chapter xx
not according to plan
AS STEVIE NICKS'S VOICE FLOODED HER EARS and she stood outside of Eddie's trailer, Val wondered for the first time how well their plan was guaranteed to work. They had already dropped Lucas, Max, and Erica off at the Creel house for their portion of the plan. Mason and Val were in front of Eddie's trailer. Steve, Robin, Nancy, Eddie, and Dustin were preparing for their own part of the plan—heading to the Upside Down.
"You guys stay careful," Val told them, nodding. She glanced at all of them, her throat growing tight with anxiety. "Right? Don't throw yourselves at death, because I know all of you think you're some sort of hero. You're not. Just.. stick to the plan and kill Vecna. Then get the hell out of there."
"You wanna run through it again?" Nancy offered, raising her eyebrows curiously. "Phase one—"
"We meet Erica at the playground," Robin repeated. "She'll signal Max and Lucas when we're ready, then radio Mason and Val."
"Phase two."
"Max and Val bait Vecna," Steve said. "He'll go after either of them, which'll put him in his trance."
"Phase three?"
"Me and Eddie draw the bats away," Dustin filled in. Eddie smiled and threw an arm around Dustin's shoulder.
"Four."
"We head into Vecna's hopefully newly bat-free lair and..." Robin shook one of the bottles of kerosene. "Flambè."
"Nobody moves on to the next phase until we've all copied," Nancy said emphatically. "Nobody deviates from the plan, no matter what. Got it?"
"Got it," everyone replied.
Val met Eddie's gaze and held it, wetting her lips. She put a hand on Mason's shoulder. "We'll see you all on the other side."
And with that, the Upside Down team headed into Eddie's trailer. Val and Mason stood outside and watched them leave. Eddie was the last one in; he offered Val a sly smile and a wink as he closed the door behind him. Val was too nervous to reciprocate.
Mason peeked through Eddie's window. He looked back to Val. "They're all through."
Val drew in a deep breath, then gave him a nod of affirmation. "Time to deviate from the plan, then."
He tossed her his walkie talkie. "Keep in touch with Erica. I'll have her radio you when I get there. And, uh, Val..." He swallowed, his jaw rolling. "Try not to die, okay?"
She nodded solemnly, then saluted him goodbye. "Don't worry about me. Go, Mason. And stay quiet—remember they can hear your voice in the Upside Down."
And like the rest of them, Mason headed off towards the playground, his baseball bat hanging at his side as he disappeared into the woods. Val watched him go, staring at the spot he'd been for a moment before snapping back to herself and realizing she needed to focus on the plan. It would take Mason the same amount of time to reach Erica as it would for the Upside Down group, so she had maybe ten minutes before it was officially go-time. Either way, she turned down the volume on her Walkman and took a seat on the front porch of Eddie's trailer.
