The Great War | Billy Hargrove

45 | Battle Plans

"Four chimes. Vecna's clock, it always chimes four times. Four exactly," Max said and Isadora furrowed her eyebrows together as she remembered hearing the clock chimes when Vecna had entered her mind.

"Yeah, I heard them too," Isadora nodded.

"He's been telling us his plan this whole time."

"Four kills, four gates, end of the world," Lucas said.

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

"Oh, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ."

"Try 'em again. Try 'em again," Steve said and Max nodded as she walked over to the phone to try and call their friends in California, who they had been trying to get into contact with, but they had been unable to reach anyone at the Byers house and Isadora was worried that something bad had happened. As Max went to try and call the group in California again, Billy wrapped his arm around Isadora and she sniffled as she leant into him.

"Are you okay, Princess?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm a little shaken, but I'll be ok," Isadora nodded, before looking over to where Max was attempting to call the Byers again and Isadora squeezed her hands together as she watched Max shaking her head before hanging up the phone.

"Why can't we reach them?" Billy asked.

"I ... I don't know, but we really need their help, especially Eleven's," Isadora said, knowing the message Vecna had given her had been for Eleven and she knew he had given her the message to deliver to Eleven on purpose, but Isadora also hoped that Eleven would be their chance at defeating Vecna because Isadora wasn't sure they would be able to defeat him alone.

"Anything?"

"No, it rang a few times, then went to busy signal."

"It doesn't make sense," Ellie said.

"Maybe you punched it in wrong. Try again," Steve told Max.

"I didn't punch it in wrong," Max retorted.

"Well, I don't know."

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

"Max knows the number. She wouldn't dial it wrong," Ellie said. Isadora glanced towards Ellie, who nodded in response and Isadora smiled at her.

"I'm just saying, she could've typed it in wrong," Steve said, and Isadora rolled her eyes and watched as Max attempted to call the Byers again before she hung up the phone and shook her head.

"Same shit."

"How is that possible?"

"I told you, Joyce has this telemarketer job, she's always on the phone. Mike won't stop whining about it," Dustin complained.

"Okay, yeah, but this phone's been busy for, what, three days now?" Max said.

"She's right, that's not Joyce. There's something wrong," Ellie added in.        

"They're right, it can't be just coincidence. It can't be. Whatever's happening in Lenora is connected to all of this, I'm sure of it, but Vecna can't hurt them, not if he's dead," Nancy said, as she walked over to look out the window before turning back towards the group, "We have to go back in there, back to the Upside Down."

"Whoa, no, no, no. What?" Steve exclaimed.

"Nope," Eddie shook his head.

"Let's think this through," Steve told Nancy and Isadora watched as he got up and started walking over to Nancy.