𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥 || 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕠𝕟

FIFTY-TWO

That silence took over again as everyone sat in Max's trailer. The air was thick with tension and fear for what was to come for them in the future. Nancy was visibly shaken as she sat across from Eddie, Erica, Irina and Steve with her head in her hands. Robin and the others were scattered around on various chairs in the room.

"Nancy." Irina said softly, making Nancy raise her head. "What did Vecna show you?" She asked.

"H-he showed me... things that haven't happened yet." She replied, hoarsely. "The most awful things. I saw a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. And this... th-this giant creature with a gaping mouth. And this creature wasn't alone. There were so many monsters - an army. And they were coming into Hawkins. Into our neighbourhoods. Our homes. And then he showed me my mom. And Holly. Mike. And they... they were all..." Nancy trailed off crying, but the group know what she was trying to say. They were dead.

"Okay, but... he's just trying to scare you, Nancy, right? I mean, it's not real." Steve spoke up, trying to make her feel better.

"Not yet." Nancy said. "But there... there was something else. He showed me gates. Four gates. Spreading across Hawkins. And these gates, they looked like the one outside of Eddie's trailer, but they didn't stop growing. And this wasn't the Upside Down Hawkins. This was our Hawkins. Our home." Nancy explained through tears. The cogs in Irina's head were working rapidly. Four gates. Like the one outside of Eddie's trailer. Chrissy's death site. Each death site. Three kills. One more needed. Four chimes. It was obvious now.

"Four chimes." Irina said. "The clock always chimes four times. Four exactly."

"I heard them too." Nancy told her.

"He's been telling us this plan this whole time." Irina sighed, feeling Steve interlock their fingers in a comforting manner. They could take all the comfort they could get right now.

"Four kills. Four gates. End of the world." Lucas said in realisation.

"If that's true, he's only one kill away." Dustin said.

"Oh, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ." Eddie groaned with his hands over his face.

"Try them again." Steve said, looking over to Max, who got to the phone to try calling Joyce and the others in California for help.

"Anything?" Dustin asked when Max returned.

"No. Rang a few times then went to busy signal." Max told him.

"Maybe you punched it in wrong. Try again." Steve suggested.

"I didn't punch it in wrong." Max defended.

"Well, I don't know." Steve said.

"Dude, I think she knows how to use a phone." Dustin spoke up.

"I'm just saying, she could've typed it in wrong." Steve said. As they were bickering, Irina got a bad feeling in her stomach. Like she was going to vomit.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." She muttered to Steve and he gave her a nod and let go of her hand. Irina walked quite fast to the other end of the trailer and locked the door behind her before collapsing onto her knees and puking as quietly as she could into the toilet. Once it was all up, she wiped her mouth with tissue before tossing that down the toilet too and flushing it before washing her hands. Just as her hand was about to touch the door knob to open it, someone knocked on the door.

"Irina? It's just me and Max." Robin's voice came through the crack in the door. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Irina answered a little too quickly as she opened the door.

"Is that why I could hear you vomiting?" Robin questioned with a hand on her hip.

"Was it that loud?" Irina asked, worriedly.

"No. You just walked away too fast for only needing to pee." Robin said.

"And you were looking a little pale." Max added.

"I'm okay. Just... nerves or something." Irina brushed it off.

"Are you sure that's what it is?" Max questioned.

"I-I think so. Why are you being weird?" Irina squinted her eyes at the two girls.

"Were not being weird, we're just... concerned." Robin said.

"Concerned for what?" Irina asked and watched as Max and Robin both gave each other the side eye.

"Irina, when did you and Steve last... you know, do it, if you get what I mean?" Robin asked and Irina's eyes widened.

"No, I'm not... I'm not pregnant, you guys." Irina whisper-yelled.

"How can you be sure?" Max asked.

"I am 100% sure that I am not pregnant. I'm not." Irina said, but to Max and Robin it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone.

"Y-you can brush your teeth if you want. There's a spare toothbrush in the cabinet. You know, just to get that taste out of your mouth. And you can grab one of my sweatshirt too." Max offered since Irina was still only in jeans, a bra and Eddie's sleeveless jacket before she slowly walked back towards the other end of the trailer where everyone else was. Irina found the toothbrush but noticed Robin was still watching her.

"He'll be happy if you are, you know." She said.

"Not now. Not at the end of the world. I can't be, Robin. Not like this." Irina let out a shaky breath as Robin embraced her, comfortingly.