In The Stars / Steve Harrington 3

Chapter 27

"Let's get you out of here." Steve says as he gently lifts me to my feet. I nod and climb up the makeshift rope. This time I land on the mattress. I quickly get up so Steve can come through the gate. Corey instantly wraps me into a hug. "Are you okay?" She asks me quietly. I nod and she Let's me go. Max hugs me next followed by Eddie and Dustin. Steve puts his hand on my shoulder and I grab it. "Let's go to your trailer so we can get away from that." He says as he points at the gate. I nod we all leave Eddie's trailer and go to me and Max's trailer. We all go inside and get settled. Everyone sits around me waiting for me to explain what happened with Vecna this time.

"He showed me things that haven't happened yet. The most awful things." I say after I finally stop crying. "I saw a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins, downtown on fire, dead soldiers, and this-this giant creature with a gaping mouth and this creature wasn't alone there was so many monsters, an army, and they were coming into Hawkins, into our neighborhoods, our homes." I say as I start to tear up again remembering what Vecna showed me. Steve gets up and comes to my side seeing my tears start to fall. He grabs my hand and rubs his thumb on the back of my hand to comfort me.

"And then he showed me Max, and the kids, and Corey, and Robin, and Eddie, and Steve, and Billy and you were all-" I say but a sob cuts me off. "He's just trying to scare you Bells." Steve says quietly. "It's not real gorgeous." Steve says to me. "Not yet." I say. "But there was something else. He showed me gates, four gates, spreading across Hawkins, and these gates they looked like the one inside of Eddie's trailer but they didn't stop growing. And this wasn't the upside down Hawkins, this was our Hawkins, our home." I explain as tears stream down my cheeks.

"Four chimes, Vecna's clock it always chimes four times. He's been telling us his plan this whole time." I say in realization. "Four kills, four gates." I say as I look at Steve. "If that's true, he's only one kill away." Dustin says. "Jesus Christ." Eddie says as he puts his head on his hands.

"Try them again, try them again." Steve says as he points at the phone. Max goes to the phone and dials the Byers number again. "Anything?" Corey asks. "No, rang a few times then went to a busy signal." Max says as she rejoins us in the livingroom. "Maybe you punched it in wrong. Try it again." Steve suggests anxiously. "I didn't punch it in wrong." Max snaps at him. "Well I don't know." Steve says. "Dude I think she knows how to use a phone." Dustin says to him. "I'm just saying she could have typed it in wrong." Steve defends himself. Max rolls her eyes and trys to call the Byers again.

"Same shit." Max says as she walks back to us. "How is that possible?" Lucas asks. "I told you Joyce has this telemarketer job she's always on the phone. Mike won't stop whining about it." Dustin says. "Okay yeah but, this phone's been busy for like what three days now that's not Joyce, no way. Something's wrong." Max says. "She's right it can't be just a coincidence. It can't be." I say agreeing with my sister. "Whatever's happening in Lenora is connected to all of this I'm sure of it." I say as I get up and walk to the window.

"But Vecna can't hurt them, not if he's dead." I say as I look out the window. "We have to go back in there, back to the upside down." I say as I turn and look at all of them. "Woah, woah, no, no, no, no, no. Let's think this through Bells." Steve says as he gets up and stands in front of me. "What is there to think through?" I snap at him. "We barely made it out of there in one piece." Steve reminds me. "Yeah because we weren't prepared. But this time we will be we'll get weapons and protection we'll go through the gate we'll find his layer and we'll kill him." I explain to him. "Or he'll kill us. Bella he's already tried to kill you once. I won't loose you. I can't." Steve says. "Steve you won't loose me I've survived twice before I can survive again." I say as I put my hand on his cheek.

"He's not scared of us Bells." Steve says with a shake of his head. "Yeah and for good reason. We were wrong about Vecna, Henry, 001, sorry wh-what are we calling him now?" Robin asks. "001." Dustin replies. "Vecna." Erica says. "001." Lucas says. "Henry." I say. "Right we've learned something new about Vecna/Henry/001 he's a number like Eleven only a sick, evil, male, child murdering, version of her with really bad skin but my-my point is he's super powerful. He could turn us inside out with a snap of his fingers, it's not a fair fight." Robin says.

"So then why fight fair?" Dustin asks and we all look at him. "You're right he's like Eleven. But that gives us an upper hand. We know Eleven's strengths and weaknesses." Dustin says and I nod. "Weaknesses?" Erica asks. "When El remote travels she goes into this sort of trance like state. I bet the same is true with Vecna." Dustin explains.

"That would explain what he was doing in that attic." Lucas says from beside Max. "Exactly. When he attacks his next victim I'll bet you he's back in that attic, physical body defenseless." Dustin says. "Defenseless yeah, what about the army of bats?" Steve asks as he points to his neck that has started to bruse due to the bat that choked him. "Right, true, we'll have to find a way past them. Distract them somehow." Dustin says. "And, uh, how do we do that?" Eddie asks as he starts to stand up from the couch. "No idea." Dustin says with a shake of his head and Eddie sits back down. "But once they're gone he doesn't stand a chance. It'll be like slaying seeping Dracula in his coffin." Dustin says.

"That all sounds good in theory but there is no pattern to Vecna's killings, I mean at least not one that I can decipher. We dont know when he's going to attack next. We dont even know who he's going to attack." Corey says. "Yeah we do." I say and everyone turns to me. "I can still feel him. I'm still marked, cursed. I ditch Metallica, I draw his focus back to me." I say. "Bella you can't, he'll kill you." Steve protests. "Like I said I've survived twice before, I can survive again." I say and Steve goes to protest again but I cut him off before he can. "I just need to keep him busy long enough so that you guys can get into that attic and then you can chop his head off, stab him in the heart, blow him up with some explosive Dustin cooks up. I honestly don't care how you put this asshole in his grave, just make sure you don't miss." I say as I look at all of them.