veda henderson

          After all this running I've been doing lately, I think I'm entitled to a year of bed rest. My lungs will never be the same and they remind me of this as they roughly push air from themself, my feet aching in my shoes as I step on rocks and ruble sprawled all over the ground.

    "Over here!" Nancy calls from ahead, darting under a pile of rocks. We all pile in after her, huddling around each other as we look up at the skies waiting. The familiar haunting screech causes me to shudder, my skin prickling along my arms until goosebumps form. 

    "Steve, I don't know how you're not freezing your tits off right now," I whisper, rubbing my hands along my arms to warm myself up. I make sure to be extra careful on my right arm, lifting up over the wounds to not irritate them further. It's not like they've been cleaned or treated accordingly. The least I can do is not put my hands over them considering they are probably covered in God knows what kind of germs by now. 

    "Oh, I definitely am," Steve nods.

    We all look up, watching in silent, shaky horror as the demon bats fly overhead, unaware of our position. The thunder keeps on booming, making me wonder if there's ever any other sort of weather in this place. I seriously doubt it. I couldn't imagine warm, clear skies over here. 

    "Oh... Okay. That was close," Robin breathes, slowly standing up and stepping out from under the shelter of the boulders. I follow her, standing up in a half-crouch and exiting the shelter.

    "Yeah, too close," Eddie grumbles in agreement from behind me. 

     A noise to my left catches my attention, watching as Steve falls against the rocks in weakness. Nancy rushes over, inspecting him. He brushes her off, insisting "I'm fine,"

    "No, No, you're not. You're losing a lot of blood. Sit," She demands, forcing Steve to sit on the rocks with his hand clamped on his side. Nancy then turns to me, a stern look on her face "You too,"

    I don't bother arguing with her. Nancy Wheeler is hard to argue with, she always gets what she wants mostly because she's always rational and reasonable. Makes disagreeing with her impossible. 

    I take a seat beside Steve, looking at my gnarly arm, blood and other fluids flowing from the holes. I wince at the site before reaching for the end of my tank top, ripping the edges until I have enough material. I then take the material and wrap it tightly around my bicep. Eddie walks over, taking the ends from my hand to tie the material together. Given I can't really tie it myself with one hand, I smile a 'thanks' to him, my heart warming at the sign of care. 

    Nancy does the same beside me, ripping off a part of her clothing to tie around Steve's waist and cover his wounds. Robin sits in between me and Steve, beginning to ramble "But, if you start having hallucinations and muscle spasms or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me, then you should totally let me know, yeah?"

    "Kinda hard to distinguish a hallucination at this point, Robin," I smile, wincing as Eddie tightens the makeshift bandage around me, finishing the knot. 

    "I kinda want to punch you already," Steve adds.

    "You both still have your sense of humour. That's a good sign," Robin smiles enthusiastically. 

    Eddie smiles at me, extending a hand for me to grab. When I do, he pulls me up to a stand and walks over to another boulder. He climbs up to the top, turning to help me scale the rock with only one arm. We both reach the top, standing to observe everything around us. 

    "So this place is like Hawkins but with monsters and... nasty shit?" Eddie asks making me laugh.

    "Yeah, pretty much. I've never been here until now but I've heard stories," I inform, looking out onto the dystopian landscape. I turn around, beginning to walk back down the rock while avoiding the vines, "Everything here is so gross,"

    "Watch out for the vines," Nancy calls. I step off of the boulder, turning to see Eddie stopped in his place as he listens intently to Nancy, "It's all a hive mind,"

    "It's all a what?"

    "Like Bee's?" I question, looking down at the vines at my feet.

    "All the creepy crawlies around here, dude. They're like one or something. You step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on Vecna," Steve informs, looking like he's struggling with his injury. 

    "But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people, obviously?" Robin asks Nancy as I step to her side, feeling chills run all over my body from now even less clothing covering my upper body.

    "As far as I understand it, yeah," Nancy answers, sounding exhausted. 

    "So, theoretically, we can go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate," Robin suggests, holding her arm out as she explains her point. 

    "I am so on board with getting a gun," I point out

    "I highly doubt that the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But, guns, yeah, sure," Steve comments.

    "Well, we don't have to go all the way downtown for guns. I have guns, in my bedroom," Nancy informs.

    "I also have a gun," I say, putting my hand up like a kid asking a question in school. 

    "You have a gun?" Eddie asks after jumping down from the boulder, smiling at me wider than he ever has. 

    "Only one," I sigh, the gun that has haunted me ever since I first saw it. The memory isn't the only thing that sends shivers down my spine, a particularly harsh gust of wind grazes my skin. 

    "Oh, shit, almost forgot," Eddie rambles, pulling my beloved 'Ride the Lightning' hoodie out from seemingly nowhere. I smile at him before pulling the hoodie over my sore and freezing body, feeling the warmth engulf me pretty quickly. Eddie then takes his denim vest off, tossing it towards an unexpecting Steve "For your modesty, Dude,"

    Suddenly, something that feels like an earthquake rumbles throughout the upside down. I lose my balance, falling into Eddie and sending us both toppling to the ground. Flashes of red hit my vision as I feel Eddie grab onto me, shielding both of our heads in case something comes tumbling down that could hurt us.

