chapter thirty-nine
rose & ruth & mary
🖤
IT'S THE NEXT MORNING WHEN RUBY bitterly comes to terms with the fact that she's stuck in Hawkins until this stupid Vecna is dealt with. She tries to upkeep the perfect morning routine from the day before, all the while cursing the dipshit trapping her here. She goes on a run, has a mini Pilates routine afterwards. She has the hottest shower her body can handle, before she flicks through the small selection of clothes she brought back with her. She thought she'd be gone by now, so she wears her jeans, and grabs an orange jumper that used to be her mom's — or maybe one her mom borrowed from her dad, given the bagginess. She styles her curtain bangs, adds some makeup to her face, then finds herself downstairs.
A fired-up body is only as ready as the brain, she grumpily thinks as she goes through her grandpa's brain-teaser book, stirring the pot with her free hand (her grandpa, because he's stupid, never bought a fucking microwave). She haphazardly throws some fruit on top of the porridge, shovelling it into her mouth like a prisoner. Her hands push the medley of vitamins and medications her grandpa's got her on into her mouth, the pills hurting the back of her throat. She sips her green tea, eagerly awaiting the day the Upside Down isn't her problem, so she doesn't have to drink this shit anymore.
"Uh... hey."
Ruby turns around and looks at Steve.
It's not what you think — believe her, she wishes her silly decision yesterday was that. Instead, it's something far worse.
Like an idiot, last night, she recommended her grandpa's house as their base. "Oh, it's just me, so we won't be worrying about parents!" she had said. Now, she has to deal with all of these teenagers that spent the night in the living room of her grandpa's house, every spare mattress now shoved between the sofa, the television, and the wall.
But, he's wearing new clothes, and holding a bag of groceries, which must mean he left the house when she wasn't paying attention — which is fair, because she's spent most of this morning with her headphones on full-blast, trying to forget the dipshits sleeping in her grandfather's house.
She begins, "Uh...?"
But he's already figured out why she's confused. He puts the groceries down on the kitchen counter, and shrugs his shoulders. "Me and Henderson got some stuff for Munson," says Steve. "But, I saw the fridge before we left — you've gone full California Girl. Since when could you make milk from nuts?"
"It's a big, scary world outside of Hawkins," says Ruby, dryly.
"Yeah, well, I will give myself to Vecna if I have to eat any of this shit," says Steve, putting two Eggo's into the toaster instead. Ruby stares at the cardboard packet, and thinks she might start drooling. "What the fuck is sea moss?"
"It's meant to be good for your skin," she says sheepishly.
"And what's with all of these pills—?"
"Jesus! Were you snooping through everything?"
"No, I just saw the massive pill box on the side and got concerned—"
Ruby looks across at the grocery bag, now emptied, with its contents laid out on the counter. There's eggs, cereal, lunch stuff, pizzas — even a variety of snacks. Her heart sinks; they're arguing, and yet, he's done such a thoughtful thing, without even realising...
"Thanks for buying that stuff," she says, quietly.
"Don't mention it," says Steve, shrugging. "Are you gonna help, or what?"
Ruby casts him a look, helping him put the rest of the groceries away. She grabs the coffee she brought with her — Steve's eyes light up when he sees it — and scoops it into the filter coffee machine. She flicks the machine on, the smell of coffee filling the kitchen.
Everyone else wake up, eventually, some of them quickly going home to get themselves some more clothes. As they do, Ruby tries to tidy the living room, conscious of her grandpa showing up unannounced, and getting pissed off that she allowed an entire group of teenagers stay in his house. She isn't scared of him in any capacity, but she knows she should've checked...
She fixes the cushions; as she looks up, she sees Steve folding a couple of the blankets. Ruby goes still for a moment, watching him help her out — again, without any word, without even realising. He looks over at her, and frowns.
"What, Rubes?" he says, softly.
"Nothing..."
The others return to her grandpa's house shortly afterwards, the once-neat pile of Victor Creel research being passed around the group, sitting on every surface of the living room. Ruby, last night, had gone into her grandpa's study to find his information on Victor Creel, which they were still working through...
... Which was the perfect distraction for Ruby.
