I was worried about writing this and changing this scene, just because it was so iconic in the season. I wanted to keep Max's time in Vecna's trance and only change little things... hope it flowed okay.
All I own, is my OC and all my errors.
Max gasped as she came back to herself. Still in her line of vision, the moment her eyes focused again they met mine. My lips were pursed together as I widened my eyes. The realization that I saw and heard what she saw was written all over her face.
"What just happened?" Dustin asked. Before I could even attempt to answer Max stood up quickly, the chair rolling into Steve who grunted. With her flashlight in her hand, she was walking down the hall.
"What the hell?" Steve stated and I just shook my head chasing after Max down the hall. Robin and Nancy were running down the hall as we chased Max, both looking equally as confused as Dustin and Steve.
"It was right here," Max said in disbelief, "Right here."
"What was?" Robin whispered, looking at me.
"A clock." I answered swallowing the lump in my throat.
"You saw it too?" Max asked, turning to me quickly, her light blinding me as she pointed it in my direction.
"It was a flash... when I tried to get through to you." I shook my head.
"It was so real." Max said, turning back to the wall. "And when I got closer suddenly I just... I woke up."
"Okay someone needs to explain what we missed." Nancy said. We turned back towards the office and Dustin did his best to explain what had happened in their absence.
"It was like she was in a trance or something." Dustin explained. "Exactly what Eddie said happened to Chrissy."
"That's not even the bad part." Max said and opened the files again. "Fred and Chrissy...they both came to Miss Kelley for help. They both were having headaches, bad headaches that just wouldn't go away, and then... then the nightmares, trouble sleeping. They'd wake up in a cold sweat. Then they started seeing things. Bad things, from their past. And these visions they just kept on getting worse and worse until eventually … everything ended."
"Vecna's curse." Robin said quietly.
"Chrissy's headaches started a week ago." Max nodded, "and Fred's six days ago..."
"How long since yours started?" I asked and she looked at me surprised before looking away anxiously. She didn't answer me, but I could sense the group looking between us. Taking a deep breath, I looked up before letting the breath out and crossed my arms. "... Max... how long?"
"Five days." Max said quietly. "I've been having them for five days now."
"Dammit." I cursed, closing my eyes.
"I don't know how long I have." She continued. "All I know is that for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than 24 hours after their first vision."
"And you just had yours?" I asked and I saw her cringe.
"I mean, you saw it too, and have had headaches..." she tried to deflect.
"But it was your name Vecna called out." I sighed and her eyes widened slightly as I spoke.
"You heard... well then it looks like I'm going to die tomorrow." she said, and a noise escaped my throat that was like a laugh, but it was laced with malice.
"'You can't stop me.' 'You are powerless, you have no control... this will happen,'" I repeated the words more to myself than the group.
"What?" Nancy asked and I looked at her and shook my head.
"It's what Vecna said to me," I sighed and could feel Steve on my left, his eyes burning a hole in the side of my head. "When Fred... Vecna is toying with... Seeing Chrissy's death was by chance, but he pulled me into Fred's and now... Vecna knows what he's doing." It was hard to put into words what had happened in my 'vision' that I was forced to witness. "This is different. He's different than anything we fought before."
A door slammed outside in the hall, and we all jumped.
"Stay here." Steve hissed, grabbing the lamp by the door before walking out the door. We waited all of five seconds before following him out the door. The silence down the halls made every step echo. Steve raised the lamp higher as he approached the next hall, the footsteps were getting closer, before Lucas came around the corner yelling in fear. His scream made the group gasp and yell in their own terror, and I cursed holding my hand to my chest.
"It's me! It's me!" Lucas called out of breath, his hands out in front of him.
"Jesus, what's wrong with you Sinclare?" Steve exclaimed, lowering the lamp.
"I'm sorry." Lucas breathed out putting his hands on his hips.
"I could have taken you out with this lamp." Steve said holding up the lamp again before dropping it to the ground.
"Sorry guys... sorry." Lucas huffed again as he leaned forward trying to catch his breath. "I was... I was biking for eight miles, give me a second. Shit... We've got a code Red."
"What?" Steve asked looking back at Dustin and Max.
