𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐔𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 ; ᴹᶦᵏᵉ ᵂʰᵉᵉˡᵉʳ

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 Ian 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 Ian, all thinking the same thing.

He looks up at them, having been focused on fidgeting with the wire of his headphones. He understands the message and nods with a little sigh before speaking.

"I heard them like how Max did. The third time, at the Creel House, he was just there to like, install fear in me, I guess. That's why I didn't wanna talk about it, I don't really know what it was to be honest,"

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. It's either of them. He's got two chances"

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 Ian 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 Ian, 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 Ian's mental health and if he wanted to talk at all. Lucas was mostly in charge of the plan conversation, as he didn't want the girl he still loved to die if any failures sparked in battle. 

"Your old friends are here!" Erica exclaims to Lucas, jumping back into the trailer.

"Shit!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

"Sit down!"

Steve quickly speeds off, tires screeching as they flee the premises. 

Once everyone had calmed down and got situated, Ian fell right asleep.

Nancy tells the others not to worry and let him sleep, as he had to prepare to be a very important point and weapon in this plan. Dustin rolls his eyes silently, hating hearing that Ian was just some kind of pawn to them.

Robin and Steve, preparing the gasoline grenades next to the trailer, keep an eye on the sleeping boy. They first talk about Robin and Vickie and what she should do about her crush, then Steve and Nancy. Their conversation somehow leads back to Ian though.

"If I ever find out that curly haired kid likes women, Steve, its the day I die. He's never shown interest in women, like, ever."

"Sounds like you and men"

"I'm a lesbian, congrats!"

Ian awakens, stumbling out of the trailer to get fresh air. He looks down at Steve and Robin, who look up at him.

"Good morning, sunshine" Steve jokes, moving a bit so he can sit in between the two.

Ian takes up on that seat offer, still quiet as he rubs his eyes, trying to wake himself up.

"You alright?" Robin asks, feeling the immediate embarrassing pressure after asking.

He shrugs, resting his head on her shoulder. "If I die, thank you for all the gay advice you gave me in life"

Steve holds back a laugh as Robin smiles, "Anytime, my dude"

<~>

The group is silent as they're dressed in military-esk uniforms, other than Max, Erica, and Lucas, and Ian.

There was no more hiding or running, this was it. 

Just the thought of it made him more tired, in a comical and metaphorical sense. 

He didn't want to sacrifice himself, but if he said that aloud, it would've made him selfish. But it was the truth. He didn't want to die for a town that didn't care for his kind. He didn't want to die and for something to go wrong so he'd never see his boyfriend again. He didn't want that, he didn't want this. He wanted to be a normal teenage boy.

But he'd accepted long ago that it'd never happen.