[𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥: 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗬]

THE FIVE TEENAGERS HAVE BEEN ON the road for about almost an hour as max needed to be somewhere else.

sage has her head resting on max's lap, her legs on lucas's lap as the sinclair teen drums his fingers gently on the wheeler teen's calf's. max strokes her girlfriends hair, looking out her own window before speaking up.

"turn here," max says causing sage to snap her eyes open from falling asleep. dustin looks back at the red-head. "here?" he asks.

"just listen to her," sage mumbles, rubbing her eyes as max nods. "gosh i'm tired,"

max lets out a small laugh and continues to stroke sage's hair, seeing as it calms her down and also puts her to sleep.

steve turns into the cemetery before parking his car when max tells him to stop.

the wheeler twin lifts her head off max's lap, moving her legs off lucas's lap. the red-head gets out of the car, closing the door behind her.

sage watches her before getting out of the car as well, following her girlfriend.

"maxine," sage calls out. "sage, please, just wait in the car," max tells her girlfriend. "max, just wait. max, please." sage says and races towards the red-head. "sage, just wait —"

"just listen to me. just, please," sage says, standing in front of max, grabbing her hand gently and holding it. "i know something happened back there with your mother," sage starts as max squeezes her hand. "was it vecna?"

"i told you, i'm fine," max assures her girlfriend with a soft smile. "okay? i mean, as fine as someone who's hurtling towards a gruesome death can be," the red-head jokes before looking down at her and sage's hands.

"max . . . you know you can talk to me. right? you always come to me when something's wrong."

"yeah, i know that," max replies after a moment of silence. "okay, then why are you suddenly beginning to push me away? maxine, i'm only trying to protect you. okay, look," sage takes out the letter, showing it to max. "i don't need a letter. i don't want a letter. just talk to me. to your friends. to lucas. i don't care as long as you talk to someone. we're right here."

max looks over at the car then back at the brunette teen.

"i'm right here. okay? i'm here." sage says softly, bringing max's hand to her chest. "feel that?"

max furrows her eyebrows as she feels sage's heartbeat on the palm of her hand.

"it's beating for you, okay? come on, max. please." sage whispers, moving closer to the red-head, but max pulls away. "just wait in the car. this won't be long." max tells her girlfriend and walks off, away from her lover.

sage lets out a sigh, bringing her hands to her face, rubbing her eyes. a hand was then placed on her shoulder. sage looked up to see lucas.

"she'll come around," lucas says. "lucas, she needs to talk to us. you especially. she's been distancing herself away from you." sage tells him with a sigh, walking back to the car with the sinclair's arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"it's okay, sage, really,"

"lucas, it's not. she loved talking to you. you know the three of us were like a trio . . . an amazing trio that almost everyone loved. we had sleepovers together, we made the most stupidest jokes ever, and we had movie nights together." sage said with a soft smile, leaning against the car and staring at max, who was now sitting down on the grass, in front of billy's grave. "fun times, huh?" lucas asked with a small chuckle.

"hell yeah," sage agreed and smiled a little. "god, i hope she'll be okay," the brunette mumbles, her eyes never leaving max.

max opens up the letter she wrote for billy and stays silent for a moment before starting.

"dear billy, i don't know if you can ever hear this," max began. "two years ago, i would have said, that's ridiculous, impossible. but that was before i found out about alternate dimensions and monsters, so . . . i'm just going to stop assuming that i know anything. so has happened since you left. your dad was a total mess. he and my mom started getting into fights. bad fights. i don't think he could stand behind here without you. so he left. and he didn't leave mom much. she's taken an extra job, and we moved to that lovely trailer park off kerley. basically, ever since you left, everything's been . . . a total disaster. and the worst part is, i can't tell anyone why you're gone. i can't tell them you saved el's life. that you saved my life. my friends life. i play that moment back in my head all the time. and sometimes i imagine myself running to you, pulling you away. i imagine that if i had, that you would still be here. and everything would be . . . everything would be right again."

max wipes a tear that escaped her eye and continues reading on. "i imagine that we . . . that we could've become friends. good friends, like . . . like a real brother and sister. and i know that stupid. you hated me. i hated you. but i thought that maybe . . . maybe we could try again. but that's not what happened. i just . . . i stood there and i watched. for a while, i tried to be happy. normal. but i . . . i think that maybe a part of me died that day too. and i haven't told anyone this. i . . . i just can't. but i had to tell you . . . before it's too late. if you can even hear this. i really hope that you can. i'm sorry. i'm so, so sorry, billy. love, your shitty litter sister, max."

the mayfield teen folds the paper and puts it back in the envelope, not noticing the sky darken. just as max looks up, she sees how dark it got and how fog suddenly appears.

a clock chimes in the distance and the red head lets out a shaky breath, turning her head to the noise just to hear billy.

