Below the Surface (1/?)
Eyyyyy, I'm picking this story back up again!
This fic is based off the film series Fear Street but as I've mentioned previously I'm not planning on making it exactly the same as the source material.
Big shout out to my beta @arisque!!!
Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1:
Barbara Holland wasn’t in Mrs. O’Donnell’s class Monday morning.
At first, no one batted an eye at this. It was the spring semester, which meant it was not abnormal for seniors to be missing from certain classes. The faculty at Hawkins High School had learned a while ago there was no point trying to reign in the upperclassmen this time of year.
But when Barbara (or “Barb” as her parents called her) failed to show up on Tuesday, Mrs. O’Donnell asked the class if anyone had seen her. No one had. Carol Perkins snickered that Barb was probably celebrating her spring break early. By lunchtime, her comment had spread all around the cafeteria. By sixth period, almost everyone had already forgotten.
The sad truth was no one really noticed Barb Holland to begin with. She wasn’t popular or athletic or an academic wiz. She was a quiet girl who often kept to herself and considered few people to be her friends. And she was someone who took her school work very seriously. Barb had aspirations to be a lawyer one day and had already applied to several prestigious colleges. It was crucial that she finish school with a good GPA.
Perhaps if someone had noticed her, they would’ve said to Carol Perkins that Barb wasn’t the type of person to skip class. Even if spring break was a week away.
It wasn’t until Wednesday that someone brought attention to Barb's absence again. Ms. Kelly, the school guidance counselor, informed the principal that Barb had not only missed her weekly session, but that none of the teachers had seen her in class. He phoned the police station, but his call went unanswered because a frantic Mrs. Holland was shouting at the deputies that her daughter had not been home since Sunday evening. With midterms around the corner, both her parents had assumed she was staying over at Nancy Wheeler’s house so that they could study together. But when Mrs. Holland called the Wheeler residence earlier, she was horrified to hear that Barb hadn’t been over there in two months. Not since she and Nancy had gotten into a nasty fight.
That evening, the Hawkins PD officially declared Barb as ‘missing’.
Normally an announcement like this would cause quite a stir, especially in a small town like Hawkins. Disappearances are not a common thing after all. But Hawkins was not like any other small town.
Barb Holland was not the first person to go missing in Hawkins. And, unfortunately, she would not be the last.
xxxXXXxxx
The note had to be a joke. There was just no way it could be real. So why couldn’t Eddie stop thinking about it?
I’d like to buy from you. Can you meet me outside the drama classroom during fifth period? -C.C.
There were only two people with the initials “C.C.”: Colleen Click and Chrissy Cunningham. And although Eddie was on his third attempt at graduating high school, he had a hunch the note wasn’t from Mrs. Click, the history teacher. That woman was almost in her sixties and she was as tightly wound as a guitar string. No way she’d be interested in his merchandise.
That left Chrissy Cunningham. Which didn’t make any more sense.
“Mr. Munson? Would you care to rejoin the class?”
Eddie started slightly in his chair. Everyone’s head was swiveled around facing him, watching with slight anticipation. Mr. Kaminski, who was standing by the chalkboard, raised his eyebrows.
They were probably expecting him to say something witty.
Well, who was he to disappoint?
“Oh, don’t stop on my account, Vern.” Eddie waved his hand nonchalantly. “You were just getting to the good part.”
Mr. Kaminski rolled his eyes. He continued to drone about the history of the periodic table and the various elements. It would’ve been an interesting lesson if the man’s voice wasn’t as monotonous as a lawnmower. Eddie had lost count of the number of times he had fallen asleep during Kaminiski’s lectures. After a few seconds of feigning paying attention, he was back to thinking about the note.
Why the hell did Chrissy Cunningham want to buy drugs from him?
Granted, this wasn’t the first time he had done business with the popular crowd. The jocks often asked him to bring some goodies to their after-game parties and the brainiacs usually wanted something to help during final exams. But Chrissy Cunningham?
There was just no way.
Maybe her dickhead boyfriend was trying to bust him. Have Chrissy act as mole so that when he met with her, the cops would jump out and arrest him for possession of illicit substances and intent to distribute.
Eddie wasn’t exactly “well liked” by his peers but no one hated him more than Jason Carver, the so-called King of Hawkins High. Jason was the kind of guy who went to church every Sunday and always preached about “community” and “good overcoming evil” and whatever. So naturally if he saw anything or anyone that went against his perception of normal, he’d decry it as something unnatural.
And to Jason Carver, Eddie was the biggest freak of them all.
