Steve stood to pace the room once again during what felt like the longest 40 minutes of his life. That was in fact how long it had taken Dustin to fill Avila in on the events of the last 3 years. And he wasn't even finished yet!
"So you were captured by the Russians...." Avila quoted him directly to Robin. "And drugged?"
"We've been through this a million times now." She whined, rubbing her head, lounging back on the couch. "They gave us truth serum that made us a little.... weird."
"Holy shit Robin!" Avila laughed. "And here's me thinking you had a quiet life here in Hawkins..."
"Yeah well, a quiet life would be perfect right about now." Dustin snapped his fingers in their faces, rudely attempting to regain their attention once more. As he had been explaining what he called 'The Battle of Starcourt' Dustin had resorted to drawing on a large piece paper spread across the wall. He pointed to the doodle of the 'Mindflayer'.
"The Mindflayer used the bodies of those he'd flayed to build his physical form.." Dustin explained. "The only one left was the host who 'recruited' those to be flayed.."
"Flayed?" Avila was confused once again.
Nancy sighed loudly from the kitchen behind, where she was making food for the kids.
"Hey, take it easy on her okay?" Steve pleaded. Nancy continued to bash around pots and pans, frustratingly.
"Flayed is when the Mindflayer would infect your body." Mike explained. "Like when a parasite gets inside, it infects and makes you ill."
Nodding, Dustin approached Avila with another photo. This time, of a boy.
"The host was Billy." Dustin introduced, placing the photograph down on the table.
"Cute." Avila smirked, looking around at the others who's expressions had quickly changed to that of disgust and despair. She feared this was one of her classic 'foot in mouth' moments.
Even Eddie, who had his head in his hands leant over his knees, shook his head at her.
Dustin awkwardly moved the photograph into the growing pile to the left of them. The pile of the dead.
"Another one? Seriously." Avila shouted in disbelief. "Jesus christ."
"He was also Max's brother." El added, clinging softly to Mike by the arm. "He wasn't the best brother, but at the end... he did what mattered."
Mike nodded, showing her that he agreed, and what she was saying was absolutely right. You could tell that El appreciated the reassurance.
Dustin began to pull down the giant diagram of Starcourt, Russians, Flayed etc.
"So that brings us to the current situation..." He continued, pinning up yet another large piece of paper to scribble on. First of all, he stuck a drawing of a monster to it, labelling it 'Vecna'.
"Vecna." Avila read loudly. "Let me guess, he's the one behind all of this."
Nancy clapped sarcastically at her comments.
"Well done!" She chirped. "Get this girl a job at the Hawkins post!"
Sick to death of her attitude, Avila sprung to her feet. Quickly, Robin, Steve and Eddie rushed over, forcing themselves between her and Nancy.
"I'm trying my best!" Avila pleaded, trying to approach her, but being blocked by Eddie. "I'm trying to learn Nancy..."
"Sit back down and do that then!" She demanded. "People have died in this town and all you're doing is making silly little guesses and gushing over monsters and dead boys!"
"Nancy thats enough!" Steve told her. Jonathan quickly interjected, joining Nancy at her side. Avila's first thoughts were; doormat.
"Sit down." Eddie instructed her, signalling to the couch and her seat beside Robin. Glaring at him, Avila eventually gave in.
"As I was trying to say." Dustin carried on, approaching the table with another series of photos. Mouthing the word 'sorry' to him, Dustin simply smiled at Avila and all was forgiven and forgotten. She adored Dustin so much.
"Vecna worked very tactically, something we haven't really experienced before." Dustin laid out 4 photos, all of teenage kids, a similar age to her. She recognised Max immediately. The first photo was of a boy with glasses, a scar to his face, labelled; Fred. The second; Patrick. The third was Max, in which Avila held it up, admiring the Happy face of a young girl. Very different to who she saw in the hospital yesterday. The last picture, situated further away, was of another girl. Strawberry blonde haired, she appeared to be wearing a cheerleaders uniform. It was labelled; Chrissy.