Robin quietly grabs Ruby from the living room, pulling her towards the study. Earlier, they had agreed that for this to work without anyone (Steve) finding out, Ruby had to be present around the boys, or else they (Steve) would think something's up, and look for them. So, Ruby warned Robin and Nancy of the definite death they'll meet if they dared open any drawer or box or cupboard in the study, and to tell her when the fax machine starts printing.
Which it had, guessing by the bewilderment on Robin's face.
"OK, so my... special contact in the government..." Ruby looks at the two suspiciously, but neither make the connection that special contact means dead-but-not-dead grandpa. "... made us these. We don't have enough time for him to send over IDs, but he said this'll be enough information for us to blab our way into Pennhurst. Nance, how's the phone going?"
Nancy shakes her head. "They've said we can't visit Victor Creel — but, we've got a meeting this afternoon with the hospital's director. Your powers mean you're... charming, right?"
"Just like the prince," Ruby says with a wink.
"Great," says Robin. "Let's break the news to the others."
Ruby and Nancy exchange a look, both knowing that others means Steve, and break the news means he isn't allowed to come. Nancy and Robin step out of the room, Ruby closing the door behind them, holding the forged university documents, their photos attached to fake names, fake degrees, fake addresses. They make their way into the living room, the boys looking up.
"Okay, so, we have a plan." Robin takes the papers out of Ruby's hands, excitedly showing them off. "Thanks to Ruby's minion, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame."
"I'm now Ruth," says Nancy.
"And I'm Rose," says Robin.
"And I'm Mary," says Ruby, with a cheerleader grin, her hands sitting on her hips.
Steve quickly scans Ruby's forged document, raising his eyebrows. "Mary?"
Ruby nods excitedly. "Like a virgin."
There's a pause.
"So we called Pennhurst Asylum," says Robin, changing the subject. "Told them we'd like to speak with Creel for a thesis we're co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics..."
"To which they said no — but we landed a three o'clock with the director. Now all we have to do is charm him—"
"—Well, get Ruby to do her thing—"
"—and convince him to let us talk to Victor," says Nancy, finishing Robin's sentence. "Then maybe we can rid Max of this curse."
Steve keeps a hold of Ruby's paper, looking down as he glances at the rest. "About that — we've been doing our Victor Creel homework, and, uh... we got some questions," he says. "Lots of questions."
"So do we," says Ruby. "And hopefully, Victor has the answers—"
"Wait, wait, wait," says Steve. He checks through the papers, once, twice, thrice. He looks up at Ruby, his brows furrowing. "Where's mine?"
Ruby looks at Steve. Steve frowns at Ruby... And Ruby starts slowly backing out of the room, before she runs up the stairs.
"Ruby, you are out of your mind if you think I'm babysitting again—!"
He follows her into her mom's room, where she's thrown open the wardrobe doors, searching for clothes for her, Robin, and Nancy to use as their disguises. Ruby tosses dresses and cardigans into different piles, trying to avoid Steve's gaze. She knew he would be pissed off about this, but look — someone needs to look after Max, and Robin and Nancy don't know her as well as Steve. Plus, he's the only one that can keep Dustin and Lucas in line... Not to mention Ruby doesn't want Steve going anywhere near some man that supposedly killed his entire family under the spell of a demon.
"Max needs someone looking after her—"
"I know, but why me?" he says.
"Oh my God." Ruby looks over at the door, realising Robin and Nancy had followed them upstairs. Robin's eyes are locked with the corkboard above Ruby's mom's dresser, old pictures of her still pinned to it. "Ruby, your mom was hot."
"I know—"
"No, like, how did your dad breathe without her—"
"Well, he did drink a load after she—"
Steve clears his throat. Robin goes quiet, silently oogling the pictures of Ruby's mom when she was their age, before she moved out of this bedroom.
"Rubes, come on, I can't do anything here," says Steve. He steps forwards to her, holding his hands out. "Maybe I can be helpful with this asylum director dude. I don't know. I could turn on my... my charm." He clicks his fingers, trying to help his case. Ruby looks at him, frowns, and shakes her head.
"Not the charm we need," she says, rolling her eyes.
"Ouch," says Steve.
"No, I just..."
