veda henderson

          Something doesn't feel right. That familiar sense of uneasy dread fills my skin and rattles my bones. I don't want to say anything and freak Eddie out more than he already is so, I bite the inside of my cheek and adjust myself to look out the window. The angry men are still here, thoroughly searching the house enough that the sky has started to dim, leaving us with little to no light if we need to get out of here quickly. 

    "What's the matter?" I hear Eddie ask softly from behind me. I turn to him quickly, dropping back down to my ass, my back against the wall of the window. 

    I stop my attack on the inside of my mouth, instead fiddling with the frayed cuffs on the sleeves of my Metallica hoodie. "They've been here a long time," 

    Unable to sit comfortably, I push myself to stand next to the window, out of view from anyone who may be looking in. He studies me for a second, his head tilting slightly to the left as he eyes me, "What else?"

    I shrug, turning my head to the side to watch the closed door of the boat house. "Nothing, I just would prefer if the wolf pack weren't breathing down our necks right now," 

    "Is that it?" He asks, his tone insinuating he doesn't believe me one bit. I go back to chewing on the inside of my cheek and nod, looking away from him. He takes this as a sign to scoot closer to me. "Vey-"

    Eddie is cut off when I push him away from the window, pressing my own back against the wall beside the window as my heart rapidly beats in my chest. 

    "Fuck, I just almost made eye contact with Jason Carver," I whisper/yell. Eddie closes his eyes tightly and hits his head against an imaginary wall in front of him. He then rapidly opens his eyes and lifts the talkie to his lips, pressing the button and hissing my brother's name down the line.

    No response.

    As Eddie tries desperately to get Dustins attention, I look out in front of me to the little white boat softly swaying on the ropes holding it above water. 

     "Eddie," I whisper. He turns to me, watching as I nod my head towards the boat. "I have a plan,"

    "I hate to be rude, V, but I hate your plans," He whines like a child. I roll my eyes and push off of the wall, bending to keep myself hidden from the view of the window. Eddie follows me to the boat, standing on the other side and untying the ropes. "They never end well,"

    "Just... go with the flow," I nod, trying to sound confident and convincing in my plan. He stops his movements for only a second, enough to look at me dumbfounded before he seems to remember what's happening around us and continues his actions.

    "Not all of us have the luxury of being high right now, Veda,"

    "Whatever, Muffin,"

    "It's Munson!" 

    I roll my eyes at his childishness, finally freeing the boat enough for us both to climb in. In no time, we get the boat out onto the massive body of water dubbed 'Lovers Lake'. Eddie takes the oars and begins pushing us out further away from Jason Carver & co. 

    The tightness in my chest starts to ease the further away we get from the boat house as if all my worries and fears didn't make it onto the little boat with me. But, I can't deny the small tug in the back of my mind, telling me something is wrong and something is coming. 

    "Isn't this just romantic?" I grin, attempting to ease the tension surrounding us. A small smile creeps onto his face before he shakes his head and laughs. 

    "You know how I like to treat the ladies," He winks at me, playing along. I smile, feeling myself slowly forget about the small nagging sensation in the back of my mind. But, just one look at his face and I can tell he is trying to hide his fear from me. 

     Eddie doesn't do well with big emotions, especially the scary ones. 

    Just as I open my mouth to say something, I see two dark figures merge into view on land. Eddie doesn't notice them given the fact that he has his back turned to them, but I can't help the way my face drops when I spot them.

    Eddie screws his face up when he notices the shift in my facial expressions. 

    "Hey, Freak!" Jason yells from the shoreline. Eddie's eyes widen before he rips around like a maniac. Time feels like it stands still when the two of us make eye contact with the two of them. "Where do you think you're going?"

    "Shit," Eddie curses under his breath before turning fully around. Within seconds, he's yanking on the cord to the motor, trying desperately to start the rickety old boat that stands between us and the two men watching. 

    "Eddie, he's taking his jacket off!" I warm, feeling my stomach tie itself into knots as Jason steps towards the water. I quickly yank the oar Eddie had dropped up into my hands and start trying to steer us away from them while Eddie struggles with the motor. 

    "I'm trying, V!" He almost squeals. "Come on, you piece of shit!"

    Jason finishes kicking his shoes off and immediately darts into the water like a man on a mission. His friend is less confident in his actions, taking longer to get into the water. 

    I fight to peel my eyes away from the teen, something about him made me want to lock eyes with him. But, there was no time for that. 

    Pulling the oars back into the boat, I stand up from my seat and grab Eddie's shoulders. "Move,"

    He steps back and I quickly take over, yanking the cord with all my might. The engine barely makes a sound, only making me more frustrated. I feel the boat begin moving erratically as I continue to pull at the cord. I sneak a glance over my shoulder to see Eddie paddling away almost as fast as the engine would take us if it turned on. 

    "Stupid thing!" I yell, lifting my foot up to kick at it. I know that taking my anger out on the old machine isn't going to help get it started, but it sure helps me feel slightly better. 

