6:29 PM, THE SINCLAIR HOUSEHOLD, THURSDAY, HAWKINS, INDIANA

Erica just had to sit and watch all the news people say that Hellfire was a “cult” and that Eddie Munson was the person responsible for the killings around Hawkins, for making people scream bloody murder. It was stupid, but she couldn’t do anything about it, and neither could you. You sat beside her, watching the news.

“I dunno how the hell this is supposed to help anybody. I mean, who’s even watching this shit besides us?” She asked you, arms crossed, eyes flicking between the screen and your face.

You shrugged, your jaw tight, trying to keep from throwing something at the TV. “Scared people. People who need someone to blame.” You glanced at Erica. “And now it’s Eddie.”

“They don’t even know him,” She muttered. “They don’t know shit.”

“It was Vecna who did this, but nobody would believe us.”

The news anchor kept droning on, throwing out words like occult and violent behavior while B-roll played of the crime scene and blurry yearbook photos of Eddie that made him look more like a mugshot than a high school senior. Erica scoffed under her breath and kicked at the coffee table.

“Y’know,” She said, voice low now, “I used to think grown-ups knew what they were doing. Now I think they’re just loud and stupid.”

You laughed. “Welcome to the club.”

The news cut to another so-called “expert” claiming Dungeons & Dragons was a gateway to Satanic rituals, and Erica just shook her head. “You think he’s okay?” She asked, a bit quieter this time. “Eddie. You think he’s in Heaven or Hell?”