"I did a little digging last night," says Nancy, behind Steve. She exchanges a glance with Ruby, who mouths, thank you. "And it turns out this Doctor Hatch is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Harvard visiting scholar, okay? This is a lifelong student of the world. If we're gonna win him over, we're gonna have to convince him we are too. That, like him... we are true academic scholars."
"I'm sorry, I just can't get over that this is your mom—"
Ruby raises an eyebrow at Robin. Steve looks over at Robin, who's clutching a framed picture of Ruby's parents, at one of their dances, like it's a piece of gold.
"Academic scholar?" Steve echoes, looking at the two other girls. "She's giving you an academic scholar vibe?"
"No, but... she will," says Ruby. She picks up one of the dresses from Robin's pile on the bed, a pink one with a bright-white collar and cuffs, and passes it to Robin. Her mind runs through the random accessories her mom and auntie left in this house; forget Vecna, making her, Nancy, and Robin look like distinguished students is going to be Ruby's superbowl.
But, at the other side of the room, Robin looks green at the sight of the bright-pink dress.
"Oh, please, tell me you're joking."
🖤
RUBY WAS NOT JOKING.
Cut to half-two, as the three girls arrive on the sweeping acre that is Pennhurst Asylum. An old iron gate screeches as it opens, letting them into its grounds. Nancy slowly drives up the pebbled road, all three girls noticing the patients in all-white, dispersed randomly throughout the gardens. Nancy parks her car outside of the asylum, a massive brick building with hundreds of windows, all with eyes peering out, watching the three strangers stepping onto the Pennhurst soil.
"I can't breathe in this thing," says Robin, uncomfortably scratching at the collar strangling her neck. "And I'm itchy. I'm itching all over."
Ruby rolls her eyes. "Just think, my hot mom wore that once."
"Yeah, while that would normally be a comforting statement, now it is not." Robin adjusts herself again, the dress and bra underneath clearly fitting her uncomfortably. Ruby did try and adjust them before they arrived, but they were on a tight schedule — and Ruby was working with clothes that hadn't seen the light of day in twenty years.
"It's not all about comfort," says Nancy, already getting irritated. (Not again, Ruby thinks, desperately wishing she could trade Nancy and Robin for Steve.) "Okay? We're academics."
"Who are evidently coming straight from Easter brunch," says Robin, looking down at her bright-pink dress, Ruby's blue blouse, and Nancy's purple dress. "Also, this bra that you gave me is really pinching my boobs."
Ruby puts her fingers to her temples, trying to calm down. A headache is already starting to form.
"OK. I talk." Ruby flattens her dress to her body, a navy pinafore with a ruffled baby-blue blouse peeking out underneath. Just because they're undercover, doesn't mean they can't dress well.
"You're gonna have to talk," says Robin, "because I'm going to die shortly of strangulation."
"Well, then die," Ruby says.
"And you're meant to be charming—?"
Ruby gives Robin a look. "Buckley, shut up!"
She pinches her fingers together, motioning zipping her lips shut. Robin goes quiet, thank God, and Ruby continues, "If things go sideways — and they might — you guys split, I'll find a way to get to Victor."
They decided on the drive over that they needed to keep Ruby's powers down to a minimum — they can use her laboratory-enhanced charisma, but that's it, especially since they're running on used time, trying to figure out a solution for Max. But, they need to speak to Victor, so if push comes to shove, Ruby will sneak past, speak to him, then meet them afterwards. She hopes it doesn't have to come to that, mostly because Ruby really doesn't want to wander the halls of an asylum on her own, but needs must.
"Hello, girls." The asylum director, Hatch, greets them at the front door. Ruby looks behind him, at the gargoyle-like faces carved into the wooden door. She hates this place. "Now, who is who?"
"I'm Mary," says Ruby, stepping forwards. She smiles at him, extending her hand for him to shake. "And these are my friends, and co-writers of my thesis. Ruth, and Rose."
Nancy and Robin smile politely.
"Lovely to meet you girls," Hatch says, and Ruby knows he's lying.
But, Ruby knows a thing or two about getting her way — the world does, to her dismay, revolve around her. So, she moves forwards again, inviting herself in.
"Can we get a tour? I've read about this place for years, it's so fascinating... How long have you been working here?"
