It turns out music is the key to stopping Vecna. Or, more accurately, stalling him. Max is still cursed, but listening to her favorite song helps. Vecna can't attack while she has the song.
The next day, Nancy deduces that the stained glass she saw in her vision is the same stained glass from the front door of the Creel House. Your group spends the day investigating there. You find cobwebs and spiders and a real-life creepy grandfather clock, and you all figure out how to tell where Vecna is when he's in the Upside Down. A bunch of exploded flashlights later, you determine that you need to find a way into the Upside Down to kill Vecna.
You all head to Reefer Rick's boathouse the following morning, but you reroute to Skull Rock when it's discovered that Eddie's on the run. You and Steve have visited the spot a few times for romantic rendezvous...you wish that's what you were going for now.
As you trek through the woods, Steve and you walk side-by-side, hands intertwined.
"Do you think this is the end?" you ask quietly.
"What do you mean?" Steve says.
"Like, is this the end for the Upside Down," you clarify. "The 'final boss.' If we kill Vecna and save Max, is all this over? Or, in eight months, will another new threat pop up and threaten us all over again?"
"I wish I knew," Steve said with a sigh. "But we're going to stop Vecna. I promise."
"Okay," you say, letting out a shuddery breath. You notice your surroundings and frown. "Hey, this isn't the way to Skull Rock."
"You're right," Steve says, looking around. "And we'd know."
He winks at you and you roll your eyes playfully. Then, he charges ahead and leads your group to a new direction, much to Dustin's chagrin.
Once at Skull Rock, Dustin freaks out about his compass going nutso, and your group heads to Lover's Lake to try and find a gate to the Upside Down.
You want to go with the other young adults on the rowboat, but Steve stops you.
"You should stay with them," he says, nodding in the direction of Dustin, Lucas, and Max.
You frown but nod, staying behind to keep an eye on the younger teens.
Things take a turn for the worse when the cops arrive. The only benefit of your existence as an orphan is that you don't have family members wondering where you've been. Max, Lucas, and Dustin don't have that luxury.
To keep Steve, Robin, Eddie, and Nancy from being spotted, you four distract the cops, and end up in the back of a squad car. When you arrive at the Wheeler's house, for a so-called interrogation, Max, Dustin, and Lucas stumble through excuses. The cops don't buy it.
"You're the oldest one here," Officer Callahan asks, turning to you. "What's your explanation for what went down today?"
"Like they said," you say with a shrug. "A night swim. It's fun. You should try it."
The cops whisk Max away for a one-on-one. Erica notices the kitchen lights going crazy, so you all charge upstairs into Nancy's room with a Lite-Brite to try and communicate with Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie. They are currently stuck in the Upside Down and can only communicate through the lights.
"Like this couldn't get any weirder," you mumble as your friends start trying to communicate with the others cross-dimensionally.
A plan is formed to free your boyfriend and other friends from the Upside Down at Eddie's trailer. Erica joins your merry band, and only commits a minor misdemeanor when she stabs the tire of Callahan's cop car to keep them from following you all.
Crazy shit gets crazier. Steve returns from the Upside Down with horrendous injuries, courtesy of demobats. And Nancy gets cursed by Vecna, but she's returned to the real world without the help of a song. Her reawakening doesn't come without a bad omen: Vecna's shown her what he plans on doing and it's very, very bad.
You all have to go back into the Upside Down and end this.
***
You never thought moving to Hawkins last year would mean going to war.
An interdimensional war, at that. Against a superpowered man-turned-beast.
You're not crazy about Max's role in the plan — being Vecna bait. But she's being incredibly brave, and you can't help but admire her tenacity in the face of danger. You wish you were that brave, but you're supposed to distract the demobats, and you're terrified.
As you work with Eddie and Dustin to craft some makeshift shields for protection, Steve wanders over.
"Can we talk?" he says in a low voice. You nod and follow him a few yards away.
Steve's eyes are wide and a little wild. The red line on his throat makes your own throat tighten with anxiety. You don't like the thought of him going back to that place — of any of your friends going there.
"What's up?" you ask, forcing yourself to look away from his bruise and into his eyes.
"Listen," Steve says. "I know we've already come up with a plan, and we're both supposed to go into the Upside Down. But if you want to go to the Creel House instead, I think you should."
"Steve—"
"No, let me finish!" He gingerly intertwines both of his hands with yours. He says your name so gently, it makes you melt. "I love you so much. And I want you to be as safe as possible."
You ponder his words. What to do...
WHAT DO YOU DO?
A. ORIGINAL PLAN. LUCAS, MAX, AND ERICA GO TO THE CREEL HOUSE. STEVE, ROBIN, AND NANCY KILL VECNA. YOU, DUSTIN, AND EDDIE FIGHT THE DEMOBATS - go to page 33
B. NEW PLAN! YOU GO WITH MAX AND ERICA TO THE CREEL HOUSE. STEVE, ROBIN, AND NANCY KILL VECNA. LUCAS, DUSTIN, AND EDDIE FIGHT THE DEMOBATS - go to page 34
C. A CLUSTERFUCK OF A PLAN!!! LUCAS, MAX, AND ERICA GO TO THE CREEL HOUSE. YOU, STEVE, AND NANCY KILL VECNA. ROBIN, DUSTIN, AND EDDIE FIGHT THE DEMOBATS - go to page 37