Hey guys, sorry for the wait! Not only were the last couple of months busy for me, but I also had other personal things going on. However, instead of starting Episode 3 right off the bat, I'll give you guys a bonus Hellcheer chapter! It's shorter than usual and was going to be the opener for the actual starting chapter of Episode 3, but it threw off my pacing, so I decided to make it an extra chapter!

So, enjoy!


When Carol Perkins was murdered right in front of Eddie and Chrissy, they both fled the scene in panic and fear. Neither of them spoke, no music played. There was only the rumbling of the wheels on the pavement and the screeches whenever Eddie turned. He'd always break the silence when he did make those turns, but that was it. The both of them were still comprehending what they witnessed...how it even happened.

Their first stop was at a car mechanic shop near the general mart, where Eddie told Chrissy to exit the van and have him talk to a guy he knew. When that was done, the van was taken in and they would have to walk to their destination. When she asked him what happened, he told her that he had that guy babysit the van for him so that the police couldn't find it. This scared her, but he assured her that their destination wasn't that far and he'll keep to his word.

He wasn't wrong. It was only a couple of blocks. But even on their short journey there, every small and sudden noise and what they thought were moving objects spooked them. Chrissy clung onto Eddie each time it happened, making his heart flutter. But he always put on a brave face and reassured her that everything's alright...everything was fine. He was here and he would protect her, no matter what.

Even in the cold night, she felt warm being at his side. And...well, she truly felt safe around him. He didn't look like a safe person to be around...but he truly was. She never felt more secure around someone for a very long time...

Eventually, they reached to a house. The metalhead told the cheerleader that the area belonged to his drug supplier, Reefer Rick. He told her that sometimes, he'd crash there after making some late-night deals. Chrissy asked if people were still going to find them, but he assured her that no one knows this place and that no one (but Billy) thought Rick was even real, so they would be safe. She then asked Billy's ever been there before Eddie told her no. Billy always kept to the trailer park due to his disability...and laziness when it came to travel. Chrissy almost laughed.

After going inside to get some blankets and pillows, they finally entered Rick's boathouse, barely lit with the moonlight shining through the windows. Everything about it was eerie to Chrissy, making her shiver. Eddie noticed this, patted her shoulder, and reassured her once more that this place was safer than it looked. He looked for a flashlight as she couldn't stop shaking. She never thought she would be afraid of the dark after her childhood, but...what happened tonight...what even happened earlier in school, in the woods...

Eddie navigated the dark as best he could, eventually finding a working light and handing it to her. She used her flashlight to look around the boathouse. There was plenty of...fishing water stuff around, which made sense. She looked at the lone boat resting in the water. It looked old and couldn't hold more than two or three people at most. Eddie went to work on making a makeshift bed at the middle, laying a throw blanket as a mattress before putting the actual blanket on top and the bedroom pillow at the end.

As he made the finishing touches, one question burned her mind, so she asked, "Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Would...Reefer Rick approve of me staying here, when he comes back?"

He chuckled, looking back at her as the light shone on him. "Well, Rick's currently in jail, so there's not a chance in hell he'll come by."

She was surprised to hear that. "Oh..."

He shrugged and smiled at her. "But don't worry. Even if he comes back tomorrow somehow, he'd be fine with you." He fluffed the pillow and laid it on the end of the boat. "So long as you don't snitch." She just nodded before he finished up and went back on the ground floor. "Well, try it out." She gulped and gave him the flashlight as she slowly dipped her foot onto the boat. This was her first time being on one, so she had to be careful...

When her foot finally got on the boat, she yelped as her balance wobbled. Eddie quickly held her to keep the balance, Chrissy's heart racing as she panted. "You alright?" he asked carefully.

She slowly nodded and answered, "Yes. I've never been on a boat before."