"Oh, only seventeen years..."
"Seventeen?" says Ruby, pulling a face of faux-surprise. If she had known her charm was borderline flirting with a dusty, old man, she would've put Steve in her place. "I'm sorry, I thought you were far younger..."
But, Hatch gushes. "Oh, you're just saying that."
Jesus fucking Christ, she thinks.
They're shown around the asylum, all of its tall, echoing halls, and long, narrow hallways, with steel doors keeping prisoners (a-hem, patients) locked away at night. Oil paintings hang from the walls, trying to create a sense of calmness, when in reality, they create nothing but an eerie stillness, one that's sliced through by wardens shouting at patients, patients screaming back. Ruby remembers the lab, on the few times she saw glimpses of the other children, and she feels like she's back there. If these people are suffering, how does this fortress filled with unsympathetic doctors and mountains of drugs help them, in any way?
"This is one of our more popular areas. The listening room. We found that music has a particularly calming effect on the broken mind. The right song, particularly one which holds some personal meaning, can prove a salient stimulus."
They pass through one of the bigger halls, and Ruby's eyes fall on a woman in the corner, hovering over a record player. Ruby thinks of her grandfather, and the mixtapes they made for her to help her with her abilities.
"Is there... any reason why?" says Ruby, her brows furrowing.
"Fascinatingly, music and sound can unlock parts of our memory — and our brain — that we simply cannot access otherwise, soothing us in a way normal therapy cannot. Are you interested in this subject matter, Mary?"
"Definitely," says Ruby, and she isn't lying. "My, uh, grandfather is a doctor too — he was always saying the same thing, but I didn't realise it was psychologically true..."
"Well, your grandfather is a smart man," says Hatch, warming to Ruby already.
They're taken into Hatch's office, where he starts to inspect their forged transcripts.
"3.9 GPAs, all of you," Hatch says to the three of them. "Impressive."
"And this is a recommendation from Professor Brantley," says Nancy, handing over another one of their documents.
"I know Larry. Quite well, actually."
Thank you, Papa, Ruby thinks.
He looks up at the girls, and smiles. "You know what they say. Those who can't do, teach."
Ruby forces a laugh. Not a good one, either — an awkward ha-ha!, before she returns to her own agenda. "Uh, yes, that's actually why we're here... I mean, I'm sure you remember, you can only learn so much in a classroom..."
"Mmm," Hatch nods, trailing off for a moment. Ruby sits forward, an entire hour of playing nice making her head pound. "And I'm sympathetic to your struggle, truly. But there is a protocol to visiting a patient like Victor. You put in a request and then undergo a screening process, at which point the board will make a decision."
Ruby lets out a sigh — an honest reaction this time. She closes her eyes, her entire brain hurting. But as she opens them, trying to play it cool in case Hatch notices, the entire room is covered in a dark, red light, the sky outside a murky maroon. Ruby blinks again, and it's back to normal. What the fuck...? She clasps her own hands, her head hurting too much for her to notice how hot her palms feel.
"I can see you're disappointed. But I'm more than happy to let you speak to some patients in our low-security wing..."
Nancy glances over, noticing Ruby struggling. So, instead, she jumps in, saying, "And we'd... we would love that. It's just that, um...our thesis is due next month."
"And you're out of time," says Hatch. "Whose fault is that?"
"Ours. Absolutely. And I do apologise—"
"Don't apologise, Ruth. Screw that."
Robin stands up, empowered. Ruby glances across at her, her head beginning to clear slightly. How weird...
"The fact is, we did put in a request months ago and were denied," says Robin. "And then we reapplied and were denied again. And coming here was our last-ditch effort to save our thesis. And I really... I can't breathe in this thing." Robin frantically yanks at the collar of her dress again, which makes Nancy start to panic.
"Well, Rose," says Nancy, through gritted teeth. "Maybe you'd like to go outside and get some air."
