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Dustin couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t stop the hallucinations tearing him apart. He couldn’t stop Eddie’s screaming at him for leaving him. He couldn’t stop Eddie shaking him every night, torturing him.
Dustin couldn’t focus in class. Not when Eddie was sitting at the desk next to him, voice boring into Dustin’s skull.
‘Why don’t you join me, Dustin? It’s nice here.’
Dustin squeezed his eyes shut and excused him to the bathroom. Hiding himself in a skull. Covering his ears as Eddie’s constant banging on the stall made him scream out loud.
Eddie followed him everywhere. He couldn’t be alone, not even for a second. Sleep wasn’t an escape either. Eddie was in his dreams, his death replaying over and over and over.
Dustin awoke in gasps every night. His mother tried to talk to him but he quickly the door on her as her face morphed into Eddie’s. Dustin didn’t really come out his room anymore. In fact, he didn’t even move from his bed anymore. He couldn’t.
Steve came to check on him almost every day. Today was one of them.
“Dustin, come on. I need you. I need you to talk to me too, I can’t do this alone.”
Dustin stared at him blankly and didn’t respond. His eyes trailed over to Eddie standing behind Steve with a spear in his hand.
“Eddie..”
Eddie pressed the spear to the back of Steve’s back. How come Steve didn’t feel it? Dustin tiled his head in confusion.
“Eddie, don’t.” Dustin mumbled, twisting his head left and right in disbelief.
“Dustin. Dustin. Ed-eddie’s not here..” Steve said slowly, looking behind him slowly.
Eddie smirked. “Who do you believe more, Dustin? Me….or Steve?”
“I-“
“I’m the one who died on your arms. Me! Not Steve, Dustin! Me! And you still can’t believe me!”
“Eddie stop!” Dustin yelled as the spear went through Steve’s chest and Dustin screamed. Scrambling out the bed and letting his back fall against his wall.
Dustin continued to scream and let his eyes closed. Refusing to look up at the person shaking him violently.
“Dustin! Eddie’s not fucking here, he’s dead! Alright, he’s dead! It’s not real.”
Dustin opened his eyes hesitantly. “Where is he..?”
Steve shot him a crazed yet sympathetic look. Dustin was going crazy. I mean Steve didn’t blame because the kid was 14 years old and he held his dying friend in his arms. But this, this was next level time shit. Seeing him? A dead person. What the hell..
“He’s not here. He was never here, Dustin.”
Dustin started to sob pathetically and Steve held him, not knowing what else to do. He didn’t want Dustin to lose himself but he didn’t want Dustin in a crazy home either but this wasn’t good. Dustin was freaking everyone out including him.
It was scary to think about but Steve almost didn’t feel safe around him anymore.
“I-I’m gonna go alright.” Steve said. Dustin frowned. Knowing Steve thought he was crazy.
“…okay”
Steve got up slowly not before kissing Dustin’s forehead and walked out of the room. Dustin didn’t move until he heard the front door to his house close.
His own mom even gave up on checking on him. She stayed on her room most days too. Only coming out to give Dustin food, which he didn’t eat.
/
Later that night, Eddie was getting really bad. He was never this bad before. Dustin could usually handle him but now-Eddie was…. Dustin didn’t know.
“Dustin…..I just want you with me man. We’re supposed to be buddies, we do things together, we fight together, we die together. hmm?”
Dustin stared up at him. Tears enveloping his eyes.
“I told you to come up with me, you didn’t listen. You cut the rope-“
“Should’ve gotten there quicker and now look at us. Separated. We’re never going to see each other again, Henderson. Can you handle that? Can you handle me leaving f you just like your fucking father.”
Dustin screamed and his mother ignored the shouts. She was used to it now. Dustin screaming, yelling, crying, throwing up every now and then. She didn’t even bother anymore. She was scared of him herself.
/
He left Eddie there alone there alone and now it was his turn to suffer. Dustin was so cold, Eddie’s shivers piercing his skin.
What was the fucking point? Everybody was scared of him, looked at him like he was an escapee from a mental asylum. Eddie was the only person that made him feel safe anyway.
Dustin walked to his bathroom in one swift motion and grabbed the pocket knife he had been using to self harm. Eddie’s pocket knife. Dustin didn’t flinch when Eddie joined him in the bathroom. Standing behind him. Dustin continued to stare into the bathroom mirror.
“I miss you, Hellfirer.”
And that was it. Dustin would see him again. He had to see him again. So Dustin rose Eddie’s blade to his neck. And also in one swift motion, the knife caressed his neck, deeper than intended. Deeper than necessary.
The knife dropped the floor and Dustin’s hands went straight to his neck, trying to control the blood loss trailing down his clothes and fingers. Dustin gagged on his own blood and got a couple steps in before he collapsed to his knees. Dustin’s last sight was Eddie kneeling in front of him.
Dustin’s last hearing was ‘Ill be waiting.’
His last touch was Eddie running a hand through his curls.
His last breath was when he hit the ground with a thud. Face pale and skin cold. His eyes open as he stared into nothingness. His eyes glossy from the tears that never got a chance to fall.
The downfall of Dustin Henderson.
/
Steve was pretty sure Ms.Henderson was now at work. She always left for work early so she didn’t have to bear Dustin’s screams even his thoughts.
Steve decided to go check on Dustin. Again. He used the keys Ms.Henderson had gave him and opened the house door, walking inside. Which was oddly silent. Dustin would usually be making some type of noise or talking to an imaginary Eddie.
Steve slowly walked over to Dustin’s room. Pushing the door open and stepping in. Steve paused. Dustin was-
He wasn’t moving. Steve could tell he wasn’t breathing either. Blood was everywhere. Dustins neck was cut open. There was a knife near by. What right did the sun have to shine on Dustin’s face now?
Steve collapsed onto his knees, sobs wrecking throughout his body. He now truly had..no one. No parents. No friends. No little brother. Steve stared numbly at the body before him.
Steve crawled over to Dustin, shaking him, screaming at him although he knew it was no use. Dustin was gone. Eventually Steve’s arms gave out and he fell back onto the bed behind him, his head hanging to the floor. Dustin’s blood all over him.
Steve got up, grabbing the pocket knife and then finding his position back by the bed. He massaged it with his fingers.
As Steve looked up there Dustin was. Sitting next to him smiling. The smile was obnoxious.
“I am here because i’m with him now. The voices finally stopped, Steve. Aren’t you proud of me?” Dustin bellowed, in a patient tone. “I’m not scared anymore, Steve Harrington.”
Steve looked back, even more lonely than before still fingering the tatted knife. “I’m really proud of us, Henderson.” He replied.
They looked at one another with deep expressions, like two birds, sitting on a nest watching the world underneath them.
Suddenly, Steve gripped the tattered knife, turnt it to a 360 angle and brought it down on his empty stomach. Multiple times. Refusing to leave Dustin’s gaze, who didn’t really have one.
Steve’s finger trembled and dropped to his side. The knife still impaled inside him. Steve looked shocked at his own actions, his body slowly fading away to the sound of silence on the home.
Steve let out a agonizing groan and let his head slump to the side, gaining the perfect view of Dustin’s dead body. Moments later, Steve Harrington was dead.
Later that day, Claudia Henderson walked into the room and her world shattered.
I bet she learned her lesson.