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𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐚'𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 covered in vines, a telltale sign that Lily had fallen into another part of the Upside Down, rather than the real world. It was dark, and the usual homely light that came from the house was nowhere to be seen. The porch steps, that Lily had stumbled down so many times, were falling apart. There were several decrepit Halloween decorations hanging in the window, and a rusty beer keg lay a few yards away. She understood at once.
This was Halloween, 1984.
There was only one reason why Vecna would bring her here.
She stood up, careful not to tread on the vines, remembering the Hive Mind, and made her way over to the house. Whatever it was that lay waiting for her would show itself whether she wanted it to or not, so she figured she would rather get it over with. The door was slightly ajar and swung open the moment Lily touched it.
She hadn't even crossed the threshold when Cindy appeared.
Her friend took two steps forward, and Lily took two steps back, without meaning to. She'd become so used to running from Cindy, that it had become second nature. She took another step back and tripped, her foot catching on a thick vine laying across the porch.
She threw her arms out as she fell, expecting to go tumbling down the porch steps, but she didn't. She hit the ground much sooner.
Then, she was no longer in Tina's house.
She was in the tunnels of the Upside Down and, to her horror, Cindy's body lay on the ground before her, looking exactly like she had done when Lily had found her there over two years ago. She was as white as the dress she was wearing, and nearly every exposed area of her pale skin was littered in cuts and bruises.
Lily didn't know what to do. Instinctively, she backed away from Cindy again. She was confused. First Tina's house, now this. If Vecna was going to kill her, she figured he would have tried to do so already, not wanting to give her time to escape again. She didn't know what his plan was. She didn't know what any of this meant.
Cindy's hand reached out and grabbed her ankle.
She screamed and backed away further, shaking herself free from Cindy's grasp with great difficulty. In her haste to break free, she lost her balance, her legs becoming entangled in the vines.Cindy was crawling towards her. She was scared now, and she was alone.
