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Middle of a storm and the fucking lights start flickering, great, just fucking great. Wayne was already fucking gone too. He wasn’t scared of the dark, he wasn’t five, but he just didn’t really care for it or like it at all. He knew the park was notorious for losing power too, he got up and began his search for a couple flashlights, because in reality: fuck the dark. They flickered again and he sighed, it was coming better find a flashlight before it totally and there it is. Absolute darkness.
“Fuck.” He mutters to himself as he now is in the dark kitchen digging for a flashlight. Ah-ha! Success. He turns it on and flashes it around like something would get him in the dark, it’s childish considering his age, but hey everyone has things he reassures himself. He sits down on the couch, accepting the fact he will probably end up sleeping here waiting for the power to come back on. He heard a slamming knock against the door which definitely didn’t send him ten feet in the air. He paused, staring at the door, not sure what to do. It slammed again.
“Eddie?” Was screamed out in a desperate plea, fuck that was Red’s voice. He walked up to the door and opened it.
“Hey Red.” Before he could call her name she flung herself into his trailer, dripping water everywhere from the storm outside.
“I need a ride.” She was looking everywhere around the dark trailer, the kid’s signature walkie talkie in hand.
“A ride?”
“Dustin said the power is still on in Loch Nora. I need to go there.”
“How does Dustin know that?”
“He’s at Steve’s.”
“And Harrington can’t get you a ride?”
“Eddie please, he’ll give you gas money we just need to get there.” He had toted the kids around a little bit before, but in the middle of a storm to drive to Harrington’s? No thank you.
“What’s the rush?” He noticed the girl who usually seemed independent besides for a few times he saw her around Harrington was absolutely shaking and scared.
“Please.” She pleaded with him.
“Fine, yeah, fine whatever, let’s go.” He couldn’t believe he was being bossed around by a child, but he grabbed his keys anyway. He saw her finger hit the button.
“Dustin, it’s Mad Max, do you copy? Over.” He heard static from the other end before it came to life.
“It’s Dustybun, I copy over.”
“Eddie is bringing me to Steve’s. Is Steve back yet? Over.” They began walking to the van, he noticed how she essentially clung to him in the rain, he did not sign up to be a babysitter.
“No, The Baby-sitter went to get Nance, Mike, and Lucas. Over.”
“Do you all have code names?” Eddie asked as he started the engine.
“Is Robin with you? Over.”
“Robin is. Over.”
“See you in ten over.”
“Over and out.” Dustin responded and she looked a little more calm.
“So the nicknames?” He tried again, maybe getting her to talk would help.
“Billy gave me mine. Dustin’s girlfriend gave him his, we don’t always use them.” She said, gripping the edge of her seat like a life line.
“You afraid of the dark or something, Red?” He asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“You would be too.” Is all she has to say as they continue to the ride in silence, he watches how she bites her fingers, how she is jumpy, how she seems so much younger than she really is. Her eyes darting around the road as he drives.
“So Harrington will keep you safe?” He asks her in curiosity, because is he just the light source or is this a whole other narrative he doesn’t understand.
“He always has.” She responds, her responses always seem to be cryptic with Harrington he notices, but he doesn’t want to pry and lose those little tidbits of information. The walkie talkie comes to life, startling both of them a little bit.
“This is the babysitter, come in Mad Max. Over.” He hears Harrington’s crackled voice.
“Steve! Why didn’t you take the damn walkie with you! Over.”
“I needed get everyone else, you were next on my list Max, I pinkie promise. Over.”
“Eddie is bringing me. Are you home? Over.”
“I’m home, when you get here wait in the car for me okay? Over.”
“I will. Over.”
“See you soon. I love you. Over.”
“I love you too. Over.” She seems a bit more calm as they pull into the neighborhood.
“What does he mean by wait?” Eddie asks.
“Wait in the car.” She answers him, still chewing on her thumb nail.
“Why?”
“He’ll come get me.” Eddie nods in the darkness as they pull into the Harrington drive way.
“So, he just comes?”
