"Sure," you say. "Sounds good to me."
You turn to Steve, hug him, and give him a shy kiss on the cheek.
"Please be safe," you murmur, ignoring Dustin and Max's snickers.
"Always," he says. Before you can walk away, he pulls you back to him for a proper kiss. Dustin, Max, and Robin hoot and holler.
"Quiet, you two," Steve snaps, ushering the younger teens toward his car. You follow Nancy and Robin to the Wheeler's station wagon, climbing into the backseat.
Thanks to Wayne Munson, Nancy has a theory that Victor Creel was involved somehow. At the library, the research seems like a bust at first. However, when Robin mentions some whacky magazine called "The Weekly Watcher," things turn around.
The publication has an article about how Victor Creel claims a demon haunted his house and killed his family. It definitely seems like Vecna could have been that demon.
Robin and Dustin speak on their walkie-talkies, and a plan is set for you all to meet at the school. When you arrive, Robin and Nancy jog through the halls toward Ms. Kelley's office.
You follow slower, not feeling well or energized enough to run. You jump when you hear a horrendous, blood-curdling chime echo through the school halls.
"Rob?" you call, walking faster to try and catch up. "Nancy? Did you hear that? Does this school have a clocktower, or something—AHHH!"
You turn the corner that your friends ran down and see smoke billowing from a set of double doors down the end of the hall. Your heart sinks when you see Steve's panicked face through one of the door's windows.
"STEVE!" you scream. You pull your shirt over your mouth to avoid too much smoke inhalation and begin yanking at the door with all your strength.
Steve pounds on the door on the other side, trying to push through to you. Tears well up as you see flames engulfing the hallway behind him getting closer and closer and closer...
"NO!" you scream. You scrabble at the door handles even more frantically. "No, I can't lose you! Just hold on, Steve!"
The fire is moving too fast, and there's no way to unlock these doors, and he's going to die.
Steve looks resigned to his fate. Mouth twisted in a forlorn frown, he presses his palm against the glass. You sob and press your hand on the other side, wondering why this is happening to you. Why you're losing another loved one to a fire.
You screw your eyes shut, unable to watch. However, behind you, you hear that distinct chime once more. You turn and gasp. Stuck into a row of lockers behind you is an antique grandfather clock.
You blink. You're standing in the front hallway of the school. You're alone. You taste copper, nose bleeding steadily.
There's no clock, no fire. You don't see Steve, but you assume he's unharmed.
It was another nightmare...but it happened while you were awake. A waking nightmare.
You hear someone call your name. Robin and Nancy turn back from the direction they came.
"C'mon," Robin says. "The others have a lead!"
You follow them to the counselor's office and listen as Max, Dustin, and Steve explain what they learned. Steve keeps glancing at you as they explain, a crease in his brow and worry radiating off him in waves.
You put the pieces together. The realization hits. Both of Vecna's previous victims experienced the same things you've been experiencing before they were killed. Right down to the nightmares, nosebleeds, hallucinations, and headaches.
Holy shit. You're next.
You stumble out of your chair and mumble something about needing to use the restroom.
"Do you even know where they are?!" Dustin shouts after you. "You never went to school here!"
You ignore him, finding your way to the closest one and rushing inside. You turn on the sink and splash cold water on your face, trying to relax.
Maybe you're mistaken. Maybe this isn't happening. Maybe this is another nightmare.
But as you look at yourself in the mirror, and at the tired eyes that reflect back at you, it sinks in: this is happening. You can't hide from it or pretend you're fine. You have to go back to your friends and tell them the scary truth.
That's what you do. Back in Ms. Kelley's office, you sit with your friends and explain what's been happening to you. Explain how you think you're Vecna's next victim.
Robin and Max are fully in denial, trying to convince you that it must just be an unfortunate coincidence.
Nancy and Dustin seem pretty convinced of your fate, but they assure you that you all can figure something out to save you.
Steve is just frozen. Numb. He can't even look at you or say anything, and you're worried he's somehow mad at you. That fear multiples when he mutters something about needing a smoke and storms out of the office.
"Steve! Wait!" Robin shouts, running after him.
Nancy is quick to comfort you in Steve's absence, telling you everything will be okay. You all hear a thud down the hallway, but before you can investigate, Steve and Robin return with Lucas Sinclair.
He explains that Jason is hunting Eddie and the rest of the Hellfire Club members—including poor Dustin. Dustin explains your predicament, that you're cursed by a new monster from the Upside Down, and hearing someone else say it makes you want to cry.
For the first time since you said anything about being cursed, Steve acknowledges you. He crouches next to your desk chair and places a hand on your knee.
"I'm not going to let him get you," he says, eyes steely with determination and voice shaking. "I promise, Waldenbooks. You're going to be okay."
WELL, THIS ISN'T GOOD. GO TO PAGE 52 TO CONTINUE THE STORY.