Before and After Veil Met Eddie

                                                        (The Veil Abhibha Saga)

Synopsis:  A prequel to ‘Fluttering Veil’ as well as its conclusion.    

‘Tell me that I’m gonna be okay

Tell me that life’s gonna find a way

Tell me it hurts but it goes away

Tell me it hurts but it goes away

Tell me that I’m gonna be alright

Tell me that we’re gonna find a light 

Tell me it hurts but it goes away

Tell me it hurts but it goes away’—Chorus from Hurts (But It Goes Away) as sung by The Head and the Heart 


Chapter 1—Jakarta High

Veil was quite the outcast, even with her parents.   She ran a LARP and theatre group that was popular even though it was scantly attended.    She kept wondering when or how her life would change since she simply felt stuck, almost like she was cursed. 

‘Priti, I have to get out of here or I’ll explode !’, she hyperbolized.   

‘Why don’t you sign up for the exchange program ?   You’ve always wanted to make a difference outside India.’, Priti said, honestly.    She hugged her friend tightly and signed the necessary papers to go overseas.    Back home, she always felt so cloistered and over-protected.   She knew her parents loved and supported her, but they didn’t understand her like her best friend Priti did.    With a heart full of anticipation and slight trepidation, she waited to hear whether someone would sponsor her for a trip to Hawkins High, Indiana, USA. 

She had begun having visions and nightmares concerning a dragon.   It was much like her LARP D&D sessions with the colossus Tiamat.   

‘A quickening, a tearing and then…falling into nothingness.’, was the warning she heard from herself.    She saw everything being devoured by darkness and Tiamat was the principal cause.   It had been sent forth by an alien being she wasn’t familiar with.    She prayed to the Gods and Goddesses of her Hindu faith, praying that she could be courageous.  

‘I can’t flee like I did so many times from fights I could’ve prevented…’, she lamented.  Then came that terrible imagery.   Her best friend being beaten to a pulp by one of Jakarta High’s most pugilistic bullies; Gobi Patel.   Gobi was hated by everyone, even his own grandparents, because his main method of interaction was intimidation, violence and manipulation using his victim’s favorite items against them.   

Chapter 2—Present Day 

Hawkins was in ruin, but Veil could feel her power awakening within her.   She knew that Max’s ability had been augmented by Eleven, and there were three of them standing against the massive hoards of experiments  and denizens of the Upside Down. 

‘We can’t hold them off.   There’s no way we can stand against them !’, Eddie said, feeling helpless.   

‘We can go back.  Find Vecna before he possesses a new vessel…’, Veil said, going into a sort of precognitive trance.   Will could feel Vecna’s spirit longing to use him, but blocked him from doing so.  If it was one thing he didn’t want it was Vecna possessing him.   

‘Sorry, Vecna.   All windows are closed for your reentry.   I’m here to stop you, not assist you.’, he said.   He had grown so much since the previous battles that it was obvious he wasn’t the same boy any longer.    He had become a man and was more than capable of defeating Vecna once he resurrected.   

Using their triplicate abilities, El, Veil and Max opened a vortex into the past.   Dustin gave them the run down of what they should avoid and how to act around the past inhabitants of Hawkins.    The shield Will had erected in his mind and the steel wall barring his soul from any outside forces was impenetrable.    Just like the others, he was well prepared to defeat Vecna and whatever else had come to rend Hawkins and the Universe asunder.   

Chapter 3—The Final Battle 

Although Billy had long since been dead, Vecna felt it incredibly cruel and twisted turn of the knife in Max’s psyche to resurrect her brother as his vessel.   

‘Fancy seeing you in this form, Max.   I thought I owed this to you.’, he said, with a smug, twisted, toothy grin.  He cackled and Max seethed.   

‘We can’t let anger influence us.   We have resolve in our favor.’, Veil said, holding her friend’s hands.    

Vecna had much more power using Billy's body.   It was almost as if he had found a new source of vitality, but it was nothing compared to the combined power of three psychic juggernauts.    

One worked on twisting Max’s thoughts as best as he could.  If he knew any one of the kids of the group, she would be his main voodoo doll.   Max didn’t stand for it.   She wasn’t the least bit afraid of him now and attacked him in retaliation fiercely.   El was actually rather impressed with her friend, especially at how much resilience she had shown in this war.   While the others used their artillery of Molotov cocktails to burn whatever demo dog, demogorgon or demented creature was sent by the Mind Flayer next.   

Veil could sense weapons nearby in a convenient dump.   There were all kinds of weapons from different eras here.   How they arrived here in the Upside Down in another universe was well beyond explanation, but postulating that could wait for another time.  

With her psychokinesis, she called forth Excalibur.   It shimmered in her hand but she threw it to Eddie. 

‘Eddie, catch !   It’s Excalibur !  Use it !’, she called.  

