𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲

vii. a fail-safe.

LUCAS SINCLAIR runs in front of them which caused them all to yell in fear. "It's me!" Lucas yelled, his arms raised up and Dustin's flashlight shining on him. "Lucas?" Nancy says, leaning to the side a bit to get a closer look at him past James and Steve. "It's me."

"Jesus, what's wrong with you, Sinclair?!" Steve exclaimed as James just sighed, turning the other way. "I'm sorry." Lucas panted, leaning back as he held onto his hips. "I could've taken you out with this lamp!" Steve exclaimed making James look at him. "Sure you would've." He sighed, looking to the others.

"Sorry, guys. Sorry. I was just... I was just biking for eight miles." Lucas grunts, raising a finger as Steve put down his lamp weapon. "Give me a second. Shit." Lucas panted out before looking at them. "We've got a code red." Lucas says, looking at James and Steve.

"What?" Steve is confused, his hands on his hips. "Dustin." The boy walks over to the other now. "I've been with Jason, Patrick, and Andy, and they've gone, like, totally off the rails. They're trying to capture Eddie, and they think you know where he is. You're in terrible danger." Lucas explains and Dustin sighs.

"Alright, yeah, that definitely sucks, but we've got bigger problems than Jason right now." Dustin says before looking over at Max standing behind them all. James glanced between Lucas and Max, noticing the look on the Sinclair's face when his gaze fell on the girl. He still cares so much about her. It's cute.

At the Wheelers, James and Steve looked through the stuff about Victor Creel that Nancy and Robin found with Dustin and Lucas. "Okay, be honest. Uh... do you guys understand any of this?" Steve asked, pacing. "No." Lucas says, his face scrunched up. "Pretty straightforward." Dustin looked up at Steve.

"Oh, straightforward, really?" Steve looks at Dustin and James. "What's confusing to you?" James asked, also looking up. "So far, everyone Vecna has cursed has died," he explained, thinking of that stupid grandfather clock, "except for this Victor Creel Nance found." James raised one of the articles on his lap. "Yeah. He's the only known survivor." Dustin explained. "If anyone knows how to beat this curse, it's him." He adds as James nods.

"Yeah, that's assuming he was cursed, Henderson, which we don't even know." Steve glanced up at the three sitting on the couch. "How can Vecna have existed back in the '50s? It doesn't make sense." Steve rubs his face and James sighs, glancing down. "As far as we know, Eleven didn't create the Upside Down. She opened a gate to it. The Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years. Millions. I wouldn't be surprised if it predated the dinosaurs." Dustin says.

"Dinosaurs? What are we--" "okay. Okay, but if a gate didn't exist in the '50s, how did Vecna get through?" Lucas said as James' eyes trail up and down Steve before he looked down quickly. "And how is he getting through now?" Steve pointed at the Sinclair and James sighs. "And why now?" Lucas added on.

"And why then? Just pops out in the '50s, kills one family, and he's like, "hey, I'm good." And poof, he disappears. Just... gone? Only to return 30 years later and start killing random teens? No, I don't buy it." Steve says and James glanced up at him again, at his arms and chest, then slowly down. Why the hell did he chose such a perfectly fitting shirt? It clung to his body just right and made James stare. Like a lot. "Straightforward, my ass." He says, looking at them and James looks away.

"And you know what? Honestly, Henderson, a little humility now and then, it wouldn't hurt you." Steve scolded the boy as James glanced past him and at Max. "Sorry." Dustin apologized as Steve then sat down, glancing at James. Dustin leans a bit to James between him and Lucas, all three of them looking at Max. "Any idea what she's writing?" Dustin asks.