Archive of Our Own

When Holly saw the signal on the mailbox flipped up one morning, she knew it was time.

It had been getting harder to act like everything was fine, like she still believed Henry was good and kind, like she wasn’t terrified every minute she spent with him, and she felt like she had been waiting for Max to reach out again for forever. But, she had, and Holly could hardly force herself to walk calmly to retrieve Max’s message.

We’re getting out of here, meet me in the woods the next time he leaves

Max honestly had no clue how they were going to pull it off, how exactly they were going to get out, but things were getting unstable, Vecna was getting anxious and it showed. Whatever was going to happen would happen soon, and Holly was a part of that plan, so Max knew she had to act, had to do something… anything. So, they’d run, and this time Max wouldn’t let anything stop them from making it out.

She lurked in the woods, watching the Creel house as she waited for Vecna to leave but also making sure nothing terrible happened inside in case he had caught onto them over the past weeks.

But, like he did most mornings, Henry walked out and strolled away. But, his eyes lingered on the house for a moment in a way that made Max’s heart freeze, and she knew they would have to be careful and fast. Holly came out shortly after, pretending to play as she looked around the woods for any sign of Max, who poked out from behind a tree just enough to let Holly see her, and the younger girl ran towards her the second she spotted the red head.

“Let’s go,” Max said firmly, taking Holly’s hand in hers.

“What are we doing? How are we getting out?” Holly asked frantically, keeping up with Max’s quick pace.

“Like I said, it’s like a sea of memories, I just kept running from one to another. There’s a memory that’s more connected to the Upside Down than it is to Vec- Henry’s mind, when we’re there, we can get out.”

“How do we get there?”

“We run, we avoid Henry, we keep going no matter what, and you stay with me, okay?” Max took a moment to stop and squeeze Holly’s hand, giving the young girl a stern and reassuring look. “There are going to be a lot of really bad things, and I want you to close your eyes, okay? Just keep your eyes closed and remember that you’re safe, none of it can hurt you. I’ll walk you through the whole thing, okay?”

“Okay,” Holly looked scared, and Max didn’t blame her, because she was too. Regardless, she turned, hand tight on Holly’s as they started to run.

***

“If we get through that wall, we can find Holly, maybe I will even see her in my mind,” El said quietly to Nancy as she and Hopper both held Dr. Kay at gunpoint.

“We can’t get through it, we’ve tried!” Kay argued, pointedly reminding El that she could, in fact, hear when she was talking about her.

“What have you tried?” Nancy growled, earning a concerned look from Jonathan and Steve.

“Explosives, drills, Number Eight-”

“Kali.” El’s voice was cold and firm, still horrified by what they had done to her sister.

“We have tried everything.” Kay’s voice was stone cold, almost challenging Nancy with the determination within it.

“Listen carefully, you bitch. My sister is behind that wall with the real monster you’re after, and we won’t leave her there. So whatever you haven’t tried? Now’s the time.”

Kay paused.

“Even if I had an idea, why would I tell all of you?” Kay glare shifted momentarily to El before staring Nancy and Hopper down again.

“You have seen shit no one can explain, we’ve fought the thing that created and caused all of this in the first place. We’re trying to save you, save the world. Complying would be a good idea.” Hopper warned.

“Yet you’re working with one of them, protecting her.”

“I am nothing like him. Neither of us are,” El stepped forward before Hopper held his arm out to keep her back.

“You’ve killed dozens of my men, probably closer to a hundred,” Kay looked at El. “So tell me exactly how you’re any different?”

“I was defending myself, you tried to capture me, hurt me.”

“We are protecting this country. You, my dear, are a weapon of mass destruction. Imagine what could happen if you fell into the wrong hands.”

“And you’re the right ones?” Steve scoffed.

“Better than a group of kids who have no clue what they’re doing.”

Dustin snapped. “Look, Lady. Our best friend went missing years ago. We fought off the monsters who took him. Military assholes like you wanted to open the Upside Down before, we stopped them; when a monster possessed him we beat it; and when that monster possessed our friend’s brother and tried to kill El and do who knows what else? We killed it; and we got damn close to killing Vecna, the asshole behind all of this-”

“But you didn’t, did you?” Kay squinted tauntingly.

