Unconventionally Authentic

 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1—I’m Gonna March Myself up to Principal Higgins…

Chapter 2—Drifting but Thriving

Chapter 3—So, I Heard About Montauk…

Chapter 4—Lights in the Shadow

Chapter 5—Torchbearers

Epilogue

 

‘I know I can’t be the only one who’s holding on for dear life.   But God knows, I know, when it’s all said and done.  I am not okay, but it’s all gonna be all right.   It’s not okay, but we’re all gonna be all right.’—lyrics from ‘I Am Not Okay’ as sung by Jelly Roll

‘Now that the war is through with me, I’m waking up,  I cannot see.  That there’s not much left of me.  Nothing is real but pain now.’—lyrics from Metallica’s ‘One’ 

‘I’m goin’ down in a blaze of glory.  Take me now but know the truth.  I’m goin’ out in a blaze of glory.   Lord I never drew first, but I drew first blood I’m no one’s son.  Call me young gun.’—lyrics to ‘Blaze of Glory’ as sung by Jon Bon Jovi

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1—I’m Gonna March Myself up to Principal Higgins…

                Eddie had survived the attack of the demobats.   He fought tooth and nail to keep them all at bay as a distraction.    Like Max, he had been in the hospital, but not badly enough to have been put in a coma.   He had returned for one last battle with his best friends and oddly kept Steve solvent.   He wanted to live long enough to strive with his comrades to reinvent himself, even if he had to retreat into hermit mode.   

                That horrid future Vecna had predicted for him, fortunately had never come to pass.   Had he actually perished, only a few people would’ve actually come to mourn him.   A smirk crossed his wolfish face momentarily, thinking of how pleasant it would have been to join Chrissy, whom he loved more than life itself.     He knew she was with the angels.   He only prayed that had that vision been correct, he would be walking the streets of paradise with her.  

                He wasn’t in paradise now, though.   Every bone in his body ached.   Even his sinews burned in agony, but fortunately, Eddie had begun to heal once Vecna had been slain.  It seemed so utterly simple, almost like a release for Henry.    Tragically, he had been irredeemable since the terrible incident in the cave ages ago and Eddie, oddly, said a prayer for Henry’s soul, praying that Henry’s life review wouldn’t result in him being damned forever.   

                Eddie couldn’t ponder all these deep, heavy questions, however.   He didn’t know where Jane was.  He assumed that Kali had ultimately sacrificed herself.   The women in the project that Kay had established would remain a mystery too, or so he thought.  That would be a subject he would revisit once he had a chance to sit down and dive down that abysmal rabbit hole.   However, for now, the only thing that mattered was keeping his promise to himself and to his ‘flock’. 

                As predicted, Eddie had worn his orange robe and mortar board.   It felt so ridiculous that he couldn’t wait to strip out of it.   There were a few in the crowd that stood up and cheered for him.    It was unapologetically his character, shining through, controversial as he was.   He had proven himself to be a hero to many, and in this instance, he became an absolute legend.    He never once apologized.    He shed the robe and mortar board, back to his usual edgy gothic look, flipped Principal Higgins off, pivoted in those rebellious leather boots and swaggered off, diploma in hand.    Turning to the crowd, spurred on by their applause, whistles and chants, he made the ‘rock n’ roll’ sign and shouted, ‘I told you, this is my year !’

 

Chapter 2—Drifting but Thriving

                Eddie tried his best to make amends with his old man, but nothing he seemed to do made much difference.   With what little money he made living out of a band with other performers he eked out a living until he could afford a reliable car.    No one really knew where Mike and Jane were, but Ed was certain the two were happy with their own family. 

                Incidentally, Nancy and Steve did marry and have quite a large family.   It wasn’t ‘six nuggets’ as Steve had planned, but a comfortable ‘quad’ that was manageable.   They had love, devotion and the rowdiest but heartiest kids one could ever have desired.   Eddie had played for their wedding, and he was there to see Argyle and Eden attend, looking happier than ever.   Argyle was extremely eager to welcome Falcon into the world. 

                ‘Falcon is such a badass name, Argyle.’, Eddie complimented, patting his Californian friend on the shoulder with a mixture of pride and respect.    Argyle couldn’t hold himself back from hugging him, though.  

                ‘Didja ever find a new Betty ?’, Argyle asked, curiously.   Eden was out on the dance floor, boogeying with Robin and Vic, who were rumored to be getting married soon, but no details were finalized as of yet.    Will had already found his partner in Drew and they had adopted a couple of kids of their own.    It seemed just about everyone in the group had someone.   Even Lucas and Max had tied the proverbial knot.  

                ‘I don’t know, honestly.   Chrissy was…Well, she was everything.’, Eddie said, trying to compose himself.   His eyes brimmed with tears, but he blinked them clean before anyone else saw them.   

                Suddenly Dustin and Suzie surprised Ed.   They had their little ones DJ and Hailey beside them.    Dustin was a little shy but Hailey immediately hugged Eddie and held him for a moment. 

                ‘My dad says you are a hero.   I never thought I’d meet an actual hero before.’, she said.   Eddie chuckled, tousling the girl’s hair.   DJ peaked around Suzie’s leg and Ed caught him with a bit of a tickle. 

                ‘I’d like to think your dad’s more of a hero than me.   It was he and Steve that found that rift after all.’, Eddie confessed.  