     Near-by splashing catches my attention, upon looking up, I see Jason and his friend not too far from the boat and quickly gaining on us. I gape, "Fuck, they're fast,"

The feeling of dread is almost suffocating, not just from the proximity of Jason Carver and Eddie, but something else lurking behind the scenes. The familiar feeling quickly crawls its way through my veins into it too is pumping through my heart, sending tingles all throughout each of my limbs until my skin is buzzing. 

    Vecna. 

   My eyes widen at the realisation. How did it take me so long to figure that out? The feeling I get when he's near is hard to replicate and even harder to forget. I turn around and swallow. Maybe the drugs are clouding my mind more than I thought.

    Suddenly, Eddie stands up in the boat, swinging the oar around like a weapon. "Hey, stay back man! Stay back!" He shouts.

    A bell chimes in the distance, the sound causes me to tense up more than I already was. Eddie glances at me, as if sensing my change, but continues his verbal warning. While doing so, he steps forward and pushes me back behind him as if he could protect me. 

    I turn once more, peering over his shoulder as the unnamed boy stops swimming and looks around him in paranoia. 

    Shit.

    "He's here," I whisper out loud. 

    "I know that-"

    "No, not fucking Jason. Vecna,"

    Jason must notice his friend's absence as he turns around, paddling in the water as he calls out to his friend. "Hey c'mon, we almost have him!" 

    The clock chimes again and I find myself feeling ill, paralysed by fear. The anticipation causes my memories of Vecna's war path to resurface at the worst possible time. Memories of my illusion of my father, the clock stashed into the wall of Hawkins High, Chrissy's mutilated body and the sound of Fred's bones snapping. I feel like I can't breathe. 

    "Hey, Patrick," Jason's voice snaps me out of my panic. 

    "Patrick!" I yell in desperation, pushing past Eddie and dropping to my knees at the tip of the boat. Patrick's eyes jolt to mine as if my voice was cutting through whatever sound barrier was placed over him. "Get him out of the-"

    Before I can finish, Patrick disappears under the water. Acting fast, I stand up and jump head-first into the water, ignoring Eddie as he tries to reach for me and shouts my name. The chill of the water pinches my skin like a tiny million crabs, but I ignore it as I resurface next to Jason. He doesn't take much notice of me, instead, he desperately searches for his lost friend and calls his name out. 

    "Veda!" Eddie calls. I look over my shoulder at him, my heart sinking at the signs of worry and desperation on his face. I can tell he wants to reach for me and pull me back into the boat. But, he doesn't. Instead, he nods at me, as if telling me I'm doing the right thing. 

    So, I dive back underwater, swimming closer to the spot where Patrick was last. 

    The water seems darker than it was the first time. Uneasiness settles in as I look around my surroundings, trying to find some source of light or better yet, Patrick. 

    When I look down, I see what looks to be the inside of a house instead of pitch-black darkness. The floorboards are rickety and old and the objects occupying the room are covered in dust and spider webs. But, most interestingly, I see an array of tentacle-looking limbs and, in the middle, a fleshy man floating. 

    I turn and push myself downwards, going further into the water until suddenly the pressure of the water is gone and I'm freefalling into the vision. My beat-up Converse hit the wooden floorboards, dust wafting up around me. 

     Vecna doesn't even flinch at my arrival, either because he doesn't care, or he's too focused to notice. The flesh-looking vines hold him above ground the same way his victims float, his arms stretched out as if he's merely meditating and not trying to kill someone. 

    Water drips all around me, leaving a ring of moisture in my place. 

    Maybe, if I distract him, he'll lose focus and Patrick can escape the same way Max did. 

    "Hey!" I yell, stepping forward. He again doesn't make any sign that tells me he knows I'm here besides the occasional soft grunt. I look around me, my eyes landing on a piece of rubble scattered across the floor. I quickly pick it up and throw it at his chest. 

    No response. 

    "What do you want?" I yell, walking up to him. The closer I get, the more I can make out the many details of his ugly face. His left hand extends into long fingers, tipped with razor-sharp claws. To my surprise, the other hand looks mostly normal aside from the squelched flesh. Its shape is no different to my own. 

    Something catches my eye, a small mark on the inside of his wrist that almost sucks the air from my lungs. 

    001. just like the mark on Eleven's wrist. 

    My eyes snap up in time to catch Vecna opening his before I feel myself being yanked back into the darkness, the water engulfing me once more. I surface and suck in as much air as my lungs will allow me. 

    "Veda!" I spin around, meeting Eddie's terrified eyes.

    Just as I open my mouth to say something, a loud sound causes me to turn back. Patrick emerges from the water, now floating mid-air with glossed-over eyes. Within seconds, his right leg bends in an unnatural position followed by his other leg and his two arms until he's past saving. Eddie's shock sends him tumbling into the water with the rest of us, his head resurfacing next to mine. 

    All three of us watch in horror, unable to do anything to help Patrick. I feel the water around me move as Eddie reaches for my hand and holds it tight as if he is afraid I'll float away or end up like Patrick. 

    The loud snap of Patrick's jaw has me closing my eyes, a salty tear rolling down my cheek. Once again, I failed to even hold Vecna off enough to make any sort of difference. I don't have to open my eyes to know the giant splash sound is his body being dropped like something worthless. 

    "Let's get the hell out of here!" Eddie yells his suggestion, tugging me back to the boat.