"Dustin." Lucas said looking at his friend. "I've been with Jason, Patrick and Andy and they've gone totally off the rails. They're trying to capture Eddie, and they think you know where he is. You're in terrible danger."
"Alright, yeah, that definitely sucks." Dustin stepped forward nodding. "But... we've got bigger problems than Jason right now." Dustin looked at Max and Lucas's gaze followed. She nervously looked away trying to avoid her former crushes concerned look.
"This is fun, but I think we should leave before we get caught." Robin commented.
"Let's go back to my house." Nancy agreed and we quickly returned the files and left the school. Huddled up in the Wheelers basement Nancy and Robin explained everything they found at the library. There was one survivor that was listed for the attack that happened in the 50's, and both Nancy and Robin left first thing this morning without explaining much but letting us know that they were working on a plan. Max had sat herself in the back of the room at the desk all night, and I kept a close eye on her. She didn't lift her head or make any movement to sleep or go anywhere else. There was a weight on her shoulder, one she was trying to come to terms with, and while we were all working to save her, it almost felt like she was ready to give up.
"Okay, be honest..." Steve asked as he stood with one of the news articles in his hand. "Uh... you guys understand any of this?"
"No." Lucas shook his head just as Dustin said yes. I looked up from my spot lounged in the armchair. I had read the articles a few times and still felt lost at the connection of the lab. And as everyone else searched for the relation to The Upside Down I wanted to know why I was involved, why I had witnessed two deaths already. Steve looked at me briefly as he read through the paper in his hand. We hadn't talked since school, and I could see he wanted to. He made it clear he was going to protect me, made it clear he wanted to help me, I just wasn't sure if I could let him.
"Pretty straightforward." Dustin shrugged and I lifted my head to scowl at the kid.
"Oh straightforward?" Steve questioned sarcastically. "Really?"
"Well, what's confusing to you? So far everyone Vecna has cursed has died except for this old Victor Creel dude Nancy found," Dustin started explaining, "He's the only known survivor. If anyone knows how to beat this curse it's him."
"Assuming he was cursed... and didn't do the cursing..." I said going back to laying back in the chair and closing my eyes.
"Exactly." Steve agreed, "How could Vecna have existed in the 50's... it doesn't make sense."
"As far as we know Eleven didn't create the Upside Down." Dustin said and I looked at him with a scowl, turning in the chair so I was facing him now. "She opened a gate to it. The Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years. Millions... I wouldn't be surprised if it predated the dinosaurs."
"Regardless... Vecna's access into this world only happened because El opened the gate right... If we are assuming everything with the Demogorgon, Demodogs and Mind Flayer played a role, right?" I questioned with a scowl. "How did he get access back in the 50's if the door wasn't open? Brenner didn't start the experiments back then... and I read his research and work, he didn't have success until our generation of test subjects." Dustin opened his mouth as if to explain but quickly shut it and scowled as he realized he didn't have an answer.
"Right, so if the gate didn't exist in the 50's, how did Vecna get through?" Lucas asked.
"Oh, and how's he getting through now?" Steve added.
"And why now?" Lucas continued looking at Steve.
"And why then?" Steve said, "I mean, just pops out in the 50's kills one family and he's all 'I'm good.'"
"Then disappears." I added grabbing one of the articles of the Creel house from the coffee table.
"Only to return 30 years later and start killing some random teens. No..." Steve shook his head. "I don't buy it... Straightforward my ass... You know what honestly Henderson a little humility now and then, it wouldn't hurt you."
"Sorry," Dustin mumbled, he looked at the ground before looking to Max. The room fell silent and all we heard was the scraping of pencil to paper. "Any idea what she's writing?" he asked.
"She's been up all night." I said quietly. The door leading to the basement slammed open, before shutting again and Nancy and Robin came down the stairs both excited and slightly out of breath.
"Okay, so... we have a plan." Nancy said with a smile holding up an envelope. Passing it around we pulled out transcripts and papers.
"Thanks to Nancy's newspaper minions, we are now rockstar psychology students at the University of Notre Dame." Robin explained and I gave her an impressed nod passing her back one of the transcripts.
"I am now Ruth." Nancy smiled.
"And I am Rose." Robin finished.
