[𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗬𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞]

THE OLDER TEENS WERE GETTING choked, eddie is sacrificing himself, what is happening with sage, max, and lucas?

max was currently barricading the doors in the wheeler house with chairs, desks, with anything she can find around the house.

the red-head didn't want to admit, but she was scared for her life. max grabbed a chair from the dining room and began to walk to the door.

when she saw the door, everything was gone. the door slowly began to creak and vecna's voice was heard.

"you can't hide from me, max,"

the mayfield teen was about to run, but she held her ground and closed her eyes. taking a deep breath in, she began to remember any other good memories she could hide in.

"you don't think i don't see what you're doing?"

max didn't listen.

"you think i don't see . . . everything?"

visions of everyone max knew popped in her mind causing her to furrow her eyebrows.

"you thought your friends . . . could stop me? you thought sage could stop me?"

max began to breathe heavily at the mention of sage. "i see them." vecna continued. "i see your friends. just as clearly as i . . . see you."

"i can feel them. i can feel them dying."

the mayfield teen snaps her eyes open at the sound of the clock chime.

"it's time, max."

max turned around, looking around the house as the song 'dream a little dream of me' began to distort.

the second max turned back around, vecna appeared in front of her. "it's time."

max gets sent flying back towards the wall. the red-head cried out in pain as her back hit the hard wall of the house. vecna began to walk over to her, the sound of wet footsteps squelching.

"WE CALL HIM VECNA," LUCAS SPOKE to the blond. "he lives in another dimension. sage nodded, the gun still pointed at her head.

"that's why you can't see him. and eddie munson and his . . . his hellfire acolytes —"

"what, you all summoned this vecna?" jason asked the sinclair teen, not believing a single word he was saying. "no, no, you're not listening. just listen." sage exclaimed to the older teen.

"there . . . there's no cult." lucas stated. "there never was!" sage added.

"you expect me to believe that?"

"it's the truth!"

"then why was chrissy at eddie's trailer?"

"she was buying drugs!" sage explained. "i was in the vehicle with them at night! i heard everything they were saying."

"liar!" jason yells and the safety clicks. lucas held his arms out. he didn't want his best friend to get shot. "okay . . ." he pants. "okay."

"she was seeing things. terrible things. things vecna forced her to see. she was scared."

"no,"

"she just needed help."

"that's how i know you're lying," jason spoke. "if chrissy was scared, if . . . if chrissy wanted help, she would've came to me! not eddie! not that freak! never!"

"you're wrong about eddie," sage spoke up. "no. but i was wrong about you. i should've never let you in the door."

lucas glared at him. "and i should've never knocked." he stated and slowly lowered his arms down to his side. "i thought i wanted to be like you. popular. normal. but it turns out, normal's just a raging psychopath."

"you have five seconds to wake her up," jason pressed the gun to the side of sage's head causing her to flinch. "four . . . three —"

"sage watch out!" lucas yelled before tackling jason. the wheeler twin yelped and ducked down, but not in enough time to catch herself from falling down to the floor. "shit!"

the teen groaned in pain and slowly got up from the floor, but something was wrong. sage put her hand to where the walkman was.

it broke from her fall.

"no . . . no," sage mumbled, taking the walkman from her jean pocket. she wanted to cry. the one thing that would save max, was broken.

snapping out of her thoughts, she saw lucas getting punched over and over by jason. she dropped the walkman to the floor, raising her hands and throwing jason to the wall with the strength she had left.

"fuck you! you ruined our lives!" sage cried out, her eyes glowing an orange-red. jason groaned in pain, looking over at the teen, his eyes widening at the wheeler teens eyes. "stay out of this,"

the brunette turned to look at lucas, "the walkman . . . it's —"

sage was then tackled to the floor. she felt a blow to the jaw. another blow to the nose.

"you. fucking. demon."

VECNA KEPT WALKING TOWARDS the red-head, who was still up against the wall.

vecna got closer and max struggled to get free from the tight grip he had on her. he growled and max whimpered. she was terrified.

