"when it's cold i'd like to die."

★・・・・・・★

They walked through Creel House, only in their socks. They were waiting for someone to pick up a brighter or bolder surge of electricity so they knew where Vecna was.

Amber felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, seeing Erica behind her with her notepad.

FOUND VECNA

Amber followed Erica, then grabbed the others on the way to where the light was. They saw the light buzzing as a chill went down Amber's spine. Max walked forward, her light buzzing too as she turned to the others

PHASE ONE?

Lucas and Amber shared a look, nodding.

GO WITH ERICA

WHY?

I WANT TO BE ALONE WITH MAX.

Lucas understood, following his little sister as they ran outside to the playground across the street.

Amber and Max sat in the old living room, waiting for something. Amber could hear Running Up That Hill on Max's Walkman. They shared a brief look at each other before Max grabbed her notepad and marker.

HI.

HI :)

I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE.

ME TOO!

Amber hesitantly decided to write this next question. She wanted to make things right, so she decided to ask her on a date.

MOVIE FRIDAY?

Max started writing something as Amber got nervous. She tried to see, but Max covered it up. She finally let Amber see, and it was the two sitting next to each other, holding hands in seats with popcorn.

Amber had the biggest smile on her face and so did Max.

Their small moment got interrupted when they saw flashing coming from across the street. They went to the window and saw Erica and Lucas, flashing their light for the next phase of the plan. Amber flashed her and Max's light, signaling an okay.

Max sat on the steps as she put her shoes back on. She walked to where Vecna was as Amber slowly followed behind. She stood in the doorway, deciding to take her headphones off and pause the music.

"Hey! Asshole!" she shouted. "I'm here. No more music. No more games."

He didn't do anything. He just stayed in the same spot.

"Do you hear me? What are you waiting for, huh? Come on! Do you want me or not?"

The lantern faded. Then Max's got brighter. Max started following where she assumed he was going. They went up the stairs, into the attic. Once they got into the attic, the light shined even brighter.

The light dimmed, confusing Max and Amber.

"What are you waiting for, asshole? Hmm? I'm right here. I'm right here! I know you can hear me. I know you can read my thoughts. Even the worst ones. Maybe mostly the worst ones."

She set the lantern down, placed her Walkman on an old box, and sat down in front of the lantern.

"I thought about what you said. About how I wanted my brother to die. I thought that you were just trying to upset me. To anger me. But you weren't, were you? You were just telling the truth. Billy, he made my life living hell. Every chance he got. So, sometimes... when I would lie in bed at night, I would... I would pray... I would pray that something would happen to him. Something awful. I knew that he drove too fast, so I would imagine him crashing. Dying in that stupid car. I just... I wanted him out of my life. Forever. I wanted him to disappear. The day that he died... I think that's why I just stood there. Watched. Not because I was scared or... weak. But because I didn't know if he deserved to be saved. And I've tried to forgive myself. I've tried, but... I can't. I can't. So now... now, when I lie in bed at night... I pray that something will happen to me. That something terrible will happen to me. So that's why I'm here. Because... I just want you to take me away. And I want you... to make me disappear."

"Is that all true?" Amber spoke up. "You wanted Billy to die."

"Why are you talking?" Max asked as Amber turned towards her.

"You ever have thoughts like that about me?"

"What?" Max questioned as she stood up. "No, Amber, never."

"Normal people don't fantasize about killing other people, Max. You realize that, right?"

"Amber, please."

"I thought you were getting better. But you're not, are you? You are sick."

"Amber, you don't mean that."

"Maybe it is good he takes you. Maybe it's for the best. In fact... I'm glad it's going to be you. You will be the chosen one," she spoke, her voice bleeding into Vecna's. "The fourth. The final sacrifice. It's going to be you that breaks the world."

~

"Max? Can you hear me?" Amber worriedly spoke as Max's eyes were rolling back and glossed over. "Max! Max!"