"Maybe I should, Ruth. Because I'm starting to think this whole thing is a colossal mistake!" says Robin, really going for it. Ruby's eyes widen in bewilderment. Maybe it's a good thing, being friends with the dramatic band geeks. "I'm breaking out in a rash. My boobs hurt. And I'll tell you the truth, Anthony. May I call you Anthony?" When did she figure out his first name? "These aren't my clothes. I borrowed them because I wanted you to take us seriously. Because nobody takes girls seriously in this field. They just don't. We don't look the part or whatever. But can I tell you a story? 1978, I was at summer camp. And my counselor Drew told me and everyone in Cabin C the true story of the Victor Creel Massacre. And little Petey McHew... You know Petey, right, Ruth?"
Nancy nods. "Of—Of course!"
"Well... Little Petey McHew started sobbing right there on the spot. Full-on hyperventilating. The other campers couldn't sleep for weeks. I couldn't either, but not because I was scared — because I was obsessed with the question, What would drive a human being to commit such unimaginable acts? Other kids wanted to be astronauts, basketball players, rock stars. But I wanted to be you."
Ruby exchanges a glance with Nancy, both in shock.
"So, forgive me if I'll now try anything in my power, including wearing this ridiculous outfit, if I might get to speak to the man that ignited my passion and learn a little more about how his twisted, but let's face it, totally fascinating mind works. So, yes, we don't have the official paperwork, but don't tell me that cry-baby Petey McHew wouldn't have gotten an audience with Victor in moments if he'd asked politely, because you and I both know that he would. So... ten minutes with Victor. That's all I ask."
Hatch stares at Robin. He goes quiet for what seems like an eternity — Ruby's eyes pore into his soul, and she desperately hopes that he'll say yes, that they can speak to Victor, they can leave this awful place, and Ruby can never set foot in an asylum again. Please, please, please—
"Thirty minutes, tops."
🖤
THE GIRLS ARE TAKEN INTO THE depths of the asylum; the further they descend the steps into the basement, the darker everything becomes. The nicely-wallpapered walls become dark-grey bricks, the wooden floors become stone. Ruby can hear every footstep her, her friends, Hatch, and the guard are making, as they walk closer and closer to the man of the hour: Victor Creel.
But, Ruby can't shake the uneasy feeling in her stomach.
"Uh, Doctor Hatch," says Ruby, hopeful. "Do you think it might be possible for us to speak to Victor alone?"
Hatch goes quiet for a moment. Ruby watches his face react, as if thinking through himself what to do. She can't help but shake how much he reminds her of her grandpa, and not in a nice way.
"Alone?" he says, quietly.
Ruby nods, panicking. "I... I just think we'd love the challenge... of speaking to Victor without the safety net of an expert like yourself."
"Then we could really rub it in Professor Bradley's face," Robin adds.
Ruby freezes. That's not his name! Fuck fuck fuck—
"Professor Bradley? I don't believe I know a Professor Bradley...?"
"Brantley," says Nancy, her eyes widening with panic. "She... she meant to say Brantley."
"Didn't I say Brantley? What did I say?" says Robin, scaring herself now, too. Oh my God, Ruby thinks. "Sorry, silly me. Words, letters. Guess I'm just nervous — I mean, excited. So excited to speak with Victor... Preferably, as Mary said, alone?"
There's a pause. Ruby can't take her eyes off Hatch, hoping and praying he'll give in. They're so close, Victor Creel is just around the corner. They're almost there... They can find out what happened, what is happening, if there's any way they can help Max...
"Yes. Why not? You've caught me in a rebellious mood," says Hatch. Ruby lets out a sigh of relief. "And there's something rather urgent I need to check on anyway, so... Sure."
"Thank you so much, Doctor Hatch," says Ruby, and she means it.
They're taken into the room Victor Creel resides in, a metal railing separating them from him. The hairs on Ruby's neck stand up, and she walks ahead of the two other girls. The sound of their shoes clacking against the floor echoes throughout the whole room, bouncing off of each wall, again and again. Ruby's head hurts again.
"Do not startle him," the guard tells them, leaning against the wall. "Do not touch him. Do not pass him anything. Stand five feet away from the bars at all times. Get away. Is that clear?"
Her gaze falls upon the man, curled into a ball on the cell's bed.
At once, the three say, "Yes, sir."
"Victorrrrr," the guard calls out in a sing-song voice, like he's calling a dog to its dinner. "Today's your lucky day! You got visitors. Real pretty ones."