Something whistled through the air and there was a sudden dull pain at his temple. Eddie sat up as a piece of chalk rolled across his desk. A few students snickered at Mr. Kaminski who was lowering his outstretched arm. Bastard must’ve caught him staring off into space. At least this time it wasn’t an eraser.
“Mr. Munson, please pay attention.” He said, not trying to hide his annoyance. “I would prefer not to have you in my class again next year.” More snickers. Eddie could feel the tips of his ears burning.
“Aww, you’re breaking my heart Vern.” He pouted. “I thought you enjoyed our time together as much as I do. No one else makes chemistry sound as riveting like you.”
“Really? Then would you care to tell us what the sixty-ninth element is?”
And before Eddie could stop himself, he blurted out “Mouthwash?”
There was a slight pause then the class erupted into peals of howling laughter and scandalized gasps. Mr. Kaminski’s face became a dark shade of pink. “Principal’s office! Now!” He shouted, thrusting a finger towards the door.
Eddie just smiled as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and tucked his lunchbox under his arm. “Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week.” He said to his cackling classmates, bowing a few times like he had just delivered an award-worthy speech, and shuffled towards the door. Mr. Kaminski tried to quell the noise but to no avail. As Eddie stood in the doorway, he gave one final salute.
“Don’t forget to tip your waitress. Get home safe folks.”
Of course, it wasn’t until after Eddie had slammed the door and started sauntering down the halls that he realized that was probably a really stupid move.
Mr. Kaminski was definitely going to give him an ‘F’ for today, which would bump his overall grade back down to a D minus. That meant he was going to have to make up for it on the next test, which was right after Spring Break. So instead of developing the next campaign for the Hellfire club, he was going to have to sit in the library (because he couldn’t pay attention at home) and read his stupid chemistry textbook over and over until he wanted to bang his head against the desk.
Then again, what was the point anyway? Eddie had been on Mr. Kaminski’s shit list ever since junior year, when he had gotten the bright idea of mixing hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing soap together. It wasn’t like he was going to end up with a grade higher than a D by the time graduation rolled around.
Still, the chances of him actually getting his diploma this year were getting smaller and smaller.
Eddie sighed. “You goddamn dumbass.” He muttered, scrubbing his hand over his face. Well, at least it got him out of class early.
None of the teachers that usually patrolled the halls were around and it wasn’t too quiet. The faint whispers of various lectures and conversations echoed across the walls, muffling the sound of his sneakers squeaking against the linoleum. No one would notice him sneaking about.
As Eddie rounded the corner, something caught his eye. Barb Holland’s locker.
Yesterday, all the students were herded into the gymnasium for an important assembly. Eddie had planned to just ditch and go smoke somewhere but there were teachers and other staff members covering all the exits. Even more peculiar was Chief Hopper standing in the auditorium with a few officers. His face looked grimmer than usual.
Principal Higgins announced to everyone that Barb Holland, a senior student, had been missing for almost four days and the police were investigating the situation. He urged anyone that might have information to come to him or Hopper and that if anyone was planning to remain in Hawkins for their break, to be extra cautious. In an instant, the room’s mood chilled. A sense of dread rippled its way through the students, including Eddie.
Growing up, he often heard his friends and other people joke about Hawkins being cursed. Well, turns out they were half right.
For the last two decades, the town had been plagued by a frightening recurrence. People would suddenly vanish without a trace only to be found dead a few days later, their bodies horribly mutilated. The police had extensive records of the murders but they were nowhere closer to solving the mystery of this unseen boogeyman. People lived in constant fear and suspicion.
The last disappearance had happened two years ago. Since then, everyone had hoped that the danger had finally passed. That there was no need to lock their doors at night or keep the lights on. But if Barb Holland had indeed vanished without explanation, then it could only mean one thing: the boogeyman was still at large.
Barb’s locker door (and the floor surrounding it) was covered in an assortment of cards and flowers. Last night, the cheer team had a candlelight vigil where everyone wept and prayed that Barb would be found alive like that Byers boy. The science club started a fundraiser to help with the search. And this morning at the pep rally, Jason Carver declared that tonight the Tigers would win the big game in honor of Barb.
The whole thing made Eddie feel sick to his stomach. And slightly pissed off.
None of these assholes were Barb’s friends. He was pretty sure most of them didn’t even have class with her. Hell, they probably didn’t even know who she was until yesterday. So why the fuck were they crying? They didn’t actually care about Barb or her parents. He was willing to bet that if Barb was found alive, all these same people would go back to ignoring her after a month.
Eddie looked at his watch. There were only a few minutes left of fifth period. Adjusting his shoulder strap, he continued walking.
He had an appointment to keep.