"Ruth?" Steve questioned, looking at Nancy curiously and she shrugged.
"Nice GPA." Dustin admired.
"So, we called Pennhurst Asylum, told them we'd like to speak to Creel for a thesis we are co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics." Nancy said.
"And they bought that?" I asked.
"Well no, they said no." Robin shook her head.
"But we landed a three o'clock with the director." Nancy added.
"To which you're going to convince him to let you talk to Victor?" I finished guessing the plan.
"Exactly." Robin smiled.
"And then maybe we can rid Max of this curse." Nancy breathed out.
"Yeah, about that." Steve sighed. "We've been doing our Victor Creel homework and uh... we got some questions."
"Lots of questions." Lucas emphasized.
"So do we. Hopefully Victor has the answers." Nancy said.
"Okay, so the chances of this going south are high, we are aware of this right?" I asked, putting the remaining papers on the coffee table.
"Wow, optimism..." Dustin said.
"I'm just saying, their job at this place is to see the crazy, and you have to admit this... this is all crazy... so do we have an escape plan?"
"Um... we run...?" Robin answered with a conflicted look.
"You run weird." Steve chuckled.
"Okay, how about this... I go and I'll be your getaway driver?" I offered.
"That could work." Robin said quickly.
"What?" Steve said just as fast, and I turned and glared at him. We were caught in a staring match for a few seconds before I rolled my eyes and made my way upstairs.
"Go get ready, make yourselves look... academic... I'll be outside." I stated, disregarding Steve's groan. Stepping out of the Wheeler home, I squinted against the sun moving to stand next to Nancy's car.
"Is that really a good idea Roni? Split up, away from the person that Vecna is going to come attack?" Steve asked a few moments later.
"Being with her could do more damage." I sighed.
"You don't know that, and what if he goes after you too." he said, and I rolled my eyes. He wasn't wrong. There was a connection, but whether it was a helpful connection or hurtful one... I wasn't sure.
"He's had plenty of chances to come after me," I answered leaning on Nancy's car crossing my arm. "You need to keep an eye on Max, and you can't do that with me there."
"What's that mean?"
"It means, since the whole thing in the school parking lot, that night, at the boat house... you are just watching waiting for me to collapse again." I said.
"Can you blame me?"
"Can you blame me?" I countered and he scowled at me. "I am not made of glass, and I am not going to break, I have been through worse..."
"Don't you think I know that, Roni? I've seen you go through worse... why is it so wrong that I care that I am looking out for you. I don't like that you keep going on like it's no big deal, like there's not this weight on your shoulders that you think you have to bear alone."
"I never asked you to like it." I started looking at my feet.
"You didn't have to. Dammit Roni... I l..." He paused for a second, stopping himself from saying what he wanted to, and I looked up. His hands were on his hips, and he was taking a deep breath. "I care about you, and you won't let me.
"Steve..." I started. Part of me knew what he was about to say, part of me thought of saying it too... but the other part of me just couldn't believe he would, that he wouldn't, not to her and even if he did... it wasn't fair to him. As I swallowed the lump in my throat the front door opened and Robin and Nancy walked out, both looking very dressed up and in Robin's case, uncomfortable.
"Ready?" Nancy asked, stopping beside Steve looking between us with a scowl. "Do you need a second."
"No." I shook my head and pushed off the car moving to the driver's side of the car. "Keep an eye on her Steve. Please... I really... I can't watch anyone else die." The hard lines around his eyes seemed to soften and he nodded. Giving him a small smile and nod I opened the car door and got in, taking the keys from Nancy as she got into the passenger side and Robin got I the back. Steve stood in the driveway as we backed away.
We drove quietly towards the asylum, until the quiet got too much for Robin and she sat forward in the back seat, putting her head between the seats.
"Okay so can we talk about it now?" she asked, and I clenched my hands on the wheels slightly.
"Talk about what?"
"Veronica..." Robin groaned. "You and Steve, it's like..."
"You put up that wall again." Nancy finished.
"Yeah, the more he tries to help the more you pull away." Robin said.
"I'm not pulling away I'm..."
"You're pulling away, and I get it, this whole thing is..."
