The next morning, we had gone out and got some food for Eddie then made our way back to Reefer Rick's place. We head to the barn, or shed, and enter it, making Eddie jump in fright as he was standing by the window. "Delivery service." Dustin said as he holds up a bag of groceries while Eddie still looked scared.

After giving him the food, he grabs a bag of chips and starts eating on it while we tell him what we've found out this morning. "So we got, uh, some good news and some bad news. How do you prefer it?" Dustin asked Eddie. "Bad news first, always." said Eddie then sips his drink.

"All right. Bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they're definitely looking for you. Also, they're, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy." Dustin said. "Like, 100% kind of convinced." Max adds and Eddie looks between us.

"And the good news?" He asked us. "Your name hasn't gone public yet." I replied. "But if we found out about you, it's a matter of time before others do. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for you." Robin said. "Hunt the freak, right?" Eddie asked in a shaky voice.

"Exactly." Robin and I said, in unison. "Shit." Eddie mutters, upset. "So, before that happens, we find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence." Dustin said. "That's all, Dustin? That's all?" asked Eddie. "Yeah, no, that's pretty much it." Dustin said but Eddie didn't look convinced or happy.

"Listen, Eddie, I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we've actually been through this before." I said to him and he looks at me. "Well, they have a...a few times, and...and I have once. Mine was more human-flesh-based, theirs was more smoke-related, but bottom line is, collectively, I really feel we got this." Robin said.

"Yeah, see, we usually rely on this girl who has super powers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so..." Steve said as he scratched his cheek. "So we're technically in more of the..." Robin said as Steve and I said, thinking. "Kinda..."

"Brainstorming phase." Max adds and we all nod. "Brainstorming." Steve said, snapping his fingers. "There...There's nothing to worry about." Dustin sputters and Steve scoffs out a laugh.

Suddenly, we hear sirens and we all l share a look of fear. "Shit." I muttered and Robin points at Eddie. "Tarp. Tarp. Tarp." She said and Eddie ducks under the tarp and we all run over to the window to see several cop cars and ambulances passing by. "That's not good." I muttered and we all load up into Steve's car.

We followed the road the cops and ambulance went to and saw that they had gathered around a big section of the road. Steve stops behind a parked cop car and we see Nancy talking to the cops, looking shaken. All of us step out of the car and she noticed us, staring, while the cop tried to talk to her.

"You're saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it's from the Upside Down?" Nancy asked us after we made our way back to the trailer park, sitting at one of the picnic tables. She had told us that her and her friend, Fred, came her to get a scoop on what happened to Chrissy but then Fred disappeared until they found his mangled body in the road.

The way she described Fred's body was eerily similar to how Eddie described Chrissy's body. "If the shoe fits." Steve tells Nancy. "Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse. Now, whether or not he's doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don't know." Dustin said. "All we know is this is something different." Max adds.

"Something new. Doesn't make sense." Nancy said. "It's only a theory." Dustin said. "No, Fred and Chrissy don't make sense. I mean, why them?" Nancy asked. "Maybe they were just in the wrong place. They were both at the game." I suggested. "And near the trailer park." Max said.

"We're at the trailer park. Uh, should we maybe not be here?" Steve asked and we all looked around as the cool breeze of spring blows around us. "There is something about this place. Fred started acting weird the second we got here." Nancy said.

"Acting weird as in... ?" Robin asked her. "Scared, on edge, upset." Nancy listed of. "Max said Chrissy was upset too." Dustin said, realization. "Yeah, but not here. She was crying in the bathroom at school." Max corrects. "Serial Killers stalk their prey before they strike, right? So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecna..." I said, shrugging, then Steve speaks up.

"Dunno about you, but if I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone." He said. "Maybe they did. I saw Chrissy leaving Ms. Kelley's office. If you saw a monster, you...you wouldn't go to the police. They'd never believe you. But you might go to your..." Max said and Robin and I nod. "Your shrink." We said, together, and Max nods.

We all start to head to Steve's car and Nancy heads to her car. "Whoa, whoa, Nance. Nance! Where you going?" Steve asked her, concerned. "Oh, there's just something I wanna check on first." Nancy said. "Something you wanna share with us?" Dustin asked her.

