slut [ eddie munson ]

034

Talia had not imagined herself entering a different dimension and fighting for her life against odd creatures, let alone going back in after just barely escaping the first time. Yet, she found herself doing just that. After a tearful goodbye with Max, who had split off with the Sinclair siblings at the Creel house, the rest of the teens found themselves crossing back through the rift in the Munson trailer's ceiling to the Upside Down.

Talia was the last to cross through, landing on her back with a quiet gasp before being pulled up by Eddie. She flashed him a smile as thanks, reaching up to fix his black bandana tied around her head before they both moved to follow the other teens out of the trailer.

Talia felt a chill go down her spine as she took in her surroundings, a pit forming in her stomach as Steve turned around and faced her, Eddie and Dustin. They would distract the bats while Steve, Nancy and Robin snuck into Vecna's lair.

"Hey, guys. Listen, if things here start to go south—I mean, at all—you abort. Okay? Draw the attention of the bats, keep 'em busy for a minute or two, we'll take care of Vecna. Don't try to be cute or be a hero or something, okay? You guys are just—" Steve was looking between all three of them, making it a point to lock eyes with them individually.

"Decoys," Dustin cut in, "Don't worry. You can be the hero, Steve."

"Absolutely. I mean, look at us," Eddie agreed, glancing at Dustin and Talia, "we are not heroes."

"If being a hero means having to go face to face with Vecna, then I'm good," Talia murmured, scrunching her nose in distaste at the idea. Sure, she had been willing to be human bait for the bats to buy them time, but she only suggested that because she was entirely sure that they'd save her before Vecna actually got her. Talia Wheeler was many things, but a hero was not one of them.

Steve took one last glance at them before moving to follow Nancy and Robin to the Creel house, but he barely made it one step before Eddie was calling him back again. There was an odd look in Eddie's eyes when Steve met them.

"Hey, Steve?" Eddie waited till he was sure he had all of Steve's attention, "Make him pay."

Talia wasn't sure what to make of the shift in Steve's eyes before he subtly nodded his head. Her eyes flickered back to Eddie, just in time to see him nod back. No other words were spoken, the trio pushing away their nerves as they walked away from the other group.

Red flashed through the sky, loud booms echoing as Talia watched her cousin and newfound friends walk away. None of them knew if they'd see each-other again, and that feeling of uncertainty was overwhelming.

Clenching her jaw, Talia took in a shaky breath before stepping forward and turning to the two males. They met her gaze, uncertainty lingering on both their faces.

"We have to be quick, but we have to make sure we get every single opening those fuckers can get in through, alright?"

"Alright."

"Yeah."

"Okay, Eddie get your uncles tools, and Dustin help me get stuff to cover all the windows and shit."

The two boys did as told—Eddie quickly moving to help Talia and Dustin after getting what he needed. They worked together after that, drilling the metal sheeting they'd found over the windows. Fear and anxiety swirled through the air around them, but none of them could bring themselves to mention it.

Talia had gone to grab a ladder from a trailer nearby while Dustin and Eddie grabbed his guitar and amps from inside. When they met back up around the side of Eddie's trailer, Eddie practically floated over to her with his hands excitedly outstretched before him. Talia made a noise of confusion as she glanced down at the guitar in his outstretched grip.

"What?" She questioned, sending a questioning look to Dustin when he stopped next to the older male. An excited grin was plastered on his lips.

"Most metal concert," Dustin said, as if that explained everything.

"...what?"

"Most metal concert," Eddie repeated.

"Okay, sure," Talia finally said, giving them one last odd look before setting the ladder she'd gotten against the side of the trailer.

She held the ladder steady as the two boys moved up it, working together to lift Eddie's amps. Dustin had gone first, tightly holding onto one side of it while Eddie took on most of its weight. The older male adjusted himself on the ladder before letting Dustin drop his grip and climb onto the flat top of the trailer.

Talia watched worriedly from below as Eddie lifted the amp above his head and they worked it over the edge of the roof. He disappeared just after, shuffling being heard as the two males moved the amp to the correct place. Quickly, the moved back down the ladder and brought up the remaining amps. From above, red illuminated their surroundings as the sky flashed. The loud rumbling that followed left the Wheeler girl feeling sick.

It wasn't long before Eddie and Dustin's faces were peering down at her, a more serious expression on their faces as they gave her the signal to go inside. She had argued against it when Eddie had first told her that he wanted her to stay in the trailer while they caught the bats attention, but the two boys combined their efforts and managed to convince her. Talia hadn't told them, but part of her was relieved. Being back in the Upside Down left her feeling anxious and scared. The thought of the things that had attacked them before nauseating the girl.

With hurried steps, she rushed into the trailer, leaving the door cracked behind her so that Eddie and Dustin would have an easier escape. Unsure of what to do while she waited, Talia took a seat on the grimy couch. She couldn't help but fiddle with her fingers as she waited for the boys to complete their part of the plan.

Unfortunately, she also couldn't help the intrusive thoughts and worries that filled her head. What if they didn't make it into the trailer in time? What if the bats got in anyway? Did they get every window—every point of entrance? 

Talia's worrying was interrupted by the loud booming of Master of Puppets blaring out from the amps above her. The shrill cries of the demogorgan bats echoed out not long after, growing louder and louder as they rapidly approached the commotion. In her chest, Talia's heart thumped faster and faster with every passing second.