24. warning sign

Urging Clemency to go climb up already, Nancy and Steve looked at her, confused. Steve spun her round, he and Nancy's eyes widened at the sight of Clemency, with her eyes all white and rolled back, in a state of trance, they panicked, as the group on the other side looked at them, confused. "Hey... what's going on?" Eddie stammers, as he looked at Clemency. "Vecna." Max says, as Eddie looked over to her with widened eyes, and shook his head in disbelief. "What's her favorite song!" Max quickly asked Eddie as he looked back at the younger girl, but Nancy called out, getting their attention, as they all looked at her. "She likes Queen, I think." Nancy says, unsure, as they all quickly looked at him, and he immediately took them to where his cassette tapes were.

As they proceeded to quickly look for anything, Steve desperately yelled for them to hurry up. "Steve says you need to hurry!" Erica says, as they all panicked more. "Yeah? No shit!" Dustin yelled back, as Max looked back at the girl, and exclaimed, "We're trying. We can't find anything."

"Seriously, what is all this shit?" Robin says, looking at Eddie. "This is music!" He yelled back, and sighed heavily, "And she listens to these... but I don't know if she actually likes it or not..." He quietly and honestly says, as they all looked at him in disbelief.

‧₊˚

"Eddie! Nancy! Guys?" Clemency called out as she ran across the bloody halls, as the lights flickered above her, not caring at all, knowing that Vecna most likely knew where she is, then she suddenly reached a door barricaded with wood, and tried unblocking it with all her might, and suddenly heard Vecna's demonic voice called for her name, as she slowly looked at him.

She knew that even if she could remove that barricade, she would still be in this world, in Vecna's mind, so she kept her eyes closed, tried thinking of happy thoughts, if it was hard, given everything she had witnessed through him, but she still tried.

"I have shown you where I've been,.. I would like to very much show you where I am going." He says, as Clemency just kept her eyes closed, not moving an inch, until Vecna finally reached her. "Open your eyes, Clemency." She sighed, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she's tied with vines on her wrists and ankles, while Vecna's already so close in front of her face, causing her to start hyperventilating. "I want you to tell Eleven. I want you to tell her everything you see." He says, as he put his unnaturally large clawed hands in front of Clemency's face, startling her as he showed her everything. The town breaking apart from all the gates Vecna had created, Hawkins falling in front of her eyes, her family dying, as she looked in fear, and heard a grandfather clock, loud and clear, as her breathing got shallower and shallower. "Tell her... Tell her everything." It was the last thing he said, and suddenly let her go, as she collapses, Steve catching her in his arms, and Nancy approaching her sister, who's looking back at her in horror, breaking into a cold sweat.

Finally having a bit of breather, as the group stayed at Max's trailer, Clemency told them what she had seen, and Steve reassuring her that Vecna's just scaring her, but she will follow her guts as she just knew she should. It was not just something to scare her, she thought. It's something that will happen anytime soon.

Max called back to the Byers' phone, but still no answer even after three days, which also scared Clemency. "Whatever's happening in Lenora is connected to all of this." Nancy says, looking at her sister as she nodded in response. "But as long as they are out and away from Hawkins, I'm sure they will be just fine... I think." Clemency quietly says, as they all looked at her.

"Well, not if he's dead." Nancy says, as Clemency looked at her with furrowed eyebrows, but immediately understood the look in her eyes as she looked back at them. "We have to go back to the Upside Down." Clemency says, as Nancy agreed with her, while the rest disagreed.

"Let's think this through, okay?" Steve says, as the sisters furrow their eyebrows at him. "What is there to think through?" Nancy asked, as Steve approached her, Clemency saw the look on Eddie's face as he looked at her, filled with worry, as she walked over to him, and sat next to him and held his hand.

"We weren't prepared the last time we were there... At least this time, we are. And then again, at least we're doing something. Because I just have a strong feeling that if we do and even if we don't do anything, we'll still end up dead... Well, not just us, if what I saw will happen, then the whole world will be over. Not just Hawkins." She said as they all looked at her and sighed.

"But, he's so powerful. He could turn us inside out with a snap of his finger. It's not a fair fight." Robin says, while stammering, as Dustin looks over to him. He thought of a way to defeat him, and make the fight fair, by attacking him in his trance-like state, but the only problem are the bats, but as soon as they are gone they have a chance, but Robin steps in again as they all look at her. "That all sounds good in theory, but there is no pattern to Vecna's killings. At least, not one I can decipher. We don't know when he's going to attack next. We don't even know who he's going to attack-" She explained, as Max suddenly interrupted her, making the whole group look at Max.

