Nat slumped down against the wall, curling her knees to her chest. Eddie did the same behind the drivers seat. Dustin was now pacing frantically back and forth up the Winnebago, checking his watch.
"What is taking them so long?" He muttered, turning again to pace back up the centre aisle.
Nat's heart was still pounding in her chest, she could barely bring herself to glance at Eddie.
"Dust, can you just stand still." She said, "They can handle themselves,"
"You don't get it, Nat." Lucas said. "Jason looked unhinged."
"More so than normal?" She shot back, Eddie snorted.
"That's it." Dustin said. "I'm going to get them." He turned to the door, hand just about to grab the handle when the door wrenched outwards. Dustin jumped back with a yelp as Steve, Erica, Robin, Nancy and Max piled in through the door, arms laden with grocery bags full of weapons.
"We gotta go!" Steve said, throwing the bag down on the floor next to Eddie and jumping in the drivers seat. He twisted the key in the ignition and the Winnebago lurched forward with a coughing grumble.
Nat and Eddie stayed low as Steve manoeuvred them out of the car park. When they were clear of angry hick territory, Nat rose to her feet, casting a quick glance at Eddie as she made her way to the back of the Winnebago, picking up a grocery bag of goods on the way. She dropped it on the table, digging her hands down into the brown paper bag, pulling out several bottles of alcohol.
"D'you think that's enough to flambé this freak?" Eddie's voice was soft behind her. Nat swallowed, turning her head a little towards him, the heat began to rise in her face at the close proximity of him.
"We could barbeque the bastard all summer with this." She said. She looked past Eddie to the front of the Winnebago, Robin turned her head away from them as Nat caught her eye. Snoop, she thought. Nat reached her hand back into the bag and pulled out a large hunting knife, she gripped it tightly in her hand, watching it gleam. She raised her eyes from it and looked up at Eddie. "Just say the word," she whispered, putting the knife down on the table, tentatively his hand reached out and closed over hers, her stomach coiled in on itself.
"Just say the word." He whispered back.
They drove for several miles, back towards Hawkins, back towards danger and Vecna, back towards something that Nat wasn't one hundred percent sure she was ready for, or ever would be. About ten miles out, Steve turned the Winnebago off onto a dirt track. The bottles clinked together in the bag, she held gripped between her hands on the table. Eddie was sat next to her, so close their shoulders were touching, so close that if she turned her head she could kiss him again. God, she wanted to kiss him again. Steve pulled them into a field, then cut the engine, Robin flung the door of the Winnebago open and stepped out. Nat stood, pulling the bag off the table, heading to the door, the others were grabbing the rest of the bags as they too stepped out into the field.
Nat held the bag tight against her chest as she stepped a few paces away from the RV. She cast her eyes around the large open expanse before her. Trees lined all sides of the field, save the dirt track which brought them here. The grass was blowing lazily in the breeze that swept across the side of her face, in the distance she heard nothing but birdsong. It was peaceful, the calm before the oncoming storm that would no doubt change their lives. Her stomach felt hollow. Regardless of how things went from this point, things would be forever changed. There would be scars from this that would take a long, long time to heal, and one thing she knew for certain was that her and Eddie would never be what they once were. Was that kiss just a kiss? Or was it the start of something more? Nat was afraid… afraid to tell him what she had always wanted to, what she felt… what she had always felt.
A hand on her shoulder broke her out of her thoughts. "Thought Vecna had got you for a minute there." Robin said, smirking. "You alright?"
Nat smiled, "Yeah, of course." She said, "It's just so… quiet here. Hawkins and Vecna just seem a lifetime away." Robin reached to take the bag of alcohol from her.
The others had slowly dispersed off into groups, Lucas and Erica had taken chairs off to one side to tie the hunting knives to broom handles. "It'll all be a lifetime away soon." Nat handed Robin the bag as she spoke. "Why don't you help Dustin and Eddie with the shields?"
"Sure," Nat said, glancing over to where Eddie and Dustin had taken several trash can lids. Eddie had flung one out ahead of him like a frisbee, it spiralled in the air before landing in the grass. Nat smiled.
"Lighthouse." Robin said and Nat's stomach burned. She looked at her friend, sighing.
