[𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗘]

"HE SAID, HE WAS BUILDING SOMETHING," eleven said to the party, now seated on the couch. "and that it was all for us," sage added on, also on the couch, motioning between eleven and herself.

"building something . . ." max said. "is he talking about the flayed?"

"he must be," nancy told her. "so, he's building an army just like we thought," lucas said.

"yeah, but he's not building this army to spread," mike informed. "he's building it to stop sage and eleven," will finished off.

"last year, el closed the gate on him. sage helped take the mind flayer out of will. i have a feeling that really pissed him off." mike told them. "like, royally," lucas added.

"and the mind flayer now knows they're the only thing that can stop him," mike says. "but if they're out of the way —"

"game over,"

"he also said . . . he was gonna kill all of you," eleven told the party.

silence.

"yeah, well, that's nice," max said, breaking the silence in the room. "yeah, totally," sage mumbled, leaning her head on max's shoulder.

nancy looks over at the window, slowly walking towards it. a faint screeching noise was heard by the eldest wheeler teen.

"do you guys hear that?" nancy asks.

no one answers as they try to get a sense of what nancy is hearing.

"it's just the fireworks," johnathan tells her. "billy . . ." nancy says and turns around to face the girls. "when he told you this, it was here, in this room?" the wheeler teen asks.

sage and eleven nod in reply.

distant rumbling noise are heard as everyone looks around the cabin. will raises his hand to the back of his neck, feeling it.

"he knows we're here." will says.

everyone quickly goes outside to see where billy or the mind flayer could possibly be. in the distance, a large creature, that looked to be in the shape of the mind flayer, knocks down trees.

sage and eleven stare at the creature, breathing heavily. everyone splits up. nancy goes over to the shed, opening the doors, and turning on the light. she spots a shotgun and takes it, making sure it's loaded.

johnathan takes an axe off a tree branch then goes inside to see the teens barricading the windows. sage helps max and then lets out a sigh when the two were done.

"hey, get away from the windows," nancy tells the teens.

all the teens gather around in the middle of the room, staying close to each other. sage takes ahold of max's hand as they look around the cabin. the lights start flickering and the cabin begins to shake just slightly.

"it's close," will says.

the leaves rustle from outside and branches snap. a glass cup falls to the floor, breaking from the impact. the rumbling suddenly stops.

"where'd it do?" max asks.

everyone continues to look around the cabin until a creature, that was apart of the mind flayer, breaks through the cabin walls causing everyone to scream and move away from the middle.

the younger teens back up into a wall — sage and eleven in front of their friends for protection.

johnathan hits his axe to the creature causing it to shriek. the older byers teen takes another hit at the monster and just as he's about to take a third hit — the creature throws him back to the wall.

the creature makes it way to johnathan, but nancy quickly starts shooting at the monster. the creature wails, screeches at nancy.

the wheeler teen tries shooting at the creature again but realizes she's out of ammo. the creature strikes towards nancy, but sage raises her hand and stops it. the creature wails as sage holds the monster back from attacking her sister.

the creature shrieks as sage breaks the head off. max yelps as the creature goes out from the hole it came from.

"holy shit."

another creature came in and eleven got in front of sage, stopping it. a second creature comes in and sage stops it, her back facing el's back.

the two girls pant as they hold the creatures from attacking them. they focus as the creatures shriek and bark at the teenagers.

sage and eleven break off the heads, yelling. they breathe heavily as the creatures go back to from their hole. it was until then, two creatures come from the roof, roaring and shrieking.

the monsters grab ahold of the girls legs causing them to scream. they get dragged up but mike grabs onto both his sister, and lover.

"el! sage!"

the girls scream in pain as they try getting out of the creatures grip.

max runs over and grabs ahold of sage, trying to pull her back down as sage sobs. johnathan begins to help the two as the rest of the party join in to rescue the girls.

"nancy, shoot it!" johnathan yells as nancy finishes up reloading the shotgun.

sage and eleven scream in pain as the creature tries pulling them towards him. nancy aims her gun at the creature, and shoots it.

the monster lets out a pained snarl but nancy keeps shooting at it.

lucas stands back, watching the situation before running to the axe.