"Yeah, we do. I can still feel him. I'm still marked... Cursed. I ditch Kate Bush, I draw his focus back to me." Max says, in which Lucas, understandably, disagrees. "Max... you can't. He'll kill you." He says, as they all worriedly look at her. "I survived before. I can survive again. I just need to keep him busy long enough so that you guys can get into that attic. Then you can chop his head off... Stab him in the heart. Blow him up with some explosive Dustin cooks up- I honestly don't care how you put this asshole in his grave. Just... whatever it is... whatever you do... try not to miss." Max says, as they all sighed, worryingly.

‧₊˚

"Check this out. The War Zone." Eddie says, as he showed the group a page on the yellow pages with the address of the store in it. "I've been there once. It's huge. They got everything you need for, uh... well, killing things, basically." Eddie says, as Clemency furrowed her eyebrows at him. "It's not for a reason you'll have to worry about, princess. You're the one here who carries a gun around." Eddie says looking over to her, Clemency rolled her eyes in response. "You think fake Rambo has enough guns there... Is that a grenade? I mean, how is any of this illegal?" Robin asked, looking at the picture with a list of stuff they sell there.

"Well, lucky for us it is, so... This place is just far enough outside of Hawkins. As long as we steer clear of main roads, we oughta be able to avoid cops and, uh, angry hicks." Eddie explained, as they all listened intently, and Ericka looked over to him. "If we're trying to avoid angry hicks, maybe we shouldn't go to some store called the War Zone." Erica says, in which Clemency could totally agree on, but they have no other choice but to go there, but by breaking into someone's RV trailer.

Eddie went into the driver's seat and started hot-wiring, while Steve and Clemency watched. "Where'd you learn how to do this?" Steve asked, as he looked intently at what Eddie's doing. "Well, when the other dads were teaching their kids to fish or play ball, my old man was teaching me how to hot-wire... Now, I swore to myself I wouldn't wind up like he did, but now I'm wanted for murder, and soon, grand theft auto." He explained, Clemency pursing her lips upon hearing this.

"So, uh, I'm really living up to that Munson name." He joked, as Steve and Clemency awkwardly laughed, and looked behind them when Robin approached. "Eddie, I'm not sure I love the idea of you driving." She said, as Eddie looked at her. "Oh, I'm just starting this sucker. Harrington's got her. Don't ya, big boy?" Eddie teased, as all three looked at him with a grimace expression, and Robin rolled her eyes, as Eddie finally starts the vehicle, and the angry owners noticed, knocking at the window, as they all looked in panic, The other three quickly went to the back, while Steve hurriedly jumped onto the driver's seat, and yelled at everyone to hold on, and drove off. "Shit, they looked pissed." Dustin says, looking back at the owners. "It's not everyday you lose your house and car in one fell swoop." Robin says, Clemency nodded in agreement.

‧₊˚

On their way to The War Zone, Nancy sat beside Steve in front, while Max sat at the back and Lucas approached her, Clemency sat alone, behind Steve, lost in thought while the rest are asleep, except for Eddie who just woke up from a short nap and saw Clemency as she stared blankly, and approached her. "Hey..." Eddie quietly says, sitting in front of her, as she smiles softly, but with tired eyes at him. She hasn't talked much with him after she saw Vecna, a few comments here and there, but not a heart to heart talk, given the circumstances.

"I'm sorry..." Clemency softly apologizes, as the guy gave her a confused look. "What are you sorry for?" He quietly asked her, holding both of her hands in his, caressing them with his thumb. "I shouldn't have cared about popularity and all that shit... it's like... all temporary anyways. And, it wouldn't even matter in the end. It's so shitty of me." Clemency quietly says, almost mumbling it, and Eddie sighed in response, looking at her as she hid her face from him, looking at their hands instead. "I should've just been like any normal human should, you know... yeah." She stammers, still avoiding his face.

"Hey... did something happen that, uh, you haven't mentioned, when you saw... uh, Vecna." Eddie says, as Clemency sighed in response. Eddie cupped her cheeks, and pulled her, leaning their foreheads together, Clemency still having the same frown on her face. "You know that... I love you, right?" She said, catching Eddie off guard. They loved each other, they just never actually said it. Eddie backed away from her forehead, looked at her with softened eyes, and playfully smiled at her. "Well, do you really want me to repeat everything you've done for me in detail, or-" Eddie teasingly says, Clemency widened her eyes, mouth agape, and playfully punched his shoulder, as Eddie dramatically yelped, making them both chuckle, and stopped, staring at each other.