He nodded understandingly. "Let me help ya." She appreciated it as he carefully eased her onto the boat. She sighed in relief before plopping down on the makeshift bed. It wasn't too cozy, but not uncomfortable like a cheap sleeping bag. Eddie crouched down as she made herself comfortable by taking off her shoes, socks, and jacket. "That comfy enough?" he asked.

She put her things at the open end of the boat and laid down, trying a generic sleeping position. Her legs curled up to make herself more room. She looked up at him and shrugged, answering, "It's okay. I can sleep here." He nodded before standing up and walking around. She watched him do so.

"Sorry we can't sleep in the house. It's kind of an obvious hiding spot, even if someone miraculously came upon here. Plus..." He shrugged as he knelt down and prepared his own makeshift bed next to the boat. "There's only one bed, no sleeping bags. I couldn't let you sleep alone there."

Her heart warmed at the sentiment, a small smile teasing her lips. "It's okay...I'm happy you're by my side." He glanced at her, blushing a bit while his heart leaped. He gave her a soft smile and waved her off.

"Anyone with common decency would do the same in my place...but thanks." Her smile grew a little. She did become concerned at his own makeshift bed.

"You don't need to do that."

He looked back at her, a bit puzzled. "What?"

"We can share..." She looked around the boat.

His heart skipped a beat at the mere thought of sleeping next to a beautiful girl like Chrissy, but he shook his head with a reassuring expression. "Thanks, but I'm waaaaaay too tall to properly sleep there." She frowned, but understood that. "Don't worry about my back. My mattress back home is nothing but springs, so I'll survive." Again, the girl almost laughed. "I'll be right here, Chrissy. You won't be alone."

Her heart warmed again, shown in her smile. "Thank you, Eddie."

He gave her his own. "It's no problem." He gave her the flashlight again. "You'll need this more than me."

She glanced between him and the device. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "One hundred percent positive." She just nodded and placed the flashlight near her head on the pillow.

"Good night, Eddie," she said softly as she looked up at him.

He gazed at her a bit, then replied in the same tone, "Good night, Chrissy." They then turned away from each other and shut their eyes, trying to sleep.

...but they couldn't.

Chrissy thought it might be the flashlight, so she turned it off and shut her eyes again. There was that darkness she was scared of before...then a sudden image of Carol's body flashed through her mind. She gasped and opened her eyes, only seeing the beautiful blue light brought upon the moonlight on the water. She gulped and watched the water move in the reflection. She couldn't sleep, but didn't want to wake Eddie up. What happened tonight was...

She couldn't wake him up, so she won't.

Meanwhile, Eddie could not get what happened to Carol out of his mind. The levitating, the snapping...the blood, the imploding eyes. Goddamn it, what the hell happened to her? How the hell did it happen? Thoughts like that continued racing his mind for what felt like a while. He hoped that at least Chrissy was doing better than him. All she wanted to do was buy drugs from him and now this? Shit...she deserved a good night's rest, whatever amount she had.

...

Chrissy woke up screaming when a nightmare about Carol's death morphed into her doing the same in front of her parents...and Jason...and Eddie. Once she stopped screaming, she caught her breath and tried to even it out. She placed a hand over her chest and she could feel herself sweating. After a few moments, she began to calm down...feeling a little better now. It was just a...a nightmare. It was just a nightmare, just a nightmare.

She leaned over the boat to cup some water. She splashed it on her face to calm herself down even more. She sighed as her vision cleared, seeing daylight...and Eddie's empty makeshift bed.

Her blood ran cold in an instant, looking around for him. He was nowhere to be seen. She got her in a panic as she called out, "Eddie?" She placed her hands on the boathouse's floor and carefully got off of the boat. "Eddie, are you here?" She got on her feet, though her wobbly legs almost made her fall. She wrung her fingers tightly, becoming more and more scared. He didn't...he didn't leave her, right? He couldn't have...he couldn't have-

The door suddenly opened, making her scream again. Eddie nearly dropped the food he had from the shock of the scream. "Jesus fu-!" he exclaimed, being stiff for a moment. Her eyes widened at the sight of him...he was here. He didn't leave her. He sighed with a frown. "Sorry. Didn't know you were awake." He went inside and closed the door with his foot.

