bitchin'

Chapter 55

"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for in this shithole?" Steve asks as he and Nancy take the nails out of the board that covers the front door of Victor Creel's house. After getting some pancakes from Nancy's mom, the group of seven went straight to the Creel house.

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

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

"Basically."

"Great," he sighs.

"Maybe it holds a clue to where Vecna is. Why he's back. Why he killed the Creels," Dustin suggests, "and how to stop him before he comes back for Max."

"Don't say that," Lindsay snaps. He jumps at her tone.

"Sorry... I didn't mean it like that," he apologizes softly. Everyone stares at the boy before Nancy and Steve let the board down. It falls, smacking the porch. Max looks up to see the door that was in Vecna's Mind Lair.

Stained-glass roses.

Steve rattles the doorknob, "It's locked

Lindsay picks up a rock, "No it's not," she throws it, breaking the stained glass as Steve jumps back.

"Jesus, Linds! Little bit of a warning next time?" he exclaims. He then reaches through the hole carefully to unlock the door. The door swings open, creaking. Nancy leads the group in. Lucas goes to a lamp, trying to turn it on.

"Looks like someone forgot to pay their electric bill," he comments. Dustin switches his flashlight on. Everyone else begins to turn theirs on, except Steve.

"Where'd everyone get those?" he asks. Dustin turns to the older boy.

"Do you need to be told everything? You're not a child," the curly-haired boy says. He takes off his backpack and gives it to Steve, "Back pocket."

"They just left everything," Nancy comments, walking into the living room. The furniture is uncovered, everything from that night still in its place, although now dirty and dusty.

"I guess a triple homicide isn't good for resale value," Robin suggests.

"Hey, guys?" Max calls. Everyone turns to the redhead, "you all see that, right?"

She has her light aimed on an old grandfather clock. The grandfather clock.

"Yeah."

"Is this what you saw?" Nancy asks, "in your visions?"

Max nods.

"I mean, it's... just a clock," Robin says, "right?"

The girl walks up to the clock and wipes the dust from the window.

"Like a normal, old clock," she says.

"Why is this wizard obsessed with clocks?" Steve asks, "Maybe he's, like, a clockmaker or something?"

"I think you cracked the case, Steve," Dustin says sarcastically. His sister chuckles as he rolls his eyes.

"All I know is, the answers are here," Nancy changes the subject, "Somewhere. Okay, everyone stay in groups of two. Robin, upstairs."

She salutes the Wheeler girl before following her up the stairs. Max goes to Lindsay.

"Come on, let's go," she says. The brunette follows her girlfriend off to the kitchen, limping slightly.

"We'll be a group of three," Lucas says, looking at Dustin and Steve. The two nod before following the older girls upstairs. As everyone is leaving the main hall, the chandelier begins to power on, flickering slightly.