"And, I love you too." He softly says, Clemency looking away, all flustered. Eddie pulled her into him, and pulled her into his lap, and hugged each other, ignoring the fact that they still both smell like the Upside down. Clemency wiped Eddie's hair off of his face, and softly smiled at him. She pressed her lips on his, Eddie's hand fell from holding the small of her back and rested his hand on her thigh, as their lips moved in sync.

Lucas and Max noticed the two as they were sitting at the back of the RV trailer, and awkwardly looked at them then to each other, and suddenly avoided each other's gaze.

‧₊˚

Reaching the War Zone, as soon as they entered, they looked around nervously as they saw wanted posters showing all of the Hellfire club's members in it, all over the store. "So much for avoiding angry hicks." Robin says and Clemency worriedly looks at Nancy, seeing Mike at the wanted poster, Nancy held onto her sister's hands and pursed her lips. "Let's be... fast." Nancy says, looking at the group. "Yep." Robin says. "Definitely." Erica agreed, as separated and looked around, Clemency followed Erica.

While Erica held a shopping cart, Clemency just followed her around as she grabbed some stuff they needed, keeping an eye on the others, when Erica suddenly stopped in front of her, startling her, "Hey, move along." Clemency whisper-shouted, but the kid did not budge. Confused, she looked up at where she was looking, and there she saw Nancy, in front of Jason Carver, and they both panicked. "Go and find the others, I'll back Nancy up, be careful." Clemency says, as she quickly approached, and got herself a rifle, and the man at the counter assisted him, as she listened to the two talking, not noticing she was just there.

"...Shotguns are not good for much of nothing past killing small birds. I mean they got power, sure, but not much range. And that's just gonna force you into close-range combat, then someone can just grab that barrel like this..." Jason says, now closer to Nancy, and grabbed onto the shotgun's barrel, startling her. "...And redirect it. Well, you look nervous." Jason says, as Clemency quickly went up to them, catching the two of them's attention. "Clemency Wheeler. You're both here then..." He says, as Clemency gave him a stern look. "Let go of her." She says, as Jason scoffs and let's go.

"Now, your brother, he, uh... is he here with the two of you, by chance." Jason asked, as Clemency walked closer and stood beside her sister. "No, just the two of us. Just two young ladies who are desperately in need to protect ourselves at times like this." Clemency says, looking at Jason, as he slowly nodded in response.

"Well, I only asked because he's... he's in Hellfire, isn't he?" He says, looking at the two. "I don't know what you're talking about-" Nancy explained, as Jason held back onto the shotgun, and Clemency glared at him. "What about his friends? They here with you?"

"Jason... you do know what you're doing right now is harassment, right?" She sternly says, Jason looked at the girl, and let go of Nancy for the final time, and they quickly got out of there, and immediately got into the RV trailer, startling Eddie, Dustin and Lucas inside.

"What happened?" Lucas exclaimed, as Steve looked at him, as he hurried inside while the others followed behind him. "Gotta go."

"You're old friends are here." Erica says, as they all panicked and readied themselves, and Steve quickly got into the driver's seat and drove off.

‧₊˚

Everyone is in their pairs of two, except for Clemency, sitting all by herself, staring blankly on the ground. Robin looked at everyone as she helped make a molotov with Steve, and sighed. "Not everything has a happy ending..." She says. "Yeah, yeah, believe me, I know." Steve says, making Robin chuckle.

"I'm not talking about failed romance." She says, pouring out fuel and looking at Steve. "I just... I have this terrible, gnawing feeling that... it might not work out for us this time... I wanted to ask Clemency over there about her premonition on what's to come but... I don't wanna give her too many things to overthink about as it is." Robin added, looking over to Clemency, as Steve looked at Clemency, and back to Robin, giving her a worried look. "You think we shouldn't be doing this?" He asked, as Robin looked back at him. "I think we're mad fools, the lot of us, but..." She sighed, and looked at every single one of her friends. "...But if we don't stop him, who will? We have to try, right?" Robin says, as the two looked at each other, and Steve agreed, and raised the molotov he was holding to her. "To killing Vecna." He says, giving her a soft smile, as she raises hers as well, "Slash Henry."

"Slash One." Steve says, as they clinked the bottles together.

‧₊˚