The grandfather clock’s chime slams through the air.

Your feet leave the ground slowly, like gravity has decided you don’t matter anymore. Vecna’s voice coils tighter around your thoughts, drowning out everything else.

You were always meant for this.

“—He’s floating!” Dustin shouts, panic sharp in his voice. “Steve—he’s floating!”

Steve spins, fear flashing across his face as he sees you rising, eyes unfocused, body trembling. “Oh—no. No, no, no.” He rushes forward, grabbing your arm, then your waist, trying desperately to keep you grounded. “Hey—hey, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Nancy’s already digging through her bag. “Music—we need music now!”

“I know!” Steve snaps, panic bleeding into his voice as your body pulls upward against his grip. “Robin—where’s the Walkman?!”

Robin drops to her knees beside them, hands shaking as she flips through tapes. “Kate Bush—Running Up That Hill. This is the one that worked for Max!”

Vecna’s voice sharpens, memories crashing over you all at once. Your head tips back, mouth parting slightly as you rise higher, fingers curling like they don’t belong to you anymore.

“Hey!” Steve yells, tightening his grip as his feet begin to slide across the floor. “Look at me! That’s not you—that’s him!”

The clock chimes again—closer. Louder.

“I’m playing it!” Robin presses the button.

The opening notes of “Running Up That Hill” crackle through the headphones, filling the space between panic and hope. Steve quickly presses them over your ears, his hands gentle despite the chaos, one still clinging to your wrist like an anchor.

“Listen to it,” Steve says, voice breaking as he leans closer, eyes locked on yours. “That’s your song. You’re here with us. You’re not alone—I won’t let him take you.”

For a split second, it almost feels like it’s working.

Then Vecna’s pull surges.

Your body slips from Steve’s grasp, fingers brushing his as you rise higher, fully lifted now—suspended in the air, caught between the swelling music and the darkness tightening around your mind.

“NO—!” Steve shouts, reaching for you again as you float above them, the song echoing desperately through the Upside Down.