"I know." She didn't deny it this time.
"You do?"
"Yeah." She caught Eddie's eye as he looked over to them. Dustin was waving her over frantically, she took a step forward and cast a quick look back to Robin. "I think I always have."
Nat headed down towards where Dustin and Eddie had laid out three trash can lids along with three bottle crates and three hammers, a box of long carpenters nails were sat in the middle of the semi-circle. Nat pulled a handful of nails from the box and placed one of the lids onto the crate, lining up one of the nails, she tapped the hammer against it to make a small dink, then drove it home. Bang after bang, nail after nail, they turned the lids into deadly shields, anything that stood against them would pierce themselves upon the spikes.
Nat turned the lid over in her hands, it certainly looked deadly enough. "I think this'll work." She said as Eddie stood, raising the lid into the air, slamming it into an invisible foe.
"How does it feel?" Dustin asked?
"Light, but durable." He swung it again. "Deadly. But reliable." Dustin chuckled at him as Eddie stepped up onto the crate, surveying them both. "Hear me now." He spoke in a low rumble which sent shivers running up Nat's spine. "There will be no more retreating… from Eddie, the Banished." Nat let out a small laugh.
"Hey, you're really ready for bat-tle." Dustin said, standing, makeshift shield in hand. Eddie turned to him, squinting as Dustin let out a strange chortle. "You get it?"
Nat rolled her eyes and puffed a stray hair from her face. "Bat-tle." Dustin said for emphasis. "B…A…T?"
Nat watched as Eddie's look of disgust changed into that of pure glee as he lunged at Dustin, dropping the shield on the ground as he did so. The pair grappled one another, Dustin trying desperately to avoid a wedgie that was surely coming his way. Nat couldn't help the laugh that burst forth from her chest as Dustin cried out, "No! No wedgies! No wedgies!"
Eddie grabbed Dustin by the back of the neck, halting the tussle, smiling broadly at him. "Never change, Dustin Henderson… Promise me?"
"Wasn't planning on it." Dustin said back, stuttering slightly.
"Good." Eddie said, tapping Dustin's cheek. "Good." He released him then, breaking back into silliness by swiping his leg out to trip him.
"You son of a bitch." Dustin cursed. Eddie turned towards Nat who was still chucking to herself, running her fingers between the spikes of the nails.
"And what is so funny Nat the Nimble?" Eddie said, crouching down beside her. She shook her head at him.
"You're such a dork, Eddie." He pulled a face at her then, the same one he had pulled only days ago at Jason Carver in the cafeteria. She laughed, throwing her head back, looking up at the sky. "I think I love you Eddie Munson," and she meant it, with every fibre of her being. Nat glanced back at Eddie, he was looking at her like he'd never seen her before, sure he'd looked at her before, many times in fact, but he'd never truly looked at her the way he was right now. A slight smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh stop-" he said mockingly, "you'll make me blush." But inside him, his heart was hammering, threatening to betray his coolness entirely. Small beads of sweat tickled the back of his neck, he didn't realise he needed to hear her say it, but he did. It might be the first- and the last- time he would hear it, after all, the bat-tle was about to begin.
They prepared solidly for several hours. They made weapons, shields and explosives, they changed the batteries in the walkies and in Max's Walkman. They ran through the plan again and again, down to the very last detail. They would split into three groups. Erica, Lucas and Max would stay in Hawkins and go to the Creel House. There, Max would lure Vecna back to her, Lucas ready to break her out of the trance. The others would venture into the Upside Down, where Nancy, Robin and Steve would sneak up on Vecna and whilst he's in his trance… flambé. That left Dustin, Eddie and Nat with one very important job, to draw the bats away. It was simple, they had weapons just in case, but they didn't need to engage, just draw them away and get back into Eddie's trailer, climb back through the gate and be back in Hawkins. They didn't have to engage.
