Everyone had finally calmed down after Asher had nearly died. The group had all stressed and tried to find a way to save Asher, but the only person that wasn't really affected by it was Asher himself... well, he was, but he just wasn't showing it. Nearly dying didn't scare Asher, in all honesty, he didn't really care about dying or not. The thing that bothered Asher was the fact that Vecna is his biological father. The weird wizard thing that has killed people in the most brutal ways is his biological father. The very same thing that is trying to kill the girl he loves is the person that created him. Those two things and the fact that he put up with his 'dad' for so long and he isn't even related to the guy. If Asher had knew this information years ago, he would of left that house. Vecna doing this made Asher realises that he doesn't have a family. Asher now knew, he is on his own, and that's what bothered him.

"He, um, he showed me things that haven't even happened yet" Asher starts explaining to the group as they are all standing or sitting by him, with their focus solely on Asher "It was like... a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. And this... giant thing with a massive mouth, and it wasn't the only one. There was demogorgons, those bat things, the demo-dogs and loads of other ones as well. And they were in Hawkins, like, not the Upside Down Hawkins. This Hawkins. And then... he showed me you guys. And you guys... yeah, you were all--"

"Okay, but he's just trying to scare you, Ash" Steve says to Asher with a sigh "Right? I mean... I mean it's not real."

"Not yet but, like, what if this is his plan?" Asher asks "'Cause there was something else. So, you know the gates that are left when Vecna kills someone? Yeah, so those and another random one started spreading across Hawkins. Four gates, Steve. He needs four gates for his plan to work."

"Four chimes" Max pipes up, making everyone look at her "Vecna's clock. It always chimes four times. Four exactly."

"I heard it too" Asher tells Max with a nod.

"When did this happen? Was this when you were zoned out earlier?" Nancy asks Asher, making him nod his head "Why didn't you tell us about it?"

"Because we had other things to deal with first" Asher defensively says "And in all honesty, I thought I had longer than an hour before all of this happened."

"He's been telling us his plan this whole time" Max says to the group.

"Four kills" Lucas adds on "Four gates. End of the world."

"If that's true... he's only one kill away" Dustin mentions.

"Try them again. Try them again" Steve tells Max, who goes over to the phone to try and call the Byers' house phone again.

"How are you not all freak out over this?" Dustin asks Asher, seeing that he is acting no different to how he normally does.

"Because I'm still trying to get my head around it all" Asher says with a sigh, knowing that Dustin and him are talking about two completely different things "Max, you finally get an answer yet?"

"No" Max says "Rang a few times, then went to busy signal."

"Maybe you punched it wrong" Steve suggests "Try it again."

"I didn't punch it in wrong" Max defensively says.

"Well, I don't know" Steve says with a shrug.

"Dude, I think she knows how to use a phone" Dustin tells Steve.

"I'm just saying, she could of typed it in wrong" Steve defends himself.

"We both learned their number off by heart" Asher brings up "She didn't punch it in wrong."

"Same shit" Max says as she hangs up the phone, trying to call them for a second time.

"How is that possible?" Lucas asks.

"Joyce has a job where she's always on the phone" Asher tells Lucas "Do you not remember how much Mike complains about it?"

"All right, yeah, but this phone's been busy for, what, three days now?" Max asks "That's not Joyce. No way. Something's wrong."

"She's right" Nancy tells the group "It can't be just coincidence. It can't be. Whatever's happening in Lenora is connected to all of this. I'm sure of it. But Vecna can't hurt them. Not if he's dead. We have to go back in there. Back to the Upside Down."

"Are you crazy?" Asher asks.

"No, no, no, no" Eddie says, shaking his head.

"Whoa, no, no. What?" Steve asks "Let's think this through."

"What is there to think through?" Nancy asks Steve.

"We barley made it out of there in one piece" Steve tells her, pointing at himself and Asher.

"Yeah, because we weren't prepared" Nancy says to Steve "But this time, we will be. We'll get guns and protection. We'll go through the gate, find his layer, and we'll kill him."

"Or he'll kill us" Steve argues "The only reason Ash survived is because he wanted him to. He's not scared of us."

"And for good reason" Robin says as she stands up "We were wrong about Vecna. Henry. One. Sorry, what are we calling him now?"

"One" Both Lucas and Dustin say.

"Vecna" Erica says.

"Henry" Nancy also says.

"Dad" Asher mentions, making everyone look at him "What?"

"Why are you calling Vecna 'dad'?" Dustin asks Asher.

"Did I not mention that he's my biological dad?" Asher asks, making everyone shake their heads "Oh, well, um... yeah. Vecna's my biological dad, I was a lab experiment like El and apparently I knew her when I was little."

"Wait, what?" Eddie asks, trying to process what Asher had just said like everyone else was "I have so many questions."

"Yeah, how do you think I feel?" Asher asks in a joking tone while being completely serious.

"Right. We've learned something new about Vecna/One/Henry/Ash's dad" Robin carries on "He's a number like Eleven, only a sick, evil, male, child-murdering version of her with really bad skin... no offence, Ash."

"None taken" Asher says with a nod, letting Robin carry on.

"But my... my point is, he's super powerful. He could turn us inside out with a snap of his fingers. It's not a fair fight" Robin finishes off.

"So then why fight fair?" Dustin asks "You're right. He is like Eleven. But that gives us an upper hand. We know Eleven's strengths. And weaknesses."

"Weaknesses?" Erica asks being a little confused.

"When El remote travels, she goes into this sort of trance-like state" Dustin explains "I bet the same is true of Vecna."

"That would explain what he was doing in that attic" Lucas points out.

"Exactly. When he attacks his next victim, I'll bet you he's back in that attic, physical body defenseless" Dustin finishes explaining.

"Defenseless, yeah? What about the army of bats?" Steve asks, pointing to his neck.

"Right, true. We'll have to find a way past them" Dustin says with a shrug "Distract them somehow."

"And, uh, how do we do that exactly?" Eddie asks Dustin, also being confused with this plan Dustin is coming up with.

"No idea" Dustin says, shaking his head "But once they're gone, he doesn't stand a chance. It'll be like slaying sleeping Dracula in his coffin."

"That all sounds good in theory, but there is no pattern to Vecna's killings" Robin explains to Dustin "At least, not one I can decipher. We don't know when he's going to attack next. We don't even know who he's going to attack."

"Yeah, we do" Max quietly says, making everyone shift their attention over to her "I can still feel him. I'm still marked. Cursed. I ditch Kate Bush, I draw his focus back to me."

"No, absolutely not" Asher tells Max "Not happening. If you do that, you die. So, no. You're not doing it."

"I survived before" Max reassures Asher "I can survive again. I just need to keep him busy long enough so that you guys can get into that attic. Then you can chop his head off. Stab him in the heart. Blow him up with some explosive Dustin cooks up. I honestly don't care how you put this asshole in his grave. Just... whatever it is... whatever you do... try not to miss."

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Only a few more chapters left to go before season 4 is done!