School Is Out

Part 2: Lucky This Time

Amora’s head was spinning as her eyes flickered open and she was staring up at a dim sky. She shot up quickly, realizing it was nearly dark. She grasped her waist, wincing in pain.

“Oh, thank God!” Eddie said, turning to look at her and resting on his knees. “I would’ve tried getting you inside, but I didn’t know if I should move you.”

“Let’s get inside before it’s completely dark. Those assholes drew out a lot of dead even from inside the building. If we work fast, we can board this b***h up,” Amora said, sliding to the edge to climb down.

Eddie jumped down first so he could help her. Amora was in so much pain, she slipped and landed in his arms.

“We need to clean up your wound and get it patched,” Eddie said, seeing blood cover her entire side.

She shook her head. “We don’t have time for that. The doors and windows need to be secure while we have this chance.”

As she stepped forward, Amora felt dizzy and fell backwards. Eddie grabbed her, wrapping his arm around her thin waist. Her head bobbed and rested on his shoulder. He lifted her up and carried her to the front door of the school and pushed the doors.

“s**t… Amora, is there another way in?” Eddie asked.

“Around the side of the building in the courtyard,” she said drowsily. “I can’t keep my eyes open.”

“Hang in there,” he said, quickly making his was to the courtyard. “Stay awake… What’s your favorite food?”

Amora gave a slight chuckle as they rounded the corner of the school. “Before all hell broke loose, burgers and fries with a strawberry milkshake.”

Eddie chuckled. “I could go for a burger and some fries…”

She grew quiet and suddenly felt heavier as Eddie made it to the door. He struggled to get it open, but when he did, he fell inside, nearly landing on top of Amora. Eddie scrambled to his feet and closed the door. Looking around to make sure no one of nothing else was inside.

“Amora? Are you still awake?” he asked, moving hair out of her face. She moaned, an expression of pain on her pretty face. Eddie got to his feet and peeked around the corner, then lifted Amora in his arms.

“I’m not sure where to go,” he said, adjusting her as he tiptoed down the empty hallway. “Amora, please tell me where to go. Somewhere safe, so I can tend to your wounds.”

“The band room… it has storage and food supplies,” Amora whispered. “The key is in my left jacket pocket…”

“Don’t fall asleep…” Eddie said, hastening towards the band room.

By this time, Amora’s attire was covered in blood. Eddie was in a panic and negative thoughts filled his head. What if he couldn’t save her? His mind wandered to Chrissy, the queen of Hawkins High. Vecna had killed her and there was nothing he could do to save her. Instead, he had left her there and ran. How was this any different? He wondered.

Once he finally saw the door to the band room, he grabbed the key out of Amora’s jacket pocket when he knelt down gently. A loud noise, as if something had fallen, distracted him. He spun his head and saw a corpse stalking up behind him.

“s**t…” he whispered, trying to get the door unlocked. “s**t, s**t, s**t!”

The corpse was getting closer and Eddie couldn’t count how many times he had dropped the keys. The noise was attracting the corpse. It wasn’t long before it was right on top of him. Puss and blood trickled down and the smell of rot filled his lungs.

“s**t…” Eddie said, closing his eyes.

The growling suddenly stopped, and Eddie opened his eyes to see what had happened. Amora stood there in between him and the dead, a knife in her hand. She had somehow mustered up enough strength to get up and run the weapon through the side of its head. Eddie slowly stood up and caught Amora before she fell to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie said, tears in his eyes. “I didn’t know what to do… I.”

“Just open the door,” she said, holding her side and shoving the key in his hand. “I’m tired of bleeding, here.”

He awkwardly chuckled and inserted the key, and turned the knob. The band room was full of supplied that were stored in one corner of the room. They boarded the large windows up and the only light that came through was from a small window above. Eddie helped Amora over to a cot and searched for something to clean her wounds.

“There’s a first aid kit under the cabinet over there,” Amora said, taking off her shirt.

Eddie double looked. Red stained her entire side. He quickly found the first aid and brought it over to her, along with a bottle of water, to wash out the wound.

“I’m not too sure in what to do,” he said as she took the supplies from him.

“Don’t do a damn thing,” she said, wincing as the wet cloth touched her skin. “Son of a…” She tried placing the cloth on again, but her hairs trembled.

Eddie reached for it, but she pulled away and glared at him. “I don’t need your help. You froze when that corpse came at us. In this time, the way things are now, you can’t freeze. This is survival, Eddie.”