~

"Max," she spoke as she kept backing Max into the corner. "Where are you going? Don't be scared."

"Stay away from me."

"Max, I thought you said you were ready. Ready to disappear!"

"I said, stay away!" Max yelled, throwing a glass container into Amber's face. She ran away, Vecna revealing his true self.

~

Amber shined the light, signaling to Erica and Lucas that Vecna had her. They flashed it back, signaling that they understood.

~

Max kept running away from Vecna, opening doors but closing them when she realized they were boarded up.

"Where are you going, Maxine?"

~

Lucas and Erica saw a car coming for them, so they started running away. Two of the basketball players started running after them and eventually caught up with them, tackling them and making them stay on the ground.

~

Max opened another door, trying to get the boards out of the way. She opened at least two more doors before being met with the door from the sauna test last year. In it had Billy and Amber.

"Max! Let me out of here!" Billy screamed.

"Max, please! You're insane!"

"Max! Open the door! Open the door!" Billy screamed, shattering the glass.

~

"Get off!" Erica yelled as one of the basketball players held one of her arms behind her back.

"Get off of my sister!" Lucas shouted.

~

Max stood there as Billy rammed the door open, trying to get out. She knew Vecna was messing with her, but she still felt bad about what she did that day. She closed her eyes, going through her memories. When she opened them, she was in the room where the Snow Ball happened.

Her happiest memory.

"Holy shit," she chuckled.

She went to a table and sat down, basically hiding from Vecna. Every Breath You Take by The Police was playing, reminding Max of the first time she and Amber kissed. She checked her watch, waiting to see how long she'd been in there when a balloon popped. It was filled with blood. Other balloons popped, splattering blood everywhere. The song changed to Dream a Little Dream of Me by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Everything started to change. Everything was becoming... dark. And then she saw a storm outside of the window.

Vecna invaded her mind.

~

Amber kneeled down in front of Max, waiting to get Kate Bush.

"Oh, shit," she said as she saw Max's state. She went to the window, flashing the light again, and waited for a response from Erica and Lucas. "What the hell is taking so long?"

~

"Let me go, you meathead!" Erica said to the grown adult on her.

"You shut your mouth or I'll break your arms. Hear me, you little shit?"

"Let my sister go!"

"Shut up, Sinclair!"

~

Amber got startled when she heard footsteps come up the stairs. She turned around and saw Jason.

"Shit," she cursed. "Jason? You can't be here right now, man."

"The hell have you done?" he asked as he saw Max's state.

"Jason," she tried again. "You need to leave."

"Is this what you did to Chrissy?"

"Just listen, Jason."

"Hey," he said as he tried talking to Max.

"You need to go, man."

"Hi. Can... Can you hear me?"

"Jason, don't touch her. I'm not messing around," Amber slightly raised her voice. "Jason, please, just—"

But she got cut off as Jason pulled out a gun, pointing it at Amber.

"Back up! Back up! Not another step," he spoke as Amber raised her hands in the air.

"Wa... Wait. We... We don't have to do this. We don't have to do this."

"Yeah, I hope you're right."
"Wait."

"Is there anyone else in the house?"
"No. No."

"Turn around."
"What?"
"Turn around!"

Amber did so, knowing that if it were Lucas or Erica, it would've been a worse situation.

"Okay, okay," she said as her breaths came out short. "Relax, relax."

"And put down your flashlight."

"It's okay. Okay," she put down her flashlight.

"And empty your pockets. Empty your pockets!"

"Okay. Okay. Okay," she emptied her pockets.

"Okay. Now, this is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna back away to the top of the stairs there. And then I'll watch as you wake her up from whatever the hell this is."

"I can't," she spoke, turning back around. "Jason. If I wake her too soon, we all die."

"No. You don't wake her up right now, you die, Wilson," he said as he cocked the gun. "Just you. You'll be reunited with your family."

