SATELLITE [STEVE HARRINGTON]

total butthead

a/n: sorry guys i was wrong 😭 it's going down in the NEXT chapter 😭 it's the next chapter i'm sorry

GINNY JOINED STEVE'S SIDE IN THE CIRCLE OF THEIR FRIENDS UNDERNEATH THE CHANDELIER DOWNSTAIRS. Like the rest of the house, the chandelier was covered in cob webs, dust, and dirt.

Unlike the rest of the house, each bulb was lit bright orange and blinking.

The coldness in Ginny's body was stronger than ever, standing beneath the light fixture. It was so cold it felt like burning, searing creeping up the back of Ginny's neck.

It was accompanied by another familiar feeling— fear, burrowed deep in her chest. Her hand brushed Steve's, making him look at her.

She didn't look back as he intertwined their fingers slowly.

"It's like the Christmas lights," Nancy whispered.

Robin leaned toward her. "The Christmas lights?"

"When Will was in the Upside Down, the lights... Came to life."

Ginny swallowed thickly, the lump burning in her throat. "Vecna's here," she confirmed.

Steve glanced at her, but she stayed still, staring at the blinking lights. Her lips barely moved when she spoke.

"He's here... Just on the other side."

The lights blinked once more and shut off, leaving them in semi-darkness, with only light from their flashlights. Ginny kept her hand tucked in Steve's. He tightened his grip.

"I think he just left the room," Robin cracked, blinking up at the dark chandelier.

"Did he hear us?" Max asked.

"Can he see us?" Steve added.

Lucas turned to Max instantly, with a worried look. "Headphones," he urged.

Max complied instantly, pulling them up over her ears and blasting Kate Bush.

Nancy got an idea. "Everyone, turn off your flashlights and spread out."

No one argued, turning off their lights, except for Steve, whose grip tightened on Ginny's hand. "Wait— we're not gonna be able to see if we turn off our flash..." No one listened to him, and they were swadled in darkness. "...lights."

Ginny might have cracked a joke about him being scared of the dark, but in all honesty, she was scared too.

"Nancy said to spread out," she mumbled, watching as the rest of them left the room. She looked at Steve. "I'm not doing that."

"Yeah. You're not doing that," he said, holding her hand tighter and turning off his flashlight with the other hand. "Come on."

They hadn't trailed down the hall for long when Robin yelled, "I got him!"

Steve dragged Ginny through the house to where she called out for them. "I got him! I got him!"

Just as they approached, with Dustin in the rear, Robin's light went out.  She shrugged. "I had him."

Steve's flashlight suddenly lit up. He jumped back. "Oh, whoa." It flickered and he moved, following the direction in which the beam was strongest. "Oh, I think— I think he's moving. He's moving."

Ginny was quick to follow him, Dustin and Robin behind her. Nancy, Lucas, and Max joined them in the hall, as Steve fast-walking into the hall, up the stairs. The whole way, Ginny felt the searing cold. 

The light went out at the top of the stairs. "Shit. I lost him."

But the cold in Ginny's stomach did not lessen. Vecna wasn't gone.