Just Call My Name (And I'll Hear You Scream): Chapter 1

A Stranger Things Fanfic

A battle with Vecna was something Eddie had hoped only to experience over a board, tucked behind his books, but fate dictated otherwise the moment Chrissy Cunningham died in his trailer. He had known then that if there was anything, anything he could do, he would without hesitation.

Later, it would all be a blur of music, Dustin screaming, those horrible bats, and pain. (The Dream, however, stood out in sharp contrast, and Eddie didn’t think he would ever forget it.)

When it was all over, Dustin told him what happened, sitting with him on his hospital bed, propping up his broken ankle.

They had built up the trailer into their own fortress (he remembered that, the fact that he hadn’t covered the vents seared into his mind forever), and then they had moved onto the roof for Eddie to play (he could remember planning that, but the actual memory was overshadowed by The Dream). After that, the bats had gotten into the trailer (flapping, screaming, shrieking, it had hurt his ears) and they started to leave, but Eddie stayed behind (this part was followed by a lot of expletives, and Eddie wondered if Mrs. Henderson knew what a foul mouth her son had).

Dustin had followed him, of course. He must not have been thinking clearly if he thought the kid wouldn’t. (Dustin displayed his broken ankle with a look that clearly said, “you’re so stupid, look what you’ve done.")

Dustin had found him lying on the ground, bleeding, surrounded by those dead creatures. (Eddie remembered more of that than he let on. He remembered screaming, holding onto The Dream, hoping and wishing, not willing to die just yet. The bats had fallen and didn’t move again.)

When neither boy returned, Harrington, Wheeler, and Robin went to look for them. Together they got him through the gate and to the hospital in time for the doctors to patch him up. He had woken in handcuffs (he was still a wanted criminal after all), but they had been removed a few days later. Eddie hadn’t asked why. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

There wasn’t much to do in the hospital. Nothing but think and remember.

Eddie had always loved music. He loved the way it filled a room, quieted his head, and sent everything into neat, organized patterns. (He had always hated the silence, and static was even worse.)

She he had stood on top of the trailer with Dustin, waiting for those bats to appear on the horizon, he hadn’t expected his guitar to work its usual magic, assuming his brain was too full of fear and planning and trying to keep an eye on the kid beside him who had to make it home.

He’d been wrong.

Just a few notes into Master of Puppets, and he fell into the zone, everything around him fading into darkness until it was just him and the music in the vast emptiness of space.

Then someone had called his name.

He had assumed it was Dustin, warning him that the bats were getting close, but then it came again, and no–he would recognize that voice anywhere.

He heard splashing footsteps as someone ran to him, and suddenly he wasn’t alone.

Chrissy Cunningham stopped a few feet in front of him, beaming, and he couldn’t breathe. (It was then that he knew it was a dream, though his fingers hadn’t stopped playing and he was standing upright.)

She glanced down at his guitar. “Keep playing, please. Don’t–don’t leave.” And he would never get that look out of his head. That fearful, pleading gaze as though he would be the one to disappear when the music ended. “I’m coming, I promise! Just–wait for me, please!”

He had nodded then, because of course he would wait for her, would wait as long as it took. And then she faded away and Dustin was screaming that they had ten seconds.

(It was her he thought of when the bats attacked, pinning him down. Chrissy had asked him to wait, not to leave her. It was a dream, it was a dream, and she was dead, but he had promised. He screamed.)

Chrissy wasn’t sure how it happened. She simply wasn’t and then she was. Feeling rushed through her numb limbs, sending pins and needles piercing every inch of skin. She pried her eyes open, though they felt glued shut, but all she could see was a red haze through the tears that filled them.

Eddie had woken her. Eddie and saved her, even if she didn’t understand how. Her palms and knees ached, and she realized she had fallen to the ground. She pushed herself up and tried to stand on her feet, though her legs nearly collapsed under her.

She felt empty. So empty.

Her eyes slowly slid into focus–and she nearly screamed.

She barely covered her mouth in time before the shriek escaped and drew the attention of that . . . monster that killed her (she had died, she was sure of that, despite being alive now). He was focused on someone else now, a girl with very short hair, pinned against a door with long tentacles. Another girl with long, red hair (Chrissy vaguely recognized her. Had she been dating the new boy on the basketball team?) gasped and sputtered against a pillar as more tentacles constricted around her.

Chrissy glanced behind her and found a similar pillar covered in tentacles, though these were oddly still. She must have fallen from there. Must have been stuck in place a moment before. The thought wasn’t as frightening as it probably should have been. (Empty, empty)

Two more pillars formed a large, rectangular space. Two boys hung from them, completely still, their bodies contorted horribly. They were dead, just as she had been a moment before. She couldn’t let the same thing happen to those girls.

The monster turned to the redhead, and Chrissy searched for some sort of weapon, but there was nothing. Nothing but the splintered wood of the wall behind her.

Oh.

She grabbed a piece, pulling with all her might. It broke, sending her flying backwards, and she was sure the monster must have heard, but when she looked up, he was still standing over the redhead. She ran for the short-haired girl and stabbed at the tentacles holding her up. They writhed, and she stabbed several more times, pushing all her strength into it. They pulled back, just enough for the girl to breathe. She fought to disentangle herself, and Chrissy dropped the board, just pulling. The girl fell to the ground, then pushed herself up.

“One!” the girl screamed, and, as the monster turned, she raised her hand.

Chrissy didn’t stop to watch, instead grabbing her board and running for the redhead. She stabbed and pulled, fighting with he tentacles until the redhead was freed as well. She choked and gasped, and Chrissy gave her a second to breathe before helping her to her feet.

The girl clutched onto Chrissy’s jacket. “Chrissy? What–how–”

Chrissy shook her head. “I don’t know, but we have to find a way back home.”