“Flash your lights twice.” She informs him and he does. The storm is still raging on outside, but he sees his little Hellfire Club peek their heads through the window curtains. Steve is coming out of the front door.
“Is that a baseball bat with nails in it?” He is trying to take a deep breath, but he knows he loses all sense of a cool persona immediately. He approaches the passenger side, bat over his shoulders.
“Come on Red.” He says it softly as she clings to his neck, Steve is getting soaked, holding the girl half in and half out of the van.
“I heard a noise.” She sobs.
“I know, Dustin told me.”
“I heard a noise Steve.” She says it in an absolute desperate tone. Eddie wants to go back to the fact Steve is casually carrying around a fucking baseball bat with nails in it.
“I know.” He repeats before looking past her to him, “you should come in, it’s, it’s storming really bad outside.” Besides for dealing here and one weird project with Robin he’s never been inside and he isn’t sure how he feels considering Harrington is carrying something that could definitely kill him.
“It’s really okay.” He says with a smile. Steve doesn’t reflect the smile.
“It isn’t an option Munson, come inside.”
“He won’t hurt you.” Max adds as she looks back at him a little bit.
“I won’t, Nancy is guarding the door. Let’s go.” He doesn’t know what makes him listen, but he turns off his van and follows Max and Steve in the rain, Max doesn’t let go of his middle the entire time and Eddie follows obediently. Steve does an odd knock and the door is opened. What he wasn’t prepared for was Nancy fucking Wheeler standing there holding a handgun looking like she meant business.
“Max.” She says it in a gentle tone and hugs the girl, gun still in hand. Steve is locking the door behind them and Eddie feels incredibly out of place. All these kids are in pajamas, stress in their eyes that go well beyond their age, as Nancy releases Max both girl go to different members of the party, Nancy holding Mike near her and Max going to Lucas.
“It’s okay guys. We don’t even know what the noise was.” Steve is reassuring everyone. It isn’t calming Eddie down the fact there is more than a singular nail bat and there is more than one gun that apparently Nancy Wheeler owns.
“We’re having a living room sleepover right?” Dustin asks from his place with Robin.
“Of course we are. Eddie get your shoes off we aren’t in survival mode right now.” Steve laughs as bit as he walks out fo the little entrance to go retrieve whatever it is they need. Eddie does as he’s told.
“We’re safe.” Robin reassures everyone again.
“Steve has the generator remember, even if the power goes off.” Nancy adds. Steve reemerges seconds later, weighed down with blankets.
“Okay first off, Max, here are some pajamas.” He chucks at her what Eddie can only assume is pajamas. “Second off, the blue blanket is mine, you heard me Henderson I’m not giving it up tonight. Third, Munson, enjoy being captain of the Hawkins High swimming team tonight.” Eddie is thrown a set of clothes and looks a bit bewildered as he catches them. He was unaware he would be spending the night as well. Steve collapses on the couch with Robin and Dustin. He wants to laugh how Dustin takes come of Steve’s blue blanket and leans into him.
“Grab a blanket man.” Robin says to him, throwing a quilt at him. Everyone seems to be settling in with the storm still raging on outside, but in here they’re safe it seems. Nancy has Mike tucked into her and Lucas has joined them, he watches Max coming back to sit with Robin, Steve, and Dustin. The lights remain on as he goes to the bathroom to change awkwardly stopping in the hall on the way back, just to take a glimpse of an art project he remembered Robin doing now proudly framed on Harrington’s wall.
“Night man.” Steve says to him as he sits back in the recliner, seeing each child in different stages of falling asleep.
“Thanks.” Eddie says awkwardly.
“Anytime.” Steve turns his head into Dustin’s hair kissing the top of his head before doing the same to Max, he’s holding hands with Robin behind Dustin’s head while Max is completely tucked into Steve. Mike has lost the entire grown up persona it seems as he’s hiding in his sister’s neck, clearly fallen asleep. Lucas on her other side also somewhat tucked in asleep. Eddie can’t help but to feel the overwhelming safe presence in the room and shortly falls asleep as well. This thunderstorm wasn’t absolute hell after all.