𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 ; ᵂᶦˡˡ ᴮʸᵉʳˢ

v ; The Nina Project

"Can we send Ethan in there to light the shit on fire with his fingers?" Steve asks, getting the kids piled into the car.

"Why would you even suggest that?" Ethan asks him, throwing himself in the front seat as Dustin and Lucas sit in the back with Max in between them.

"We know its weakness is fire! You're literally a walking flamethrower, dude!"

Ethan sighs, "I'm only a 'walking flamethrower' when I have that strength, like El did when she closed the gate. I can feel it fading. It has been since before the physical, gorey Mind Flayer. Probably just before Will got possessed, I started feeling it. Like, I don't even know if I can do anything like that anymore." He stares down at his shoes, taking a deep breath.

Steve slowly nods, quickly turning the car on, communicating with Nancy and Robin on the other side of the walkie-talkie.

"We find a new plan then,"

<•>

The group rolls on up to the abandoned Creel House, Max having her headphones on a loop of her favorite song for protection. Robin and Nancy informed the rest of the group of their findings at the mental hospital with Mr. Creel, and how music is the key to help escaping Vecna in the mind-void.

Ethan catches Dustin's attention, giving him a worried look as he glances to Lucas and Max, walking to the door just behind Robin and Steve. Dustin nods, following Nancy up the stairs.

"What exactly are we looking for in this shithole?" Steve asks, looking over at Nancy while they're peeling nails from the doorframe where a large piece of plywood was blocking their path.

"We're not sure. We just know this house is important to Vecna." Nancy answers

"Because Max saw it in Vecna's red soup mind world?"

"Basically,"

"Great."

"Maybe it holds a clue to where Vecna is. Why he's back, why he killed the Creels " Dustin shrugs, trying to show some optimism. "Or how to stop him before he comes back for Max, or marks a new victim"

"We don't think he's in here, do we?" Lucas asks, feeling slightly out of place.

"Guess we'll find out." Max shrugs

The two teens let the wood fall to the floor, revealing the front door with a stained glass window of a rose.

Both Max and Ethan feel their blood grow cold as they look at it, trying to act natural as they do. They glance to one another, sharing a look of discomfort. The redhead scoots closer to the brunette, whispering as she tries talking to him.

"You felt that too?"

"Mhm," Ethan mumbles back.

She slowly nods. "Did you see, or like, remember anything, maybe? I remember seeing that stained glass, but I can tell you felt that feeling. Like you feel paralyzed for a moment and your blood gets cold, and you feel tingly."

He shakes his head no and quietly responds, watching the older teens find a solution to get the door open, involving Robin throwing a rock through the window to open it from the inside.

"No visions, I dunno if it's a good or a bad thing." He shrugs, and the redhead nods.

They all carefully step inside, flashlights illuminating their path. Lucas flips a lamp switch, just randomly wondering if it would work. Meanwhile, Ethan and Max share a flashlight as they step inside, the floor creaking beneath them.

"Looks like someone forgot to pay their electric bill," Lucas comments, trying to lighten the mood.

"I wouldn't blame them in this economy" Ethan mumbles, knowing how back in his new house, his mom was struggling to keep the lights on and keep food on the table, which made him try and help out by getting a job at the local McDonald's. It wasn't fun, nor was it a good pay, but it helped his mom, and it made him enough money to get round trip tickets from there to Hawkins to visit his friends, which was plenty enough to ask for.