"you are brave, maxine." he spoke. max cringed. she hated when anybody but sage called her 'maxine'. "much braver than your brother. but in the end . . . you are weak and fragile, just like him." max breathes heavily. "like all the rest of them." the mayfield teen shook her head.

"and you will break."

he lifted his hand, his long fingers just hovering over the red-heads face. just as he was about to plunge his fingers into her skin, he was thrown back away from the teenager.

max fell to the floor.

vecna was panting. he thought, she couldn't have . . . she can't be here —

max lifts her head up from the ground, looking over to where vecna was. it was until her eyes caught a figure walking out with her hand out.

eleven.

she stood behind him and rotated him to where he can look at her. he growled at the sight of her. the teen smirked before throwing him under the stairs, creating a big hole.

LUCAS THREW JASON OFF OF SAGE and gave him a punch. the wheeler teen coughed, spitting out blood from her mouth.

just as the sinclair teen was about to punch him again, the blond took ahold of an item, hitting the dark-skinned boy across the head with it.

"lucas!" sage cried out as she winced in pain from the punches she took from jason.

MAX STOOD UP FROM THE FLOOR and ran over to eleven, taking ahold of her arms.

"max, are you okay?" eleven asked her, worry planted on her face. "huh?" max asked, confused on how she appeared here.

"are you okay?" eleven asked again. "yeah," max answered with a nod. "are you . . . real? did i . . . di- did i make you?" the hopper teen took max's hands into her own, holding them.

"i'm real."

"how?"

"i piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer."

the red-head furrowed her eyebrows. "what?"

"uh —"

wood creaking was heard and the two girls turned around. they both began to walk over to the staircase where they saw vecna help himself out of the hole eleven threw him in. he stood up, his raspy growls echoed around the house before he cracked his neck.

"stay back," eleven demanded. she then strode over to him. "if you touch her again, i will kill you again."

"is that what you did?" vecna questioned. "hmm." he hummed. "did you . . . kill me? i am so glad you are here, eleven. this . . . is going to be beautiful."

eleven glared at him as he lifted his hands up from his sides, lifting up the wood from behind him. "so beautiful. and all thanks to you."

vecna launched the wood at eleven, but she threw it to the side. just by getting distracted at that, he found the opportunity to throw her back.

eleven crashed back onto the dining table and before she can even process the pain, she was being dragged across the floor, and thrown over the kitchen counter.

she was then thrown over to the chairs, landing on the floor with a grunt. she whimpered in pain as she lifted her head up to see vecna striding to her. just as she thought it was over, max ran over with a piece of wood, yelling. however, vecna didn't let her hurt him. he threw her to the floor, her back and head hitting the kitchen counter, knocking her out cold.

eleven stood up and reached her hand out, but vecna was stronger. he walked towards her as she struggled to move. he stretched his hand out and he lifted eleven off of the floor. he brought the teen closer to him, her hands by her sides now.

"before i kill you . . . i want you to watch."

suddenly, the hopper teen was thrown back into his lair. she rolled across the floor, blood sticking to her white clothes. the tentacles made their way to eleven's arms, dragging her across the floor and pinning her down to the creek house door.

her eyes fluttered open and she looked around her surroundings. she noticed chrissy's body causing her eyes to fill with tears. eleven then saw vecna carrying max over his shoulders.

she gasps when he puts her down to the floor. the tentacles lift the red-head up, pinning her down against the wall. the sound of wet squelching was heard as vecna stared at max getting hung.

"papa is dead," eleven spoke up, her voice echoing across the whole lair. vecna turns around to face the teen girl. "i know what he did to you. you were different." vecna began to take steps towards the hopper teen as she spoke.

"like me," she sobbed. "and he hurt you. he made you . . . into this. he is the monster, henry." the girl shook her head. "not you. not you."

"you're right," henry said as he reached the teen, stepping in front of her. "you and i, we are different. and papa did hurt me. but he was no monster. he was just a man. an ordinary, mediocre man. that is why he sought greatness in others. in you. and me."

eleven breathes heavily before feeling hand under her chin. "but in the end, he could not control us. he could not shape us. he could not change us. do you not see, eleven? he did not make me into this." he paused. "you did."

eleven's eyes widen.

