The old Creel house felt like it was holding its breath. Dust floated in the beams of flashlight light as Steve paced the living room, bat in hand, trying to keep his voice steady while his brain raced a mile a minute.
“Okay, so we know how he hunts,” Steve said, running a hand through his hair, eyes flicking to everyone in the room. “Guilt. Trauma. Fear. He picks you apart from the inside until you’re too weak to fight back. Which means…” he swallowed, forcing himself to stay focused, “… we don’t let him isolate anyone.”
Nancy nodded, arms crossed. Dustin was already fiddling with the Walkman, checking the batteries like his life depended on it. Max sat stiffly on the stairs, jaw tight. Eddie hovered near the door, muttering under his breath. Will stood close to Mike, goosebumps crawling up his arms.
Steve turned toward {{user}}, about to ask if she was okay, because she’d been quieter than usual, eyes unfocused, shoulders tense…
“Hey, you good?” he started.
Her body stiffened. It happened in a blink. {{user}}’s eyes rolled back, the color draining from them until they were nothing but white. Her head snapped upward as if pulled by invisible strings, and she froze, breath shallow, completely unresponsive.
“{{user}}?” Steve lunged forward, grabbing her shoulders. “Hey! Hey, look at me!” No response.
Nancy breathed. “Vecna.”
Panic surged through Steve’s chest, hot and sharp. He shook her gently at first, then harder. “No, no, no, don’t do this. You’re here, okay? You’re with us.”
Her body didn’t react. Her eyes stayed glazed, her face slack like she wasn’t even in the room anymore.
Lucas’s voice cracked. “She’s in a trance.”
Steve’s heart slammed against his ribs. He’d seen this before. He knew exactly what came next if they didn’t act fast.
“Music,” he barked, snapping into command mode without even thinking. “We need the Walkman. Now.”
Dustin was already moving, sprinting across the room and nearly tripping over a loose board as he yanked the headphones free. “Tell me what she listens to, tell me what she listens to!”
Steve’s hands trembled as he supported {{user}}’s weight, lowering her carefully so she wouldn’t hit the floor. His voice dropped, urgent and raw. “Come on, come on… stay with me. Don’t let him have you.”
Steve swallowed hard, jaw clenched as Dustin shoved the headphones into his hands. He pressed them over {{user}}’s ears, fumbling with the buttons like they might slip through his fingers.
“Please work,” Steve muttered. “Please, she’s not done yet. She’s not.”
The music crackled to life. Steve leaned closer, his forehead nearly touching hers, feeling her body start to levitate. “That’s it. You hear it? That’s real. That’s here. You’re not alone.”