California dream

E Pluribus Unum

Season 3
Chapter 6

We all stand up and walk into a group when the lights start to flicker and buzz. I step in front of Max and put an arm out in front of her.
Will rubs the back of his neck "he's here" he shivers. Eleven takes a deep breath along with me "we can do it Eleven, don't stress" I say to her while smiling slightly making her nod
"Nancy and Jonathan!" I start to jog down the corridor towards where the two older kids walked down what feel like hours ago. Everyone follows me while the lady at the front desk yells at us. As we run further down the fall the growls and banding is more constant.

"Nancy?!" I yell while i start to sprint "Nancy!"
I repeatedly press the elevator button when it doesn't work I look around
"We need to take the stairs. Hurry up!" I yell while running towards the stairs
We run up the stairs and towards where the noises are coming from "there!" I point at a room
I listen to the low buzzing noise from the lights and focus on Nancy "it's in there with her. We need to get in that room right now" I command, Eleven steps towards the door and makes it fly off its hinges
The monster shrieks
"Jesus!" I yell starting at the thing in horror
"What the fu-" Max starts just to get cut off by it roaring
It comes closer to us but is too late because by then elevens flying it into the wall on one side of the room, to the other side, into the roof,onto the floor and put the window
"Go!"Eleven yells before running down the hall again
"Nancy!" I yell before sliding across the floor so I get to her quickly "are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Nancy has been really supportive of what's going on lately. With my family and Steve and everything else. I go to her for a lot of...girl things, while I go to Steve for other kinds of things like advice about girls
"Yeah, y/n I'm fine. You need to go to your girl. Make sure she doesn't get hurt"
"Jonathan. Help Nancy"I command before sprinting towards the front doors of the hospital.
We stop a few meters in front of a drain
"What the actually hell" I say
Max grabs the back of my shirt tightly making me turn slightly and grab her waist tight and kiss her temple "it's okay, don't be scared. I'll protect you"
It melts crawls down the drain slowly
I use my free hand to rub elevens shoulder soothingly "it's okay. You did great"

I look around the dark empty room in my mind trying to find someone, something, just anything at all. The water splashes under my feet gently as I turn around trying to find something. I look up then down. There's nothing. Nothing at all. Everything just black. I focus harder. Thinking of all the people who have been Flayed. I feel someone whip my nose gently then kiss it, I know it's Max so I smile slightly before frowning again and trying to focus

Macs POV.

"It can't be good for her to be in there for this long" I sigh
"Max, you need to relax" mike says sitting on the couch while I stand up and start pacing
"What if she gets brain damage or something?"
"Oh, shit. Is that, like, a real this?" Lucas speaks
"No, it's not. She made it up" Mike says making me scoff "Max doesn't know what she talking about"
"It is a real thing. It is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain damage can occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors, lucas, Mike. It's a real thing"
I continue to argue with mike until he gets up and walks over to Nancy
"Okay, can you guys settle an argument for us? Who do you think should decide y/n's limits? Max or y/n?"
"The way that you frame that is such bullshit!"
"It's not bullshit, Max.
"This is your whole problem Mike,This is why eleven dumped your ass!"
"El dumped you?" Nancy asks which makes me laugh
"Yeah, but she's conspiring against me. She's corrupting her"
"No, I'm enlightening Eleven. The fact is she's not yours"
"Y/n isn't yours!"
"I know that, Mike!
"Y/n is her own person who is fully capable of making her own decisions!"
"I know that, Mike! But she's risking her life!"
"Max, the Flayed are out there doing god knows what."
"Killing, flaying..."
"Transforming into monsters"
"And y/n is not stupid. She knows her abilities better than any of us"
"Exactly, thank you" Mike says for beside me
"And she is her own person" Nancy continues.
"Exactly"
"With her own free Will"
"Exactly"
"I know, she's not mine. She's her's. She's not my pet or anything like that but-" I try but Mike cuts me off
"Y/n has saved us how many times?, And max still doesnt trust her"
"You wanna talk about trust, really?When you lied to Eleven? Multiple times?!"
"Wait what?" Nancy asks
"Oh, he didn't tell you this?" I ask her
"No"
"Your brother used your grandma 'dying'" I use air quotes "because he's a pussy and can't get yelled at for shit"
"No, no,no, I did not lie to her. I bent the truth a little...why are we even talking about this, seriously?"
"Yeah, who cares?" Will speaks
"I care"
"Yeah. I guess boyfriends lie"
"I was just scared!"
"Seriously mike? But Max, you need to let y/n decide okay? She knows when everything's too much okay? Just let her do what she's gotta do. She's her own person"
"Exactly"
"Like I have said multiple times, I know, she's not my pet and I would never ever EVER treat her like my pet. She's family to me, you all are treating her as some kind of a machine when she's not a machine, and I don't want her to die looking for the Flayed when they've obviously vanished off the face of the earth. So can we please just come up with a new plan because I love her and I can't lose her!"
Everyone looks at me with wide eyes "what? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"You love her?" Lucas asks me
Now my eyes are the ones that widen, I let out a sigh "yes. I freaking love her with all my heart, now new plan"
The door opens and y/n walks in with Eleven
"What's going on?" She asks looking at us all crowded around the kitchen
"Nothing, Nothing" I say quickly before walking up to her and kissing her cheek
"Just family discussion"
"Oh. Um okay?" The rooms goes silent "I found him" she lets out
"Found who?"