The guard locks eyes with Ruby for a second; he licks his lips, and she wants to vomit.
Somehow, it brings her back to the lab, and the way she was nothing but a body there. She had safety, sure, because of her surname, but she never quite got used to people's gazes — especially those of the male attendings, when she hit puberty and gained curves. All except for one, the blonde attending she always thought was hot. She doesn't know why she's thinking of him now, though...
In his cell, Victor doesn't move.
"Must be in one of his moods. Have fun."
The guard shuts the door behind him, leaving Ruby, Robin, and Nancy one wall away from a supposed murderer.
Ruby glances at the other two, before she steps forwards, to try and get a better look.
"Victor?" she says, softly. "My name is Ruby — Ruby Hopper." She says her dad's surname instead of his, just in case Victor had a run-in with her grandpa at any point of his hospitalisation. "And these are my friends."
"I'm Nancy Wheeler. And this is..."
"Robin Buckley."
"We have some questions," says Nancy.
"I don't talk to reporters." Victor doesn't move on the bed, but the anger in his voice speaks volumes. "Hatch knows that."
"We're not reporters," says Nancy. "We're here because... we believe you."
"And because we need your help," says Ruby, stepping closer to the railing. "The monster that killed your family, we think it's back."
"There's nothing you can do to stop Satan himself," says Victor, rocking himself on his bed. "Nothing, nothing, nothing..."
Ruby's stomach is twisting, her nerves jumbling up inside of her.
"Victor," she says, softly. "I know this isn't anything you want to revisit—"
"How would you know—?"
"Because the same thing happened to me." Ruby watches as Victor goes still, slowly sitting up on his bed. She still can't fully make him out, thanks to the singular light bulb in the entire room, but she hopes this is working. "Last summer, a—" Ruby takes in a breath to calm herself, "—a demon like yours possessed me. My dad died because of it..." She pauses for a second, a lump in her throat forming. "But this new one, it sounds like the one that killed your family... We're asking for your help, because we don't know who else to ask."
Victor stands up, his figure illuminated ever so slightly by the light.
"When he attacks, our friend described it as a trance," says Nancy, taking over. Ruby keeps her stance near the railing, though, hoping that if in doubt, she can grab Victor's hand and force herself into his memories. "Like a waking nightmare. That's why we think he's coming for her next. Does any of this, anything we've told you, sound like what happened to your family?"
Ruby glances at Nancy, as Victor refuses to speak. She thinks about Steve, and wonders how he's coping, with the kids, sitting in her grandfather's house. She wonders what it would be like if he was here... Part of her doubts he'd be as nice as Nancy is being. He'd be more like, 'Listen, shithead, are you gonna help or what?' He was always more a doer than sayer in their relationship, and friendship before that.
Nancy continues, "Victor. I know this is hard..."
"You don't know anything!" he shouts at Nancy, who jumps, her hand clasping her heart.
Ruby jumps in. "You're right! We don't know."
Robin nods frantically. "That's why we're here."
"We need to know how you survived that night," says Ruby, and quietly, adds, "Please."
"Survived? Is that what you call this?"
He steps forwards, the light finally hitting his face. Ruby's face drops. Where his eyes once were sits scars; he must've taken a blade to his eyes at some point after the murders, blinding himself. Ruby feels sick — not at him, but rather, the realisation that this man went through such a horrific experience, one no one believed, to the point he physically could maim himself in this way. Her heart hurts, looking at him.
"No, I assure you, I am still very much in hell," he says, sinking backwards.
"Please," says Ruby, her voice shaking. "I'm so, so sorry this happened to you — you didn't deserve it. And I know it's awful to think back, but please — we'll be able to save our friend. And—And hopefully, we can stop this demon for good." She puts her hand through the bars. "You can hold my hands. Please. Please help us."
He reaches forwards, and she moves her hands, softly grasping onto his.
"You're the first person I've touched in years," he says, softly.
Don't ask why — thank God Steve isn't here, because this is so unlike her — but she feels an overwhelming sense of emotion, an awful sense of protection over this man.
"No one deserves what that monster put you through," she says, her voice cracking.
Victor steps backwards, letting go of her hands.
