Chapter Text
Every chime of the clock chimes gave pain somewhere inside Steve. Not even in the heart, somewhere much deeper.
4 hits could only mean one thing.
"Max"
Nancy's voice snapped Steve out of his trance and brought him back to reality. The house began to shake as the portal rapidly formed between Upside Down and Hawkins. A city that had no chanse to be saved from the dark vines of another world.
The company hastened to run outside, trying to get out of the rapidly collapsing house as quickly as possible. On the street, another "surprise" awaited them - Vecna's body was gone. Something prickled inside Steve again.
The trio doomed looked beyond the cracks, which grew, increased, and spread in all directions, absorbing everything in their path. Sparing no one and nothing. It's like a water balloon that finally burst under pressure. An irreversible process that will affect everyone.
But at that moment, Steve had no time to assess the damage of their loss. The names of all his children, all the friends who were involved in this plan, continued to spin in his head. As they biked back to the trailer park, Steve couldn't stop thinking about their plan. Something went wrong. Who else could get hurt? What is Lucas going through now?
All these thoughts were cut short with a scream. Or howl. The sound was like that of a downed dog: frightened, desperate, and panicked. Steven was slightly ahead of the girls, who were quietly talking about something behind him, and was the first to see two bodies on the pavement. There was something heavy inside of him again. He wasn't ready to see the bodies of his friends, but he kept on moving even faster towards them.
No, no, no, no. Please, please, please, let them live, let them live, please, please...
It was too late for prayers.
Steve practically flew into them, half hugging and trying to feel them, to understand what happened.
"Steve, Steve... Eddie, he, he...". Whatever Dustin wanted to say it was lost in sobs. Steve hugged Dustin tighter and looked at Eddie for the first time. The pallor of her face contrasted painfully with the dark hair and brown eyes that continued to stare into space. Steve ran his fingers over his face, covering the eyes.
"I told you not to be a hero." Steve blinked back tears from his eyes and turned to Dustin, pulling him into a tighter hug and hiding the tears in his shoulder.
“The bats started pushing in and he decided to distract them… I asked him to stay, but he went anyway… Alone against them all. Eddie…” Dustin burst into sobs again, and Steve hugged him tighter. Steve asked the next question after a couple of minutes when the girls were already making progress to drive up to them.
"Are you hurt?"
He shook his head.
"Good." Steve made a deep voice, leveling his voice and preparing for the next words. “We have to go. I'm afraid Eddie wasn't the only one hurt. They need us."
Dustin began to shake his head.
"No, no. I won't leave him here. Steve, he won't be left here alone." And Dustin pushed Steve out of his arms and covered Eddie's body like a wild animal would protect its prey. “Go if you must. I won't leave him here."
“I'm not asking you to leave him here. We can take it to the trailer or elsewhere. But we can't be here any longer. Max... I think she died. Lucas needs you now more than ever. Please go."
Steve slowly put his hands on his friend's shoulders and pulled him up slightly, waiting for resistance. This did not follow. "Go ahead, I'll carry Eddie myself".
"But..". Red-eyed Robin stepped towards him and froze at Steve's gaze.
"Go ahead, faster."
The portal cracks in Eddie's trailer were already raging and sparkling in all directions. Nancy fetched Dustin and walked with him and Robin forward without looking back at Steve. Somewhere in the subconscious, he noted the lameness of a friend.
And Svete shut down. He threw away all of his thoughts. Everything was washed. There were too many of them, they were too loud and painful. There was no time for them right now, so he pushed them aside and focused on one thing at a time.
Take the body. No, not the body - Eddie.
Some of the lacerations were visible from under the torn clothes, and some remained hidden under the layers of clothing. The first thing Steve immediately felt was blood. She soaked through his clothes. She soaked Eddie through and around. What a weird thought, we're all walking bags of blood, but it came out and Steve couldn't help but want to wipe it all off from Eddie. But he didn't have a choice to do it right now. He just acted step by step.
Raise, hug, and take a couple of steps. Stop, step over the "shield", and move on. Every step reeked in Steve's head with one phrase: "Because of your plan, they all died." With each step, the smell of blood penetrated deeper into Steve and corroded everything from the inside.
But there were no more tears. Just an internal countdown to the trailer and the guitarist's hair rubbing against his cheek.
Steve was hesitant to leave Eddie in the trailer. But for the time being, he had no other choice, so he carried him to the back room, to his bedroom, and laid him gently on the bed. He didn't know what to do next, so he just put his hand on his chest and quietly said: “Thank you for saving him. Your sacrifice was not in vain. I will never forget you, Eddie Munson."
Steve gave him another look and hooked on his rings. He hesitated for a second, but took one off and put it in his pocket. He wasn't sure why he did it, he just succumbed to the impulse. Then he covered him with a blanket and went out. Only Robin remained at the portal.
"Steve, I'm so sorry..."
“Me too, Robin. But let's talk about it later."
She nodded to him and they set off to the other side towards chaos.