ACE OF HEARTS
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE: FIELD TRIP
TO A HAUNTED HOUSE
"THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL we're going in there," Cassie Harrington announced to the group as they pulled up to Victor Creel's house. Taking a step out of the car, the girl hesitantly looked up at the damaged building, feeling her heart rapidly beat in her chest. There was something familiar about the Creel house that clouded her mind with an overwhelming sense fear. Even in the broad daylight, the sight alone still scared her.
"Yeah, I'm with my sister on this one," Steve Harrington spoke, turning to the girl beside him. "Nancy, when you said we're going on a little field trip, I didn't think you meant to a creepy haunted house."
"It's not haunted," Nancy defended, turning to face the boy. "It's just...old."
"Abandoned playground, dead grass, rotting wood, boarded up windows, barricaded door..." Steve Harrington observed, noting all of the red-flags in the area. "This looks exactly like the houses in those horror movies."
"We'll be fine, Steve, just follow my lead," Nancy assured the boy, advancing towards the house while the rest of the group followed.
"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for, anyway?" Mike Wheeler asked his sister.
"We're not sure..." Nancy trailed off, examining the exterior of the house. "We just know that this house is important to Vecna, because both Max and Cassie saw it in their nightmares."
"Maybe it holds a clue to where Vecna is," Dustin suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "Why he's back, why he killed the Creels, and how to stop him before he comes back for Cassie."
"We don't think he's in here, do we?" Lucas asked, skeptically looking around.
"Guess we'll find out," Max answered him.
Before Steve Harrington went to go help Nancy break through the barricade, he stopped before his little sister and held out a small gift.
"Here, you take this," Steve called do his sister, handing her his Walkman. "Just in case Vecna decides to come back again, I got a Tears for Fears cassette tape for you. If at any point you feel scared, or you have a feeling something is wrong, put these on and you'll be safe. Okay?"
"Okay," Cassie replied, taking the Walkman in her grasp and placing the headphones around her neck. "Thanks, Steve."
Nodding once, the boy returned back to the front door and began to help Nancy get rid of the wooden barricade. Once they were able to bash it through, Robin Buckley grabbed a large brick and threw it at the glass window, shattering it to pieces. Now having a way in, Steve Harrington reached through the broken window and turned the doorknob from the inside, granting them an entrance into the house.
As the rest of the group hastily made their way through the doorway, Cassie Harrington stayed behind, her walk slow, her steps hesitant. There was an uneasy feeling in her stomach, the same aching sensation she had experienced before at the Wheeler's house. Only this time, it felt much worse. It seemed like the sight of the house itself brought her nightmares back to life.
"Do you want to stay outside?" Mike Wheeler asked, noticing her frozen stature. "I can wait out here with you."
"No, it's alright," Cassie answered, nervously folding her arms over her chest. "I can go in. Just stay close to me."
"Don't worry," Mike spoke, moving closer to the girl. Brushing his thumb across her cheek, he then lowered his head and placed a soft, reassuring kiss on her lips. After a few moments, Mike then pulled away and placed his forehead onto hers, finishing his sentence, "I'm not going anywhere without you."
Grasping her waist, Mike Wheeler held the girl at his side while guiding her up the wooden staircase leading to the doorway. For a few moments, Cassie Harrington was doing alright. However, the moment her foot stepped into the old house, Cassie felt her body quickly stiffen. The entry room had little to no light shining through the boarded up windows. In fact, it was nearly pitch black. Although she could hardly see, she could still hear the faint footsteps of her friends examining the room around her.
"Looks like someone forgot to pay their electric bill," Lucas spoke, flicking the light switch on and off unsuccessfully.
Sighing, Cassie and Mike both pulled out their flashlights, switching them on and illuminating their path. Following their actions, Nancy, Robin, Lucas, Max, and Dustin pulled out their flashlights as well, using them to light up the room.
"Where'd everyone get those?" Steve Harrington asked, pointing to the flashlights in their hands.
"Do you need to be told everything?" Dustin snapped, rolling his eyes. "You're not a child."
"Thank you."
Groaning, Dustin turned around, "Back pocket."
"Hey, guys?" Max called, pointing her flashlight at the old grandfather clock near the staircase. "You all see that, right?"
"Oh, shit," Cassie cursed, looking at the familiar vintage piece. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"Cassie, you saw this, too, didn't you?" Max asked the girl, turning to face her. "In your nightmares?"
"Yeah, I did..." Cassie trailed off, shaking her head. "This clock was everywhere."
"Why is this wizard obsessed with clocks?" Steve asked himself, speaking his thoughts aloud to the group. "Maybe he's, like, a clockmaker or something?"
Beside him, Dustin scoffed, "I think you cracked the case, Steve."
"The answers are here somewhere" Nancy cut in, scoping over the large area. "Okay, everyone stay in groups. Robin, you're with me. Mike, you go with Cassie, Lucas with Max, and Steve...you go with Dustin."
Letting out a loud, dramatic sigh, Steve Harrington turned on his flashlight and made his way towards the stairs.
"Was that a sigh?" Dustin Henderson asked the boy, furrowing his eyebrows.
"No, I did not sigh," Steve answered.
"You sighed," Dustin scoffed, following behind him. "I heard you sigh."
"It's just that we're always partners," Steve explained, rolling his eyes.
Watching the two climb up the stairs, Cassie Harrington turned to Mike Wheeler and let out a soft laugh, "Never a dull moment with those two."
