"Okay, I wanna run through it one more time," Nancy says inside of the mobile home. It's dark now, the vehicle parked just outside of the trailer park, "Phase one."
"We meet Erica at the playground," Robin starts, "she'll signal Max, Annie, and Lucas when we're ready."
"Phase two."
"Max baits Vecna," Steve says, "He'll go after her, which'll put him in his trance."
"Phase three?"
"Me and Eddie draw the bats away," Dustin explains.
"Four."
"We head into Vecna's hopefully, newly bat-free lair, and... flambé," Robin finishes.
"Nobody moves on to the next phase until we've all copied," Nancy instructs, "Nobody deviates from the plan, no matter what. Got it?"
"Got it," they all say in unison. The five leave the mobile home, heading to Eddie's trailer. Steve goes through the gate first, landing on his feet. He brings the Upside Down version of Eddie's mattress out for them to land on. One by one, they each come through the gate again, sending their weapons through as well.
Once they are all through, they leave the trailer. Eddie and Dustin will stay behind to barricade the trailer before distracting the bats.
"Hey, guys, listen," Steve turns back before he, Nancy, and Robin head to the Creel House, "if things here start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort. Okay? Draw the attention of the bats. Keep 'em busy for a minute or two. We'll take care of Vecna. Don't try to be cute or be a hero or something. Okay? You guys are just——"
"Decoys," Dustin interrupts, "Don't worry. You can be the hero, Steve."
"Absolutely, I mean," Eddie jumps in, "look at us. We are not heroes."
Steve nods and turns to leave before the Munson boy stops him.
"Hey, Steve?" he calls, "make him pay."
The Harrington boy nods before the three take off. In the real world, Max, Annie, Lucas, and Erica walk silently around the Creel House. Their lanterns are the only source of light and the only source for locating Vecna. Max listens to Running Up That Hill on her Walkman, the only sound in the house beside the creaking of floorboards.
On the main floor, Erica finds Vecna via her lantern in the den. She leaves the lantern to find Lucas. The four stay silent, in case Vecna can hear them. When she finds Lucas, she holds up her notepad.
Found Vecna
The Sinclair siblings go to find the girls before they all go to the den to confirm. They watch the lantern flicker brightly and Annie nods, feeling the goosebumps to tell them it's Vecna. Erica then holds up her notepad.
Phase one?
Lucas nods to his sister and she quietly leaves the house. She runs across the street to the old playground. She will communicate via flashlight to Steve, Robin, and Nancy that they can start phase two.
Lucas, Annie, and Max, now wait. The three wait in the living room that's in the front of the house. Lucas watches through one of the boards for Erica's signal. Annie and Max sit on the old couch together, in silence.
Max writes on her notepad: Hi.
Annie takes hers out and writes a response: Hi :)
The redhead smiles. She writes another message: I'm glad you're here.
Her smile fades away though because this week would be different without Annie. Maybe Max wouldn't have been cursed or maybe Max would have died at the graveyard. If she did, she would have left Annie with nothing. She doesn't remember the last thing she actually said to her, with her mental health declining severely after she left.
YOU ARE READING
for you, daisies
Fanfiction"It's okay. Technically, you saved me," she says nervously, "if I wouldn't have run into you they would've gotten me." "Well, you're welcome then," the redhead smiles. The girl puts her hands into her jacket pockets, feeling the flowers still in th...
