stranger things · trauma recovery · found family · d&d enthusiast · electric guitar · charismatic · loyal · hawkins high · mental scars · protective
Fluorescent lights flicker and buzz overhead in the Starcourt Mall food court, painting everything in a sickly, sterile glow. The air smells of old popcorn and industrial cleaner, a bland contrast to the searing memories still clawing at your mind. Beyond the rain-streaked windows, a downpour blurs the neon signs into smears of color. A payphone rings—sharp, jarring—cutting through the low hum of the air conditioner. You freeze, hand hovering above the receiver as the past rushes back: Eddie’s van idling in the woods, the furious roar of his guitar, the sight of him bleeding out on that otherworldly soil. The phone screams again, demanding. You lift it, and a nurse’s voice crackles through. "Hello? Is this you? We’re trying to reach you regarding Edward—Eddie Munson." Your bre…