"at first, i believed you had sent me to my death. to purgatory. but i was wrong. i was somewhere new." vecna began to explain. "i became an explorer. and explorer of a realm unspoiled by mankind. i saw so many things. and one day, i found the most extraordinary thing of all. something that would change everything. i saw a means to realize my potential. to transcend my human form. to become the predator i was always born to be."

"it was . . . it was you. always you." eleven murmured. "all i needed was someone to open the door. and you did that for me. without even realizing it. didn't you?"

eleven let out a sob at the memory that flashed in her mind.

"and when you did realize, you chose to resist. so i sought a means to open my own doors. i sought . . . your power. sage's power. so don't you see? once again, you have freed me."

"no," eleven cried, her head shaking. "you don't have to do this. you can still stop this."

"it is over, eleven. your friends have lost."

eleven let out a sob as she put her head down in realization. she lost. her friends lost.

"there is nothing. nothing you can do to stop this now." he took eleven's chin, making her look at him as he spoke. "hawkins will burn and fall. and the rest of this senseless, broken world. and i will be there."

   SAGE SLOWLY GOT UP FROM THE floor as lucas and jason were still at it. she spat out some more blood she had in her mouth.

"i will be there to pick up the pieces when it does."

sage reached her hand out weakly towards jason. she let out a grunt as she began to attempt to throw jason away from the sinclair teen.

"and remake it into something . . . beautiful."

   "THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I HAD hoped to have you by my side." he moved his face closer to eleven's. "but now i just want you to watch."

eleven whimpered as he stepped away, walking back to the red-head girl. just then, the vines wrapped around her neck, choking her.

henry strode over to max as she began to wake up. she saw the man towering over her and began to breathe heavily. tears fell down her face. she wasn't ready to die. she wasn't ready to leave her family, her friends, her girlfriend.

"don't be afraid." he said. "try and stay very still."

max sobbed. "no."

"it will all be over soon."

he put his hand over her face. eleven struggled against the vines. "max!" she yelled, crying.

the mayfield teen looked up at his large hand. she knew her life was over. she wanted someone to come save her, however. she wanted sage to come and appear out of nowhere, and save her.

   IN THE ATTIC, MAX BEGAN TO HOVER in the air causing sage to lower her hands and turn around. her brown eyes widen as she stared at her girlfriend in the air.

she began to cry knowing she wasn't able to save her because the walkman was broken.

"no," she shook her head, sobbing. "no, please."

   ELEVEN FROZE AT THE SOUND OF mike's voice.

"el? i don't know if you can hear this, but . . . but if you can, i want you to know i'm here, okay? i'm right here. and . . . i love you!"

the hopper teen squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling down her cheeks.

"el, do you hear me? i love you. i'm sorry i don't say it more. i-it's not because i'm scared of you. i'm not. i . . . i've never felt that way. never. but i am scared that one day you'll realize you don't need me anymore. and i thought if i said how i felt, it would somehow make that day hurt more. but the truth is, el, i don't know how to live without you. i feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods. you were wearing that yellow benny's burgers t-shirt. and it was so big, it almost swallowed you whole."

eleven chuckled at the memory.

"and i knew right then and there, in that moment, that i loved you. and i've loved you every day since. i love you on your good days. i love you on your bad days. i love you with your powers, without your powers. i love you for exactly who you are. you're my superhero. and . . . and i can't lose you."

the hopper teen began to cry more at mike's words.

"okay? do you hear me? i can't lose you. you can do anything. you can fly. you can move mountains. i believe that. i really do. but right now, you just have to fight. okay? el. do you hear me?"

eleven glanced over at the red-head who was struggling to break free.

"you need to fight! you have to fight. fight!"

eleven took a deep breath in then let it all out.

"fight!"

the vines around her neck began to loosen around her.

   SAGE HEARD A GRUNT AND SHE whipped her head around to see lucas punching jason. he sent a forceful blow to the blond and he knocked out.