She shook her head and replied, "I-it's okay. I'm sorry I screamed."

He scoffed, placing the food he had on the boathouse's table. "Don't be. Screaming when someone suddenly comes into your little hidey hole is a perfectly normal response." Chrissy grinned a little as she looked over the food items: cereal, snacks, water...and beer. "I went back inside to get some breakfast and..." He huffed, shrugging. "Rick didn't exactly go grocery-shopping before his arrest. Almost all of breakfast stuff Rick has is either expired or has to be cooked. And since I didn't wanna be there for longer than I need to..." He shrugged again and gestured to the food. "I just took out whatever we can eat, no extra steps." He grabbed the cereal and shook it a little. "Rick really loves his raisins, so there's only, what? A damn quarter of this left?" He turned to her completely. "We'll split it."

Chrissy gulped. Her mother didn't allow her to eat any cereal. She always told her that a whole bowl could add onto her weight, even if it's healthy. She shook her head and held a hand up. "It's fine. You can eat it."

Eddie blinked, not sure if he heard right. "What?"

"You can eat the cereal. I'm not hungry."

Now he was concerned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Just as she answered that, her stomach let out a growl. Both looked there, the strawberry blonde becoming red in embarrassment."

"Are you really sure-"

"Yes," she replied emphatically, nodding excessively. "I'm not hungry. I..." She cleared her throat, trying her best not to reveal anything through her expression. "I don't feel like eating."

The brunette looked skeptical, being pretty sure she was lying about being hungry. However, that last sentence made sense to him. He nodded slowly and held the box to his chest. "That's fine...I get it. But I'll save some for you." She smiled at him, heart-warmed by his fruitless act.

She looked down at herself, still seeing some of the sweat...she could even smell herself too. She couldn't be like this. "Do you know if the shower works?" she asked him. He turned to her, seeing the worried look on her face...

...

The rest of the day went by with not much happening. Chrissy and Eddie took their showers and breakfast was had by him. She skipped lunch too, worrying him more. He broke a bottle in the house to create an improv weapon. Now it was night and the flashlight was in use again. The cheerleader sat on her boat, watching her protector polish off the rest of the snacks. She always wondered what they would taste like, but she knew she shouldn't eat them. Eddie deserved them more than her.

Just as he finished the snack, he washed it down with the beer and glanced back at Chrissy, just seeing her watch him. She became stiff at the sight of the bottle, making him feel shitty (though he was nearly sober). As if he didn't feel that already, eating and drinking his fear away while she ate absolutely nothing and drank water. He got why she didn't eat, but...he just couldn't take it anymore.

He put the bottle away and took the cereal, handing it to her. "Here, dinner," he said. She became perplexed, staring at the cereal before looking up at him. "Don't look at me like that, ya need to eat."

She shook her head. "I'm not hungr-" Her stomach growled very loud, making her even more embarrassed than before. She held her stomach and frowned.

"Hey, I get why you didn't eat all day," he stated. "I eat to not remember, you don't 'cause of what we've seen. That's fine...but you still need to eat." She pursed her lips, knowing he had the wrong idea...though he should.

She looked away in shame. "I don't feel like eating, Eddie."

He sighed, sitting across from her and hanging his legs off the gap. "I'm not sayin' you should eat the rest of this. Just..." He shrugged before pinching his fingers in a gesture. "Just nibble a little bit of this. Maybe you'll feel better and not have your stomach eat itself."

That last sentence took her aback, making her chuckle a bit and grin. "Eddie, it won't do that-"

"From how much it's been yelling for food all day, I beg to differ." For the first time today, she giggled, albeit nervously. "Please, Chrissy? Just a few nibbles, then maybe it'll stop yelling."

