ACE OF HEARTS
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT:
SEPARATE WAYS
AFTER ESCAPING FROM THE ARMY SURPLUS with their newly obtained weapons and armor, the group took a pit stop at a large, deserted field in the middle of the forest where no one would find them. Breaking off into small groups, each member began to prepare their own weapons for battle. Seated a moderate distance away from the van, Mike Wheeler and Cassie Harrington focused on sharpening the blades of wooden spears.
"This is really nice," Cassie sighed, looking out at all of her friends in the field. "You know, all of us here...together."
"Yeah," Mike replied, following her gaze as he studied the large group. Taking a deep, shaking breath, the boy then turned to his girlfriend and asked, "Are you really sure you want to do this, Cassie?"
"I'm sure, Mike," Cassie told the boy, nodding her head. "I've already made my decision."
"I know, it's just..." Mike paused, biting his lower lip in thought. "I don't want you to have to go through that again. I can't lose you. I can't."
Shifting her gaze back down to the spear, Cassie Harrington clenched her jaw. Of course, she knew that there was a great risk going back into that house. The terrifying possibility of her death was lingering in the back of her mind every time she thought about it. But, Cassie Harrington couldn't let those intrusive thoughts take over her mind. Not yet. If she did, she would spend the rest of these final hours in utter paranoia.
Letting out a sigh, the girl shook her head and answered, "Let's not think about that right now, okay?"
"Okay."
Smiling, the girl stood up from her seated position and tossed the sharpened spear over to the boy beside her, "Come on, let's go for a round."
"Yeah?" Mike Wheeler asked, following her actions as he grasped onto the spear in his hands. "You got it."
Setting herself into a comfortable stance, Cassie Harrington held up her spear as she circled around Mike Wheeler with a grin. After sharing a momentary gaze, the girl advanced toward Mike and playfully swung her wooden spear at him like a sword. Blocking her attack, the boy spun around and threw several light swings at the girl, to which she quickly defended.
"Not bad," Mike hummed, nodding his head as he spun around the spear. "But can you take this?"
Racing toward the girl, Mike hit her with another attack, to which she almost lost. But, thankfully, she ducked down at just the right time to dodge his swing. Now underneath him, Cassie smartly bent down and kicked the boys legs out from underneath him, sending him down onto the grass.
Raising her arms triumphantly, the girl loudly announced, "And Cassie takes the win!"
"Not yet!" Mike Wheeler called to the girl, shaking his head as he tossed his spear on the ground and pushed himself up. "We haven't started round two!"
"What's round t-"
Before Cassie could finish her sentence, Mike Wheeler raced over to the brunette girl and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulders. Dropping her wooden spear onto the ground, Cassie Harrington shrieked as she dangled over his back. Smiling in satisfaction, the boy held her legs tightly and began to walk around.
"What was that, Cassie?" Mike asked the girl, curiously lifting an eyebrow. "Who won, again?"
"Damn you, Wheeler!" Cassie joked, laughing hysterically as the boy began to spin her around in circles.
"Hey, Mike! Cassie!" Dustin Henderson's voice called from a few feet away, waving them over. "Come check this out!"
"Okay, okay," Mike answered.
Setting her down gently, Cassie and Mike made their way over to Eddie and Dustin, who were hammering several nails into metal shields. Once they arrived to their area, the two watched as Eddie Munson stood up and preformed a few words for them.
"Hear me now!" Eddie announced, placing his leg up on the box as he lifted his nail-covered shield up into the air. "There will be no more retreating...from Eddie the Banished!"
Letting out a light chuckle, Mike Wheeler nodded, "Nice one, Eddie,"
"Bravo," Cassie Harrington clapped.
"Looks like you're really ready for bat-tle," Dustin joked, letting out a small laugh. "You get it? Bat-tle. B-A-T."
In one abrupt motion, Eddie Munson ran over to Dustin Henderson and grabbed his torso, playfully pushing him backwards. Shaking his head, Dustin smiled and pushed back, wrestling the boy. As Eddie reached down for his pants, Dustin yelled out, "No wedgies! No wedgies!"
"Never change, Dustin Henderson," Eddie breathed, pulling apart from the boy while his arms remained behind his neck. "Promise me?"
Meeting the boys gaze, Dustin sighed and replied, "I wasn't planning on it."
"Good," Eddie smiled, whipping around to face Mike and Cassie. "That goes for you too, Wheeler!"
"I'll try not to," Mike chuckled.
"And you, Cassie," Eddie included, pointing to the girl standing beside Mike. "Since you're in Hellfire now, you make sure to keep these two in line."
Smiling in reply, the girl nodded, "Always."
Standing beside her, Mike Wheeler reached down and picked up their two spears. Turning to face the group, the boy then asked, "What do you guys say? Wanna go for a round?"
"A fair one this time," Cassie Harrington corrected the boy, taking her spear from him.
"You know it," Eddie Munson smiled, picking up his nail covered shield. "Let's get 'em, Dustin."
Nodding, the curly haired boy picked up his shield and faced the opposing team. After a countdown from three, the two groups advanced toward one another and began to attack. For the next several minutes, Cassie Harrington, Dustin Henderson, Eddie Munson, and Mike Wheeler playfully battled one another with their shields and spears.