"You don't get it." I said quietly shaking my head and taking a deep breath.
"I mean, maybe not really but... we do..."
"No Robin, you don't." I sighed. "For you... this has been going on for three years now, but for me. It's been my whole life. And since... in the past few years each time we come up against something from the lab, it has gotten worse, and we've nearly died..."
"You have." Nancy interrupted and I scowled. "You said we, but it's not the we that you're referring to. You have nearly died three times since I've known you. You're scared that this time you will."
"I'm terrified." I whispered.
"It won't stop him." Robin said and I looked over my shoulders at her. "He loves you, Roni. He isn't going to just stop because you pull away." I opened my mouth to respond but wasn't sure how I was going to respond.
"She's right." Nancy nodded. "I've known Steve awhile and I've seen him in love, I've seen how he loves, and I've seen how you love." At her words I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Whether you are ready to say it out loud or not, or whether you understand it or not, I've seen it, and you sacrifice for those you care about and that's what you're doing with him."
"I don't want to hurt him more." I said.
"But if you die, if you push him away, hide from him and then die... that will hurt." Robin said and I blinked a few times, soaking in her words. "He would blame himself because he didn't do anything, couldn't do anything."
"Thats not what I..."
"Switch places with him." Nancy interrupted and I looked at her quickly confused before turning back to the road. "Imagine he was the one that was pushing you away and hiding things from you. If he died and you did nothing, how would you feel?"
"That's not a fair question." I mumbled.
"None of this is fair Roni," Robin shrugged. The rest of the drive to the facility was quiet. Pulling up outside the facility gates I squinted up at the building. The whole place gave off horror movie vibes.
"You're sure about this right?" I asked, looking at Nancy.
"Yeah, it's... it's gonna be fine." She nodded and I looked back at Robin who was looking a little more nervous than before.
"Okay, good luck." I sat back turning the engine off on the car.
"You know Roni would be better at getting information from them. I mean you were basically in a facility for half your life and then you escaped, so if this goes wrong, she could get out no problem. Plus, she looks like a college scholar more than me..."
"I'm wearing jeans and a sweatshirt." I scowled. "And the fact I was in a place like that is exactly why I didn't jump at the idea of going in. I am very happy as the driver. Plus... you put on the outfit not me."
"Helpful Roni." Robin scowled at me, and I laughed and waved at her as she got out of the car with Nancy walking through the gates towards the large building. Pulling the lever at the side of my seat I reclined it, so I was laying back further. Closing my eyes, I winced and used my thumb and index finger to put pressure on my eyes. I know we had just had a big conversation about hiding and putting up walls, and here I was with a headache again and I didn't say anything, because I was really hoping it was from lack of sleep. But... I knew it was for the impending doom that seemed to be looming over Hawkins.
No amount of pressure or darkness was keeping the pain in my head from increasing, and as it got worse, I started to curse, knowing what it meant. With little warning there was the chiming of a clock, and I sat up quickly, my eyes opening wide.
"Shit." I cursed, turning in my seat to reach for the walkie talkie that Dustin had given us.
"Dustin!" I said loudly releasing the side button listening to the static. "For the love of God Dustin pick up the damn radio!"
"Roni!" Dustin said at the other end.
"Jesus! Took you long enough... Please tell me that Max is with you."
"Shit. Roni she's..." he cut off and I closed my eyes wincing at the pain and dropping it to the steering wheel.
'It is time Max.' I heard a distorted voice echo in my head, and I had to blink the tears in my eyes away as the throbbing got worse. 'Time for you to join me.'
"Roni... Roni!" Dustin was yelling through the radio. "Roni, tell me you have a solution. What do we do? Roni!" Bringing the radio up to respond, I looked back at the Asylum and saw both Nancy and Robin running towards the exit, several security guards following them.
"Crap." I cursed, dropping the radio into my lap and fumbling with the keys to start the car. I was able to get the car started just as Nancy yanked the passenger door open and Robin did the same with the back one, both jumping in.
"Drive!" Robin exclaimed and I was quick to pull the gear into drive and hit the gas. In the moment of adrenaline i had forgotten about my headache and Dustin on the other end of the walkie. My heart was hammering in my chest as one of the security guards slammed their hand on the back of the car as we left.