She heard screaming and whirled around. The short-haired girl had planted her feet and shoved her hands toward the monster, shoving him away despite not actually touching him. She screamed until the air reverberated with the sound.

Then the monster burst into flames.

Chrissy and the redhead both gasped and jumped back, but the other girl didn’t stop screaming until the monster was on its knees, and the fire went out, leaving a still, charred body.

“Max!” the short-haired girl rasped, running over to the redhead. The two girls threw their arms around each other.

“El! You have your powers back!” The short-haired girl, El, smiled, then glanced back at the monster.

“The fire . . .”

“That was Steve, Robin, and Nancy,” Max explained. “It’s–it’s a long story.”

El nodded. “We will be back in Hawkins soon.”

“Good.” Max turned back to Chrissy. “El and I have to go. We–we aren’t really here. I know that probably doesn’t make any sense, but it’s true. You remember where Eddie’s trailer is, right?” Chrissy nodded, though she didn’t know how the younger girl knew she had been there before. “Go there. You’ll find Dustin and Eddie there.”

Eddie, who had promised to wait for her. Chrissy nodded again.

“Be careful,” Max said, then the two younger girls faded away.

Chrissy took off running. She had to find Eddie.

Joyce had expected bad. She had not expected bullet holes filling the walls, the ceiling, the furniture–

Murray cursed as he glanced around, and Joyce was tempted to do the same.

“No way we’re using this phone,” Hopper called from the kitchen. “Can you use a neighbor’s?”

“I–yes. Yes, I’ll go find someone else’s.” Joyce ran back down the porch steps and over to the Johnson’s house across the street. She knocked. Nothing. She knocked again, harder and without stopping until the door flew open.

“Joyce!” Shelly exclaimed. “Where have you been? Are you alright?”

Joyce knew exactly the sort of picture she must have made, her clothes torn, her hair a mess–how long had it been since she showered? “Oh, yes, I’m fine. I was on a . . . crazy work trip.”

“Where are your kids? We haven’t seen them in days, and Gary thought he heard gunshots or fireworks or something over there. Is everyone okay?”

“Yes, yes, all fine. Can I use your phone?”

As soon as she got her hands on it, she punched in Karen Wheeler’s number, keeping her body in front of the phone to hide the way her hands trembled.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Karen? This is Joyce. I have–”

“Joyce! Hi! The boys said you were on a work trip but would be here soon. Do you know when you’ll get to Hawkins yet?”

“Um, I–the boys are there?”

“Not here. They’re staying at a motel over near Benny’s.”

Thank goodness. “What about Jane?”

“What?”

Joyce felt her stomach clench. “Jane. Is Jane there?”

“Oh, Mike’s girlfriend? Yes, she’s here too. And so is another boy.” Karen lowered her voice. “He seems to be friends with Jonathan, but, Joyce, I’m fairly certain he’s been high since he got here. And is his name really Argyle?”

Her pointed tone made Joyce want to laugh. Five minutes ago, she had been worried her kids were dead or captured, and now Karen was warning her about Argyle being a bad influence.

“Thank you, Karen. I will be back in Hawkins . . . as soon as I can. I’m heading to the airport now.”

“Alright, see you soon!”

“Thank you for letting me use your phone,” Joyce called as she hung up, not bothering to see if Shelly had heard her. She ran across the street to where Hopper and Murray were waiting.

“The kids?” Hopper asked.

“In Hawkins. They’re safe.” She paused. “Along with a friend of Jonathan’s. Oh, his mom is probably worried.”

“Least of our problems right now, Joyce,” Murray pointed out. “Let’s get some new clothes and find the airport.”

“You’re looking better,” Dustin said as he climbed into the chair beside Eddie’s hospital bed.

“Still feel like I’m dying,” Eddie groaned.

“Yeah, well, whose fault is that?” Dustin pulled his foot into his chair and picked at his cast. “So, Eddie . . .” Eddie frowned, recognizing his I-need-something-you’re-not-gonna-like tone. “Hypothetically speaking, if I had some potentially mind-boggling, life-changing news, you’re past the point where it might, I don’t know, cause a heart attack or something, right?”

“No.” Eddie slammed his head into the pillow and instantly regretted it as pain shot through his back. He closed his eyes. “No, I am all done with mind-boggling, life-changing news, and I don’t want to hear it.”

“You’re gonna want to hear this.” He opened one eye.

“So, uh, you might have notice the lack of guards by your door?” He had. It had relieved the nightmares somewhat. “And, uh,” Dustin pointed to his bare arm with a nervous grin. “No handcuffs! The police decided you’re no longer a suspect.”

Eddie wanted to believe it. Wanted to believe he could go home once he was better, but he knew there was no evidence that could clear him. Nothing anyone would believe, anyway. “Not possible.”

“It is, actually, cause, uh,” Dustin broke off, then shook his head slightly as though he were giving up. “Chrissy testified for you.”

“Dustin,” Eddie muttered, fighting to keep his tone level, “that is not funny.”

Dustin raised his hands. “It’s not a joke! Max said she just . . . woke up. She ran into me and you before Steve, Robin, and Nancy joined us. I thought you might’ve remembered, but I guess you were too out of it. She came with us to the hospital and waited until the doctors said you would be okay, then she went home. None of us have seen her since. I guess her parents are kinda freaking out.”

Eddie stared at the younger boy. Nothing made sense right now. He had a headache (he hated the white walls and bright lights, always had) and Dustin’s words faded to static.

“Eddie!” Eddie jumped, and Dustin’s eyebrows furrowed. “You okay? You zoned out for a second or something.”

“I–yes.”

Dustin nodded, face clearing as he leaned back. “What I was saying is that we don’t know how, we don’t know why, but Chrissy Cunningham is alive.”

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