"I don't wanna waste your time. It's a real shot in the dark." Nancy said. "Yeah, okay. Are you out of your mind? Flying solo with Vecna on the loose? No, it's too dangerous. You need...You need someone to..." Steve said then stops as he sighs. "Okay, why don't Robin and I go? You know, us ladies will stick together." I said and Steve looked even more worried.

"No, I definitely don't want you out on your own either." He said and I place a hand on his cheek. "Steve, I'll be fine. Okay?" I said and he sighs. "Just...watch out for my sister for me, okay?" I said and Steve sighs, rolling his eyes and head alittle. "I'm always the damn babysitter." He grumbles to me and I chuckled. "Cause you're good at it." I chuckled then I kiss his cheek before Robin and I walk over to Nancy, who was now eyeing me with narrowing eyes. I don't know if it was with anger or jealousy as I know her and Steve were a couple before I came along. Did she still have feelings for Steve?

"Be careful." Steve calls out and I turn and wave at him just as Robin, Nancy and I head to Nancy's car.

"Help me get this straight. Eddie's uncle, Wayne, thinks that Victor Creel escaped from Pennhurst Asylum and that he's the one running around committing these murders?" Robin asked Nancy as we walk up to the library, the bell tolling for the new hour. "Pretty much." Nancy said to Robin, in an exasperation.

"But Victor committed the eyeball murders, like, way back in the 50's." Robin said. "Well, '59." Nancy said as we get to the doors and she opens it. "So, that means these murders predate Eleven in the Upside Down by about 30 years?" I asked. "Yeah." Nancy replied. "Which makes spooky Victor Creel like 70 years old." Robin adds. "Yep." Nancy said as she rings the bell on the desk.

"So, he's a grandpa murderer who can turn invisible and lift people into the air." Robin said as she leans against the front desk. "It doesn't make sense. I know. That's why I said it was a shot in the dark." Nancy said as she rings the bell again. "I know. I just thought that by shot in the dark, you were being modest or hiding something super solid up your sleeve that you were gonna wow us with later. But this is really, truly a shot in the dark. Like, we are snipers with blindfolds on who've been spun around times." Robin rambles as Nancy kept ringing the bell, rapidly.

"Coming!" An older female voice calls out as she comes around the shelves, several books under her arm. "Hi. Sorry, we're in a bit of a rush. Could we get the keys to the basement archives?" Nancy asked the lady. "Of course. Give me one sec." She said and she goes to get the key.

"Did I come off mean or condescending?" Robin asked Nancy. "No." Nancy replied, but I could tell she was getting alittle annoyed. "Right. Sorry. It's just, you seem annoyed. You don't know me well. I don't really have a filter or a strong grasp of social cues." Robin said, quickly. "Okay." Nancy mutters. "If I say something that upsets you, just know that I know it's a flaw. Believe me, my mother reminds me daily." Robin said. "Robin, you're doing it again." I said to her. "Right...sorry." Robin said just as the lady comes back with the key.

"All right, ladies. Here you go. Have fun." She said as Nancy takes the keys. "Yep. We'll try." Nancy said and she walks away the woman looks at us as if to ask if something was wrong. Robin and I shrug before we follow Nancy.

"Anything...juicy over there?" Robin asked me and Nancy as we all looked through several archives of newspapers but nothing was sticking out. "Nothing new." Nancy said. "Yep, same here." Robin said.

"Victor seemed like a normal guy. Dead family, missing eyes, took a plea deal, sent to Pennhurst." I said, sounding a bit bored. "What are we looking for exactly?" Robin asked but Nancy doesn't reply. "She does have a point, Nancy, what are we looking for? I mean, I see nothing here pertaining to dark wizards or curses..." I said and I hear her let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know. Okay? It's starting to seem like this was just a big waste of time." She said, annoyed, as she stands up and walks off.

"You're obviously bored. Why don't you call Steve? I'm sure he'll pick you up. And I mean, I'm not really in danger here, so..." Nancy sneers at me then she walks off and heads downstairs. I sighed as Robin and I share a look. "Thought I was done with this high school bullshit." I grumbled as I get up and follow Nancy down the stairs.

