CLIII
Two years, six months, and six days after Henry's disappearance
It takes them barely fifteen minutes to reach the Harrington residence, but they must be the longest fifteen minutes of their lives, expecting monsters behind every bush.
"You think this is what Hawkins would look like after an apocalypse?" Robin asks anxiously as they approach Steve's house.
"Hopefully, we'll never find out," her father replies.
When they finally arrive, they all startle at the sight: thick, fleshy vines wrap around the house. Robin drops her backpack to the ground and rummages through it. Moments later, she pulls out a small axe.
"Ha! I knew I should've brought it," she says, straightening up again.
"Wait," Eleven stops her. "I think… if we cut the vines, he'll know where we are."
She's not entirely sure, but from what she has understood about the way Henry controls the creatures, it's likely that all living beings—if they can be called that—in this dimension are connected to one another.
Like a hive mind.
"Jonathan," Hopper then says, throwing a glance at his brother, "come with me. Let's find another way in."
"But we're wasting time!" Robin snaps, gripping the axe handle so tightly that her knuckles turn white. "Steve could be—!"
"It's not smart to paint a target on our backs," Hopper grunts in response. "Give us a few minutes, alright? There's gotta be an uncovered window somewhere around here…"
Joyce places a hand on Robin's shoulder, trying to calm her. "Just a moment, sweetheart," she asks gently. "It'll be best for Steve too if we can get him out of there without putting him in danger."
To Robin's relief—and everyone else's—Jonathan returns quickly and gestures for them to follow him.
It's the kitchen window. While there is a vine nestled right on the sill, it's not unreasonable to assume they could get through without drawing attention to themselves. They're still debating the best way to open it when Robin throws a brick at it.
"There," she announces as the others stare at her in shock.
The police officer simply massages his temples with the fingers of his left hand, obviously displeased, but unwilling to add unnecessary tension now that the damage is done.
"Thank you for your contribution, Robin. Now—"
"I'll go in," Eleven offers. "I'm the smallest one here."
It's true—even Nancy, who is petite, is taller than her. Analyzing the situation, the choice is obvious.
"Find a door we can use to get in," Hopper instructs as Jonathan helps her climb through the window. "Don't even think about doing anything on your own in there."
"Got it."
This time, they aren't as lucky—all the doors Eleven finds are covered in vines. Since she knows her father will do nothing short of telling her to come back or trying to get in through the kitchen window—something that will undoubtedly alert the other Henry, as she doubts the officer's ability to sneak in unnoticed—she decides to take the risk herself.
Since she hasn't found Steve on the ground floor, she figures the best thing to do is go up the stairs to the first floor before her father catches on to her plan.
It's not hard to tell Steve's room apart from his parents'—the slightly open door reveals a wall covered in posters of the Hawkins basketball team and a few scantily clad female singers.
Careful not to touch any vines, she pushes it open, and a disturbing creak echoes through the silence of the empty house.
What she sees makes her want to vomit instantly.