⇢ ˗ˏˋ ✰🎨 🎸 ࿐ྂ

"𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞, 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧!"
➶-͙˚ ༘✶ ˗ˏˋ ✰꒰ 📎 🍒 ꒱✰ ˎˊ- ➶ °*ೃ
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CERISE WAS RUNNING AWAY FROM the long slender claws that dug into her left thigh, racing away from the monster that stood as tall as a tree. She sprinted in the bloodied puddles of water, the sickening vile smell of iron suffocating Cerise's senses. Her vision was filled with crimson, the tall breathing corpse trailing its mucilaginous vines that were inches away from Cerise's sprinting footsteps.

Her body became exhausted from the overexertion of running, and her fatigued labored breaths were inhaling the black particles floating in the compromised air. She despairingly searched for any potential hiding spots, but the incandescent red glow of the sky blinded her eyes. Her heart was wildly beating like a drum and the clouded daze in her eyes were flooding with fear.

Cerise hid behind an abandoned caravan, her body becoming frigid at the loud echoing sounds of footsteps advancing towards her hiding spot. She attempted to stay horridly silent, but Cerise wasn't sure if her heart was acting as a beacon for the monster, so she exhaled a shaky consternated breath.

The blood drained from her face, the progressing footsteps nearing closer by the vital second. She heard the squelching sounds of his desiccated body, a low grumbling reverberation forming in his throat. Cerise's eyes were compressed shut, her hands over her mouth while the monster was treading closer to her trembling body.

Lifting her head up apprehensively, Cerise made out the features of the man; the same dehydrated skin, his skin peppered with lacerations, and his fogged cerulean eyes which were scanning the surroundings to find the teenager.

She knew those eyes. She has seen those eyes before.

The familiar blue sparkle was something Cerise saw constantly in her nightmares and her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. However, her gaze was held longer than anticipated, so when the petrifying creature met eyes with Cerise, the girl shrieked in fear. She forced herself out of her frigid state, dashing away from the pernicious monster. She scrambled and fumbled one foot on the other, her rapid breaths resurfacing.

Her damp hair was soaked in blood, the streaking smears of a viscous consistency adhering to her body. It made it harder for her to escape for her life. Cerise's body nearly gave up, her enervated figure desperately making its way to Heaven's guiding light. She was there, she was so close.

Until the levitating monster snatched Cerise by her waist, his tentacles tightly ripping out the oxygen from her lungs. His head tilted in intrigue and fascination, his long tapered slender fingers grazing against Cerise's cheek.

"You're a special one, Cerise Harrington." The monster's booming voice echoed through her skull, his calm, yet unsettling words burning into her mind. The creature leaned his head back, his eyes rolling into his brain. His fingers tore into the delicate skin of her scalp, a blood-curdling anguished scream escaping her lips.

Her lifeless body fell to the ground, the light that was once emitted, now a dull shade of nothing. The warmth in Cerise's body was stolen by the cold caressing hug of death and her chest deflated, any signs of potential life were gone. Her blossoming electric personality was now gone, and Cerise Harrington was dead.

"Cerise!"

The echoing voice of the familiar metalhead brought Cerise back into the unfathomable reality. Sweat was trickling down her skin like spring rain and the multiple colors of crimson streamed down her soaked nose.

Eddie did not know what to do. He knew it was not advised to suddenly wake a person from a night terror so he did what he thought was the most efficient way to help Cerise.

He gently sat up and lifted Cerise's hand, brushing his thumb against her skin to hopefully guide her out of the horrifying nightmare. Eddie's eyes were still filled with sleep, but his worries for the girl surpassed the drowsiness.

"Please wake up, Cerise," Eddie urged in a hushed tone. His comforting touch did not leave Cerise, as well as his concerned eyes that were writhing in concern. It started to scare Eddie that Cerise was not waking up, but he jolted up from the bed when she sat up swiftly, gasping for the air that seemed to become severed from her throat.

The once bloodied visions were replaced with the sight of a worried Eddie, his brown doe eyes scanning Cerise with a concerned expression on his face. He gently lifted his hand, cupping her cheeks, the cold metal of his rings soothing Cerise.

"Hey, hey, look at me, sweetheart. It was just a nightmare, I'm here." Eddie firmly stated, his raspy voice sending electrifying sparks tingling down her spine. She stared directly into Eddie's eyes, noticing the way his pupils were dilating. They sparkled with unconditional fidelity, his thumbs brushing away the tenuous tears that slipped down her cheeks.

"E-Eddie? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Cerise croaked, lifting her head down in guilt. Eddie shook his head, not liking how she was hiding her face from him. He sat up fully this time, sitting in front of Cerise, and put his thumb under her chin so she can look into his eyes.

"Don't hide that pretty face away from me." Cerise's face flushed with heat at Eddie's statement, making her feel like she was on Cloud 9. She overlapped her hand on top of his, internally thanking the boy for his comfort.

"Did I scare you? Steve told me one time, that a nightmare was so bad, he thought I was getting murdered," Cerise chuckled humorlessly, scratching her head at the painful memory. Eddie stared at the girl with sympathy, his eyes softening at the wonder of how much trauma this fragile human endured.