"come on! lucas!" max calls out.

the sinclair teen picks up the axe, jumping on a little table, and hitting the creature with a yell. the creature roars. lucas takes another hit as nancy keeps shooting at the creature.

"max!" sage cries, holding onto the mayfields arms for dear life.

the teens then feel themselves get pulled forward a little. lucas hits the creature again as nancy shoots it.

"pull!"

lucas takes one last hit and the head breaks off. eleven falls to the floor with mike, holding him tightly.

"lucas! come on, hurry!" max screams at the sinclair teen, still holding onto sage.

sage screams in pain as lucas hits the creature that had sage's leg. max then decided to take the risk and wrapped her arms around sage's waist, pulling her down. the wheeler twin wraps her arms around max's neck, sobbing.

will and johnathan get up, beginning to help the red-head with sage.

lucas hit the creature again and again and again, and again until, finally, the creatures head broke off. sage and max fall down to the floor, holding each other tightly.

"you're okay, i got you. i have you. you're okay." max says as she holds onto sage.

sage lets out a sob before looking over at how eleven is doing. she sees mike kneel down in front of el's leg before seeing him pull the head off of eleven's ankle.

the hopper teen screams in pain at the feeling.

sage looks down at her ankle to see the head attached to her also. the younger wheeler twin cries softly then looks at max. the mayfield teen moves hair away from sage's face before mike gets to sage, slowly pulling the creature head.

the wheeler teen screams in pain, gripping onto max tightly. mike rips the head off and throws it away. sage breathes heavily before looking up at the creature. the wheeler teen slowly gets up from the floor — max helping her.

sage limps forward with eleven before the girls stretch their arms out, yelling. the two begin to rip the flesh of the mind flayer's head before ripping its face apart.

eleven falls back and will catches her quickly as sage gets caught by max.

"go, go, go!" nancy shouts to the teens. "come on, come on, go!" johnathan yells and gets off the floor, rushing to move the couch from the door.

"everybody out!"

mike helps will with eleven and lucas helps max with sage. johnathan drops the couch and opens the door, allowing the teens to run out of the cabin doors.

everyone rushes over to the vehicle. nancy goes to the driver seat, getting in. lucas, sage, and max go to the backseat while will, mike, and eleven go to the very back of the car. johnathan gets in the passenger seat, shutting his door quickly.

"drive! drive!" mike yells as eleven groans in pain. nancy turns on the car and drives away.

sage groans in pain as lucas puts her legs on his lap as max puts her head on her lap, stroking her hair gently.

"how bad is it?" max asks lucas. "it's . . . it's bad," lucas replies, looking at the red-head.

"that bad?" sage asks softly, scrunching her face in pain when her leg moves.

   THE CAR AGGRESSIVELY PULLS INTO a store parking lot.

everyone gets out of the car and nancy throws a rock at the glass doors. they all walk into the place, immediately walking to the medical isle.

"get them down,"

will and mike set eleven down carefully as max and lucas do the same with sage.

"okay. lemme see." nancy says, kneeling down in front of the two girls.

mike rolls up el's pants as lucas gently moves sage's leg to a different angle because the bite was already shown since she was wearing shorts.

"oh, shit,"

sage and eleven groan in pain at the small movements and nancy takes the rubbing alcohol in her hands.

"what — what — hey, what are you doing?" max asks the wheeler teen. "i'm cleaning the wound," nancy replies. "no, first, we need to stop the bleeding, then clean, then disinfectant, then bandage," max explains to the teenager.

nancy looks at the red-head and she sighs.

"i skateboard. trust me."

"yeah, it's true, trust her," sage says with a groan.

"mike, hold this." max tells him, giving him a napkin and putting his hand and the napkin on eleven's wound.

el groans in pain. "keep the pressure on it, nice and firm, okay? we're gonna need, water, soap."

"yeah, okay," nancy says and gets up with johnathan, walking off.

lucas opens his backpack and dumps out everything that was in the bag. max turns around and looks at him, confused.

"does any of this help?" lucas asks. "no. go get me a washcloth and a bowl." max tells him.

"a bowl?"

"lucas."

will gently whacks lucas' arm and walks off. lucas nods and walks off with the byers teen.

max sighs then grabs a napkin, putting it on sage's wound making her groan in pain at the pressure. the red-head looks up at sage, her face falling as if she were coming to realization.

