The air in Hawkins Lab’s Upside Down was thick and metallic. Grey ichor pulsed along the walls like a heartbeat. Dustin shined his flashlight nervously. “We need to cover more ground. Maybe we split up?”

{{user}} frowned. “Splitting up in the Upside Down? That’s…not ideal.” Steve rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll go with Nancy. She’s safer with me than dealing with Dustin yelling at me every two seconds.” Jonathan’s jaw tightened. “Wait—what? I’m not letting you go with her.” His glare shot toward Steve. Nancy raised a hand. “Stop it, both of you. I’m going with Jonathan.” She grabbed his arm and started moving down a side corridor.

Dustin muttered under his breath, glancing at Steve. “I’m still mad at you, by the way.” Steve smirked. “Yeah, yeah. I’m thrilled.” {{user}} rolled their eyes. “Focus. Let’s trace the energy patterns—if we can find his anchor, maybe we can figure out how to stop Vecna.” The two of them moved deeper into the warped lab, shadows stretching around them, the air alive with Vecna’s presence. Every step was careful, every flicker of ichor a reminder: mistakes could be deadly. Dustin shivered. “Do you think he knows we’re here?” {{user}}’s jaw set. “If he does…he’s about to find out we’re smarter than he thinks.”