𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 | ᵐᵃˣ ᵐᵃʸᶠⁱᵉˡᵈ

CHP36- Skull Rock

VAL WAS WALKING WITH LUCAS, but he was mainly looking at the ground. "You okay, Sinclair?" She asked. "Uh yeah. I'm fine. I'm just ... you know.. thinking of Patrick," He answered. "Yeah," Val answered, putting her hands in her jean pockets. "I mean...its just... like why him ?" Lucas said, itching his head. "But then I remembered, this one day he...he came to practice with a black eye. He said he fell, but he was clearly lying, "

"Its like everyone Vecna targets has something in their life . Something that's.... hurting them. Haunting them. And whenever... when, uhm you're ready to tell me or Max, anyone for that matter, what that something, that is if you want to share." Lucas said.

Val looked at Lucas, for a moment she, is going to tell him what it is, she goes to speak, her mouth opening but nothing comes out.

"I mean, I didn't really know Patrick ,so it was easy to just.... look the other way, I guess. But I do know you and Max, and I guess I was just wrapped up in the team, and basketball , well everything really, so what I'm trying to say is- I'm sorry" Lucas said.

"What? Why are you sorry?" Val asked, turning to look at the boy."I don't know, everything really, but uhm now I think... I think maybe I should have said something....been there for him, and you, because I saw the signs," He said looking over at the girl. "and I didn't do anything, "

"Lucas, I get it. You wish you had been there, done something to stop it, and done something to save him. I feel that way about Chrissy." Val said.

"But you can't blame yourself, you didn't know, how could you have helped them, just like how I couldn't of done anything to save Chrissy, sure we're close but I didn't know, you didn't know." The burnette added.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," Lucas said. "I'm always right," Val joked. "You shouldn't feel guilty about Max," Lucas said as Val stared at the back of the girl's head. "Sure, yeah. Okay, " Val said with an unsure smile. "You okay?" Val asked. "I will be, eventually," He answered. "Won't everyone. When this asshole is dead," Val said, pulling him in for a hug, which he accepted and hugged her back.

"God. That was weird." Lucas said with a sigh. "Oh my god, you are actually the worst, Lucass" Val said. " Whatever you say Harrington, " Lucas teased. "Oh, you did not Lucas Charles Sinclair I will actually kill you. You're insufferable." Val said, backing Lucas into a tree. "So much better, " the boy said with a smile. "Oh, go away," Val said, walking away from Lucas towards Max.

"Bada Bing, Bada boom," Steve said as he passed through a bush. "There she is, Henderson. Skull Rock. In your face, man. In your stupid, cocky little face." Steve looked back at Dustin before walking towards the rock. "It doesn't make sense," Dustin muttered, looking from his compass to the rock. "Yeah, yeah. Even with it staring you in the face, you can't admit it." Steve shrugged. "Can't admit you're wrong, you little butthead,"

Eddie jumped from the rock behind Steve and Dustin as the rest of the group walked out the bushes. " I concur. You, Dustin Henderson, are a.." Eddie took a deep breath in before continuing. "Total butthead"

"Jesus, we thought you were a goner," Dustin said, pulling Eddie in for a hug. "Yeah, me too, man," He said, patting Dustin's back before pulling away. "Me too,"

The kids gave him the bags of food and the six- pack. Eddie crouched under the rock , eating and drinking, and began explaining what happened the previous night. "When I got to the shore, I tried calling you guys, but, uh.." He said. "My walkie was busted, man. Drenched. " He shook his head. "So, uh, I did the thing that I do now, apparently, I ran," He chuckled.

"Do you know what time this was? The attack?" Nancy asked. "Yeah, no, I...I know exactly what time it was," Eddie mumbled as he struggled to remove his watch. "My walkie wasn't the only thing that got soaked." He threw the watch at Nancy, who caught it "Nine-twenty- seven, " she read. Robin looked over at the girl. "Same time our flashlights, went kablooey,"

"Which means what, exactly?" Steve asked. "That, that surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick, " Nancy said. "Well, we're one step closer. We know how Vecna attacks." Robin said. "And where he attacks from," Lucas added.

Max nodded, "So now we just need to sneak into his lair in the upside down and drive a stake through his heart,"
"If he even has a heart," Robin joked.
"Probably not, you know murdering teens." Val said.

"A stake? Is he like a vamp- is he a vampire?" Steve asked seriously. " It was a metaphor," Max said. "That's why you failed English Steve, " Val muttered.

"A bullet should work, right?" Eddie asked. "I say we chop his head off ," Lucas shrugged. "Yeah, I say all of the above, but we can't do any of that until we find a way into the Upside Down." Nancy pointed out.

"We need El to get her powers back," Max said. "Everything was way easier. We had this girl with superpower, " Steve said to Eddie. "Superpowers. Yeah, you mentioned her," Eddie replied. "Hey, uh, Henderson's not, uhh cursed, is he? " the boy asked. Steve looked at Dustin and then back at Eddie. "Cursed? No, no. He's fine. Mental? Absolutely, " Steve joked.

"Boom!" Dustin yelled, making them all jump. "Bada.. bada.. boom," He mocked while smiling widely at Steve. "Skull Rock was north," He said, pointing at the rock. "Seriously? You're serious?" Steve asked the boy. " This is Skull Rock . Okay." He yelled. "You're totally, absolutely, one hundred percent wrong. Right now," Steve said.

Dustin leaned forwards. "Yes, and no." He said. Steve turned away from the boy and ran his hands down his face. " Oh my god. " Dustin held the compass up. "This worked correctly when we left the Wheeler's. It was correct when we got on the car on Curly. But it started to slip the further east we went. Now it's way off, " He said. The group shared puzzled faces.

"When I was leading us here, I wasn't wrong. The compass was, " He said. Steve rolled his eyes. "So you're using faulty equipment. Dude,you're still wrong," Dustin raised his finger and shook it. "Except it isn't faulty," He turned towards Lucas and Val. "Lucas, Val remember what can affect a compass?"

"An electromagnetic field, " They said in-sync. "I'm sorry, I must've skipped that class," Robin said. "In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect towards the power,"

"So either there's some super big magnet around here, or..."

"There's a gate," Val said. Dustin smiled at the girl. "But we're nowhere near the lab," Nancy said, "But what if somehow, there's another gate? A gate we don't know about. It'd have to be smaller. Way less powerful,"

"snack-sized gate"

"How? Why?" Steve said, interrupting Robin. "No idea. All I know is that something is causing this disturbance," Dustin pointed to the compass in his hand. "And last time we've seen anything like it, it was a gate. And I hope it is because we have a way to Vecna . And a shot at freeing Max and Val from this curse, " Nancy said, looking over at Max, who had Val's arm wrapped around her.

Dustin turned around and began walking away from Skull Rock. "Where are you going?" Steve asked, calling after the boy. "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey." Steve said, finally making the boy turn around. "Eddie is still a wanted man. We can't just go for a hike in the woods." Dustin raised his compass in the air. "This little steel capsule might be the key to saving Max, Val, and Eddie." he said. "What do you say, Eddie, the banished?"

They all turned to face the boy, " I say you're asking me to follow you into Mordor, which if I'm totally straight with you, I think is a really bad idea," Eddie said looking up at Dustin. "But, uh, the Shire.. the Shire is burning," Dustin began doing little hops , knowing what Eddie's answer was going to be. "So Mordor it is."

author speaks
I've lowkey given up but I'm determined to finish editing all of these chapters.