the view between villages // a stranger things choose-your-own-adventure

PAGE 55: After you get saved

It turns out music is the key to stopping Vecna. Or, more accurately, stalling him. You're still cursed—you can still sense him lurking in the shadows of your damaged, low-serotonin mind. But listening to your favorite song ("Better Things" by the Kinks) helps. He can't attack you while you have the song.

The next day, Nancy deduces that the stained glass you saw in your vision is the same stained glass from the front door of the Creel House. Your group spends the day investigating there. You find cobwebs and spiders and a real-life creepy grandfather clock, and you all figure out how to tell where Vecna is when he's in the Upside Down. A bunch of exploded flashlights later, you determine that you need to find a way into the Upside Down to kill Vecna.

You all head to Reefer Rick's boathouse the following morning, but you reroute to Skull Rock when it's discovered that Eddie's on the run. You and Steve have visited the spot a few times for romantic rendezvous...you wish that's what you were going for now.

As you trek through the woods, you listen to "Better Things" on repeat. Steve taps you on the shoulder and you pull the headphones around your neck.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

"I'm good," you say, giving him an (unconvincing) smile.

"Babe, you don't have to pretend with me," Steve says. He reaches a hand out, and you intertwine your fingers together. "How are you, really?"

"I'm terrified, Steve," you say with a sigh. "And I'm frustrated and I'm depressed. I just want this to be over."

"It will be soon!" Steve says. "We're going to stop Vecna. I promise."

"Okay," you say, letting out a shuddery breath. You notice your surroundings and frown. "Hey, this isn't the way to Skull Rock."

"You're right," Steve says, looking around. "And we'd know."

He winks at you and you roll your eyes playfully. Then, he charges ahead and leads your group to a new direction, much to Dustin's chagrin.

Once at Skull Rock, Dustin freaks out about his compass going nutso, and your group heads to Lover's Lake to try and find a gate to the Upside Down.

You want to go with the other young adults on the rowboat, but Steve stops you.

"Babe, you've got to keep listening," he says, nodding in the direction of your Walkman.

You frown but nod, staying behind with Dustin, Lucas, and Max.

Things take a turn for the worse when the cops arrive. The only benefit of your existence as an orphan is that you don't have family members wondering where you've been. Max, Lucas, and Dustin don't have that luxury.

To keep Steve, Robin, Eddie, and Nancy from being spotted, you four distract the cops, and end up in the back of a squad car. When you arrive at the Wheeler's house and Officer Callahan tries to confiscate your Walkman before your "interrogation," you panic.

"No, no!" you say, voice high and stressed. "I need it."

"Sorry, kid," he says. "It's protocol."

"I can't stop listening," you say, a desperate edge to your voice. "Please, just let me keep it around my neck. I'll turn the volume down so it's not distracting—"

"That's enough!" Chief Powell barks, tired of your resistance. "Hand over the Walkman now."

Dustin, Lucas, and Max look on in horror as you pause your tape and give Callahan your Walkman. Without the music, you immediately feel vulnerable. Exposed to attack.

You don't pay much attention during the so-called interrogation. Max, Dustin, and Lucas stumble through excuses and you focus on calming your breathing and thinking the lyrics to "Better Things" in your head until you can get the Walkman back.

Right before the cops whisk Max away for a one-on-one, you snatch your Walkman back from Powell before charging upstairs. You need to be alone with the music right now.

You hide in Nancy's room, pulling the headphones back over your ears and turning the Walkman's volume up as loud as it will go. You notice Nancy's lamp flickering on and off a few times and think nothing of it — until Dustin, Lucas, and Erica charge in with a Lite-Brite, claiming that Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie are stuck in the Upside Down and can only communicate through the lights.

"Like this couldn't get any weirder," you mumble as your friends start trying to communicate with the others cross-dimensionally.

A plan is formed to free your boyfriend and other friends from the Upside Down at Eddie's trailer. Erica joins your merry band, and only commits a minor misdemeanor when she stabs the tire of Callahan's cop car to keep them from following you all.

Crazy shit gets crazier. Steve returns from the Upside Down with horrendous injuries, courtesy of demobats. And Nancy gets cursed by Vecna, but she's returned to the real world without the help of a song. Her reawakening doesn't come without a bad omen: Vecna's shown her what he plans on doing and it's very, very bad.

You all have to go back into the Upside Down and end this.

***
You never thought moving to Hawkins last year would mean going to war.

An interdimensional war, at that. Against a superpowered man-turned-beast.

You're not crazy about your role in the plan — being Vecna bait. But you'll do it if it means he'll be gone once and for all...if the plan works. You don't want to think about the alternative.

As you work with Eddie and Dustin to craft some makeshift shields for demobat protection, Steve wanders over.

"Can we talk?" he says in a low voice. You nod and follow him a few yards away.

Steve's eyes are wide and a little wild. The red line on his throat makes your own throat tighten with anxiety. You don't like the thought of him going back to that place — of any of your friends going there. 

"What's up?" you ask, forcing yourself to look away from his bruise and into his eyes.

"Listen," Steve says. "I know we've already come up with a plan, and I'm supposed to go into the Upside Down. But if you want me to go to the Creel House with you, I'll go in a heartbeat." 

"Steve—"

"No, let me finish!" He gingerly intertwines both of his hands with yours. He says your name so gently, it makes you melt. "I love you so much. And I want to be by your side for this."

You ponder his words. You really would feel more comfortable if he was there...

WHAT DO YOU DO?

A. STICK TO THE PLAN. LUCAS, MAX, AND ERICA GO WITH YOU TO THE CREEL HOUSE. STEVE, ROBIN, AND NANCY KILL VECNA. DUSTIN AND EDDIE FIGHT THE DEMOBATS - go to page 56

B. SCREW THE PLAN. STEVE AND ERICA GO WITH YOU TO THE CREEL HOUSE. MAX, ROBIN, AND NANCY KILL VECNA.
LUCAS, DUSTIN, AND EDDIE FIGHT THE DEMOBATS - go to page 57

C. ABSOLUTELY DECIMATE THE PLAN. EDDIE AND DUSTIN GO WITH YOU TO THE CREEL HOUSE. STEVE, ROBIN, AND NANCY KILL VECNA. LUCAS, MAX, AND ERICA FIGHT THE DEMOBATS - go to page 58