𝟎𝟏𝟎 ᵐⁱᵏᵉ ʷʰᵉᵉˡᵉʳ ˣ ᵒᶜ

035

"I DONT WANNA GO. IM NOT READY"

"Okay. I wanna run through it one more time. Phase one" Nancy told them.

"We meet Erica at the playground. She'll signal Max, Del and Lucas when we're ready" Robin nodded.

"Phase two" Nancy looks at Steve.

"Max baits Vecna. He'll go after her, which'll
put him in his trance" Steve confirmed.

"Phase three?"

"Me and Eddie draw the bats away" Dustin told them leading Eddie to put a hand on the younger boys head.

"Four.."

"We head into Vecna's newly bat-free lair, and.." Robin shook the gasoline "... flambé".

"Nobody moves on to the next phase until we've all copied. Nobody deviates from the plan, no matter what. Got it?" Nancy asked everyone.

"Got it" they all agreed.

So they headed out to save Hawkins, yet again.

Max, Del,Lucas and Erica entered the creel house again and walked around with only their lanterns to guide them.

Delilah tried to focus on the music blasting through her head phones.

'Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace I dream at night, I can only see your face I look around, but it's you I can't replace'

Her light started to flicker and she knew exactly what it meant, she joined back up with Erica, Max and Lucas.

Erica wrote down on her notepad 'Phase One?' and turned it for Del and Lucas to see. Lucas nodded and Erica left the house.

Lucas and Del watched as Max wrote on the paper 'Hi'.

They both wrote a 'Hi' back.

'I'm glad you're here' she wrote.

'Me too!' Lucas wrote back.

'When this is all over, we need to get the group back together. Like old times' Delilah wrote and both Max and Lucas nodded their head in agreement.

'Movie Friday?' Lucas wrote.

A light flashed from outside, the three got up and went to the window, to see Erica shining a flashlight. Lucas flashed his back.

Max tied up her vans and began wandering the house again, Del and Lucas behind her at all times. The lanterns started flickering and Max made eye contact with Delilah and Lucas before turning the tape off.

"Hey! asshole! I'm here. No more music. No more games. Do you hear me? What are you waiting for, huh? Come on! Do you want me or not?" Max shouted until the lantern on the table stopped flickering and the one in her hand started.

She walked up the stairs, following the flickering all the way up into the attic. The lantern died down.

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

Max laid her headphones down on the table.

"I thought about what you said. About how I wanted my brother to die. I thought you were just trying to upset me. To anger me. But you weren't, were you?
You were just telling the truth" Max's eyes started to tear up.

Del wanted more than anything to stop Max, to make herself the bait, but she couldn't. Max wouldn't let her besides Vecna wanted Max now.