𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 ; ᵂᶦˡˡ ᴮʸᵉʳˢ

viii ; Papa

"He was showing me things that hadn't even happened yet. The most awful things. I saw a dark cloud, spreading over Hawkins. "

Nancy speaks quietly, shock and fear still shadowing over her. Robin and Ethan sit criss-cross on the floor near her, with Eddie, Erica, and Steve sitting on the couch across from her, Dustin on the right side on the couch, where he stands with his arms crossed. Lucas and Max stand side by side in the doorway, leaning against the walls.

"Downtown on fire, dead soldiers. And this... giant creature with a gaping mouth. And this creature wasn't alone. There were so many monsters. An army. And they were coming into Hawkins. Into our neighborhoods, our homes, and then he showed me my mom. And Holly, and Mike. And they... they were all-" She breathes shakily, holding back tears.

Steve speaks up, taking a silent, yet deep, breath. "Okay, but... he's just trying to scare you, Nance. Right? I mean, it's not real"

"Not yet" She replies. "But there... there was something else. He showed me gates. Four gates, spreading across Hawkins. And these gates, they looked like the one in Eddie's trailer, but... they didn't stop growing. And this wasn't the Upside Down Hawkins, this was our Hawkins. Our home."

"Four chimes" Max pipes in, "Vecna's clock. It always chimes four times."

"I heard them too"

Dustin, Lucas, and Max all look down at Ethan, all thinking the same thing.

He looks up at them, having been focused on his hand, now wrapped in an ass-ton of bandages, gauze, and some makeshift splints made of some thick metal wire and string, thanks to Eddie and Dustin. He understands the message and nods with a little sigh before speaking.

"It wasn't like... immediately, I heard the chimes. It was over the course of it, every half hour, I'd guess. I don't think he's trying to kill me, I think he's trying to threaten me to get to El. He was talking about how he wanted her or something, how she was responsible for sending him to the Upside Down but he killed all the kids in the lab-" He quickly stops himself, seeing the confused and horrored expressions around him. "Uhm, he wants El, he wants to take over the world"

Lucas nods. "Four chimes, four gates, he's been telling us his plan all along. The end of the world"

"If that's true," Dustin starts, "He's only one kill away"

Steve shakes his head, looking up at Max. "Try them again, try them again"

Max rushes back to the phone, dialling the Byers' new number for a millionth time that morning. No answer, as per usual with the past eleven calls, being answered with a busy tone dial. The line rings and rings with no answer. 

The group bicker than agree something must be wrong. Whatever was happening in Lenora had to do with it, but Vecna couldn't hurt them there. Nancy brings up going back with weapons, throwing most the group into a spiral. Robin brings up from very crucial points with Ethan to back her up, but Dustin agrees. Why fight fair with him when he already has an upper hand, but that upper hand would also help them as they know his strengths and weaknesses. 

"Commence plan Steal A Trailer is a go"

<~>

The group, minus Dustin, Lucas, Eddie and Ethan, walk into the God forsaken War Zone shop, greeted by a bunch of angry hicks, guns, knives, and more weapons than anyone would possibly need. 

The group in the trailer sit close to the floor, talking to try and lighten the mood. The two metalheads check on Ethan's hand and discuss his still working hand, wanting to make sure their plan would work. Lucas was mostly in charge of that conversation, as he didn't want the girl he still loved to die if any failures sparked in battle.