"max," billy says.

steve, tapping his fingers against the car door, looks at his watch and shakes his head.

"all right, it's been long enough," steve says and gets out of the car. "steve, just give her some time," lucas tells the harrington teen. "i have, all right, sinclair? i'm calling it. she wants to get a lawyer, she can." steve replies and walks off to where max is sitting.

sage rubs her hands together then looks over at dustin and lucas.

"max," steve calls out, jogging towards her. "time to giddy up, yeah?"

after getting no answer and seeing how she sat so still, the harrington teen kneels down in front of her, grabbing her shoulder.

"max? max. max. max!"

"max. i've been waiting to hear those words, max." billy says as he walks forward to the red-head, who is now on her feet. "waiting so very long."

when billy came into the light he looked exactly how he looked the day he died.

"wake up! hey!" steve claps his hands in front of max, attempting to wake her. "max, wake up!"

sage, noticing what steve is doing, leans off the car and runs towards the two teens without any hesitation. the brunette makes it over to her lover and friend, immediately kneeling down in front of the mayfield teen.

"max! wake up!" steve continues.

"oh, something's wrong," lucas says. "guys!" sage calls out to her friends, grabbing max's face.

dustin and lucas rush over to the situation.

"but it wasn't the full truth, was it, max?" billy asked his step-sister. max breathes heavily as billy reaches the red-head, bringing his hand to wipe the tear falling down her cheek. "you know, i think there's a part of you, buried somewhere deep, that wanted me to die that day,"

max immediately shook her head at him.

"that was maybe even relieved. happy."

"billy, no, that's not true," max told him. "that's why you stood there, isn't it, max? it's okay. you can admit it now. no more lies. no more hiding."

"billy, that's not true, i swear," max chokes out, backing up. "i swear it's not true,"

"that is why you feel such guilt," billy continued, stepping forward as max backed away. "no," max sobs. "why you hide from your friends. why you hide from your girlfriend. why you hide from the world." the hargrove teen said.

"no. no."

"and why, late at night, you have sometimes wished to follow me. follow me into death. that is why i am here, max. to end your suffering once and for all." billy said. "no," max said before backing up and falling back to the floor.

when the red-head lifts her head to look at billy, vecna is standing in the position where billy was at. max's eyes widened in horror.

"it is time, max," vecna says lowly. "time for you to join me,"

max breathes heavily as she gets up from the floor, running away from vecna. the creature watches the mayfield teen run off, not moving from his spot.

"max, you gotta get outta there! can you hear me?" lucas calls out to max.

"max!"

"maxine, wake up, please, it's me," sage calls out as she shakes max's shoulders. "call nancy and robin! go get 'em! call nancy and robin! go!" steve orders dustin as the henderson teen scoots back, falling backwards but gets up, rushing to the car.

"please, max!" lucas says. "maxine, come on!" sage continues, tears now threatening to spill from her eyes. "wake up, for fucks sake!"

max continues to run through the dark graveyard, panting heavily before coming to a stop, hiding behind a wall. the red-head take a peek from behind the wall to see vecna appear from behind the fog.

"you cannot hide from me, maxine," vecna speaks.

max turns around and gets up again, running off away from vecna. once she knew she was far away she gasps for air, coming to a stop.

"sage!" max begins to scream. "dustin! lucas! sage, please, help! dustin! lucas!"

the red-head suddenly sees a red light coming from the fog. the mayfield teen furrows her eyebrows as she steps forward into the fog. max walks through stormy graveyard before feeling as if she stepped on something wet.

max looks down to see she was stepping on blood. when she lifts her head back up her eyes land on what seemed to look like a layer. the red-head continues walking forward.

"guys!" dustin shouts, running over to the group with the walkman and tapes. "what is this?" lucas asks the henderson teen.

"what's her favorite song?" dustin asks. "why?" sage asks, looking at the walkman and music. "robin said if she listens . . . it's too much to explain now. what's her favorite song?"

"um, kate bush! kate bush! look for kate bush!" sage exclaimed and the boys immediately dive into the music, looking for kate bush. "kate bush as in the artist or —"

"something that says kate bush!" sage raised her voice before she turns to max, cupping her face.

max walks through the layer, the sound of the grandfather clock ticking sounded louder than before. the mayfield teen looks around to see stairs, the grandfather clock floating in the air as a vine was wrapped around it, and a door with a red rose on it also floating.

