The car was silent, despite the usually energetic children inside. Max sat still, clutching one of her letters tightly in her hands, her fingers shaking slightly, while Lucas, Dustin, and Will all watched her, as if waiting for her to die. Steve wasn't really surprised, they all knew it was possibly coming.

He knew that he would do everything in his power to prevent it. But would it be enough? Could he save her?

Keeping his eyes on the road, he thought back to the day before, Max talking to Ms. Kelly, the four of them breaking into the school, finding out that Max was cursed like the rest of One's victims, reuniting with Lucas, who was thankfully unharmed, and heading back to the Wheeler's house to get some sleep.

It all felt like a blur to him, like a movie that flickered from scene to scene with no time in between, yet, at the same time, it had felt like he had lived a million lifetimes in 24 hours.

His mind refocused on the letter that rested in his pocket, a letter that Max had given him if she died. Steve hoped that he would never have to read it.

He wondered if Max had always known that something was wrong, that it was always her who was destined to die. He wondered if he could've done something to stop her from being cursed, if any of them could've seen this coming. He wondered if this was One's plan all along, or if killing Max was a punishment for Steve's disobedience.

Steve stole a glance to Max, frowning as he saw more tears dry on her cheeks, and wished that he could make this better. None of this should be happening to her. The only thing that gave him hope now, the tiniest, smallest bit of hope, was knowing that he would get a chance to save her. Steve knew that he would take it. He would do anything to save her.

"Hey, Max?" Will asked, speaking up gently, and Max turned to him, wiping another tear from her eye.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever wanted to play DnD? I can ask Eddie if he'd include you in the next campaign. You'd be a great addition to our Party."

Lucas nodded eagerly, his eyes shining with concern that conflicted his voice and actions. "That is such a great idea! Max, you would be incredible!"

Steve watched her give them a small smile. "Maybe."

Dustin didn't say anything, and was staring out the window, as if he was deep in thought.

"Dustin, buddy, what's going on in your head of yours?" Steve asked, and the younger boy sighed.

"I don't know. I'm worried about everyone."

Max turned back to her window at the words, and Stevereached back to put a gentle hand on her knee momentarily, hoping that she would know that she wasn't alone.

"I mean, Eddie and Jonathan are all alone, Nancy, Mike, and Robin are visiting this Victor Creel guy, El and Hopper are MIA, and Mrs. Byers can't get ahold of them!" Dustin explained, throwing his hands in the air. "The Party shouldn't be separated like this! We've always had safety in numbers, so why are we going completely separate ways?"

"We don't know enough about One yet." Steve said, calmly, keeping his eyes on the road. "We can't defeat an enemy we don't understand. This is the best we can do, Henderson, and, as much as I hate this situation, we have to make the most of it."

"Especially while we can." Max mumbled, and the car returned into a tense silence.

It didn't take long for the graveyard to appear in the distance, headstones standing tall among the grass, and Steve parked the car. All of the kids were hesitant to get out of the car, so Steve took charge.

"Boys, can you get out for a second? We'll meet you outside soon. Max, hop in the front."

Max eyed him with confusion, yet obediently got out, trading seats with Dustin, who stayed outside with Will, Lucas hesitating for a second before following their lead.

"I want to talk to Billy." Max said as soon as the final door was closed. "Can I at least do that before I die?"

Steve nodded, turning to her and glancing at the letter in her hands. "Of course, Max, I just need to tell you something first."

"You don't have to tell me, Steve, I know that you have to let me die." Max said sternly, without hesitation, and Steve frowned.

"What?"

"One told you that, if you saved me, you and everyone else would die. Don't do that for me, Steve. Don't."

"Whoa, whoa, hey! No, that's not what I was going to say at all! That's not what I meant!" Steve exclaimed. "I'm not letting you die. Never."

More tears appeared in Max's eyes, and he wished that he could take them away. He wished that he could do anything to make this better for her.

"One told me that I would have an opportunity to save you." Steve continued, "I'm going to take that opportunity, no matter what. I'm not giving up on you, Max. You're going to survive this. I have healing powers, I can adapt to anything, I can save you!"

"Steve, you may have awesome powers, but how can you stop this?" Max asked, her voice raising in hysteria. Steve could see the carefully crafted numbness that she had no doubt forced cracking, pain and sorrow leaking through, and it broke his heart. "You're adaption powers can't do anything against a curse! How can you heal someone if they're already gone? One nearly killed you. In your own mind! You can't save me! So stop wasting your time with me and go help everyone else!"

"Max! Please, just listen一"

The young girl hopped out of the car, and Steve followed her, well aware of the stares that the two were getting.

"Just let me go, Steve! I'm fine! I'll be fine!"

