouts from enemies and allies alike, as the peggies assault Fall's End and the valley's Resistance defend themselves.

She inspects her glock, swiftly checking her magazine.

Empty.

Silva banged the back of her head against the vehicle's metal, cursing herself for her shortsightedness.

She puts the glock back into her holster, hand reaching for her knife.

Until a peggie rounded the corner of the ute, shovel in his hands and raising it to hit her.

Surprised, Silva barely had enough time to roll away from the strike. The peggie, who's eyes seem glazed with a misty green, slammed his shovel against the dirt, face etching with confusion.

And clarity once I'm done with him, Silva thought as she brought out her knife, the stone handle feeling right in her gloved hands. As she moved to deliver a killing blow, there was a small part of herself that felt like she was forgetting something.

A familiar bang rang out, and Silva realized she was going to get a painful reminder of the situation she had gotten stuck in to punish her instincts.

Silva doubled over, her knife dropped as the sharp sting was replaced with a burning pain once the bullet excited her bicep. Silva clutched her wound, blood seeping into her gloves. She dropped to the floor when another shot was fired, hitting the ground nearby.

The peggie used her disadvantage to attack, throwing himself onto her. Silva had rolled to her back to counter, but only managed to grip onto shovel's handle.

She quickly realised he wanted to choke her out with it, either to kill her or render her unconscious. Neither was appealing, and opted to keep his shovel from her throat.

Which was proving difficult from the strain of the wound she received from John's sharpshooter, the pressure and applied strength weakening her grip against the ridiculously strong peggie.

As the handle crept closer to her throat, her strength just about ready to give in, a shot rang out.

And the peggie's brain matter and blood sprayed against the white ute, his corpse collapsing onto her.

Shoving it off, she searched for her attacker. Until she recognized a familiar green laser pointer that belonged to her rescuer.

Following the green light, she saw Grace had set herself up on the garage's roof.

Her radio burst to life, Grace's voice piercing through the chaos of gunfire and yells, "You good Deputy?"

Silva let out a relieved huff, hissing when she moved her wounded arm. She used her functional hand to grab the radio and reply, "Got a gunshot wound to the bicep. Went clean through but got nothing to clean it or stitch myself up with. Not to mention-"

A bullet denting the roof of the ute interrupted her, followed by a shot to the hood and the deflation of a tire.

"-I've got this gillipollas hounding after me. How's everything over on your part?"

"Jerome's leading the push back against the Peggie's front assault while Mary May's keeping the wounded inside her bar and restocking any ammo we need," Grace informs Silva as she fires a shot far off from Silva, "John's bodyguard, Sinclair, is holed up on the water tower. I guess neither she nor John were happy with the destruction of their new toy."

Silva could guess she was referring to the Revelator. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she responded, "Can you reach her from your position?"

Grace hummed, but not the affirmative kind, "Negative, and neither can she, though her ire seems more focused on you. However, I can take out the blissed-out peggies running toward your position."

Of course there's more of that guy. Which wouldn't be an issue if she could use both her hands, a loaded gun and didn't have to worry about John's enthusiastic psycho sniper blowing her head off.

Taking slow methodic breaths, Silva used the dropped shovel to safely reach for her knife, managing to return it to her waiting hand as another shot broke off the shovel's spade.

She inquired, "Is there any cover I could run up to?"

"Barely, but enough to be out of Sinclair's scope," Grace affirmed, much to Silva's relief, "I'd advise going for the peggie van furthest to your right."

"Can you cover me?" Silva asked, legs prepped to make a run. Her wound ached, but she forced herself to push back the pain. Gripping her knife with her good hand, she awaited Grace's response.

The radio came to life once more, and Grace assured her, "I've got your back, Dep."

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