slut [ eddie munson ]

022

It wasn't too long after Talia and Robin had split from Steve and Nancy that they found themselves stood in the dining room of the Creel house. Max and Lucas had been the ones to find something that could connect the Creel house to Vecna.

The two teens had called for the others, who had quickly followed their voices and joined them in the dining room. They all huddled around the table, watching the bulbs on the crystal chandelier that were lit up and slowly fluttering.

"It's like the Christmas lights," Nancy said, her voice just above a whisper.

Talia had no idea what her cousin was talking about, but figured it had something to do with one of the previous run-ins the group had with the Upside Down.

"The Christmas lights?" Robin asked lowly, leaning into Nancy's side as she voiced her confusion. Standing on the other side of the Buckley girl, Talia turned her head to look at her cousin, interested in her answer.

"Yeah," Nancy whispered back, "when Will was in the Upside Down, the lights...came to life."

"Vecna's here," Lucas muttered, knowing that it had been Will's presence on the other side that sparked the lights odd behavior, "in this house. Just, on the other side."

As if he knew they were watching, the lights dimmed down completely.

"I think he just left the room," Robin said.

Confused, Max asked, "Did he hear us?"

"Did he see us?" Steve questioned further, worry slowly snaking its way through the group.

"I don't like this," Talia muttered, feeling anxiety settle deep within her stomach. Unconsciously she moved closer to Robin, grimacing as all sorts of terrible scenarios ran through her mind.

"Headphones," Lucas ordered, his heated gaze focused on Max. The redhead did as told, hurriedly pulling the headphones over her ears.

"Wait," Nancy said, "Everyone, turn off your flashlights and spread out." She clicked her own off.

Steve looked around in confusion, "we won't be able to see if we turn off our flashlights..."

Max, Lucas, Dustin and Robin had quickly followed her instructions, flicking off their flashlights and all of them moving off in different directions—ignoring Steve's confusion. Talia, who was extremely uncomfortable with the situation, sighed as she was left with her ex friend. She didn't have her own flashlight—meaning she had to stay with him.

"Jesus Christ," Steve muttered, realizing that not only had he been completely ignored, but he had also been left with Talia, "come on."

He turned and walked out of the dining room, leaving the Wheeler girl to trail after him. Begrudgingly, she did so, hurrying her pace so that she wasn't too far behind him.

They moved through the house silently, neither one wanting to be the first to speak. Talia had remained practically glued to his side, her discomfort at the situation outweighing her feelings towards Steve.

"So, we're like...what, trying to find his ghost or some shit," Talia muttered, still not fully understanding how Vecna was there with them.

Steve made a face, not knowing exactly how to explain it to the girl, "Kind of...but not really. The Upside Down is basically the same as here, right? And, there's some sort of connection between the two worlds through the lights. So—,"

"When the lights get all fucky, that means there's something in the Upside Down messing with them?" Talia finished, somewhat understanding what he meant.

"Yeah, basically," Steve confirmed, an odd silence settling over the two. Talia nodded slightly, her eyes dancing around their surroundings as they continued slowly walking around the house. She felt herself growing frustrated as the flashlight remained unaffected by the other side.