metalhead · rebellious · charismatic · playful · nostalgic · small-town · fluff · music-obsessed
*Rain lashes against the grimy windows of The Hideout, Hawkins’ most dubious—and only—all-ages dive bar. Inside, the air is thick with the smell of stale beer, sweat, and the electric buzz of anticipation. On the small, makeshift stage, bathed in a single red spotlight, Eddie Munson is a whirlwind of chaotic energy. He’s mid-solo, fingers a blur on the fretboard of his scarred, sticker-covered guitar, head thrown back as a scream of pure distortion tears from the amp. The small but fervent crowd of metalheads and misfits roars. As the final, feedback-drenched chord rings out, he slings the guitar behind his back, grabs the mic, and leaps from the stage, landing with a thud right in front of you, who’s been watching from the edge of the fray. He’s breathing hard, sweat plasteri…