#spookfest

Eddie knew he was still dead, well, undead. His heart no longer had a beat and his body was cold, far too cold for someone living. He didn’t even need to breathe.

His flesh was preserved, however, in a more pristine condition than when he had died. His previous wounds and scars were completely healed and not a spec of decomposition was in sight.

It was as if he’d been frozen in time with the clock only rewinding back on the injuries he had endured.

A vampire, as most people would call him.

It had taken him months to escape the Upside Down. If he weren’t already dead he’d have likely died again just trying to get back to you.

He was back and you were standing only a few feet away but now that he could see you he was suddenly afraid to face you.

When he died he was still Eddie but now… now he was truly the monster the town already believed him to be.

Not that he had killed anyone to sate his thirst for blood but he had killed more than a few local deers since he returned from the Upside Down.

He hadn’t felt hungry there, perhaps because there was so little to eat, but now he could hear so many beating hearts and smell every small paper cut on a child’s hand. It was only a matter of time before he hurt someone, he was sure.

You were looking his way now but you still hadn’t noticed him. He was in the shadows, half hidden behind a nearby tree.

Something felt off to you. There had been a chill along your spine as if you were being watched by someone.

When Robin called out to you, you brushed that feeling off and followed her along.

He followed you all night, watching you from a safe distance as he battled with himself internally about whether to return to you or keep his distance.

He didn’t want to scare you, didn’t want you to look at him and see him for what he now was. He just wanted you to see him how he was before, to look at him with that same sparkle in your eye.

You knew something was off, even as you danced and drank with your friends.

He’d followed you all the way to the party, not that you had realised it was him yet, and you knew something was stalking you.

Robin and Steve noticed something was bothering you but you told them it was nothing, knowing that they would only think the worst just as you were doing and prepare themselves for another tangle with the Upside Down.

Alas, you made it home safe and sound. Unlike Robin and Steve, you were still sober because you’d been too on edge all night to really relax and have fun.

Your parents were still out, away at another party for the night in the next town along. It was a work thing and you didn’t mind, you knew they’d come back to you soon enough. It was family tradition to have a spooky movie night on Halloween, after all.

You were sitting in your living room when you heard it… a knock at your door. It was almost too gentle, eerie in the way it echoed

Your heart started to drum against your chest again, the heavy beats threatening to shatter your bones.

It was probably nothing — likely just some late trick-or-treaters doing the final rounds. Still, your hand shook as you opened the door.

Eddie had turned away, still so hesitant that he thought if you hadn’t seen his face and he decided to just leave you’d think it was some prank or maybe even just a dream.

But you knew it was him, not some silly prank or vivid hallucination. You instinctively reached out for his jacket, eager to wrap your fingers around the fabric, but you held yourself back.

“E-Eddie?”

The moment you spoke he knew he couldn’t leave, not when he knew if he did he’d never hear you say his name again.

Your voice was cracked and broken, tears already welling in your eyes, and he finally turned to face you.

It really was him. You didn’t know how but the ghost of your boyfriend was standing on your doorstep, all bloodied and covered in dirt… Just how he was when he died. Except he wasn’t dead anymore, he was here with you again.

Before he could figure out what to say, you had already thrown yourself at him. Your head buried into him as your arms wrapped tightly around him, afraid he’d disappear again if you let go.

You were crying already, your whole body shaking against him as you wept.

He held you close, leaning his head against yours as he closed his eyes and relished the feeling of having you near again. He’d missed you so much. He’d missed your warmth, the smell of your perfume, the sound of your voice. Most of all, he’d missed having you in his arms.

When you finally began to calm down and stepped away to look at him again, he smiled so gently, as if you hadn’t thought him to be dead for the past seven months.

“Can I come in?”

Those were his only words and, of course, you nodded before stepping back inside, taking his hand in yours as you pulled him along with you. His rings were almost as cold as his skin against yours. You knew it was cold outside but you’d never felt him lacking so much in warmth.

He kicked his shoes off out of routine, knowing your parents didn’t like it when people wore their dirty shoes around the house, and suddenly he began to feel more at home.

You were crying again when you reached your room but you calmed yourself to ask the question on your mind.

“How?” was all you could manage to get out, one broken word spoken by a broken voice.

He sat down at the end of your bed and pondered his answer. He didn’t know how to tell you the truth — that he is now well and truly a monster.

“W-Were you alive there this whole time? In the Upside Down?”

Your words came before he’d decided on what to say and all he could do was shake his head. No.

The hold around your heart tightened again and you sat down beside him, taking his hand once more. It was as cold as it had been before, the warmth of your home seemingly doing nothing to warm his body through.

“You’re so cold…” You spoke without thinking, piecing things together yourself since he seemed so reluctant to speak.

“So, Red Riding Hood?”

You nodded but didn’t verbally answer his question about the costume you still adorned. You were still thinking, still trying to understand how he was here with you now.

The tears that still stained your cheeks had stopped, halting only to clear your mind as you leaned against his shoulder.

“You’re not alive, are you?”

You squeezed his hand as you spoke, trying to reassure him that it was okay. No matter what had happened to him or what he was now it didn’t matter because he was back by your side again.

“Not exactly…”

He sounded just like your Eddie but there was something more — something off. His voice wasn’t as chirpy as usual, his words not as playful.

“But you are back? For good?”

He seemed startled by your words as if he hadn’t been expecting you to ask them so soon, but you didn’t care what he was or how he was back, you just needed to know he was here to stay.

“I- I don’t know… I’m dangerous, if I stay I might hurt you.”

You lifted your head from where it was rested against him and turned your body slightly to face him. He was already looking away from you, hiding behind a curtain of dark curls.

You let go of his hand and softly turned his face toward you. His skin was still so cold, his cheek now wet with the trail of a stray tear.

You wiped that stray tear away with the warm pad of your thumb and his eyes flickered back towards you.

“You won’t hurt me, Eddie. I’m not scared of you, I never will be. Just tell me what’s going on.”

His eyes shook as they looked into yours, searching for the truth in your words. When he found what he was looking for, he began to explain to you what had happened in the time since you’d last seen him.

By the time he was done, you had him in your arms again.

“What you are doesn’t make you a monster, Eddie. Your actions do. You haven’t hurt anyone and you won’t, I know you won’t because you’re a good person, Edward Munson. Not some big bad wolf that you foolishly believe yourself to be.”

He couldn’t help but smile as he nuzzled his head into your shoulder. You didn’t care what he was and maybe you were right, maybe everything would be okay. He was so close to your beating heart, so close to the blood in your veins, and he felt no desire to hurt you.

Maybe the two of you would figure it out together, keep him on a diet of animal blood only. Maybe it really was okay.

All he knew was that he believed every word you were saying. He’d never hurt you, he’d rather die all over again than ever cause you pain.

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