Alternate route: Nancy, Steve and Robin

Nancy Wheeler was a woman on a mission.

They all had their jobs to do. Dustin and Eddie were on distraction duty. Max was the bait, with Lucas protecting her and his sister as their lookout.

Nancy and Steve were going to kill Vecna.

It was not going to be easy: within the Upside Down, the Creel House was even more foreboding than it was on the surface. Neglected, dark, derelict, the house creaked constantly. It only seemed to be held together by the thousands of roots which had grown across every surface. Nancy eyed the ceiling, the walls, the floor, mindful that the black, oily tendrils seemed to be stirring slightly.

They would have to be very, very careful. Just one wrong step and they could alert the entire Upside Down to their presence.

Nancy winced at the sound of footsteps stumbling over something behind her. It should have just been her and Steve, but Robin had decided to come along too. Just what they needed.

What Nancy needed was Steve Harington. It was all she had been able to think about ever since they had all been brought together, after the abductions had started. She should have been focused on the task at hand. Stepping into the lion’s den, she should have been scared. Not just for herself, but for her friends too. Worried for Chrissie, for Fred, for poor Max who looked constantly scared out of her skin.

But all Nancy could feel was the butterflies in her stomach whenever Steve Harington looked at her. Like she was sixteen all over again. It was goddamn ridiculous.

Just like his ridiculous hair…

Nancy found herself biting her lip, realised she was doing it and lifted up her gun. She needed to stay focused. They were fighting-