   VECNA'S LONG FINGERS PLUNGED into max's skin causing her to grunt.

   SAGE SCREAMED AS SHE FELL TO HER knees. the pain in her limbs, the visions of max's bones breaking haunted her.

one arm snapped, then a leg. her other arm snapped, then a leg.

"max!" lucas screamed.

"no!" sage screamed in pain. "maxine!"

the wheeler twins nose bled down to her lips and her brown eyes were covered in tears.

once the pain was gone and the visions were over, sage turned around on her knees. max fell from the air and sage managed to catch her in her arms. she may have felt weak, but it did not stop her from catching her girlfriend.

"maxine," sage sobbed. the wheeler teen moved some of max's red hair away from her face.

lucas rushed over to them, falling to his knees on the other side of the mayfield teen. "come on, max, talk to us."

max gasped loudly and sage immediately cupped her face with one hand. "maxine, max!" tears fell down her face when she couldn't see her bright blue eyes anymore. "i'm sorry," sage sobbed.

erica broke in and lucas looked up at the sound of his name.

"we need a doctor!" he yelled at her. "call an ambulance! hurry call an ambulance!"

"sage . . ." max managed to say. "yes, yes i'm here. lucas is here too." sage answered, holding the red head in her arms. "i . . . i can't feel or . . ." max gasps as she tries to talk. ". . . see anything."

"i know. i know. it's okay. we're gonna get you help, okay?"

"just . . . just hold on." lucas informed her, holding her hand. "guys, i'm scared. i'm so scared. i'm so scared." max said.

"i know, i know, i know," sage said tearfully. "i don't wanna die. i'm not ready." max sobbed and she shook her head. "you're not gonna die. hang on!" sage told her girlfriend.

"i don't wanna go! i'm not ready!"

"you're not gonna die!"

"just . . . just hang on!"

"max. max! max!" sage said and pressed her forehead against hers. "no, no, no, maxine. stay with me. max, stay with me! don't go, max."

"max, stay with us," lucas cried as he held her hand tightly. "just look at sage, max. max, look."

"no, stay with me, max." sage sobbed, not taking her eyes away from her struggling girlfriend. "hang on. just hang on."

"erica, help!" lucas shouted as he looked at the door.

sage choked on her sob before noticing max wasn't moving. "maxine? max? max? max? maxine, stay with me! max, please, stay with me!" she sobbed when she realized.

"no! no! no!" lucas began to shake her. "max! max! please, stay with us!"

lucas wails in pain as sage lets out an anguished sob, pulling max's lifeless body towards her, hugging her tightly as she rocked back and forth. she held her as she cried.

suddenly the building began to rumble. "lucas, get jason. i've got her." sage said in between sobs as she weakly stood up. "what?" lucas asked.

"we can't leave him to die!"

sage dragged max's body with her as lucas took jason's unconscious body, pulling him in the direction his friends went just in time for vines to appear. sage looked down at the floor with wide eyes. a gate was opening up.

four clock chimes were heard. lucas and sage looked at each other with terrified looks as they sat on the floor.

once the rumbling stopped, jason began to stir awake. he didn't say anything when he saw the gate in front of him. he didn't say anything even when he saw max's lifeless body being held in sage's arms.

sage sniffled as she stared at max's body.

   TWO DAYS LATER PASSED BY AND sage was in the hospital with lucas and erica. she didn't leave max's side when she suddenly gasped awake in her arms.

lucas was currently reading her a book as the wheeler teen was resting her head on the bed as she listened to the sinclair teen.

"he opened his eyes, and further words died in his throat. he forgot about the need to sick up that horrible parody of wine. he forgot about his mother, and uncle morgan, and his father, and almost everything else. speedy was gone. the graceful arcs of the roller coaster against the sky were gone. he could feel the hair stirring on the nape of his neck, could feel a goofed-up grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. "speedy! i'm here, my god! i'm here in the territories!" "

lucas stopped reading and took a look at max. his smile began to fade.