𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥

040. Upside Down.

VALERIE WASN'T sure how long they'd been up on the walls, held down by their necks, arms, legs but she was sure she was getting dizzy at some point, her airflow was cut off and it was the same for both Nancy and Robin as they were coughing and choking for air, the time that passed wasn't very clear.

But by some miracle, the three girls dropped, falling to the floor. Valerie coughed for air as Robin scrambled over to where she was, "Val," she gasped and coughed. Valerie looked up and Robin grabbed her shoulders gently. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly as Valerie nods, pressing her forehead to Robin's. The two finally catch their breath as Nancy watched them, smiling faintly at the couple.

The three look at the vines slithering away, "I don't believe in a higher power or divine intervention. But that was a miracle." She says as Nancy got up, the other two following her actions. "Then we better not waste it." Nancy says, her shotgun back in her hands as she had picked it up before she stood up.

She cocks the gun as Val looks at Robin. "Phase four." She says, wielding the axe. "Flambé." Robin adds, taking out a Molotov before they head into the attic, going up the stairs and finding Vecna, just as Dustin had said, physical body defenseless.

He's levitating in the air, multiple vines attached to him as the three line up in front of him. Robin puts down her bag full of the other Molotovs and held out the one in her hand to Valerie who then turns to look at her. Robin takes out the lighter in her pocket, flicking it open and lighting the rag. Valerie looked up at Vecna, this is for Chrissy, she thought before she threw it, the Molotov flying towards Vecna, making him bellow out in pain.

The vines that are attached all catch on fire as they detach quickly from the man who falls to the floor, face down. He slowly got up, still on fire and looked at the three girls. Robin lights her Molotov next, before flinging it to her other hand and throwing it at Vecna. Nancy chimes in, stepping closer and closer, the first three shots caused him to back away.

Until he was at the window, then he stood back up, facing Nancy and howling at him. And then the fourth shot, it sent him flying out the window, breaking through the boards. "Fuck." Valerie merely said and Nancy lowers the gun before turning around to face them.

"We still need to make sure that he's dead." She said, so Robin picked up her bag and they went running, heading down the stairs and out the front door. And of course, when they got out on the front porch, all that was there was blood and some pieces of wood that chipped off, laying there on the ground, burning.

Valerie and Robin look at Nancy between them, then at each other. And then the chimes from the grandfather clock making them run over to it. "Four chimes." Robin looks to the other two on her left. Valerie raised her hand to her mouth as Nancy said it, "Max." Then the ground shook, so they grab onto the nearest thing, the railing and onto each other.

"Come on, we need to get back to the others..." Valerie said, they had to walk through the woods again and reached the trailer park. In the distance, Valerie spotted Steve and Dustin, she smiled faintly but realized. "Steve?" She shouted then she started running. When she reached them, she stopped and saw what was happening, Steve and Dustin had Eddie in their laps. "Oh, my God," she said, covering her mouth before she plops down to her knees. "Eddie," she said quietly.

Her hands ghosted over his lifeless face, no smile, no dimples, no sparkling eyes or anything. No Eddie. She looked up at Steve, who's been holding a sobbing Dustin in his arms and had tears evident in his own eyes. "What happened?!" She cried out.

"Valerie," Robin came to her side, grabbing her shoulders as Nancy just stood there, her hand over her mouth. Valerie just kept yelling, "what happened?! What did you do?!" She wouldn't stop yelling at Steve as if it were his fault as she then turned to Robin, being pulled into her arms before crying into her shoulder.