~

Max grabbed a table and chairs to block the entrance of the gym. She grabbed another chair, going to block the door, but stopped in her tracks, seeing that nothing was there. And she saw the door. Creel House door. The door slowly opened, revealing Vecna's voice.

"You can't hide from me, Max."

She closed her eyes again, trying to go to a different memory.

"You think I don't see what you're doing? You think I don't see everything? You thought you could trick me? You thought your friends could stop me? I see them. I see your friends. Just as clearly as I... see you. I can feel them. I can feel them dying."

She opened her eyes when she realized she couldn't leave this memory.

"It's time, Max."

The song continued, creepily disoriented. She backed up, being met with a voice.

"It's time."

Vecna flung his hand out, sending Max into the back wall. She cried out in pain as her back hit the wall. She started whimpering when she saw Vecna approaching her.

~

"We call him Vecna," Amber tried explaining to Jason. "He lives in another dimension. That's why you can't see him."

"And Eddie Munson and his... his Hellfire acolytes, what, you all summoned this Vecna?" he asked.

"No, no, you're not listening. Just listen. There's... There's no cult. There never was."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth," Amber said as her voiced wavered a little.

"Then why was Chrissy at Eddie's trailer?"

"She was buying drugs."

"Liar!" He yelled as the safety clicked.

"Okay. Okay. Chrissy... She was seeing things. Terrible things. Things Vecna forced her to see. She was scared."

"She just needed help. She came to me asking if I could help her meet with Eddie."

"See, that's how I know you're lying. If Chrissy was scared, if... if Chrissy wanted help, she would've come to me! Not you! Not Eddie! Not you freaks! Never!"

"You're wrong about Eddie."

"No. But I was wrong about you. I never should've let you hang out with us. I never should've let you in the door."

"And I never should have knocked. I thought I wanted to be like you. Popular. Normal. But it turns out, normals just a raging psychopath."

"You have five seconds to wake her up. Four. Three."

Amber ducked down, knowing that Jason would shoot, and ran toward him. She backed him into a pole, the gun leaving his hands. Jason got the upper hand, punching Amber in her stomach, quite literally knocking the air out of her. He threw her down and into an old box. He walked towards her, stepping on Max's Walkman. Before Amber realized what it was, it was too late.

He broke it.

"No! No!"

Jason kicked her as she got up and punched her stomach again. He rolled them down, and as they got up, he started punching her stomach again.

~

Vecna continued to walk towards a struggling Max.

"You are brave, Maxine. Much braver than your brother. But in the end you are weak and fragile, just like him. Like all the rest of them. And you will break."

He lifted his hand up, but got launched away and into the air. Max was let go and saw her.

Eleven.

She turned him around so they could face each other.

"You."
"Hi."

She launched him into the stairs and ran over to Max.

~

Lucas and Erica were freed from the basketball players' holds and ran to the house.

Jason kept backing Amber into pillars that were holding up the house and eventually threw her away. She turned around and elbowed him in the stomach and punched him square in the jaw. Jason grabbed a glass jar, smashing it on Amber's head, cutting her cheek and bottom lip. She immediately felt the taste of blood.

She held her hand out to try and stop Jason from her position on the floor, but it didn't do much.

~

"Max, are you okay?" El asked her as she got up.

"Huh?"
"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she panted as she started touching El's face. "Are you... Are you real? Di... Did I make you?"

"I'm real," she said as she held her hand.
"How?"

"I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer."

"What?"
El tried explaining, but they heard Vecna come from the broken steps.

"Stay back," she spoke, slightly standing in front of Max. She walked forward, meeting Vecna halfway.

"If you touch her again, I will kill you again."

"Is that what you did? Hmm? Did you kill me? I am so glad you are here, Eleven. This... is going to be beautiful. So beautiful," he said as he grabbed broken wood with his powers. "And it's all thanks to you."

He threw them at her, but she threw them away with her powers. Vecna threw her back, her landing on a table. He started dragging her across the floor and onto the table. He threw her into a fence-like thing, her staying down for a short while.