"I had been back from the war some fourteen years. Her great-uncle had died, leaving us a small fortune. Enough to buy a new home, a new life. It was a magnificent home. Alice said it looked like it was from a fairy tale."
"Alice," says Ruby, taking over for questions. She forgets Nancy and Robin are even there; her mind is transfixed on Victor, her mind quietly painting a picture of what he says. "Was this your daughter?"
"Yes. But Henry, my boy, he was a sensitive child... and I could see he felt something was wrong," says Victor. "We had one month of peace in that house — and then it began. Dead animals, mutilated, tortured, began to appear near our home. Rabbits, squirrels, chickens, even dogs. The police chief blamed the attacks on a wildcat. But this... this was no wildcat. This was an evil — an evil neither animal nor human... This was a spawn of Satan. A demon. And it was even closer than I realised."
"My family began to have encounters conjured by this demon. Nightmares. Waking, living nightmares. This demon, it seemed to take pleasure in tormenting us."
Ruby thinks of last summer, and the Mind Flayer.
"Even poor, innocent Alice... It wasn't long before I began to have encounters of my own," he says. "I suppose all evil must have a home. And though I had not a rational explanation for it, I... I could sense this demon, always close. I became convinced it was hiding, nesting, somewhere within the shadows of our home."
Flashes of Ruby's life sprint past her eyes. She thinks of being little, the first time she saw the demogorgon. She remembers how it was always there, watching her, waiting to kill her one day. Ruby feels a strong sense of attachment to Victor, and she tbinks, how did my grandpa not know about this?
"It had cursed our town. It had cursed our home. It had cursed us... It took Virginia first. I tried to get the children out, to save them. But I was back to France, back in the war. It... it was only a memory. But I thought German soldiers were inside. This demon — it was taunting me. And I was sure it would take me, just as he'd taken my Virginia. But then... I heard... another voice. At first, I believed it was an angel. And I... I followed her, only to find myself... in a nightmare far worse."
Ruby remembers what Hatch had said earlier: "Music and sound can unlock parts of our memory — and our brain — that we simply cannot access otherwise, soothing us in a way normal therapy cannot." Her mind goes back to last summer, and how it was Steve's voice that brought her back from being Flayed.
"While I was away, the demon took my children. Henry slipped into a coma shortly after that. A week later, he died. I tried to join them. I tried. Hatch stopped the bleeding. He wouldn't let me join them."
"The angel you followed, who was she?" says Nancy. "Victor?"
"Victor—" Ruby calls out, but he's already collapsed back onto his bed, humming to himself, trying to comfort himself. She feels her heart breaking, feeling so unbelievably terrible for this man who lost his entire life, just because of bad timing...
"Is he everything you hoped he would be?"
Ruby spins around, finding Hatch, alongside three guards, standing at the door.
"I just had a very interesting conversation with Professor Brantley. Perhaps we should discuss in my office while we wait for the police."
Oh, shit.
🖤
"TWO MORE MINUTES, AND I'M RAISING the Brenner card," says Ruby to Robin, as the three girls are escorted back through the asylum, towards Hatch's office. They're back outside, in the courtyard close to where they parked the car. Nancy is just ahead of them, trying to talk their way out of being let go.
Nancy gives up, falling back in line with the other two girls. As she does, a pain twists around in Ruby's insides.
"Victor said the night of the attack, everything went on in the house, but he made specific mention of music," says Robin. "He said music was playing. And then, when we asked him about the angel, he started to hum."
Ruby's insides cramp, squeezing her. An all-consuming sense of dread tightly grasps around her, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Say nighty-night and kiss me, hold me tight..."
"Dream a Little Dream of Me."
"Ella Fitzgerald."
"The voice of an angel."
Ruby struggles to pay attention to Robin and Nancy's conversation, the same conclusion she reached earlier. Her mind is too busy racing, running and running and running, her head throbbing as it tries to figure out what's wrong—
"Hatch said that music can reach parts of the brain that words can't. So maybe that's the key, a lifeline."
"A lifeline back to reality."
"It's worth a shot..."
And suddenly, all of her thoughts screech to a halt, the realisation of what's wrong escaping her lips:
"Vecna has Max."