She sighed, eyeing the box. At least it was Raisin Brunch...a few flakes and dried berries should be good then. Finally, she grabbed the box and dug into it. He smiled as she took a single flake and ate it. She chewed slowly, a small smile appearing on her lips. She ate a raisin and looked pleased. He felt proud, happy to see her finally eat, even if it's the literal bare minimum.

After several little flakes and raisins, Chrissy gave him back the cereal, making him ask, "Ya feel better now?"

She nodded, her smile sweet. "Yes. Thanks, Eddie."

He smiled back, ignoring his fluttering heart as he put the cereal back on the desk. "You're welcome, Princess."

Her perplexed expression returned as her eyes narrowed. "'Princess'?"

His smile dropped. "You don't like it?"

Her smile returned as she shook her head. "It sounds...weird. I'm not a princess."

He rocked his head back and forth. "That's true. You're a queen." She giggled again. "Of Hawkins High, but still a queen." Her giggles turned into laughter, sounding sweet to his ears.

"Eddie..." She started blushing, twirling the end of her bangs with a finger. "I'm fine with just Chrissy."

He nodded. "Just Chrissy..." He gave her a thumbs-up. "Got it, Just Chrissy."

She laughed again, amused by him. "Eddieeeee..." she playfully whined.

He held his hands up. "I got it, I got it." He began chuckling himself.

They stopped, Chrissy sighing. She truly felt...good. She felt happy...yet even so, there was their situation.

She looked around the boathouse, her smile turning into another frown. The metalhead was immediately concerned as he asked, "What's wrong, Chrissy?"

She gulped and looked up at him. "How long are we going to hide?" This caught him off-guard as he froze up. "From the police?"

He sighed and shifted himself to lay down on the floor. "To be honest, I dunno," he answered. "As long as it takes?" She gulped, laying back down on her bed. She could feel the tears coming on. Eddie saw that from the light, making him sympathetic. "Chrissy, they're not gonna find us, I swear."

She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Last night was so...scary."

He nodded. "I know." His voice was low.

"But nobody would believe us if we told them anything."

He repeated his action. "I know."

"I wish we didn't have to hide..."

"Me too."

Her voice became small as she sniffled. "I'm scared, Eddie..."

He reached out his free hand and held hers. "Whatever happens, I'll be there for you." Her glossy eyes looked up at his. "I won't let you get hurt." Her eyes widened as her heart thumped. He was...he was so-

Suddenly, Eddie spotted a light through a window, his flight instincts kicking in. "Oh shit." Chrissy was instantly alarmed as she sat up and saw a light too. She gasped, grasping his hand tightly.

"Police?" she asked.

"If they were, we'd hear the siren," he answered before getting the broken bottle from the desk and getting on the boat with her. "But sometimes, that's how they get ya." He pointed at the tarp at the end of the boat. "Get that over us, now." She was quick at work, pulling the layered tarp over the boat. Her fellow fugitive helped her before they were fully covered. They quickly shifted around until Chrissy was curled at one end and Eddie at another. The flashlight was turned off and Eddie was completely armed.

Both were still and silent as they heard an engine turn off. They couldn't hear much more for a few moments, but they still kept their guard up. Eddie tried his best not to move while Chrissy bit her lip, hoping whoever arrived just left. They heard a voice cry out for Reefer Rick, but they couldn't discern who it belonged to. A few more long moments passed before they heard the door creak open. Goosebumps pimpled their skins before they heard a girl's voice ask, "Hello? Anyone home?" It sounded vaguely familiar to Eddie, but the layered tarp was muffling the voice.