Max grabbed one of the broken boards and started running toward Vecna. He threw her back against the wall with his powers, knocking her unconscious. Vecna and Eleven started using their powers on each other. He got the better hand on her, lifting her up and bringing her towards him.

"Before I kill you... I want you to watch."

He threw her into the red place. The place with pieces of the broken Creel House. Vines grabbed her and placed her against the door, trapping her.

She opened her eyes and saw her surroundings. She saw Vecna carrying Max, throwing her on the floor. Vines took her and trapped her against a window.

"Papa is dead," El announced. "I know what he did to you. You were different. Like me. And he hurt you. He made you into this. He is the monster, Henry. Not you. Not you."

"You're right. 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."

He lifted his hand up, wiping a tear from Eleven's face.

"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. You did. At first, I believed you had sent me to my death. To purgatory. But I was wrong. I was somewhere new. I became an explorer. An explorer of a realm unspoiled by mankind. I saw so many things. And one day, I found the mist 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."

"All I needed was someone to open the door. And you did that for me. Without even realizing it. Didn't you? And when you did realize, you chose to resist. So I sought a means to open my own doors. I sought your's and Amber's power. So, don't you see? Once again, you have freed me."

"You don't have to do this. You can still stop this."

"It is over, Eleven. Your friends have lost. There is nothing... nothing you can do to stop this now. Hawkins will burn and fall. And the rest of this senseless, broken world. And I will be there. I will be there to pick up the pieces when it does. And remake it into something... beautiful. There was a time when I had hoped to have you by my side. But now I just want you to watch."

He walked over to Max just as she came to.

"Don't be afraid," he spoke as Max started sobbing. "Try and stay very still."
"No."

"It will all be over soon."

He lifted his claw up to Max's face.

~

Amber saw Max go in the air. She managed to get her hand free and poked Jason right in the eyes. She punched him across the face again and knocked him down.

She couldn't do anything to help Max.

And Vecna did it.

He injected it right into her face.

Amber saw Max's left arm snap. Then her left leg. Then her right arm. Then her right leg.

"Max!"

She started bleeding from her eyes then.

Max fell down from the air as Amber managed to catch her.

"Max! Max! Max!" Amber said as she opened her eyes.

She heard the door open and saw Lucas and Erica.

"Amber!"

"We need a doctor! Call an ambulance! Hurry! Call an ambulance!" Amber yelled through tears.

"Amber..."

"Yes, yes, I'm here. I'm here."

"I... I can't feel or... see anything."

"I know. I know. It's okay. We're gonna get you some help, okay? Just... Just hold on."

"Amber, I'm so scared. I'm so scared. I'm so scared."

"I know. I know. I know."

"I don't wanna die," she sobbed. "I'm not ready."

"You're not gonna die. Please, just hang on."

"I don't wanna go! I'm not ready. I don't wanna..."

"You're not gonna die! Just... Just hang on. Max. Max! Max! No, no, no, Max. Max, stay with me. Max, stay with me! Don't go! No, no, Max. Max, stay with me. Just... Just look at me, Max. Max, look... No, no. Stay with me, Max! Hang on. Just hang on."

She started struggling to breathe, causing Amber to cry even more.

"Lucas! Erica, help! Max? Max? Max? Max? Max, stay with me! Max, stay with me! No, no, no, no, no! Max! Max! Please, stay with me! Help!"

Amber let out a scream and a sob. She couldn't let this happen to her. But she couldn't do anything.

Then the house started rumbling. It spilt. Just like what Amber saw. It was opening a gate. It was like an earthquake. Amber grabbed Max and moved her out of the way. She set her down again, sobbing at the lifeless girl in front of her.

All of a sudden, everything stopped. The earthquake stopped.

"Please. Please, you can't do this. You can't leave me. Please. I love you," Amber begged.

TWO DAYS LATER