Boltedfruit Archive

There’s something wrong with Eddie.

It’s Dustin who brings it up, Mike who reasons it’s just the stress of yet another senior year, Lucas who doesn’t want any part of it.

And it’s Steve who sees him when the kids don’t. When Eddie’s eyes sometimes go flat, staring. When he sees him thumb away the drool after staring at a dog too long. When he sees Eddie lick his lips, stomach growling.

And it’s Steve who sees him get angry as the days pass. Growing like a breathing, vicious thing. Barely contained, bursting out at the seams at the worst moments. When he’s selling, when he’s at a show, when he’s with the kids.

Which is the point Steve pointed his recent behavior out. When he confronted Eddie and got a broken bottle held to his throat, stinging bloody and shallow just under his jaw. And he smells rot when Eddie laughs.

Sees black, sharp teeth, gray gums, red, red, red tongue.

And Eddie’s eyes go dark, the whites filling with a swirling jettison of ink.

And Steve wonders what flavor of Upside Down bullshit this is, when Eddie’s jaw cracks open wide, flowering into grotesque petals.

And Steve wonders if it’s the body reacting to the pain of skin tearing, teeth elongating, or if it’s Eddie stuck inside, buried like others were, when a tear slips down his cheek. Stuck midway between growling, hunger bright and obvious, and the person he used to be.

So it’s Steve who notices something is definitely wrong, when a thousand thousand teeth sink into his shoulder.

It’s Steve who says, “Eddie, talk to me. I can fix this.”

And it’s some kind of demon who’s tearful, and bloody-mouthed.

But it’s Eddie who releases him. Who falls to the floor. Who sinks his teeth into his own arm to stop himself from drooling now over Steve.

And Steve makes a call.