The pair stared at each other for a while, until Cerise cleared her throat, not noticing the way how close her body was to Eddie. She shuffled around the bed, grabbed the thin blanket, and wrapped her body in it. Cerise laid back down on the bed, turning on her side to avoid Eddie's penetrating stare. She didn't have to turn around to feel the way his eyes were burrowing into the back of her head.

"Go back to bed, Eddie. I'll be fine." Her voice was quavering. Eddie knew she was not fine and his worry escalated by the second, but he took his side of the bed, whispering a small 'good night' before tucking his head on top of the pillow. His heart was still rapidly beating from the eventful scare, his eyes still wide awake with adrenaline.

After nearly thirty minutes later, Eddie heard the soft snores leaving Cerise's lips. Her chest was rising and falling with tranquility, but Eddie did not bat an eye. With the immense amount of concern, he had for Cerise, piled on top of the trauma he witnessed of Chrissy's dying body, and with the cops chasing after him, Eddie simply wasn't okay.

The only constant that seemed to somehow soothe his twisted nerves, was Cerise. He didn't know why, but whenever he sees her in the same room as him, his body would surfeit with peace and placidity.

Smiling at the sight of a sleeping Cerise, Eddie cautiously stepped out of bed, putting on his shoes to trudge quietly out the back door and onto the dock. He slipped out his cigarette and lighter that he 'borrowed' from Rick's stash and sat at the edge of the dock. He puffed out the tobacco smoke from his mouth, exhaling a hefty sigh of frustration that accumulated throughout the day.

However, when Eddie heard the advancing footsteps wandering his way, he instantly shot up, his stiff body turning defensive. But when he saw it was a yawning Cerise, his tough composure immediately relaxed.

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me." Eddie was about to speak up again until he noticed that his leather jacket was loosely grasping her body. He stared at her with adoration, the sight of Cerise in his clothes, made him feel exhilarated.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, his trialing eyes moving up towards her face. "Uh, how did you know I was out here."

"Bed was cold. Plus, your heavy footsteps weren't so subtle." For the first time tonight, Eddie saw her smile, genuinely smile, and he felt relaxed seeing how beautiful she looked under the dewy radiance of the moon reflecting on the lake.

"Well apologies, m'lady. I'll be quieter next time." Cerise didn't miss the smirk that rose on Eddie's face and she playfully scoffed, walking toward the boy and sitting down next to him.

Instantly remembering the terrifying moment when Cerise had an asthma attack at school, Eddie did not waste a single second putting out the cigarette. He attempted to shoo away the dissipating smoke near his vicinity. Eddie wouldn't dare risk Cerise's health over a cigarette.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," Cerise insisted. As tempting as a cigarette seemed to be, she already knew Eddie wouldn't let her lay a single finger on one.

"Please, Cerise, there's no way I could want to trigger your asthma. Nope, no way."

"I mean I could have gone back inside if I wanted to," Cerise countered.

Eddie's eyes wavered onto the burbling ripples of the lake. He looked so small, vulnerable even and Cerise tilted her head in confusion, wondering what was on his mind.

"Or you can stay out here...with me?" Eddie suggested softly. Cerise smiled softly, clutching onto Eddie's leather jacket tighter against her body. She walked towards the boy and sat next to him, crossing her legs while looking out onto the night, the silver gradient of the clouds and stars, merging into the cobalt sky.

"I was going to anyway."

Eddie's eyes did not leave Cerise's body. The way she was calmly staring into the night, her messy bun effortlessly enhancing her beauty, made Eddie feel free from any form of conflict. For a moment, a small moment, Eddie felt like his problems were gone.

He was at peace.

Cerise fumbled with something in her back pocket, revealing a silver pencil, the edges lightly tarnished from excessive usage. She also pulled out a folded paper, unraveling it to reveal an excessively detailed drawing of what seemed to be a girl sitting on the moon.

"Woah, you drew this? Cerise, you're insanely talented." Eddie drifted closer towards Cerise, his body heat radiating onto her. He admired the details in the drawing, every dust of lead enhancing the beauty of the art in front of him.

"Yeah, it's a project I've been working on for a while. I actually taught Will how to draw too." Cerise grinned, remembering clearly the days that she would teach Will her techniques. Still to this day, the Byers boy kept the lessons with him, treasuring the teachings Cerise gave him.

At the mention of another male's name, Eddie's eyes perked up, wondering who this other man Cerise was talking about.

"Oh? Who's Will?" His voice was laced with a tinge of jealousy and Cerise saw right through him. She raised her eyebrows and smirked, intrigued by the situation.

"Don't worry, Munson. He's not my type. Plus, he's fifteen." Eddie seemed to visibly relax, exhaling a relieved chuckle, but his expression faltered once she spoke of the boy's older brother.

"But I will admit, I dated his brother back in the sixth grade." Cerise knew she was messing with Eddie's head and by the way his eyes seethed in jealously, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Don't worry, Eddie, I'm sure Jonathan Byers wouldn't care considering he's with Nancy Wheeler. And it was like a stupid little elementary school relationship, y'know?"