"Vecnas plan it seemed was to use four separate victims to break the barrier between his world and ours." Dustin explained. As he spoke about curses, snapping limbs, gouged eyes, Avila couldn't help but notice how Eddie's body language had changed. The picture of Chrissy was closest to him, but out of nowhere he leant forward and pushed it away. Coming to stand, he suddenly stormed off as Dustin spoke.
Awkwardly, no one spoke at first.
"Is he alright?" Avila asked.
"Yeah, it's just..." Mike spoke firstly. "This is just a tricky subject for Eddie."
Looking to the picture of the girl once again, Avila picked it up. She made her assumptions straight away.
"Was she important to him?" She asked Robin, passing her the photograph of Chrissy.
Sighing deeply, Robin replied "Potentially."
"Shall we take a break, maybe?" Dustin suggested. Clapping his hands overly loud, Steve ran over to grab the control for the TV.
"Finally!" He jumped onto the couch where Eddie had been sitting. "You really do know how to tell a story Henderson, I'll give you that."
As the boys began bickering, Avila wasn't quite finished with the subject at hand.
Robin had made her way into the kitchen, and was preparing food. At first, Avila followed her. As she did, she caught glimpse of Eddie in the back room, sitting upon his bed with his head in his hands.
"What happened to that girl Robin?" Avila pried. "He's not just upset over nothing."
Taking a large mouthful of cereal, Robin was reluctant for the first time to divulge anything.
"He was there when she died." Robin explained. Avilas eyes widened, causing Robin to panic at what she'd said. Quickly, for Eddie's sake, she elaborated.
"He didn't murder her though!" She added. "Vecna had her under his curse, there was no way Eddie could have saved her, but he just..."
"Just what?" Avila couldn't handle the suspense. "What did he do?"
Looking back into the room where Eddie Munson sat in mourning, Robin finished by saying "He ran."
Avila was about to interrogate her cousin further, when Mike suddenly approached her, clutching a wide notebook and pen.
"Avila!" He greeted her, poised to write as though he was interviewing her. "I need to know your favourite song."
"Why on earth do you need to know that?" She chuckled. Peering inside the notebook, she noted the large list Mike had created, titled; Vecna Songs. Within the list was everybody here, including Lucas and Max. Beside their names were song titles, supposedly their favourite songs.
"If Vecna were to ever curse you, we'd need to know your favourite song to save you..." Mike explained. "It worked for Max and my sister, so it's just a precaution! So... favourite song?"
Before she had chance to answer, Robin pipped her to the post.
"Dancing Queen, ABBA." Robin shouted, giggling. "I know you better than you know yourself."
Mike turned to Avila for confirmation, to which she embarrassingly nodded her head.
Watching from a distance, Eddie had calmed down considerably. Dustin joined him, sitting down on the uncomfortable mattress.
"Dude I'm sorry." He apologised swiftly. "If I knew that picture of Chrissy would have triggered things I wouldn't..."
"This is a bad idea Henderson." Eddie interrupted him, tapping his foot against the floor so much that his leg was shaking. "We should have never shown her all of this."
"She's a part of the gang now." Dustin argued. "She deserves to know what she's getting herself into."
Staring at her, Eddie felt nothing but guilt and pure Dread. Mike seemed to be scribbling in his little notepad once more, Avila was calm and collected. Out of nowhere, she looked over at Eddie and their eyes locked on one another. Watching this unfold, Dustin quickly pieced together what he believed was happening.
"She's not going to be another Chrissy, Eddie." He insisted. "We won't let that happen."
Turning to look at Dustin, Eddie pulled a confused face.
"She's not my Chrissy, Henderson." He tried his best to convince himself as well as Dustin. "She's just a friend. Just like Chrissy was a friend."
"Oh yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Dustin was having none of it. "Eddie the banished you are a terrible liar."
"Henderson!"
"No, you listen to me!" Pointing his finger in his face, Dustin spoke now with a harsh tone. "What happened to no retreating? When you're clearly running from your potential feelings...."
Attempting to argue, Dustin covered Eddie's mouth with his hand, surprisingly to Eddie. He had never known Dustin to speak and act so strongly on a subject. He had no choice but to listen.
"Eddie the banished...." Dustin added. "You're falling in love with a queen and you can't even see it."
