𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐓, e.m.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

CHAPTER THREE | STEVES OAR
Voices flowed through the building, Briar immediately recognizing them as Max's, Dustin's, Robin's and Steve's voices. Eddie's grip tightened on Briar's hand, pulling it towards his chest as Briar kept her mouth shut, in case someone else was with the four. Suddenly, the two felt a thud in the boat, as if someone was hitting the tarp on top.

"What are you doing?" Quickly, Briar realized that Steve was hitting the stuff in the boat with something. the girl pulled her legs closer to herself, not wanting Steve to hit her.

"He might be in here." Briar almost let out a laugh when Dustin suggested Steve just take the tarp off. "If you're so brave, you take the tarp off." The Sinclair girl very carefully turned to look at Eddie, motioning that she was going to get out, only for Eddie to shake his head. The Munson boy listened as she very quietly whispered in his ear.

"I know them. We're okay." Eddie shook his head again, wrapping both arms around the girl to keep her from leaving.

"Maybe he heard us, got spooked and ran." As Steve continued to jab at the tarp in the boat, he began to get close to wear the two were curled up.

"Don't worry, Steve will get him with his oar." Suddenly, Steve jabbed at Briar's foot, making the girl want to scream.

"I know you think you're being funny, Henderson, but considering everyone in this room has died nearly a hundred times, personally, I don't find it funny in the slight-" Eddie suddenly shot up out of the boat, knowing they wouldn't have lasted much longer in there. He had an empty beer bottle in his hand, smashing it against the edge of the boat to create a weapon as he pushed Steve back into a wall.

"Eddie, no!" The four watched as Briar jumped out of the boat after the Munson boy, before she made her way towards the two twenty year olds. "Eddie, please, don't." As Eddie held the broken glass up to Steve's throat, he looked over at Briar and Dustin, who was also trying to get the boy away from Steve. Eddie's eyes slowly met Briar's, the girl pleading for the boy to get the broken shard away from him.

"Eddie, it's me. It's Dustin. This is Steve."

"Remember the guy I was telling you about. The douche I dated in my freshman year, this is him." Steve looked at the girl, as if to ask, really, while Robin laughed. "He's not gonna hurt you, Eddie. Right, Steve?" Steve quickly nodded, willing to do anything to get out of this position.

"Steve, why don't you drop the oar?" The Harrington boy reluctantly dropped the oar, the piece of wood making a loud bang as it hit the ground. Instead of letting go of Steve like everyone thought he wood, Eddie tightened his grip on the brunette.

"What are you doing here?"

"We were looking for you and then Max told us that Bowie drove you away from your house so we came for her too." Briar placed her hand on Eddie's forearm, trying to pull the shard of glass away from Steve's throat but Eddie kept the broken glass against Steve.

"They're here to help us." They watched the he looked at her, and how calm he was when she was with him. They then realized that if they wanted to keep Eddie sane, they needed Briar.

"These are my friends. You know Robin, from band. This is my friend Max. The one who never wants to play D&D. We're on your side. I swear on my mother. Right, guys?" Briar nodded as she took another step towards Eddie. Max, Dustin, Robin, and Steve watched as Eddie handed the broken glass to Briar without a second thought.

"Jesus Christ." As Max and Robin checked on Steve, Dustin and Briar checked on Eddie, who looked scared. He was mumbling words, his hands were shaking, and his breathing was heavy.

"Hey. They just want to talk. Tell them what you told me." Eddie sniffles, his eyes lining with tears as he looked at the Sinclair girl.

"They won't believe me."

"Try us." Steve walked over to the group with Robin behind him. Briar stood up, facing Steve, before she jabbed at his side, making him his in pain. He looked at her, his brows furrowed as if he were asking her why she just hit him.

"You hit me with your oar, asshole."

..........

"Her body just like lifted up into the air. And she just hung there, in the air. And her bones, uhm, mhm." Briar knelt down in front of the boy, taking his hand in hers, nodding at the Munson boy.

"You got it." Steve watched the two, he watched the way they looked at each other. They knew each other for two days and they had more chemistry than she and Steve had in four months. He took a moment to watch them, seeing how calm she was when she spoke to him, making Steve realize she cared about the boy.

"Her bones started to snap. Her eyes man, it's like there was something like inside her head, pulling. At some point, I passed out and when I woke up, Bowie was there and I was in another room. I was going to get in my van but she told me to get in her car with her so we both left." Robin and Steve looked at the young Mayfield girl.

"I heard the screaming and I called Bowie because I knew she was closest. The lights were flickering and the tv was all fucked up, I knew it was bad." Eddie used his free hand to wipe his face, sighing into his hand.

"You all think I'm crazy right?" Dustin shook his head, telling the boy he didn't think he was crazy in the slightest. "Don't bullshit me, man! I know how this town is!"

"We're not bullshitting you."

"We believe you." Briar nodded her head as she squeezed Eddie's hand to grab his attention.

"Remember when I told you about the mall?" Briar watched as the boy nodded before continuing her story. "These four were all there. Robin and Steve were with my little sister being American spies while Max, Dustin, and I threw firecrackers at a fucking monster. You remember that guy Billy I told you about? My best friend? He's Max's step brother."

"There's another world, a world beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours." The four nodded in agreement as Eddie listened to the group talk.

"Like ghosts and shit?"

"There are some things, worst than ghosts."