She pulled open a drawer full of cards and I come up behind her. "Okay, if you're gonna be this way, then let's talk like adults." I said, feeling annoyed at this whole thing. "What?" Nancy said, confused, as she looks at me over her shoulder. "I don't understand why you have it out for me, Nancy! You're the one that went after Jonathon, right?" I said and Nancy looks taken by this.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said and I scoff. "Bullshit, you know what exactly I'm talking about. Whenever I see you every now and then, dropping Max off to school and I see you and Mike heading to class. I'd wave at you and you would just ignore me or look at me like I'm a freak. And just a moment ago, you snapped at me..." I said and Nancy rolls her eyes at me.

"You're just being delusional." She said and my jaw drops at this. "If that's true, then cut the attitude. If you wanna cheat on another boyfriend, do it on someone else's time." I growled and she glares at me. I glare back at her, both of us waiting for the other to speak up until Robin speaks up.

"Holy shit. The Weekly Watcher. I can't believe they have this." She said and we look over to see her holding up archive tape. "Don't they write about, like, Bigfoot and UFOs?" Nancy asked, changing subject at our argument. "First, UFOs are absolutely real. Bigfoot I'm still on the fence about. But may I remind you we are looking for information on dark wizards? If someone's gonna write about that, it's gonna be these weirdos." Robin said, smiling, and we all share a look.

Later, we go up to the archive machine and flip through the old paper from the Weekly Watcher. "Ah. Elvis cloned by aliens." I remarked, sarcastically. "You never know." Robin said and I scoff as she flips through more and more papers while Nancy walked off, pacing.

"Victor Creel claims vengeful demon killed family. The murder that shocked a small community." Robin said, mocking the voice of a news anchor. "Ha, ha. That's very funny." Nancy said, uncaring. "She's not kidding. Get over here." I said as I read the headline Robin just read and Nancy comes over to look.

"According to several insiders, Victor believed his house was haunted by an ancient demon. Victor allegedly hired a priest to exorcise the demon from his home." I read out loud. "Pretty novel for the 50's. Exorcist wasn't out yet." Robin remarked. "Keep...Keep going." Nancy tells me and Robin flicked through the paper. "Okay, so Victor claimed this exorcism failed, but it angered this demon, which then murdered his family, removing their eyes. Victor believed he was spared as a punishment." Robin said as she reads over the paper.

"That's pretty convenient for Victor." Nancy said. "Yeah, or super inconvenient. Victor was declared legally insane by the court, right? What if this is why? I mean it sounds pretty insane. Just didn't go public because..." I said and Nancy stammers as she starts to think. "The plea bargain. The records were sealed." She said. "What if a demon did invade Victor's home? It's just, this demon wasn't any old demon." Robin said. "It was Vecna." Nancy and I said, in unison, all three of us feeling proud at what we found.

"Dustin, do you copy?" Robin asked into the walkie-talkie. "Yeah, I copy." Dustin said. "So, Nancy's a genius. Vecna's first victims date back all the way to 1959. Her shot in the dark was a bull's-eye." Robin said. "Okay, that's totally bunkers but I can't really talk right now." Dustin replied. "Wait, what are you doing?" Robin asked him. "Breaking and entering the school to retrieve some confidential and extremely personal files." Dustin's voice said but it went in and out.

"Can you repeat that?" Robin asked, confused. "Just get your asses over here. We'll explain everything." Dustin said before he ends the call. "I thought they were talking to Ms. Kelly." Nancy said, frustrated. "We leave them alone for two hours." Robin said, sarcastically, as she closes the antenna on her radio. "Maybe they couldn't get information out of her? Way our luck is, things never go as smoothly as we hope." I said as we all load up into Nancy's car and head to the school.

*3rd Person POV*

Meanwhile, at the school, Max, Dustin and Steve were able to break into Ms. Kelly's room and look through her files to not only Chrissy but Fred's as well. They look through it and Max realized that the two suffered through similar symptoms, symptoms that were familiar to her.

Nosebleeds, headaches, nightmares and then hallucinations...

Max couldn't believe what she was reading as she had been suffering through most of those symptoms, except for the hallucinations. But then she heard a deep, growling voice call out to her.

Max...

She turns in her seat then gets up and walks out onto the hallway as she hears the sounds of a ticking clock. She walks down the hallway and turns a corner to see an old grandfather clock as it ticks but also chimes an eerie sound four times. And then she hears the voice again, her heart thumping hard in her chest.

Max...