Back at the kitchen, Robin was having a similar, but awkward chat with her cousin. Looking on at Avila admiring Eddie, Robin smirked suggestively.
"Stop it." Avila told her, returning her gaze to the rest of the room. She locked eyes on Steve, who was devouring snacks whilst watching TV.
"I'm not doing anything." Robin wiggled her eyebrows, looking over at Eddie who was engrossed in conversation with Dustin all of a sudden. "My lips are sealed."
"Good, we all know where they get you." Avila snapped cruelly. Robin's jaw dropped to the floor. The shade was unexpected.
"I'm just, saying..." Robin suggested. "Well not saying."
"Saying what?" Avila asked her confidently. "What has your brilliant brain concocted now?"
"That you're falling for him." Robin blurted out quickly. How the others in the room didn't hear, they were unsure.
"I am not." Avila scolded her, trying to keep the conversation quiet. "Eddie Munson? No, no way."
"Oh you so are." Robin told her. "Admit it or not cousin, you're falling for him."
Avila struggled to find the words. Robin's mind was seemingly made up. She needed a good excuse or comeback. It would unfortunately have to wait, as the TV set suddenly roared to life with a 'Breaking News' announcement.
"What now?!" Steve moaned, as the remainder of the gang joined him around the television. Eddie sheepishly joined Avila at her side, to which Robin simply winked at her. Avila began to think of all the ways she'd surely make her cousins life a misery from this day forward.
The TV spokesman began to speak, as pictures flooded the screen.
'Breaking News tonight in the town of Hawkins, as Squadron two, zero, zero, three return with their leader Jonah Carver, all appearing to be unharmed'.
"Holy shit." Steve interrupted. "I thought they were missing?"
"We all did!" Dustin shusshed him harshly, moving closer to the TV. The spokesman continued as a picture of the squadron, along with a single photograph of Jonah himself appeared on screen.
'It comes after the young boys ventured into the diseased parts of town in search of their noble leader and what seems to be, answers....'
The shot quickly changed to Jonah himself who, dressed in the same uniform he'd been wearing the night he disappeared, appeared to be sweating purfusely.
"I'm so proud of my team." He struggled to speak at first, clearly out of breath. "I know for sure that what kept is going was the amazing people of this town and all their support..."
Dustin spun around to face the others swiftly, a much concerned look upon his face.
"Are you guys thinking what im thinking?" He asked, staring back at the screen.
"He's been flayed." Will spoke up strongly. The whole gang stared at the TV and the signs were clearly there. Jonah appeared unwell, similarly to how Dustin had described Billy Hargrove being as the 'host' for the Mindflayer.
"How is that possible?" Avila questioned them. "I thought you killed that thing a year ago..."
"We killed the body, not the mind." Steve informed her. "The mind of all of this still lives on."
"In Vecna." Eddie added. Looking up at him, Avila could tell he was scared.
"I want to thank the people of Hawkins..." Jonah continued his interview. "Next week there will be a party before the town is evacuated, down at Bradley's Big Buy and we as a squad would like everyone to be there...."
"A party? Seriously?" Nancy asked in disbelief. "The town could be taken over by the Upside down and they wanna have a party to celebrate?"
"Not necessarily to celebrate..." Will began to piece together a theory almost as quickly as Dustin.
Simultaneously, they both declared "It's a trap."
The room erupted into panic.
"Jesus Christ." Steve exploded, jumping up from his seat and pacing once again with his hands clamped fiercely onto his head.
Within all the alarm, Avila continued to watch the news broadcast. A second 'Breaking News' headline appeared on screen.
'And now, further breaking news from our Police Chief Powell'
Chief Powell himself took the stand outside the makeshift police station, as what's left of the old one isn't much to be proud of in times like these.
"Tonight, we are scheduled to have what we are calling a 'Red lightning storm'." He explained. "This storm is predicted to be very dangerous and life threatening so, due to this, we are moving the curfew from 9pm to 4pm."
"Shit, shit, shit." Dustin was the first to jump up from his seat. "That gives me half an hour to get home or my mum will kill me!"