"Seems like I have some competition to live up to then." Eddie smiled, his dimples becoming visible, even under the dim moonlight. Cerise turned her head toward him and had a mischievous smirk cornering the crevices of her smile.

"Who said there even was a competition?" Cerise quipped with a sly smile. Eddie's eyes widened with hope, taunting closer to Cerise's relaxed figure.

"Oh? In a good way that I don't have to win you over already or a bad way where I probably have no chance?"

"That's for you to decide," Cerise teased, attempting to close her eyes and enjoy the night air, but that was interrupted when she suddenly felt a figure grip her wrist lightly and hover over her body which was now lying flat on the wooden planks of the dock.

Eddie hovered on top of her, his legs straddling her waist as he pinned her arms lightly on top of her head.

"Oh no, you don't." Eddie dug his fingers into her ribs, loud laughs hysterically escaping one another's mouths. Cerise writhed under Eddie's tickling grip, the annoying funny sensation surrounding her body.

"Ceasefire! I repeat, Ceasefire!" Cerise chortled in a faux militaristic tone.

"Then tell me your decision, m'lady." Eddie's laughs were jumbling with Cerise's. Considering they were technically out in public, she quickly nodded her head, wanting to be quiet for the sake of not compromising Eddie's hideout.

"Okay, I surrender, I surrender!" Eddie finally toppled off of Cerise's body, lying next to her on his side with his head resting in his hand. "I'd say your chances are slightly above average."

"That's all I wanted to hear, sweetheart," Eddie smiled, staring into her adoring doe eyes. The two stayed in comfortable silence, the rippling water tides of the lake filling the peace

Their hands were absentmindedly brushing against one another, the subtle feeling of calloused finger tips rubbing the top of Cerise's turquoise nail polish. Cerise admired the way Eddie's curly lockers were swaying in the wind, making him look like a Greek god, but what she didn't know was that Eddie saw her to be a Greek goddess.

"You know, I used to be really intimidated by you before we officially met," Eddie stated, interrupting the silence. Cerise's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, propping her body up more in a secure position so she was looking down at Eddie.

"What do you mean?"

"Like you were—are this beautiful popular girl and I would have never thought in a million years that I would be talking to the Cerise Harrington." Cerise's mouth gaped open slightly, not believing that Eddie Munson would be intimidated by someone like her. Sure, her friend group wasn't necessarily the friendliest, but the confidence Eddie deemed to have, surprised the young Harrington.

"Well, deal with it because I'm not going anywhere, Munson." Eddie smirked, standing on his two feet while grabbing Cerise's hands, helping her stand as well.

"And neither am I, Harrington." The two started to walk back into Rick's home, the creaking sounds of the wooden planks following below them. Cerise fumbled with her fingers before speaking up once again.

"You really helped me with the nightmare tonight, so thank you for that." Her voice was sweet—innocently filled with generosity. Eddie smiled and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, the two walking back towards the bedroom.

"Don't mention it. I'm glad I was able to help, honey." Cerise felt the heat flush on her face and she felt like her knee caps were going to give out when Eddie turned to her, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

He smiled at her and walked to the bedroom, Cerise following behind him. However, Cerise halted in her place when she heard the steady metronome sound of a pendulum from a grandfather clock, rocking in her ears.

She looked around her surroundings to see that there was no grandfather clock within her vicinity. Cerise's heart dropped, internally questioning herself if she was losing her mind.

"Cerise, you coming back to bed?" Eddie's voice rang in the room. She turned to him and smiled weakly, excusing herself to go to the bathroom first without raising Eddie's suspicions.

Cerise locked the door of the bathroom, attempting to steady herself as she gripped the porcelain of the sink tightly, readying herself for another bloody situation. Lurching over the sink, a painfully wheezed cough staggered her trachea, the viscous crimson liquid smothering the sink.

"God, what's wrong with me?" Cerise whispered to herself. She turned on the sink and splashed water across whatever was red. Once she thought she hid away any signs of liquid that was not supposed to be out of her body, she waltzed back into the bedroom, turning to see a concerned Eddie.

"You okay? I heard you coughing." Eddie's eyes scanned her body, searching for any possible signs of distress.

"Yeah, just choked on my saliva," Cerise reasoned with a tight-lipped smile. She tucked under the bedsheets once again, turning to Eddie and muttering 'goodnight' to him for the fifth time. Unlike last time, Eddie fell asleep, his mind reassuring himself that Cerise was okay from the joyful moment they shared earlier.

But what Eddie didn't know was the fact that the girl next to him, was attempting her best to suppress the pain that was aching all over her body. One hand was clutched on her stomach, while the other was touching her nose.

That's when she felt the warm trickling feeling of blood dousing under her nose. Her pained body slowly left consciousness, leaving Cerise's heart to slowly fade into oblivion.

Her chest laid still, the signs of a beating heart, now abandoning Cerise Harrington's body. Any signs of potential life were gone.

so...yeah

thehe

okay guys talk to me, what do you think is happening?