Steve was shaking Ryan's shoulders trying to get her out of the trance Vecna had put her in. It wasn't working. Vecna was showing her his life, Henry's life. Vecna was Henry Creel. Ryan was in shambles seeing his life go by. From killing his sister and mother to almost killing his father as well as 'dying'. He was the first, the blueprint of the children in Hawkins Laboratory. He was like Eleven. Ryan was currently in the lab with him. Or was it him. There's no way that's him, he's way too hot to be Vecna. Ryan thought looking at the grown up man that was talking to a young girl. Ryan watched the two like a movie. The movie quickly turned graphic as Vecna started choking the girl with his powers. Ryan wanted to help, but she couldn't as it was the past and what's done is done.

The girl was near death, Ryan shielded her eyes away from the sight in front of her not wanting to witness a child being killed. As she was looking away, the sound of glass breaking caught her attention. Her head whips around to see the girl overpowering him. Ryan started to piece it together, the little girl was Eleven. Before Ryan could process anymore El had opened a portal to the Upside Down sending Vecna into it. This is his origin story. "I want you to tell them everything." Vecna's voice flooded Ryan's ears as he was suddenly in front of her.

Ryan's breathe hitched in her throat. His hand wavered over her face making her head tilt back seeing the corroded hand as images of Hawkins flashed through her vision. Ryan was watching as the town was splitting in half and the Upside Down was seeping into the real Hawkins. "Tell her...... everything." Vecna rasped out to Ryan before releasing her from his hold.

Ryan felt her body falling before arms wrap around her body. "Hey, Stevie." Ryan said as he laid her softly on the floor. After Ryan regained her composure with the help of Steve they got her through the portal and onto the stained mattress. Ryan held her hand out to be pulled off the mattress so Steve could come on down.

The feeling of rings around her hand signaled that it was Eddie helping her up. Ryan fell into his arms too weak to keep herself up. Eddie didn't mind as the girl was slumped in his arms. Ryan fell asleep in Eddie's arms as Steve fell through the ceiling and onto the mattress Ryan once was on.

When Ryan stirred in her sleep she awoke on the couch with everyone spread around the trailer. To her side was Eddie and on the other Steve. Eddie was the first to notice Ryan. "Easy." Eddie soothed out as she was wavering. Ryan rubbed her temple feeling a headache rush to her head.

"What did he show you exactly?" Steve asked crossing his arms across his chest. "He showed me Hawkins, but it was being destroyed and the Upside Down was becoming our world. There was this giant creature with... a gaping mouth. And this creature wasn't alone. There were so many monsters. An army. And they were coming into Hawkins. Into our neighborhoods. Our homes. And then... he showed me my mom. And my dad. And they... they were all..." Ryan mutters out not being able to finish her sentence as the images were flashing through her brain over and over.

"Okay, but... he's just trying to scare you, Ry. Right? I mean... it's not real." Steve interrupted her trying to soothe her worry. "Not yet. But there... there was something else. He showed me gates. Four gates. Spreading across Hawkins. And these gates, they looked like the one outside of Eddie's trailer, but... they didn't stop growing. And this wasn't the Upside Down Hawkins, this was ours. Our home." Ryan shuttered out before Max said, "four chimes. Vecna's clock. It always chimes four times. Four exactly."

Ryan's hand indistinctly found her way into Eddie's ringed hand. Eddie's face displayed a light pink across his cheeks. "He's been telling us his plan this whole time." Max continues as Ryan squeezed Eddie's hand, "four gates." Lucas added while stealing a glance at Max. "If that's true... he's only one kill away." Now it was time for Eddie to squeeze Ryan's hand. "Oh Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ." Eddie said while rubbing his face with his free hand. "Try 'em again. Try 'em again." Steve frantically said to Max, she quickly walks over to the phone before dialing the number and getting nothing. They argue over nothing as they were all stressed out from what has happened in the past week, hell even day. "It's been busy for like the last week. Why do you think it's going to work this time?" Ryan announced annoyed of the arguing.

They didn't listen as they kept arguing about the phone line. "Okay, well then clearly somethings wrong." Max said amongst everyone. "Whatever's happening in Lenora is connected to all of this. I'm sure if it. But Vecna can't hurt them. Not if he's dead. We have to go back in there. Back to the Upside Down." Ryan spoke standing up from her seat on the couch and breaking the hand contact with Eddie.

Steve and Eddie were quick to deny Ryan's words, Steve getting up from his spot too and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Let's think this through." Steve said as Ryan shrugged her shoulders free of Steve's hands. "There's nothing to think through!" Ryan retorted to him. "We barely made it out of there!" Ryan rolled her eyes at Steve's words, "yeah, because we weren't prepared. But this time, we will be. We'll get weapons and protection. We'll go through the gate, we'll find his lair, and we'll kill him."

"Or he'll kill us! The only reason you survived is because he wanted you to. He's not scared of us." Steve told her as Robin got up to back him up, "and for good reason. We were wrong about Vecna. Henry. One. Sorry, what are we calling him now?" Robin asked before pausing to hear an answer, not getting a clear one before continuing, "we've learned something new about Vecna/Henry/One. He's a number like Eleven, only a sick, evil, male, child-murdering version of her with really bad skin. But my... my point is, he's super powerful. He could turn us inside out with a snap of his fingers. It's not a fair fight." Robin explained as Ryan and Steve were having a very hard staring contest. "Then why fight fair? You're right. He's like Eleven. But that gives us an upper hand. We know Eleven's strengths. And weaknesses. When El remote-travels, she goes into this sort of trance-like state. I bet the same is true of Vecna." Ryan smirked at Dustin's words. "See, now we have to go back!"