"What the hell?" I question looking over my shoulder quickly. I was met with Robin laughing in the back seat and breathing heavily.
"Holy shit," She breathed with another laugh. "Music."
"What?" I scowled confused, still driving over the speed limit.
"Music. It's what Creely said." Nancy explained.
"Music?" I questioned, my vision blurring for a moment as more chimes of a clock.
"Thats what he said." Robin nodded.
"Explain it to Dustin." I said tossing the walkie talkie into the back with Robin. "Max is in trouble."
"Hello? Roni? Where the hell are you?" Dustin yelled through the radio and Robin looked down at it surprised. "This is a code red. I repeat a code red!"
"Dustin this is Robin, we copy." She responded and I was able to let out the breath I was holding for a moment until I had another blinding sharp pain behind my eyes that made me clench my jaw and grip the wheel tighter.
'You cannot hide from me Maxine.' Vecna's voice echoed in my head making the pain nearly blinding.
"Please, please, please tell me you guys have this figured out!" Dustin called. I could feel Nancy's eyes on me as Robin answered Dustin and started to explain what they had learned from Creely. Speeding down the road the landscape started to flash in front of me and I saw brief glimpses of red clouds, grey landscape's and a haze that I recognized from every nightmare I had had since I was stuck in the Upside Down three years ago.
"Shit." I cursed swerving to the side of the road and slamming on the brakes. I yanked the gear shift into park and held my head groaning.
'Lucas! Dustin! Lucas, please help! Roni! Someone!" It was Max's voice this time and with another flash I saw a glimpse of her running through the dead landscape, before it went back to the hay fields of Indiana. Reaching for the door I yanked it open and slammed it shut the moment I was out.
"What are you doing?" Nancy asked, getting out and walking towards me as I stumbled around the car onto the gravel at the side of the road.
"I can't..." I tried to form words, but a sudden burst of pain had me crumbling and yelling in pain. I felt hands on my shoulders keeping me from dropping completely onto the ground.
"What do we do?" Robin asked. Through her words I could continue to hear Max calling out for help.
"I don't know." Nancy answered.
"I think... I think I can pull her out." I said through a deep breath.
"What? How?" Robin asked.
"It's the connection. He has pulled me in every time... but I think I can..."
"You want to force your way into his head?" Nancy asked. "Is that a good idea, you said it yourself, your powers didn't work to save Fred."
"That was when I was pulled in on his terms. Maybe the effects are different if I go in on mine." I winced moving to sit against the side of the car.
"Roni, it's a bad idea." Robin said and I opened my eyes to see Nancy and her looking at each other, both conflicted.
"He's got Max... we have to do something." I said swallowing.
"Okay..." Nancy finally agreed nodding a little reluctantly. "What do you need from us?" I was surprised at her agreement before looking at both her and Robin and then pointed to the scarf around Robin's neck.
"You're scarf, and white noise. Turn the car on and put the radio to an empty station." Nancy nodded and got up to turn on her car as Robin handed me the scarf.
"El did this in a pool of saltwater..."
"I don't need water, just quiet." I said, tying the scarf around my eyes just as the static of the radio filled around us. Leaning my head back against the car I took a deep breath through my nose holding it for a second before releasing it through my mouth focusing on the static from the car. I did the process two more times, until the white noise changed and when I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the side of the road looking at Indiana farmland, instead it was red hills and dark clouds with lighting clapping through the sky.
"Holy crap..." I whispered. I was back in the Upside Down, I had forced my way in, and now I wasn't sure what to do next. I spun in my spot looking for anything that would indicate which way Max was. All the lighting seemed to originate and drift towards a large hill several yards away. From where I stood, I could see large rocks hovering around it and then I heard it...
"Max..." Vecna's voice was louder now, and it echoed off the landscape. "Come back to me." I started running towards the hillside. Thunder boomed around me and pieces of what looked like a house floated around my head as I climbed higher, until I reached the top. Max was in front of me, in the center of a large open area and the monster, the creature that had been torturing teens, stood in front of her. Before I could call out to her a vine wrapped itself around her leg and pulled her to the ground and then back until she was against one of the pillars that stood in the area. There were two others and when I looked closer, I could make out the disfigured bodies of both Chrissy and Fred, images that made my stomach curl.
