[ just wait until you find out what lives out in the woods. that's reason to start getting freaked out.

but steve supposes that bit can wait. for now, they should focus on making sure this guy doesn't die from frost bite. they've still got a ways to go before they make it to the tavern, so this continued miscommunication will have plenty of time to get even more complicated. ]

Whoa- that's. A lot. I heard about a bunch of them hitting Texas a few years ago but nothing that crazy. [ does he have any idea what this guy means when he says 'the republic'? no. honestly, it sounds like something eddie or dustin would know more about (no, steve, ed is not talking about star wars) but like most things, steve's gotten pretty good at just. nodding along and letting the conversation move on to things he does know about. aka, 'up north'. ]

Yeah- place called Hawkins, Indiana. You heard of it before?