Steve puts his hands on his hips while glaring at Ryan. "When he attacks his next victim, I'll bet you he's back in that attic, physical body defenseless." Dustin stated, "defenseless? What about the army of bats?" Steve said gesturing to his scarred neck from the bats. "Then we'll just have to find a way past them. Distract them somehow." Ryan reasoned standing next to Steve, "and, uh, how do we do that, exactly?" Eddie questioned Dustin, "no idea. But once they're gone, he doesn't stand a chance. It'll be like slaying sleeping Dracula in his coffin." Ryan snorted at the analogy that Dustin made before getting jabbed in the ribs by Steve.

Ryan rubbed her ribs in pain before jabbing Steve in the ribs as well. Robin was talking as Ryan and Steve were playing fighting about. "Guys!" Lucas shouted at the two fighting. "What!" They both lipped at Lucas who put his hands up in defense. "Max is risking herself by ditching Kate Bush and your over there fighting like children." Dustin vented at the two. "When the babysitters get lectured." Erica sassed crossing her arms. Steve and Ryan both rolled their eyes as focused back in on the conversation. "You can't miss this shot." Max said concluding the big conversation and argument.

-

Eddie slammed a newspaper down on the table in the kitchen focusing in on one part of the paper, War Zone. "Check this out. The War Zone. I've been there once. It's huge. They got everything you need for, uh... well, killing things, basically." Eddie explained as they were all huddled around him, "we don't need to go to The War Zone for weapons. My dad has a shit ton of weapons." Ryan spoke and everyone turned to her with wide eyes, "your father, James Sullivan, has weapons, multiple weapons." Steve said in disbelief as this was the first he's heard of it. Ryan nodded her head signaling a yes to his question. "My momster doesn't know about it." She said smirking at the little nickname she gave her mother. "You think he has enough guns? And is any of this legal?" Robin proclaimed out looking at Ryan for an answer, which she just shrugged her shoulders. "How about, Robin, Steve, and Nancy go to this war zone and Eddie and I will go to my house." Ryan suggested as they all agreed to the plan Ryan brewed up.

"Hey, Red, uh you got a ski mask or a bandana, something like that?" Eddie questioned Max while his hair flew into Ryan's face and into her mouth. Ryan moved her head back getting the stray hairs out of her mouth as Eddie was quickly following Max somewhere. Ryan brushed it off as he came back into the living room with a Halloween mask on causing her to double over in laughter. "Come on now, it ain't that funny." Eddie rolled his eyes which Ryan couldn't even see because of the mask. Steve sighed before grabbing Ryan by the arm and dragging her out of the trailer as they were going to steal a literal RV.

Eddie gets to the RV first before cracking the window open and hoisting himself up and through the window. Eddie takes the mask off before sticking his head out of the window seeing Ryan down at the bottom, he reached his hand out and she gladly accepted his hand as he pulled her up and she landed with thud on top of Eddie. "Hi," Ryan muttered out before quickly realizing that the other guys were going to come in as well.

They scramble off each other before going to the front with Robin and Steve in tow. Eddie put the duffel bag he was carrying on the seat next to the drivers as he placed some pliers into his mouth and reaching under the steering wheel, yanking out the wires. He starts cutting the wires, "where'd you learn how to do this?" Steve asked coming up behind him and Eddie explained how his father clearly wasn't the best.

He finished his little story before striking the cut wires as Robin intervened, "Eddie, I'm not sure I love the idea of you driving." Ryan snickered at her before Eddie reassured her, "oh, I'm just starting this sucker. Harrington's got her. Don't ya, big boy?" Eddie got close to Steve's face while he backed away and Ryan had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing. Eddie quickly goes back to work on hot-wiring the van and it starts up after a couple of strikes. The real owners of the van start banging on the window trying to get in, luckily Eddie had locked the door.

Eddie widely smiled at Ryan before they sprint to the back with Robin as Steve hops into the drivers seat before yelling like the mother he is, "everybody, hang on to something!" Without thinking Ryan grabbed the closest thing to her, Eddie. Eddie was too busy head banging like a metal freak to notice. Steve took a sharp turn causing Ryan to fall out of the seat and onto the floor. "Steve! You suck at fucking driving!" Ryan insulted to him. Steve ignored her while getting onto the smooth road.

Nancy had migrated up to the front to keep Steve company while the rest were in the back just randomly around, Eddie was sitting on the couch next to Ryan who was leaning onto Dustin in exhaustion while Erica was next to Dustin, Max and Lucas were in the back talking about who knows what. Soon after a little while the van came to stop in front of Ryan's house. Ryan perked up from Dustin's shoulder and grabbed Eddie's hand before exiting the van. "Come pick us back up in an hour or so." Ryan told Steve who nodded at the directions before speeding off to The War Zone. "Let's get some fucking guns."

~

wc: 2169

hi ive been trying to cope
it hasn't been going well.