‘Woah.’, Eddie thought, as the sword seemed to shine and illuminate, much like the light sabers in his favorite sci-fi saga, Star Wars.   

Vecna was held against his will, unable to retaliate.  

‘There comes a time when everything dies !’, he seethed. 

‘Today’s not the day, Vecna !’, Eddie said, flying up into the air with something akin to a Viking yell.   Excalibur was raised above his head and red lightning crackled through the clouds.   As the thunder rumbled,  he struck Vecna in the heart.   The silver began poisoning his blood and destroying his bodily functions.   Henry didn’t wish to die this way.  It had been Father that pushed him to this point.   Father created him to be a weapon to see what he was capable of.   However, as he had told Jane so long ago, 

‘He cannot control us’.   

Henry had been correct on that assessment, but he hadn’t foreseen he was going to die, again.   He coughed and convulsed.   Death was as painful the second time around, but there was no stopping it this time.   

‘Honestly, I never wanted to harm anyone.’, he whispered, barely audible.   A spurt of blood erupted from his mouth.   He coughed, convulsed and breathed his last.    

Chapter 4—Chrissy and Barbara Live !

Unfortunately, Billy had to be buried again and this traumatized Max.   She hated to have seen her hectorish elder brother be marionetted in such a gruesome way but knew he left his mortal form long ago when he had been flayed.   

Everything else in the void started retreating.   The kids and the young adults took the broken bodies and hoisted them over their backs.   It was gag-inducing but back in Hawkins’ prime dimension, these bodies were either buried (Chrissy’s) or in the case of Barbara’s never found and presumed missing (or eaten by carrion birds or perhaps wandering scavengers).   

Veil had known better than to get her hopes up over Eddie.   She had only been dating him for a short while but she felt he hadn’t gotten over Chrissy.   She didn’t wish to insert herself between them.   Though it hurt her heart, she knew that she would have to use her newfound ability to resurrect them.   They would both need intensive therapy after they awoke (as well as immense pain killers for their excruciating ordeals), but Barb and Chrissy would be back home again in Indiana in no time.   

Chapter 5—Sealing the Gate 

Back in the present day the trio of psychokinetic super-heroines closed the portal for good and bolted it close with runes no human would ever be able to break.

‘The runes were my finishing touch.   Also, there are prayers I uttered in Sanskrit.   I doubt anyone will be able to undo that !’, Veil said.   Eddie hugged her from the side. 

‘I just wanted to thank you personally for reviving Chrissy.   It’s just so boss to have her back !’, he said, kissing her deeply on the mouth.   Veil felt irate tears sting at her eyes and her heart crumbling into a dozen pieces.   Yet, it was a bittersweet happiness she savored.    She knew she would be heading to greener pastures.   One day she would be visiting India, but she would forever be a Hawkins resident.    Her friends were well established, but it would take some time for her heart to completely heal from being smashed to pieces.

         Epilogue 

That summer Veil met Rashad Phillips.   it was unusual for her to meet someone so well versed in Indian culture.   Like Eddie, he was impressed she could play a sitar and easily transitioned to play guitar without breaking a sweat.   What was so interesting about them both is how much the youngsters had in common.   Both adored music and Rashad had lived through the destruction of Hawkins.   All of that seemed like a bad dream now.   They had learned that Vecna had been the one to recruit the demo dogs to serve him, but now the demo dogs blithely and obliviously continued their pointless meandering in the Upside Down as scouts for the Mind Flayer.    

Veil had completely healed and subsequently learned of Eddie’s marriage to Chrissy.  She had gone through with having the baby, rather than having an abortion.   The baby was a little girl and her name was Liberty Ann, which suited her.  

Argyle had already married his soulmate, Eden.   The two of them had their own little brood and the stoner parents did exquisitely well with their little ones despite the concern of their ‘recreational activities’ was actually pretty limited.   

Steve and Nancy married, Lucas and Max had tied the knot.   Jane and Mike were coupled and Robin and Vickie wed in a double wedding with Will and his long-time partner Gavin.   Veil had been in attendance as a maid of honor in Chrissy’s wedding.   The anguish of it all actually hurt less since she was together with Rashad.   She and Rashad were thinking of marrying, but it was still too early for them to be concerned with something so serious, even after seeing the near destruction and end of Hawkins.    No one seemed to remember what had happened, as if their collective memories had been wiped clean.   Only a few people still loathed Eddie but most people saw him as the hero he truly was.    At last, he would be getting a happy ending with the one thing he had wanted since the moment he first saw her at his own concert long ago. 

Barbara herself was relieved to be out of the Upside Down for good.   She worked for Argyle as Surfer Boy pizza grew.    She went to college and passed the bar for law.   Only recently she started seeing a successful doctor named Ted and they might even be married now.   So hard to keep account of everything that has changed.    Yet, nowadays, you’ll see the community still thrives.   Everyone helps each other and everyone is just grateful to be alive and savor every day as it comes.    

                                                                 The End