"You got that right," Mike smiled, reaching out his hand for her to take. "Come on, let's go."
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As the two teenagers moved slowly down the upstairs hallway, they heard several creaking sounds from the floorboards beneath them. Taking slow, careful steps, Cassie and Mike made their way into one of bedrooms. Much like the other rooms, this room was dark, with little to no streaks of light coming from the windows.
As she entered further into the room, Cassie Harrington heard a whisper that sounded like her name. Assuming it was Mike who called for her, Cassie turned to the boy and asked, "Sorry, what was that?"
"I didn't say anything," Mike responded, his voice filling with worry. "Why, did you hear something?"
"No, I didn't," Cassie spoke, shaking her head. "Must've been the wind or something."
Although the girl had partially brushed it off, she couldn't ignore the feeling that something else was watching her.
Examining the area with her flashlight, Cassie Harrington made her way over the the large bed, to which was covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. Narrowing her gaze at the furniture piece, Cassie noticed a small object sitting up by the pillows. Without thinking, the girl quickly made her way over to the mysterious object, flashing her light on it in curiosity. Once she was close enough, Cassie was able to identify the object as a small teddy bear with a light pink bow around its neck.
"This must've been his daughters room," Cassie spoke aloud, feeling a pinch of sadness in her chest as she pictured a young girl in her mind.
"You're right," Mike agreed from the other side of the room, pointing to a drawing on the girls desk. "It says it right here, her name was Alice..."
"Alice Creel," the two spoke simultaneously.
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass and several pounding footsteps echoed from the room over. Frantically turning her head towards the sound, Cassie Harrington stood up and raced out of the room. When advancing into the hallway, the girl pointed her flashlight at a mysterious figure standing just before her. Letting out a loud shriek, Cassie pushed the figure away and frantically stepped back. It was only when she moved away that she realized it was her brother, Steve.
"Jesus Christ, Steve!" Cassie shouted, looking up at the boy who was spastically swatting at his head. "What the hell happened?"
"There was a spider," Steve answered, his voice frantic. "It's a black widow. Don't go in there."
"Whoa, whoa," Nancy Wheeler called, appearing from a few rooms over and jogging over to meet him. "Stay still, I'll get it."
"Nope, absolutely not," Cassie called, raising her arms in defeat as she made her way over to the stairs. "I'm out."
"You're not going anywhere," Mike called to her, grabbing her arm before she was able to get any further. "I didn't know you were afraid of spiders, Cassie."
"Must be a Harrington thing," Nancy cut in, trying her best to dust the cobwebs off of Steve.
"I'm not afraid of spiders," Cassie defended, throwing her arms in defense. "I just think they're gross."
"Well, if there's a spider, you're never gonna find it till it lays eggs and the babies spill out," Robin joked, a smirk forming on her lips. "Just saying."
"What's wrong with you?" Steve asked, his eyebrows furrowing in anger. "Robin, seriously."
"You guys..." Dustin Henderson spoke from behind Steve, ignoring their conversation and looking up at the ceiling. "Check it out."
Catching everyones attention, Dustin pointed his flashlight up at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. One by one, the group turned their heads and watched as the light fixture beamed on and off.
"It's like the Christmas lights," Nancy began, her eyes fixating on the light. "When Will was in the Upside Down, the lights...came to life."
"You don't think he's here, do you?" Mike Wheeler asked his sister.
"He is," Cassie Harrington spoke up, her voice filling with certainty. "It sounds weird...but I felt his presence the moment I stepped foot in this house. Vecna's here. Just on the other side."
Just after she finished speaking, the light fixture that was previously illuminated above the group suddenly went out, darkness consuming them once again. Taking note of this, Robin called out, "I think he just left the room."
"Cassie," Mike Wheeler called, pointing to her neck. "Put your headphones on, now."
Following the boys request, the girl carefully placed her headphones on, hearing the faint melody of Everybody Wants to Rule the World ring through her ears. The music was loud enough for her to hear, but quiet enough that she would still be able to hear the others around her.
"Everyone, turn off your flashlights and spread out," Nancy Wheeler quickly ordered.
"We're not gonna be able to see if we turn off our flash..." Steve trailed off, noticing everyone disperse from the room. "...lights. Jesus Christ."
To their surprise, no one was able to quickly find anything in Victor Creel's house. Room after room, each group member desperately searched for any sign of light that would signify Vecna's presence. However, no matter how hard they looked, they weren't able to find a single gleaming lightbulb. That was, until they heard a sudden voice yell from two floors above.
"I got him!" Robins voice echoed through the house, quickly catching everyone's attention. "I got him!"
Following her voice, the others rushed upstairs to join the girl. To their dismay, Robin Buckley was standing at the base of the attic, ushering the others to come in with her.
"It's an attic, of course it's an attic," Dustin groaned, rolling his eyes as he watched his friends advance into the room. "Hold up, guys. What if he's leading us into a trap?"
"Probably is," Cassie muttered under her breath, passing the boy as she followed the others into the room. "Come on, Dustin."
Shaking his head, the boy reluctantly followed Cassie as he repeatedly cursed, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."
As the group circled around the singular lightbulb hanging from the attic ceiling, they watched as their flashlights — which were originally turned off — grow brighter the closer they got. In time, the overwhelming brightness and illuminated the entire room. Standing just below them, in their sister dimension, Vecna was there. He was in the exact same place they were.
And he was preparing to kill another.