“I know,” Eddie said, looking at his feet. “I don’t know why I froze… I just…”

He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to wipe away tears as he thought about the horrifying images in his mind about Chrissy’s death. The way her bones snapped and bent in odd places. Her eyes disappearing, leaving empty holes. His leg shook, so he quickly stood up. Seeing that dreadful murder right in front of him was enough to make the sanest of person go insane.

“Remember when Dustin and I told you about Vecna?” Eddie asked, playing with something he found on a desk. “Vecna killed someone right in front of me. And those images, they’re still there and they won’t go away. They will never go away. I froze because I thought about that moment when I couldn’t save her… The thought of not being able to save you just… made me freeze.”

Amora sighed and threw the cloth towards him. “Make up for it, then.”

Eddie gave her a small smile and dabbed the wound with the wet cloth. She winced, which caused him to pull away. She grabbed his hand and placed it back on her injury. Giving him a weary smile, Amora handed him some cream and gauze. He gazed up at her as he gently applied the cream. She sighed as the coolness of the gel touched her skin.

“Do you have another shirt?” Eddie asked awkwardly. “Cause, I mean, if you don’t… you can wear my shirt… if you want…”

“Eddie? Stop talking,” Amora said seriously, but smiled. “I’ve got it covered.

He chuckled awkwardly and wrapped her wound. “Alright, you’re all set. It’s not too tight or loose?”

Amora stood up and stretched. “It’s perfect. Thank you. Listen, we need a game plan. Now that there’s two of us here, we will need more supplies.”

“We should find Dustin,” Eddie said.

Amora looked at him, confused. “You didn’t find him?”

“I did,” he choked. “He ran off to lead those assholes away from the school. I have to find him and make sure he’s okay. And I know you don’t want to go out there and search, but I feel responsible for him.”

“We’ll go in the morning,” Amora said, throwing him a blanket. “We need to get some rest… I need to get some rest.”

She lied down on the cot and rolled over to face the wall. Eddie found a spot next to her bed and stared up at the ceiling. So many memories of how the school was before him and Dustin came into this dimension. Perhaps this was Vecna’s doing to throw them off of him so he could take over the world? But that would mean Vecna wasn’t dead, and they failed to save Hawkins and the world.

“What was school like for you before all hell broke loose?” Eddie asked.

Amora groaned. “It was fine… I didn’t really talk to anyone. Mostly to myself.”

Eddie chuckled. “They knew me as Eddie “the freak” Munson. When you were into fantasy games, they considered you as a freak. Unless you played sports, went to parties, you were practically normal.”

Amora rolled over and faced him. “Fantasy games?”

“Dungeons and Dragons,” Eddie smiled, meeting her gaze. His heart skipped a beat as she looked at him curiously.

“That game set up out there?” Amora said, a huge smile on her pretty face. “That game hadn’t been touched in years. You and your friends played in there?”

Eddie nodded and sat up on his elbows so he was eye level with her. “I’m surprised no one went in there and packed everything down. If we’re from different dimensions, how is it you have stuff from my world?”

Amora maneuvered into a more comfortable position. “I just thought about something crazy… Maybe we aren’t from different dimensions. I remember people around the school talking about a group of friends going in that room on free periods playing a game. They mentioned your last name.”

Eddie sat up, resting an arm on the cot. “We must’ve been in the Upside Down longer than we thought.”

Amora smiled. “Not much happened. Well, except for the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.”

“Well, I think I missed out on meeting you and getting to know you in High School,” Eddie said, giving a small smile. “Would you have hung out with the freaks?”

Amora shrugged and sat up. “Since they also considered me a freak because I hardly spoke to anyone, I’d say yes. I think we would’ve hit it off pretty well.”

He grinned and looked at the ground shyly, then back at her, meeting her gaze. Eddie searched her face, taking in her facial features. To have a bad ass girl like her in his group of friends would’ve been the highlight of his high school years. Amora wasn’t like the other girls he’s met. Perhaps it was due to what she’s been through or maybe she had always been like this. Amora wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, and she was strong and brave. Did he look up to her as a role model? Someone he’s been wanting to be like since Chrissy; brave and strong?

Eddie didn’t want to run anymore. He wanted to be the one to the rescue for once. He thought of the time he didn’t hesitate after Dustin had led that group away. Stepping out of his comfort zone to get to Amora and get her to safety. That was something to be proud of. He thought.

“Get some sleep,” Amora said, bring him back to reality. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow. And if we’re really quiet, we might not see those corpses around here again. Maybe an occasional walk up.”

Eddie nodded and closed his eyes. Only to hear the screams and images of what continued to haunt him.