Nancy's eyes widen. "What?"
But before Ruby can say anything else — before she can think of anything else — she darts off of the path, bolting towards the car. They left the Walkie-Talkie in there, if she can just get a hold of Steve—
"GET BACK HERE!"
Behind her, Nancy and Robin are following, running as fast as they can. Ruby opens the palm of her hand, the car keys flying out of Nancy's bag and into her hand. She reaches the car, slamming straight into the door as she frantically unlocks it, diving inside to get the Walkie-Talkie.
Already, the line is on fire.
"GUYS! GUYS! CODE RED, I REPEAT—"
"STEVE!" she shouts down the Walkie-Talkie, her heart racing. "It's Max — isn't it?"
"She's in a trance, I don't know what—"
"It's OK, it's OK," she tells him, just as Nancy and Robin reach the car. Ruby shoves the car keys in Nancy's hand. "We figured it out — you need music to get her back."
"Music? Like what?"
"Anything that's important to her," says Ruby.
On the other end of the phone, she can hear the boys panicking, Lucas crying out that he's trying to remember. A thought slams itself into Ruby's head, and she shouts down the line, "KATE BUSH! She needs Kate Bush!"
"OK, OK, we've got that!"
The Walkie-Talkie must've been dropped for a while; either that, or Ruby blacked out, her body filling with so much adrenaline it didn't know where to go. The car races out of the asylum's grounds, and as they zoom down the country roads, she hears someone pick up the other end of the line.
"Rubes?" Steve's voice says quietly.
"Is she OK?" Ruby sits up as she does, Robin turns around, looking just as terrified as Ruby. "Steve—"
"She's OK," he says, out of breath. "She's OK."
Ruby rocks her head back onto the car seat, her mind and body finally catching up with her after the mania of the past five minutes. Her chest is heaving, out of breath; she keeps her finger hovering above the button of the Walkie-Talkie, hearing the boys comfort Max.
Her mind returns to thirty minutes ago, and the red sky she saw in Hatch's office. Frowning, she pushes down on the Walkie-Talkie's button. "Hey, Steve?" she asks.
"Yeah?" he says.
"When did Max start... acting weird?"
"Uh, when we dropped by at her house... So, like, half-hour ago?"
Shit.
"OK," says Ruby, her stomach churning. "OK, cool. Thanks, Steve... We'll see you soon." She puts the Walkie-Talkie down, and looks ahead at Nancy and Robin. Robin's entire torso is twisted around, looking back at Ruby; Nancy, however, keeps on looking up in the car mirror, checking on her. "I have some bad news, and some good news."
"OK..."
"So. When we were in Hatch's office, I had a vision, and I think it was connected to Max... I, like, saw the Upside Down, but it looked different to normal. It was all red, when it used to be blue," says Ruby. She thinks back to last summer, when she saw those demogorgons in the Russian fortress underneath the mall, and how awful she felt for them — for a creature she spent her whole life wanting to kill. She thinks the same thing now, a weird compassion for a world she was forcibly tied to.
What if this Vecna isn't from that world, and that's why the sky was red earlier? What if he's infecting the Upside Down, taking advantage of it like those demorgons the Russians had?
Ruby ignores that thought for now, deciding to keep her weird empathy for the Upside Down to herself. She doesn't want people to think she's gone soft.
"So... the bad news is that this is definitely the Upside Down, and that I've got the same connection to it as I did the Mind Flayer, and the demogorgons," says Ruby. "But, the good news... is that we can use that connection to stop it. And if music does help save victims... We're making progress. I'm hopeful."
"At least one of us is," says Robin, looking nervous.
Ruby, tired, gives her a lazy thumbs-up.
lol so i write all of these chapters on one monster of a google doc, which means i learn the word count once i paste it onto wattpad... so i am SHOCKED to see that this is SIX THOUSAND WORDS LONG. i just checked and this chapter is SIXTEEN PAGES LONG on google doc. oh my god. it's like my old hp fic chapter lengths. (i take this back: my current hp fics, because my new reg fic's most recent chapter was also 6000 words long😳) i hope you had a snack reading this. also i hope that you enjoyed, and let me know what you thought!! ruby and steve are slowly getting closer again <33