"Dustin don't worry." Nancy reassured him as she packed up her things. "I'll drive you kids home now."
Avila gave El, Mike and Will a quick goodbye, before they left with Nancy, Jonathan and Dustin.
"We should probably make a move too." Steve instructed the girls, grabbing his rucksack. Robin began to search for her coat, Avila continuing to watch the broadcast. They displayed images of previous 'Red lightning storms'. She thought of them as beautiful.
"We'll be back tomorrow dude." Steve gave Eddie a simple fist bump before heading to the door. "Don't do anything stupid tonight."
"Yeah, stay indoors." Robin warned him. "Keep in touch on the walkie too!"
"Absolutely, mum and dad." Eddie joked, sitting back down on the couch infront of the TV, waving the walkie talkie in the air playfully. "Where else have i got to go?"
Before she left, Avila looked back at Eddie once more.
"Stay safe." She told him. Before he could respond, she was gone. Looking around the cabin now, it was eerily quiet. That was, apart from the sound in the distance of the impending storm. It was going to be a long, long night, Eddie thought.
~~~~~~~~~
Robin, Avila and Steve had been back at their house an hour and within that time the storm had grown substantially. Red lighting clustered storms flooded the skies above Hawkins. Looking out into the night, Steve looked worried.
"The storms getting closer." He observed, hands on hips. "I'd be surprised if they don't evacuate the town after this alone."
"That's it Steve." Robin gave the TV set another friendly whack, failing to regain the picture once again. "Think positively."
"Hey, I'm thinking practically." Steve took a step back to face the two girls. Avila had been pacing for a good 10 minutes, her mind flooded with thoughts and questions. It had been a crazy day. Watching her for a moment or two, Steve's concerns redirected themselves all of a sudden.
"You okay there?" He asked Avila, making his way over and standing directly infront of her. Attempting to pace once again, she bumped into Steve. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts she had no idea what she was doing.
"I'm fine." She looked up at him. As they stared at one another, all it took was for Steve to raise his eyebrows and Avila's smirk turned into a chuckle.
"Eww." Robin impersonated her gagging, as she moved away from the TV set, giving up. "Please stop. This is gonna be a long enough night as it is, the last thing I need is you two getting cosy..."
"Oh yeah?" Steve playfully grasped Avila in his arms, holding her close. "You don't like this Robin?"
The two rubbed their hands along eachothers' bodies, pretending to make out. It took a few seconds for Robin to intervene, pulling Steve away from her impressionable cousin.
"Okay, I get it!" She cried. "You've made your point, let's think of something else to do please..."
A sudden crash of thunder accompanied by a flash of lightning caused the trio to jump simultaneously. Out of nowhere, the next sound was one that they all knew too well.
Rushing over to the window, Steve looked out of it as before.
"Rain." He looked on. "A lot of it."
Taking hold of the walkie talkie, Robin attempted to communicate with Eddie. They'd decided this was necessary every half hour at this point.
"Cabin Fever do you copy?" She spoke softly into the mic. Avila sniggered at the code name. It made perfect sense, but it was also hilarious.
At first there was no response, as Steve and Robin looked to one another with panic in their eyes.
"Yeah, I copy... do we seriously still have to use that ridiculous code name!?" Eddie's loud voice boomed through the walkie, Steve's ears were almost ringing. Robin noticed Avila smile as she heard his voice come through.
"Absolutely we do." Steve took hold of the walkie now, teasing Eddie. "How you holding up dude?"
"All good here." Eddie answered, the sound of a packet rustling down the mic wasn't a surprise to them all. No doubt Eddie would be eating all of his supplies tonight. "How about you guys? Where's the newbie at?"
By 'Newbie', Avila assumed he meant her. Before Steve could respond, she snatched the walkie from his hand.
"I think you'll find I'm not a newbie anymore Munson." She flirted. Steve looked at Robin, unimpressed. Robin gave him a playful shove, watching the love story unfold. "I'm a part of the gang now."
"I see." They heard him chuckle. "Even after Dustin's crazy explanation of our lives today? You still wanna stick around."
"Of course she does!" Robin called out. "She's got something to stick around for!"