Nat was sat on the floor of the Winnebago, her back pressed up against the wall, shield held out in front of her as they trundled their way back through Hawkins to the Creel House. Not one of them spoke, the silence was deafening. When they pulled up outside, Steve placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder,
"Don't take any chances." He said, seriously. "She lifts, you get her out." Lucas nodded, his mouth a grim line. Then the three of them left, lanterns in hand and closed the door behind them. Steve didn't waste any time, they drove the back way to Eddie's trailer park, avoiding as many main roads as possible. Pulling the Winnebago off a little ways away so it was hidden from sight. Nat stood as Steve cut the engine.
"One last time," Nancy said, her voice firm. "We stick to the plan, no matter what. We don't move on to the next phase until we all copy, get it?"
They all agreed and grabbed the various pieces of their arsenal. Exiting the RV they trudged through the trees towards the trailer park. Nancy ahead with Robin, Dustin and Steve following closely behind them. Eddie fell into step next to Nat, she tightened her grip on the makeshift spear.
"Eddi-"
"Nat, I-" They cut each other off. "Sorry," he mumbled, "Go ahead."
"No- It's okay," she said, swallowing hard. "You go first."
"I'm sorry about- you know-" He started, Nat looked at him questioningly. "It's not how I wanted- well I wanted to- but… I had other ideas for…Ugh."
"Eddie," Nat said, finding her voice, albeit meek. "It's okay… I don't want you to be sorry…I'm not." She let a small smile show.
"You're not?" He asked.
"No." She said simply. "I'm glad you did."
"You are?" His voice took on an edge of hopefulness that made Nat's heart leap.
"Mhm…" She nodded. "You know, if we weren't on our way to kill some crazed mage… I'd want to try it again."
A low chuckle rumbled from Eddie, "Damn crazed mage." He muttered, glancing across at her. "Maybe when this is all over, we can." Nat smiled, looking down at the ground as they trudged on. Eddie nudged her with his arm.
"Then let's get this damn thing over with."
The trailer park was quiet as they emerged from the woods. They ran quickly across to Eddie's trailer, piling inside and closing the door behind them. Nat looked up at the gate which was looming ominously before them. Steve climbed first, expertly flipping himself over and landing on his feet in the Upside Down.
"What does he want?" Robin muttered, "Applause?" Nat chuckled at her. They passed the weapons up next and Eddie helped Dustin clamber up the rope. Nancy and Robin were next, Nat watched as Robin tumbled, landing on her back. Nat grabbed onto the rope as Eddie laced his hands together to hoist her, she stepped up as he pushed and pulled herself up and up into the Upside Down. The all too familiar lurch met her as gravity caused her to tumble, she landed with a soft thud and took Robin's awaiting hand. Eddie wasted no time in following her through.
They exited the trailer, Nat took in the ominous crackling of thunder and red streaked lightning across the landscape. Once this was over, she never wanted to see this place again. She waited on the steps of the trailer with Eddie and Dustin as Nancy, Robin and Steve gathered their Molotov cocktails.
They started forwards, but Steve turned back to them. "Now all you need to do is distract them." He said, "Don't try to be cute or play the hero, alright? Just distract them and get the hell out of here."
"Don't worry, man." Eddie said, banging the end of the spear into the dirt. "No worries about that, I mean look at us… we are no heroes."
"You guys be careful." Nat said. "Bring back his head or something."
"I'll find a pickle jar." Robin mused, waving a hand over her head as they departed.
Nat turned on her heel and set off towards the scrap yard at the side of the trailer park. They needed metal and a lot of it, the trailer would need to be seriously reinforced against these things. Nat and Dustin took it in turns, grabbing old pieces of metal to take back to Eddie who attached it over the windows and doors. When the metal ran out, they used wood and when they ran out of wood, they used anything they could find. Stepping back from their handy work, Nat admired the trailer, it was like something out of a zombie apocalypse movie. The last stand, holed up against the armies of the undead.
"Not bad," Eddie said, smirking.
"Not bad at all." Dustin agreed.
"Now for the fun part."
The trio turned back into the trailer and headed for Eddie's bedroom, being careful not to step on any of the vines to alert the demobats to their presence too early. Eddie headed straight over to the far side of his room where his guitar sat, almost framed by vines. He admired it, running his hand over the strings before pulling it from the mirror.
"It's like she was destined for an alternate dimension…" He said, breathlessly. "What do you say? Are you ready for the most metal concert in the history of the world?"