    Almost as quickly as it starts, the shaking ends. We all pause, scared to say anything in case it triggers another tremble. Overhead, more screeching from the creatures fills the atmosphere.

    Eddie and I both push ourselves up until we're sitting, my back pressed firmly against his chest as we look in the direction of the sound. 

    "Yeah so, guns seem like a pretty good idea to me," Eddie speaks first.

    "Couldn't agree more," 

    "So, what are we waiting for?" Steve asks, tugging Eddie's vest over his upper body. 

    Steve and Nancy take the lead, aiming a torch at the ground to more easily avoid the vines. Eddie and I stand up, looking at each other before tugging on, stepping over each black vine. I turn over my shoulder, making sure Robin is close behind us which she is. 

    God, this night is just getting longer. 

----------

           The second I round the street corner, familiarness greets me. My house, dark and damaged sitting on the little street. It's strange, I can recognise everything down to the bushes under my bedroom window at the side, only these bushes are wilted and dying. My mother is an avid gardener, meaning it's painfully obvious this home hasn't felt her healing touch. 

     I huff in the air, continuing to fill my lungs manually for the millionth time tonight before walking up to the front door of my house. I don't know why I'm scared, I've lived here for years. But this isn't my home, no matter how much it looks like it. 

    Eddie stays close behind me, Robin behind him as I open the front door and step through the threshold. Specs of God-knows-what linger in the air like toxic snow, leading to me subconsciously holding my breath to prevent accidental inhaling. 

    "Y'know it's just as I imagined it," Eddie jokes, looking around the inside of my house. I stifle a laugh, turning to the hallway where my bedroom sits. 

    Or, more accurately, a bedroom that looks like mine but isn't.

    I step in front of the white door, a purple V hanging from the outside. Lifting my finger up, I trace over the colourful letter as if I were writing it with the tip of my finger. Then, I push the door open, revealing a tidy room, all my things exactly where I remember them. Except this room is tinted with blue instead of the warmth my lamps and other lights provide, all sorts of growths cover the surfaces of everything. 

    Cringing at the grossness, I move over to the closet, sliding the purple door to the side. Eddie and Robin both step inside the room, looking around at my things. 

    Nancy insisted on waiting outside to guard us for some weird reason and Steve, of course, insisted on staying with her to protect her. I wasn't about to argue, two fewer people seeing my bedroom was enough for me. 

    "You listen to Metallica?" Robin asks from behind me. I turn my neck, watching as she holds up one of my favourite cassettes with a smile on her face. The cassette is one I made myself, a small playlist in my handwriting written on the front, the top song- For whom the bell tolls-highlighted to signify it's my favourite. 

    I furrow my eyebrows and look down at my jumper, the one I've been wearing this whole time with a big Metallica logo plastered across the front, before looking back up at her, "No, not really,"

    "Aw, you guys are like the boy and girl version of each other," Robin coos sarcastically, looking between Eddie and I with her hands clasped together. 

    I shake my head and turn back to my purple closet doors, pushing against the cover with all my might. The door's glider must be jammed in this world as well. All too familiar with my shitty closet door, I lift the wooden structure up slightly to push it across. It fights back but eventually slides right across to reveal the contents of my wardrobe. 

    In the wardrobe, sitting on the carpeted floor, a small circle box. The box is covered in weird contrasting patterns and floral images, a container that I stole from my Mum's arts and crafts corner the second I moved in.

    Dropping to my knees, I pull the box from its corner and uncover the top. In the box, a silver revolver stares back at me. I slowly lift it up, swallowing hard as my hands shake uncontrollably. Trying to ignore the feelings of anxiety creeping up my neck, I check the chamber for bullets. 

    All but one present. 

    "Alright," I swallow, clenching the revolver tightly as I push myself to stand up. I try to push the weapon out of my mind, thinking of it as just a silly little gun and not what it symbolises. "Let's go,"

    The pair don't move, instead, stopping in their tracks and staring heavily at the gun in my grasp. Robin speaks first. "There's a bullet missing,"

    "Yep," I nod, avoiding their eyes. Word got around this town pretty quickly, I'm pretty sure most people know about my Dad's passing but are just unaware of the circumstances surrounding it. Robin would surely know he died considering Steve has known for a long time. Seeing the gun and the missing bullet, I'm sure she can put the pieces together. 

    "Is that-"

    "My Father's suicide gun? Yes, it is. Can we leave?" I cut Eddie off shortly, gesturing to my open bedroom door. Instead of waiting for them, I push past Eddie and through the open threshold, walking through the rest of the house quickly until I make it to the front door.

    Once there, I step outside and join Steve and Nancy, the two others with me soon joining us. 

    My father's gun that he used to commit suicide will always be his suicide gun until it becomes something else. I want it to be something else, something used as protection and for good. This is a step towards expelling my demons that is long overdue and I am more than willing to take it. 

    I smile at Steve and Nancy, looking between them. "To the Wheelers,"