"i'll . . . i'll be right back." max stammers before getting up and walking off.

mike watches max walk off before he uses his other hand to put pressure on his sisters wound.

"that doesn't look like a bowl," max says as she walks towards will and lucas, who were near the fireworks. "nah, it's way better," lucas tells her.

"there is a reason this warning label says "18 or older." this sucker is filled with 150 grains of black powder. aka gunpowder."

lucas tosses the box to max. the red-head catches it, looking down at the box.

"strap two of these together, and it's bigger than an m-80. five of them, we've got ourselves a stick of dynamite."

"you wanna kill that thing with fireworks?" max asks the sinclair teen. "do you have a better idea?" lucas questions her. "uh, yeah. eleven and sage." max replies and throws the box back at the sinclair teenager.

"against that thing? they're gonna need some backup."

max rolls her eyes. "i need to talk to you in a bit." the mayfield teen walks off leaving lucas confused.

"does that hurt?" mike asks eleven as he keeps his hand over her wound. "uh, not bad." el replies flatly. "you two are gonna have an awesome scar. you guys'll look even more badass."

sage looks at her brother then down at her leg.

"bitchin'," eleven said making the wheeler twins chuckle. "yeah, bitchin'," mike agrees with a smile. sage glances between the two before slowly getting up from the floor.

"woah, woah, woah. where are you going?" mike
asks his sister. "you two seem to be busy. i won't interrupt it." sage told her brother with a smile, before limping away to find max.

"max?" sage calls out as she walks around. "max? where are you?"

the brunette keeps limping around until she bumps into a body. "i'm sorry —"

"sage, you're not supposed to be walking," will tells his best friend. "i'm okay, will. i just — i'm looking for max." sage said, wrapping her arm over his shoulder as his arm goes around her waist to hold her up.

"she's talking with lucas. it seemed serious." will replies, walking her to the direction max and lucas are at. "it seemed serious?" sage repeated.

will nods.

the two teens make it to where the ex couple were at — near the fireworks in an isle. sage's eyes land on a stand of fireworks.

"what's this for?" sage questions, seeing a cart full of different fireworks. "lucas said that it's some backup for you and el," will replies making the wheeler twin smile. "it's perfect!" sage says then goes through the fireworks.

"look, lucas . . ." max began and crossed her arms, feeling a bit anxious. "i think — i think we need to be over. for good."

". . . what? what are you talking about?" lucas asks the red-head. "we can't be together anymore. not when i feel something for someone else . . ." max tries to explain.

"max, you're, like, confusing me,"

"i know, i'm sorry! look — i just think it's better if we completely break off. i can't stay with someone i don't really . . . with someone i don't have feelings for anymore."

lucas stared at the mayfield teen with a confused and upset look mixed together. max saw his face and sighed, deciding to just say it.

"i have feelings for sage, lucas . . ."

". . . you have what now?"

"lucas, i was confused this whole summer. i liked you but when i was with sage . . . when i'm with sage something just clicks. she just has this sense of happiness that can just make someone who's upset to them smiling in seconds. her hugs are extremely comfortable and warm and soft, her hands are smooth — surprisingly always warm, but that's just her powers, her smile . . . her smile is what gets me . . . along with her laugh . . ."

they mayfield teens hears something fall to floor and turns her head to see sage picking up a box of fireworks. will helps her then puts the box back in the shopping cart.

"my bad," sage says with a small giggle making the byers teen shake his head. "what? it was an accident, byers!"

max stares at sage, not even realizing she was smiling softly. lucas looks where max is looking just to see her staring at the wheeler twin. the sinclair teen lets out a small laugh, smiling.

"i just realized that i didn't wanna lose her. when i was holding her wound, something inside me just snapped together . . . honestly, i knew there was something wrong after we — after we kissed at the snowball. it's, like, my mind was screaming to be with you, but my heart — my heart wanted to be with someone else." max said to lucas.

"it's okay, max," lucas tells the mayfield teen. "be with her . . . and don't even be worried about asking her out. she likes you. she's always liked you." max looks over at lucas and smiles.

"thanks, lucas,"

AUTHORS NOTE //

:o max reveals her FEELINGS FOR SAGE !!

bee <3