I ran forward still yards away pushing myself forward. I refused to think of what was going to happen when I reached her. If my abilities would work or if I would be forced to watch Max die. She cried out as the vines that held her tightened and Vecna stepped closer to her. Music started to fill the space around us and Vecna stopped his pursuit to look over his shoulder. I followed his gaze as the clouds seemed to part and an image appeared. It was a bright against the dark skies and I could make out Dustin, Lucas and Steve all standing and looking into the sky. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the image of Max floating above them in a trance, all three of them yelling hopelessly.
"No, no, no..." I hissed moving towards Vecna.
"They can't help you Max." Vecna turned back, and I felt myself get angry. Taking a breath, I pulled my abilities forward and raised my hand out towards Vecna. He had raised his hand above Max's head but was unable to bring it down. He tried to move but I had him in my hold.
"They can't... but I can." I said. Closing my fingers into a fist, I shut my eyes for a second before opening them, along with my clenched fingers and the monster flew back into the broken walls of the structure around us. I didn't wait to see where he ended up, I ran towards Max and ripped the vine holding her arms and pulled her away from the pillar.
"How are you... why ... you're here?" She stammered hugging me. I hugged her tightly, before pulling back enough to look at her.
"You need to go." I said with a small smile, turning to look over my shoulder at the opening in the clouds in the distance.
"I can't." she shook her head.
"Run, Max." I pointed towards the image of her in the sky.
"What about..."
"He wants you...now go!" I said, pushing her lightly away from me and away from where Vecna was getting back to his feet. After taking a few steps she looked back at me, I just nodded and turned back towards the monster stalking towards me. He looked angry and growled as Max started running away from us. Stopping his pursuit, he lifted his hands as he watched Max and boulders began falling from the sky. "No!" I called out, putting both my hands out, open palm towards him. His feet slid on the ground slightly, but he remained standing.
"Not this time." He growled his eyes meeting mine and I felt my body fly back and hit one of the pillars in the open space knocking the wind from my lungs. Gasping, I groaned, holding my arm, and shaking my head clear. Pushing myself to my knees I watched Max fall once before getting up and disappearing, the image of her floating in the air disappeared. Bowing my head I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived.
"Your effort is futile..." Vecna said, and I looked up to see him in front of me. "You will not stop me..." I was in the air again, moving across the area into another pillar, only this time I was upright, and a vine quickly came around my waist, wrists and neck slowly squeezing and cutting off the airflow. "You cannot stop me."
"You... you can't have...her." I choked out.
"Roni..." a voice echoed in the space, but it was almost nonexistent against the blood pounding in my ears and my gasps for air.
"You still don't remember." Vecna chuckled getting closer.
"What?" I scowled confused, still struggling against the vines.
"You are strong Seven, stronger than you were back then." His words were like ice, and my eyes widened in confusion and shock. "You entered this world thinking you could control me, but... Seven... this is my world."
"How..." I tried to ask but the vine squeezed tighter.
"I know who you are, who you were." he said, and he raised his clawed hand one finger running across my cheek. I felt it slice through the skin and the sting of the air as it hit the open wound. I felt the blood spill down my cheek and his finger seemed to follow it until it stopped on my shoulder, where his finger pushed in slowly. The pain was instant, and I couldn't hold back the cry of pain I let out, but that only seemed to fuel him to push the claw further in. "Soon... you will know who I am." His words echoed around me as I felt myself fall back and then I was back on the side of the road, still leaning on Nancy's car. Gasping, I tore the scarf from my eyes and felt my tears sting the cut on the side of my cheek. I groaned loudly and brought my hand up to my shoulder, where Robin was already holding pressure, blood coating her fingers.
Taking a couple breaths, the rest of my senses slowly came back, and I could hear the static of the car radio again, the anxious breathing of Robin, Dustin and then Steve yelling on the other end of the walkie talkie. Turning I saw Nancy looking at me with intensity as I let out a shaky breath.
"What the hell happened?" she asked.
Let me know what you think.
Thanks again for continuing to come back and stick with my story.