"Don't lie to me, Max, please." Steve said, softening his voice, yet Max refused to look at him, stopping dead in her tracks. "I know this sucks. I know you're in pain. But don't give up yet, please. One hasn't defeated us yet. Don't let him defeat you now."

Max's shoulders shook, and Steve wanted to wrap her in a hug, yet, like long before, he knew that it wasn't the right thing to do. All of them stood in silence, as if waiting for someone to say something, someone to speak up. It took a few moments for Max to move, and she headed up the hill to the graveyard, not even looking back, not even bothering to respond.

Steve distantly wondered if he had said the right thing. Another part of him wondered if any of it mattered.

Pushing the destructive thought away, he watched as Lucas followed Max, and he leaned against his car, knowing that there wasn't anything else that he could do but give her the space that she so clearly wanted.

Will and Dustin soon joined him by his side, silent. He watched as Max and Lucas talked, Lucas seemingly calming her down, and Steve found himself hoping that Lucas could help Max more than Steve was able to.

After a few moments, Lucas returned back to the car, shaking his head with tears in his eyes. Steve put a comforting hand on his shoulder, receiving a grateful look, and could hear Max trudge up the hill and away from view.

"I'm so scared for her." Lucas admitted softly. "It's like she already thinks she's dead." He looked up to Steve, his hands shaking slightly from where they were situated at his side, his eyes filled with desperation and the tiniest bit of hope. "You can save her, right?"

"I…" The words caught in Steve's throat, but he pushed through it. "I hope so. I'll try my best, Sinclair, like everyone else. I might be able to heal her if it happens, but…"

"She has to fight, too." Dustin added, and Steve nodded.

"One has to have a weakness. If Max can make it through this, if she can find the weakness, a loophole that can save her, she could make it. I know it." Will said, speaking up for the first time in a while, and Steve let a small smile grace his lips, even though he didn't feel like smiling.

Steve didn't know how long the four of them stood, waiting, but every second that passed passed in agony, as if they were waiting for their doom to come yet being unable to move out of the way.

Within seconds the silence was broken, Will suddenly crying out in pain, gripping his head and kneeling close to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Will!"

Steve rushed to his side, catching the younger boy before he fell, and Will gasped, shaking, his eyes closed tightly.

"Will, what's wrong? Talk to me!"

Steve could hear Lucas and Dustin fall to the ground beside him, helping him hold Will up.

"It's…it's so loud…" Will whispered, "I…it came so suddenly…what…?"

"What's loud? Will!"

"I…I think it's Robin. She's yelling at me, in…in my head? She sounds frantic."

Steve nodded, thankful that he was at least able to fix this. "Okay. Think very loudly, try, at least, and tell her to slow down."

Will took a deep breath, his brows still furrowed with pain, but he managed to close his eyes, calming his breathing.

"Well?" Dustin said, "What's she saying? And why didn't she just use the radio?"

"She says that she can feel One. He's attacking someone right now!"

Steve felt his breath catch in his throat. "Max!"

Lucas and Steve shot to their feet, rushing towards the graveyard, Max's blue jacket visible among the green and gray.

"Max! Max, talk to us!" Lucas screamed, and Steve ran faster, falling to the ground beside her. Her bright blue eyes, usually full of mischief and life, were dulled, much like the night before in the school, when she had first gotten a vision. She didn't respond to him, she didn't even acknowledge that they were there, all she did was stare off into nothing, motionless.

"Max! Max! Max!"

There is one whose death is getting closer.

Dustin and Will ran up to them and joined in on their cries to get Max's attention, and Steve started shaking her shoulders, pleading for her to wake up.

How could he fight this? How could he save her?

Without thinking he began pushing his powers out of his hands and into her, hoping that his healing abilities could do something, anything to get her to wake up.

She needed to wake up.

"Will, talk to Robin!" Steve yelled, feeling sluggish blood drip down from his nose. "Get help!"

I couldn't help her.

"Wake up!"

"You will be able to save her, delay the inevitable, but don't. Saving her will mean that you, and all of your family and friends, make an enemy of me, and all of your deaths will be slow and painful.

Steve didn't listen to the voices in his head, and only focused on saving her, on waking her up. But nothing was working.

"Max, wake up!" Lucas cried, and Dustin began snapping his fingers in front of her face, Will's eyes shut in concentration.

Steve began screaming, unable to stay calm. "Will! What did Robin say! Get Robin!"

Will shook his head, shaking.

"I can't hear her. I can't hear her! I'm sorry!"

Steve could barely see Dustin run away from them, all he could focus on was the unresponsive girl in front of him, the girl that was dying, the girl that he couldn't save.

"I'm sorry, Max! Please hang in there! Please!" He begged, his mind screaming for him to calm down, to handle the situation, yet he couldn't. He didn't know how.

All he could do was keep on begging and pleading for her to wake up, knowing that he wasn't able to save her. One would win.

Steve had failed her.