"Watch out, little Harrington!" Eddie called to the girl, approaching her with his shield.
Letting out a soft laugh, Cassie spun around and repeatedly swung her spear at his metal shield. Dodging her swings, Eddie moved around her and advanced from behind, hoping to take her off guard. But, the girl was ready, and she blocked his attack once more.
"Gotta be quicker than that, Eddie," Cassie smiled, flipping the spear around with her hand.
"You must know the ways of the Jedi," Eddie replied to the girl, referencing Star Wars. "Or is that Sith I sense in you?"
"A little bit of both," Cassie joked, taking another swing at his shield.
As the four continued to playfully fight in the large field, the sun began to set into the tree-line. Although they didn't know it, that was one of the last normal moments they would ever have again.
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Once the group had finished developing their plan and preparing their weapons for battle, they boarded the large vehicle once more, knowingly taking their seats. For the entirety of the car ride, the entire group fell into complete silence as they each thought about the plan.
This is what they had come up with.
The first group, Lucas, Erica, Max, Mike, and Cassie, would go into the real-world Creel House and use Cassie as bait for Vecna. Once that was done, Erica would send a signal to the others from the playground near the house. During this time, Robin, Steve, and Nancy would go into the Upside Down version of the Creel House to attack Vecna's physical body in the attic. As for Eddie and Dustin, the two boys were given the job of luring the bats away from the Creel House in the Upside Down long enough for the others to enter.
Then, if everything were to go perfectly, they would be able to kill Vecna and save the world.
Seated at the right-side table, Cassie Harrington stared out the window as she watched the green atmosphere blur past her. She tried hard to concentrate on the music coming from her Tears for Fears cassette tape, but even the sound of her favorite song couldn't distract her from her thoughts.
After a few more minutes of driving through the vast forest, the road soon cleared, revealing the eery image of Victor Creel's house. Inhaling sharply, Cassie Harrington allowed herself to take in the dreadful sight.
Pulling the van up to the front steps, Steve Harrington killed the engine and turned to meet his sister and the others, "It's time."
"Are you ready, Cassie?" Mike Wheeler asked the girl beside him.
Shutting her eyes, Cassie Harrington took a deep breath, "Yes."
Pushing herself up to a standing position, Cassie Harrington reluctantly made her way to the front of the van and opened the side door. Grasping her hand around the door handle, the girl jumped down onto the ground and began to walk forward. Following closely after her, Max, Mike, Erica, and Lucas hopped out of the van and moved beside her. Once everyone had exited, the group began to advance toward the house.
However, just before Cassie was able to take a step forward, she felt a strong hand grab her wrist and turn her around. Following this action, a low voice spoke, "Cassie, hang on a second. Were you really about to leave without saying goodbye?"
She didn't have to look up at the boy to know who he was. She already knew. It was her brother, Steve.
"I didn't say it because this isn't a goodbye," Cassie explained, pulling her brother into a hug. "I know I'll see you again. We'll be okay."
"Right, right," Steve nodded, sighing as he held his sister tightly in his arms. "Just, don't be stupid."
Pulling out of the hug, Cassie sent the boy a look of confusion, "Hey, when have I ever been-"
Noticing the smug look on his face, the girl stopped mid-sentence and sighed, "Okay, okay, I won't be stupid."
"Good," Steve sighed, placing his hand on his sister's shoulder. "I love you, kid."
Smiling up at her brother, Cassie replied, "I love you too."
"Okay, guys, we gotta move!" Robin Buckley's voice echoed from inside the van, alerting the two siblings. "Let's go!"
"Coming!" Steve shouted in reply, turning back to his sister once more. "I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Yeah," Cassie nodded. "See you soon."
From inside the vehicle, Eddie Munson slid open one of the side windows and yelled down to the girl, "Cassie! May the force be with you!"
Lightening her mood, Cassie Harrington quickly replied to the boy, "And with you!"
"Oh, you're referencing Star Wars now, huh?" Steve asked his sister, ruffling her hair.
"Shut up," Cassie replied to the boy, swatting his hands away from her hair. "Go save the world."
With one last smile, Steve replied, "Right back at you."
After Steve Harrington returned back into the van, he started up the engine and looked out at his sister once more. With a single reassuring nod, the boy smiled and stepped on the pedal. As the van grew further and further away, the girl silently watched, hoping that they would all make it back alright. Once the van was completely out of view, Cassie Harrington turned to her friends and sighed, "Alright. Let's do it."
"Hey, Cassie," Max Mayfield called to the girl, softening her gaze as she reached out her hand. "We're going to get you out of this. Don't worry."
Nodding, Cassie took Max's hand and climbed up the porch steps while the others followed just behind them. Once they made it up to wooden door, the brunette girl took a deep breath and turned the doorknob, pulling it open.
Standing at the front of the group, Cassie and Max were the first to step into the house. As they searched around the familiar atmosphere, they quickly allowed their eyes to adjust to the darkness. As the others filed in behind them, the two girls turned to meet their gaze.
"Okay, everyone turn on your lights," Cassie Harrington spoke to the group, turning on the bug zapper in her left hand and illuminating the area with blue light. "Let's go get this bastard."
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some of y'all about to be real mad at me