INTO HELL [e. munson]

eleven.

"Yep," Nancy answered, "It's what Max saw when Vecna had her."

"It's definitely not creepy," Steve commented sarcastically. They headed for the front door, which had wooden boards nailed to it so no one could enter. Steve and Nancy worked on pulling it loose together, while the rest watched them. "What exactly are we supposed to be looking for in this shithole?"

"We're not sure. We just know this house is important to Vecna."

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

"Basically."

"Great."

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

"We don't think he's in here, do we?" Lucas questioned.

"Guess we'll find out," Max shrugged.

Both Steve and Nancy dropped the wood on the ground, revealing a front door with a stained glass window. The door was locked as well as Steve sighed, "Should I knock? See if anybody's home?"

"No need. I found a key," Robin grinned as she held up a brick in her hand. She threw it right into the window, smashing a hole into it. Steve then reached his hand in and opened it up. The door screeched as he did so, and Lila pulled out her flashlight in preparation. Everyone else did the same.

"Where'd everyone get those?"

"Do you need to be told everything?" Dustin complained. "You're not a child."

"Thank you."

Dustin passed Steve his backpack where a spare flashlight was kept. Steve left the pack right on the floor by the front door as they all glanced around.

"Hey, guys? You all see that right?" Max called attention to an old grandfather clock, and everyone answered with a yes.

"Is this what you saw at the school?" Lila pieced together. Max nodded in answer.

"I mean, it's just a clock, Right?" Robin approached the clock and wiped the dust off the glass with her hand. "Like a normal old clock."

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

"Please tell me you're joking," Lila stifled back a laugh.

"No, Lila, I think he just cracked the case," Dustin joked. Steve met their jokes with a mild glare.

"All I know is the answers are here. Somewhere," Nancy looked around. "Okay, everyone stays in groups of two. Robin, upstairs."

Robin followed Nancy as Max went off with Lucas, which left Dustin and Steve with Lila. "Together again," Lila grinned as she put her arms around the two. Steve moved out from under her arm with a deep sigh and began making his way upstairs.

"Was that a sigh?" Dustin asked.

"No," Steve denied.

"Why'd you sigh?"

"I didn't sigh. Just come on, dude."

"I heard you."

"We're just always together, okay?"

"You have a problem with that?"

"You're hurting my feelings, Harrington," Lila mocked with a frown.

"I just think it'd be nice to mix it up a bit," Steve defended.

"So we're boring to you? Is that it?" Dustin argued.

"You know, Nancy did say groups of two. Maybe Steve should just go off on his own if he wants to mix it up a bit," Lila proposed.

"Will you two just let it rest?"

They made their way into a room and Lila and Dustin left Steve to his own devices. "Do you think Eddie is gonna be okay?" Lila finally asked. The question had been weighing on her, and she only trusted Dustin to ask it to.

"You want my honesty?" Lila nodded. "I don't know. Even if we figured this all out, it's not like anyone would believe us. They didn't believe Creel."

"Yeah, that's true. I've just never really felt this way about anyone. It's weird and scary."

"I felt that way about Suzie. Especially since her parents are Mormon, which makes our relationship a little complicated."

"Well, I'm sure you'll work things out. Even her Mormon parents couldn't fight off the charm of Dustin Henderson," Lila said lightly.

"Guys, come see this," Max appeared in the doorway. Both of them followed her to where a chandelier was buzzing with electricity, dimming and getting brighter with each passing second.

"It's like the Christmas lights," Nancy thought.

"The Christmas lights?" Robin whispered.

"Yeah, when Will was in the Upside Down, the lights... came to life."

"Vecna's here," Lucas stared up at the chandelier. "In this house. Just on the other side."

The lights turned off as Max asked, "Did he hear us?"

"Can he see us?" Steve added on.

"Headphones," Lucas warned. Max quickly put them over her ears.

"Everyone turn off your flashlights and spread out," Nancy ordered. Everyone did as she said and Lila roamed the house alone.

Every step felt louder than she thought possible with the floor creaking. She felt grateful when Robin called out with success at finding him. She rushed to where it came from and they followed the flashlight all the way to the stairs where it flickered out.

Max pointed out a door where a new source of light was coming from and they all climbed up the eerie stairs into the attic.

"What if he's leading us into a trap?" Dustin posed. Lila ignored the question, choosing to stay positive. They made their way where their flashlights burned with intensity below the light fixture. So much so that their flashlights exploded from the force. When the lights all gave out, the group looked at each other in the darkness. Vecna was up to something, and Lila wasn't sure she wanted to know who his next victim was.