WILDFIRE ↝ E. MUNSON

[27]

The Winnebago pulled to a stop, the tires squealing in protest as Steve kept a foot planted firmly on the brake. As Lily followed the others out of the vehicle, she hopped off the final step onto the grassy earth below, taking in the sight before them.

They were in the middle of nowhere, the RV parked in a field, with nothing surrounding them as far as the eye except for a few surrounding trees. It was quiet, save for the sounds of birds chirping above as they flew by; they were finally alone, safe from any prying eyes of the people of Hawkins.

"Where are we?" Erica asked, looking around at their surroundings.

Steve shrugged. "Not a clue," he said. "Far enough out of town that the only things we should have to worry about running into would be raccoons and the occasional hawk."

"Good enough for me," Nancy said, shouldering the shotgun she'd purchased from the War Zone as she took a seat in the grass. "Alright, now it's time for the plan. Shall we?"

A collective agreement was murmured from the group as a few of them began to sit down around Nancy's spot, save for Steve, Sarah, Lily, and Eddie, who leaned back against the walls of the Winnebago, watching them. Robin brandished a notebook and a pen from her bag, already beginning to take notes of their plan to take down Vecna once and for all.

"So we'll need to split up," Robin said. "One group with Max to keep an eye on her, one group to distract the bats, and one group to go after Vecna. There's twelve of us, so if we all split up into groups of four, that should be good."

"Robin, Steve, Debbie, and I will go after Vecna." Nancy explained. "The gun I bought needs a few adjustments, but once they're done, I won't miss. Coupled with the molotov cocktails they're making, we should hopefully stand a chance at getting in and out in one piece."

"Alright," Robin said, quickly jotting it down. "Now how are we going to distract the bats?"

"I might have an idea for that." Eddie spoke up, and Lily crossed her arms over her chest as she looked over at him. "We just need to make a lot of noise to get their attention away from the house, right?"

"Yeah, that should be enough." Nancy agreed. "Just get them away from the house, and keep them busy for a bit."

Eddie smirked. "In that case, things are going to get pretty metal." he looked over at where Nick sat next to Robin and Dustin. "Is Corroded Coffin's roadie ready to get back to work and help me set up my equipment?"

"Sounds like a plan," Nick agreed.

"I'll join you guys." Dustin offered.

"I'll keep an eye on Max." Lily said. "Someone has to be sure she gets to Kate Bush in time if the plan goes sideways, right?"

"Noted," Robin said, continuing to scribble notes down on the paper.

"No," Max spoke up, causing Lily's heart to plummet down into her stomach as she looked over at her older sister, Robin's pen freezing mid-sentence.

"Max-" Lily began, but Max simply shook her head.

"I'll be fine," she insisted, trying to keep her expression stoic, though a frown remained etched onto her features. "It's just... if things go wrong, I don't want you to see that." she said, her voice quiet as Lily shut her eyes for a moment.

"I don't want to leave you." Lily said, shaking her head.

"Lucas, Sarah, and Erica will be with me." Max assured her. "I won't be alone. Go with Eddie, Nick, and Dustin. They'll need your help with the bats, and we'll just have to trust that things will work out."

Lily looked around at the group for a moment before she nodded, blinking back a tear that threatened to fall. "Okay," she finally conceded.

"We'll protect her," Sarah assured her, and she nodded as Eddie reached down to grab her hand, squeezing it softly.