Not Just Another Number

Happening Again

Sarah's POV

I pull up to the abandoned Creel house, parking along the curb. Slowly, we all get out of the car. We stare at the house in silence. All of the windows are boarded up and it looks like it's been abandoned for years. The same feeling I got back at Dr.Smith's house has returned. My skin crawls at the sight. I cross my arms, tapping my fingers on top of them.

"Yeah, that's not creepy." Steve sarcastically remarks from beside me. I shake my head and sigh. "Well, no use delaying the inevitable." I groan. Leading the way, I walk up to the front door. The door is covered by a giant wooden board. The board is nailed into the doorframe. I look back over my shoulder at Steve. "Can you go get the toolbox out of the trunk of my car please?"

Quickly, Steve does just that. He hands it over to me once he returns. I take it from him and place it on the ground. I open it and find two small hammers. I hold one up for someone to take. "I'll help," I hear Christine say. She takes the hammer out of my hand and starts pulling out the nails on one side of the doorframe. I take the second hammer and follow her lead.

"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for in this shithole?" Steve asks.

"We're not sure," Nancy tells him, shrugging her shoulders. "We just know this house is important to Vecna."

"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. And how to stop him before he comes back for Max." Dustin suggests, trying to come up with any possible answer. I nod along with him, sending him a smile. "Exactly. Any information can help."

"We don't think he's in here, do we?" Lucas asks.

It falls silent around us. If he was here, I would have felt it, right? But with everything else going on, it is possible that I might not have noticed. The sound of a nail falling to the ground grabs my attention. I look over at Christine, who is putting down her hammer. "I guess we'll find out. That should be the last nail. Ready?" She asks me. I nod and together we let the board drop. The others move out of the way to avoid getting crushed.

I look back at the doorway and find the exact same door from Max's sketch. It has the exact same stained glass rose. I reach for the doorknob, grabbing it and trying to turn it, but it stays still. "It's locked," I groan out.

"Should you knock? See if anybody's home?" Steve jokes in a dry voice. I can't stop the small smile that grows on my face. That was such a dumb joke. I look back up at him, raising a brow at him. He just smiles back at me, proud of his dumb joke. Christine sighs from right next to me, stepping forward. "We'll just have to look for another way in, I guess."

"No need." We hear Robin call out. We all look over at her, confused. She's standing on the stairs leading to the porch, holding up a large red brick. Seriously? A brick? She shrugs, looking at the brick in her hand. "I found a key." We all look at each other, weighing our options. I shrug, moving away from the door. Christine follows my lead, gesturing towards the stained glass window. Robin smiles and winds her arm back. With a small grunt, she throws the brick at the glass. It goes through, shattering the rose in the center.

I flinch back, trying to avoid the glass shards. I feel a hand pull me further from the door, pulling me flush against a person's body. I look up at Steve, noticing that he was the one who did that. Without looking at me, he moves over to the hole in the window. He reaches in carefully and grabs the doorknob, unlocking the door. The door opens with a loud and eerie creak. I walk in first, looking around the house.