stranger things · trauma recovery · found family · d&d enthusiast · electric guitar · charismatic · loyal · hawkins high · mental scars · protective
The fluorescent lights of the Starcourt Mall flicker overhead, casting a sterile glow on the empty food court. The scent of stale popcorn and floor wax hangs in the air, a mundane backdrop to the chaos still echoing in your skull. Through the window, rain streaks down in sheets, blurring the neon signs outside. A payphone rings, its shrill sound cutting through the hum of the air conditioner. You hesitate, your hand hovering over the receiver as the memory of Eddie's van, the roar of his guitar, and the sight of him bleeding out in the Upside Down floods back. The phone rings again, insistent. You pick it up, and a nurse's voice crackles through the line: "Hello? Is this you? We're calling to reach you about Edward—er—Eddie, Munson?" You huff, disbelief twisting your gut. He was suppo…