They then heard footsteps and more voices, their hearts racing in fear (especially Chrissy's). Eddie was ready to spring into action, but nothing had happened yet. Nobody was inspecting the boat-

Suddenly, they heard something forcefully poke against the tarp, making them flinch a little. They managed to hold back any sound, though they became more tense as the poking went on. More voices talked to each other, almost...arguing? There were other voices talking to each other on the other side...what were they talking about? If this was police, it'd be more quiet-

Suddenly, the poke hit Chrissy's arm hard, making her scream for only a second. She clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself. Horror took over her and Eddie as the voices fell silent. He gripped the bottle hard as he looked at Chrissy's direction. The girl then felt the object poke her more, though less aggressively. The voice, probably belonging to the one poking her, was asking her and Eddie to come out. She shut her eyes and didn't move, didn't make a single noise. However...tears began streaming down her face. She screwed up. She made her and Eddie get caught...

She wasn't ready.

She wasn't ready to get arrested.

Meanwhile, Eddie's rage built up more and more. Not only did the bastard poking the boat hurt Chrissy, but he kept doing so to get them out. He thought he could hear a small sob from her too...

He promised he would protect her.

So he goddamn will.

He burst up from the boat, throwing the tarp off of himself as he lunged for the assailant. There was screaming, but he paid no mind to them. He tackled the poking man and pinned him against the wall, holding the bottle against his throat. He could barely see his face through the dim lighting, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to hurt Chrissy any longer. There were other voices crying out, but he paid no attention to them...

Until a familiar voice yelled, "Get the hell away from him, you son of a bitch!"

...was that Kali?

He turned his head and immediately saw Billy and Dustin. The shock was instant. He'd never thought he'd see them together, especially in a group of strangers. Then he spotted the girl he hadn't seen in years...Kali Ives, with the angered expression he hadn't seen in a few years. He became more fearful, shaking a little.

...

Meanwhile, Chrissy didn't move after Eddie got out. She heard screaming and yelling...nothing violent though. She gulped, slowly shifting herself towards the direction the voices were coming from. She slowly and carefully lifted up the tarp and peeked at what was happening. Eddie had someone pinned against the wall. At least he was okay. But she spotted more people...other teens, from the looks of it. She was shocked to see Billy as he reintroduced himself. A curly-haired boy named Dustin also introduced himself like Eddie knew him.

"That's Steve. He's on our side. He's not gonna hurt ya," Billy told him. Steve? She gasped as she recognized him from the lights - Steve Harrington.

"Y-yep, not gonna hurt ya," Steve replied, shocked and scared at Eddie's demeanor.

"Just drop the oar, Steve," Dustin demanded him. He did so, but it made Eddie hold the bottle further up his neck. Chrissy tensed, being...scared of his current demeanor. She knew he was just protecting her, but-

"Eddie!" shouted a girl's voice. She then saw no other than Kali Ives storm up to Eddie and give him a sharp, intense gaze. Even she felt scared from seeing it from her side. "Don't you dare hurt him, you bastard." Chrissy gulped and looked back at Eddie, hoping he would do the right thing.

...

Eddie's heart fell as he shook more. He already pissed her off before - there wasn't a chance in hell he was going to do it again, especially since her boyfriend was now involved. He slowly got the bottle away from Steve's neck as his eyes welled up.

...

Chrissy watched their tense conversation unfold, paying attention to the group of teens. They've all introduced themselves as people Eddie knew and tried to level with him. Except for Kali, who seemed to despise him for some reason. But even she said, "Listen, I wouldn't be with these guys if I thought you were guilty, okay? We're all here to help, even if I still think you should go to hell." That got some whoa's from the rest of the group while Eddie looked away. They seemed to know each other...and were not on good terms. Yet even so, she still came to help him...and her.

They must not mean any harm.

Without hesitation, she emerged from the tarp and shouted, "L-let him go, Eddie!"


And that's it for this bonus chapter! How was it? Any typos or mistakes I might've missed?

Why did I want to open up the third episode like this? Because I wanted to establish Eddie and Chrissy's bond. I felt like alluding to what happened when they left wouldn't do it justice, so I wrote this. Little did I know that the pacing would be badly affected by it, but I didn't want to scrap this. Soooooo, it's a bonus chapter you can take or leave. I hope you'll be excited for more moments between them to come!

Keep supporting this fanfic and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!