Once More, With Strangeness

Chapter 7

 Becca looked over the stockpile of weapons they had accumulated over the last few hours. Much of it, they already had from their last entry into the Upside Down. But Steve, Jax, Ivy, and Robin had made a quick run to The War Zone to get more ammo and a few more supplies. They had no idea what they would be facing when they walked in there. They also had no idea what this vampire, Spike, had planned. Becca hated walking into the unknown, risking others, but she didn't see any other choice if she wanted to save Eddie.

She glanced around the room. A much larger group of them was going to go through the gate this time. Hopper and Joyce had been in the Upside Down before. Max had been when Vecna took her, well his mind version anyway, but Lucas never had. Becca had tried to tell him that he didn't have to but he was adamant he was coming. One, he wasn't letting Max go without him, and though Becca had tried to convince her to stay too, she was having none of it. She seemed to feel she owed Becca and Eddie a debt for her being alive. That couldn't be farther from the truth. She didn't owe anyone anything. She had almost paid the ultimate price, given the ultimate sacrifice, to save everyone and Becca didn't want her risking herself all over again.

A hand gently squeezed her shoulder, and she turned to see Steve smiling at her. It was such a relief to not be holding so much anger at him anymore. She adored Steve. She had missed talking to him for the last few months. He had been such a good friend to her before everything went to shit.

"We're going to get him back," he assured her. "One way or another, he is coming back with us. I am not going to leave him there again."

Becca nodded. "I know we will. It's not all on you, either. So, please don't do anything stupid out of a sense of guilt or something. We're all going in there and this time, we're all coming back out. I just hope that this vampire is telling the truth."

"If he's not, you'll stake him and be done with it and we'll head to California," he shrugged, smirking.

"Yeah, but then we still won't be any closer to finding Eddie. California is a long shot. Dustin and I have already had a couple of those. We thought we had something and then it was nothing. It's heartbreaking every single time," sighed Becca, that knot in her stomach coiling tighter as she considered the possibility. She grabbed a crossbow, holding it up and admiring it. The crossbow had always been one of her favorites. "If that Billy Idol wannabe is lying, he is going to become the next victim of my perilous projectiles. I do not have the patience for bullshit demon games."

"I'm ready for battle!"

Becca and Steve glanced over to see Dustin, a battle axe in one hand and a broadsword in the other, grinning and raising them both in the air before swinging them down. He had swapped his baseball cap for one of Eddie's bandannas, saying that it would bring them luck. Becca's heart warmed at the sight of his face, so eager to rescue his friend. God, she loved that kid. He had a heart as big as the whole sky and a personality to match it. She would have been lost in the depths of her despair if it weren't for him, the one shining light she had.

"Whoa there buddy," Steve commented, removing both weapons from his hands and replacing them with one hunting knife. "That might be a little more than you can chew. We don't need you taking someone's arm off swinging those things around so carelessly."

Dustin snorted, "Oh please. I've been down there twice and I helped take out a demogorgon with a sword. With these pearls, I can chew through anything." He made some weird purring noise with his throat and Becca almost lost it.

"Dude, we've told you to stop doing that," Lucas sighed, shaking his head.

"What? Isn't that, like, a sexy sound?" Dustin asked.

"No," Max shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"No," El agreed, covering her mouth to hide the smirk. "I'm sorry, but no."