                ‘All of that may be true, but you were a one-man wrecking ball in the Upside Down.’, a familiar voice added.    Eddie felt a little less awkward since the only other bachelor in the group, Jonathan, came to join the celebration.    Jon was a big brother who preferred working with kids who were less fortunate and he had gone on to become a well-known TV anchor who was highly respected in Hawkins.    He hoped to become a film producer someday with all his credentials, but he was still cutting teeth in the media market.   

                Eddie knew he could make something of himself as a teacher even if it didn’t pay well.  He and the band were still playing side gigs and raking in some cash through those ventures, but he wanted to travel.   He wanted to figure out where Jane was.    He was fairly sure Mike had gone with her, wherever she was.    They were the only factors he couldn’t quite figure out.  

 

Chapter 3—So, I Heard About Montauk…

                Jim Hopper had been promoted to the new special case in Montauk.    Evidentially there were some paranormal sightings there that he was more than familiar with.   He would be training some younger officers as the ‘Hawkins Outpost’ as a kind of neighborhood watch.    They knew that it would only be a matter of time before Doctor Kay’s newest subjects were old enough to begin creating rifts and messing with power, they had no business toying with. 

                Meanwhile, Eddie had encountered a young Latin girl named Ceniza who had been a long-time fan, following him on all his tours.   Ceniza was gothic in attire but genuine, altruistic and had plenty of flair.    She had interesting paranormal abilities as well.  

                ‘Eddie !’, she said, with her arms open wide.    Ed was a bit surprised that this handsome woman was approaching him but was curious as to what she had to say.  

                ‘So, I heard about Montauk…’, she began.   Ed felt a bit geeky in having done some research on the base and he and the other kids were already fully aware of what Doctor Kay had been up to.    Not all the women had survived the initial tests.    When they suffered, as their unborn babies did, unfortunately their deaths weren’t even acknowledged.   It was considered a ‘necessary part of the empirical process’.    They were forgotten, as were the birth mothers who survived.    These poor women were placed in institutions where they would never be found, condemned to be known as ‘lunatics’ while Kay and her associates looked the other way.    The children, however, were put under batteries of tests that their mother’s never would’ve condoned.    All to reopen a whole new realm of possibility.  

                ‘I know all about it, about Kay.   All of us do.   I’ve been doing the most research about it.   How can we combat it ?   Those kids, they’ve been indoctrinated.  They’re part of the system now.’, Eddie said, his voice shaking a bit.   He had never felt so incensed, so driven to be a part of a new task force to combat the unfolding horrors in Montauk, New Jersey.   

                ‘Eddie, I know for certain, we all have latent powers.   Our minds are far more versatile than we believe.’, Ceniza explained.   He didn’t really know what she was referring to, but she hoped that he would assist him in awakening his unconscious mind.   Maybe the others had these similar abilities, and she could jostle them loose from whatever blocks had been placed there ?    Time would be the judge of that.  

 

Chapter 4—Lights in the Shadow

                Ceniza Chavez soon became Ceniza Munson in the days to follow.   She and Eddie had such a deep connection that they couldn’t wait to be married.   She had been able to locate where Mike and Jane were due to remote viewing.   She had gotten ‘pushed’ out of Jane’s mind, but Ceniza understood why.  

                ‘She doesn’t trust anyone, but she and Mike are together.  I saw two young girls with them.   Their names are Barbara and Christina.’, she explained.   For some strange reason, the gentle goth girl had begun to cry, and so did Nancy.    She didn’t care if she was a little older, especially with a baby boy on the way.  

                ‘How are you going to fight, Ceniza?   Shouldn’t you be careful, given the fact that this baby might come any day now ?’, Lucas questioned.   She wasn’t the only pregnant mother battling alongside them.    Holly and Derek were close to welcoming their second kid into their family.   They already had Derek Junior, and he was a bit of a chip off the old block.  

                ‘If my mom can handle this, so can you, Cezzy.’, he said, sweetly.   Holly was so proud of her ‘little man’.  

                ‘We need to train, just like Hop trained El.’, young Falcon chimed in.   Ceniza knew there were others just like themselves that were spread all over the globe.   With the new threat that was being cultivated in the lab, they couldn’t slack off any longer.   

 

Chapter 5—Torchbearers

                Although Cenzia had Eduard Junior, she and the others were called ‘Torchbearers’.   All the torchbearers, no matter where they were trained in undisclosed locations anchoring themselves from psychic probing.   Before long, Eddie had become ‘The Psionic Bard’.   He had the impressive ability to use music much like the Pied Piper to mesmerize and he could use electricity towards his advantage.   He could stupefy with his newfound awareness.   His talented wife had long understood how to control fire by using her unique auric field.    The two of them were extremely impressive together and unstoppable as a team.  

 

Epilogue

                In the end, no matter what danger the ‘Torchbearers’ faced, they would continue to do it as a team even in spite of unprecedented odds.    They had done so before and they would do so again.    Once more,  they would face forces of undeniable evil, but at least this time, they would dismantle the entire project one and for all.    They were prepared for the perils that loomed in the distance and the price some of them would have to pay.   At least now, none of them were running from that danger.   In fact, they were dashing towards it, unafraid of the probability and possibilities that it posed.    Love and friendship, faith and courage would buoy them no matter what abominations waited for them.

 

The End