Shooting Robin a glare, Avila attempted to press the button on the side of the walkie to respond. However, all they could hear was interference, plus an annoying buzzing sound. Another crash of thunder and lightning confirmed their fears. They'd lost signal.
"Eddie?" Avila spoke into the walkie, visibly scared as he no longer responded. The rain began to fall harder and faster outside, causing it's own ruckus.
"Don't worry." Steve took the walkie from Avila's hand, placing it on his bedside table. "It'll just be the signal, I bet it's been knocked out by the storm. We'll try and speak to him again in the morning."
Retreating over to his bedside, Steve climbed on in and settled down. Robin lounged on the small sofa within their bedroom, fiddling around with the TV once again. Avila figured she should atleast get some sleep , or try to distract herself. Instead, she found herself positioned in the windowsill, admiring the lightning strikes bewitching the sky of Hawkins.
"What's on your mind?" Robin pressed, suggestively smiling at her cousin as she messed with the buttons on the television.
Sighing deeply, Avila couldn't help but smile at Robin's ridiculous expression.
"Everything." Avila admitted. "Today hasn't been a normal day by any account."
"Yeah, believe it or not I get it." Robin joined her cousin on the windowsill. Sitting across from one another, their legs crossed over onto one another. "I remember my first encounter with everything 'upside downy' and 'Hawkins hell-ish'."
Giggling at her abbreviations, Avila appreciated this time to bond with Robin. Despite it being over the strangest of subjects.
Leaning forwards, Robin held Avila by the hand.
"I'm glad you're here." Robin told her, leaning upon her legs, displaying the most sweet smile to Avila. "I know this isn't the quiet life you hoped for, but I really am glad you can be a part of my life again Avila."
Squeezing her hand tightly, Avila simply leant back and smiled widely.
"I wouldn't have my life any other way." Avila confessed. "Plus, if we're being honest my life is never going to be quiet again whilst you're in it."
"You shit!" Robin playfully whacked Avila on the arm, attempting to pull one another off the windowsill. They came to a sudden stop as the alarming sound of Steve snoring scared them both stiff. Covering their mouths, the two girls struggled to contain their giggles.
"Shhhh." Robin laughed. "You really don't wanna be on the bad side of Steve by waking him up, trust me!"
Avila struggled to whisper, laughing so hard she grasped on to her chest as it ached. Heading over to her bed, Robin stumbled into it, beginning to remove her shoes and socks.
"Seriously though, we do need to try and get some sleep." She informed Avila. "First thing tomorrow we'll head out into the cabin."
Nodding, Avila took another look out into the storm. As she did, she suddenly noticed a figure standing out in the rain. Through the rain soaked window she could barely make out if it was a person or street lamp, perhaps a stray piece of rubbish flying around Hawkins in the storm. A brisk wipe of the glass with her sleeve, she almost fell out of the sill as she met the gaze of none other than Jonah Carver. He stood perfectly still, looking directly up at her.
Initially, she turned briskly to warn Robin and Steve. But she failed to alert either of them who were now cosy in their beds for the night. If she did alert them, what would they do exactly, Avila thought to herself. There's no saying they'd believe her. If she did alert the others, would it scare Jonah off? She didn't want that to happen, she'd barely stopped thinking of him since she discovered he was still alive. Looking back to him, she watched as he continued to be soaked through by the storm. Unexpectedly, he turned around and wandered off slowly into the woods. He didn't look back once, he just... left.
Her instincts which she trusted with her whole heart told Avila what she needed to do. She needed to follow him. Steve's snores filled the room once more as Robin lay completely dormant in her bed. They were both deep sleepers, they wouldn't even notice if she left. It took little to no convincing for Avila to make her next move. Slowly lifting up the window pane, instantly the cold, harsh dampness of the rain trickled upon her hands. As quietly as she could, Avila scooted out of the window, closing it behind her. The heaviness of the rain made it difficult to see but she could just make out Jonah's presence within the trees up ahead.
Breathing slowly, she looked up to the lightning filled skies of Hawkins. She was making a dangerous move tonight. Hopefully, it would pay off....