"what are you doing in here, max?" vecna's voice was heard.

max ignores his voice and steps on eyeballs. a wet popping sound caught her attention and caused her to look down at what she stepped on. when she lifts her foot, baby spiders crawl out from underneath her shoe. max moves her foot to see the spiders came out from the eyeball.

"come back to me,"

max spins around to see chrissy, her bones broken, her skin dead as she was hung up to a wall with vines around her.

max gasps at the sight and slowly backs up before seeing fred's figure as well.

"how do you like them, max?" vecna asks, suddenly appearing causing the red-head to turn to look at him. "would you like to join them?"

the creature steps closer to max but the teen ran off. vecna flicks his hand and a vine grabs onto max's ankle, causing her to fall forward.

"shit!" max screams as the vine grips onto her ankles tightly before dragging her. "no!"

max's back comes in contact with a wall and her arms get held back by more vines. a vine then wraps around the mayfield teens neck, choking her as she tries gasping for air.

"which one is it?"

"lucas, which one is it?"

"sage, help us!"

sage turns around to look at the boys before looking through the different kinds of songs max had with her.

"kate bush, you guys, kate bush!" sage yells as she grabs the kate bush song, taking the tape out and putting it in the walkman. "y'all kill me sometimes!" the wheeler teen says before playing the music. "headphones! put them on her!"

dustin grabs the headphones and puts them on max's head, making sure they're on her ears right. sage lets out a deep breath and cups max's face, rubbing her thumb over her cheek.

"max, wake up!"

max hears running up that hill from kate bush before hearing sage, and the boys. the red-head looks over to see a hole to freedom.

"max, we're right here!"

"come on, max!"

"they can't help you, max," vecna says as he turns his head to look back at the teen. "she can't save you . . . there's a reason you hide from them."

"max!"

"maxine!"

"you belong here, with me,"

max coughs up as the vine tightens around her throat. "you're not really here," max chokes out.

"oh, but i am, max," vecna replies. "i am,"

the creature raises his left hand over max's face and the mayfield teen suddenly rises up from her spot on the graveyard.

"maxine —"

sage gasps loudly as a ringing sound is heard in her head, visions of max floating appearing in her mind. the wheeler teen lets out a small cry at the pain of the headache, but reaches her hand out, stopping max from going any higher.

"max!" the boys begin to shout as sage continues to try and bring max down.

"maxine," sage whispers before feeling her nose begin to bleed. "let go," vecna speaks into sage's mind causing her headache to get worse and let go of the mayfield teen, falling to her knees.

max looks over at the hole, memories flashing through her mind.

"i don't want a letter. we're right here. i'm right here."

max closed her eyes and the memory of her and lucas tossing candy in each other's mouths at the hospital appears. a memory of her, eleven, and sage appears. it was then at the starcourt mall with smiles on their faces. her lucas and dustin on halloween in middle school. the day lucas and dustin offered max to trick of treat. the photos she, eleven, and sage had took at the mall. the sleepover her, lucas, and sage had. lucas twirling max around with a smile. her and eleven giggling together. her and mike together in the school gym in middle school. her and lucas together at the movies, smiling at each other. her and eleven hugging each other goodbye. her and sage laughing as she puts blue sunglasses on the wheeler teen. her and sage dancing together in sage's room. her and sage's first kiss. and finally, her giving eleven and sage a high five.

max's eyes snap open and her hand gets free from the vine. she reaches over and pulls one of vecna's vines from his neck. max falls to the ground and looks over at the hole, getting up immediately and running towards it.

vecna heals his injury then closes his fist, the rocks of blood falling down to floor in attempt to stop her from running. max falls when the first one comes down, but she quickly gets up, running faster to the hole. the mayfield teen dodges all the spikes and rocks of blood heading her way breathing heavily as she gets closer.

"max! max!"

max gasps, her eyes snapping open as she falls to the ground. sage stands up, catching her lover in her arms as the boys surround the couple.

"max! max!"

"maxine! oh my god." sage says and hugs her girlfriend tightly as max hyperventilates. "it's okay, it's okay. i thought we lost you." sage whispers as max clings onto her girlfriend.

"i'm still . . . i'm still here." max tells sage, and her friends. "i'm still here,"

AUTHORS NOTE //

pulled an all nighter just to write this.

bee <3