“No, but we’ve come a lot closer than anything you would have tried. We couldn’t stop you from getting in here, but we’ve dealt with all of this a million times better than you ever could. So you might think we’re just a bunch of kids, but we’ve gone through shit you can’t imagine, so don’t tell us we’re unequipped because we know more about all of this than anyone.” Dustin’s tone was venomous, and he earned the attention of everyone but Hopper and Nancy. Kay scowled.

“You really believe you and your shotguns can stop him?” Kay tilted her chin towards Nancy’s gun.

“No, but I can.” El interjected.

“So. What. Haven’t. You. Tried.” Nancy said again.

“Sacrifice,” Kay admitted finally. “Every time there’s activity at that wall, it’s one of those… things coming in or out. The only way in appears to be if they want to bring you through.”

Nancy and El looked at Hopper.

“No. No!” Hopper said firmly, looking between the two girls.

“It might be the only way.” El looked up at him pleadingly despite her firm tone.

“He doesn’t want you to join him anymore, he wants you dead. Who’s to say if the demogorgon comes after you it won’t just kill you?” Hopper asked loudly.

“Vecna wants me to lose everything, everyone I love. Maybe he will keep me alive to hurt me. I can get away from the demogorgon. I’ve killed them before.”

“This is different, this is his turf we’re talking about!”

“And I am stronger than before.” El assured.

“Can we stop and think about this!” Hopper pleaded, hating the idea of El giving herself up to a demogorgon, hating the risk of her ending up at Vecna’s mercy.

“Do you have a better idea?” Jonathan asked.

“Well, no, but if we stop and think we might!” Hopper argued.

“My sister is behind that wall, we don’t have time, Hopper,” Nancy said.

“She is not going in there alone, and that’s final!” Hopper yelled.

“I am right here,” El said, frustrated with how everyone was talking around her.

“Well what other options do we have? I doubt taking a bat, or even a goddamn missile to it will work,” Steve said before turning to Kay. “Would it?”

“We tried that before we established the base, no.” Kay muttered, clearly growing increasingly displeased at the handcuffs on her wrists.

“Could everyone just shut up?” Dustin said loudly. “Just shut up!”

Everyone turned to look at him.

“You said there were things that stopped El’s powers, what were they?” Dustin asked, and Hopper pointed to the soundwave device in the corner of the room.

“They called them hedgehogs or something, they’re all over the base, on half of the Humvees, and there’s even one on top of the base, it’s huge,” Hopper explained.

“Okay… El and Vecna have the same powers, maybe it’ll work on him too.”

“Great, that doesn’t help us get through the wall,” Nancy scolded, her patience waning.

“Jesus, let me talk,” Dustin snapped. “El, did you make a dent into the wall at all?”

El nodded. “But it closed up.”

“What if we amplify the hedgehog on top of the base with El and Kali’s powers, it could send a shockwave around the whole Upside Down and if Vecna made that wall and it’s part of the hivemind, maybe it’ll bust it open,” Dustin said.

“Could the frequencies be strong enough to do it?” Hopper asked Kay.

“We’ve been using them to diminish Number Eight’s power, and hoping to capture Number Eleven with them, we haven’t tried them on the wall.”

“Okay, but if El is right and it closed up right away how are they going to bust it open here and make it to the wall before it… regenerates, or whatever,” Steve pointed out.

“You don’t want me going alone,” El looked up at Hopper.

“No,” he confirmed sternly.

“Kali and I use the… hedgehog to open the wall, you all go through, then I let a demogorgon take me through. Then I won’t be alone.”

Hopper stewed. “I don’t-”

“We’re doing it.” Nancy took a few steps towards Dr. Kay and flipped her shotgun around, winding up before thrusting it into the side of her head.

***

“So they’re going to try to get through the wall?” Lucas asked.

“From the sounds of it, yes,” Robin said, sitting cross-legged on the table in the Squawk.

“I thought it was unbreakable, it sure sounded like it,” Lucas said.

“El is going to try to get a demogorgon to take her through,” Mike mumbled, not liking the plan at all. “But they’re going to try to use some military tech to get the others through first.”

“And that’s going to work?” Joyce asked, mostly to herself.

“Yeah it sounds like Vecna’s wall is tough, they really think they’ll break it?”

“Apparently the plan is for El to go alone if they don’t get through,” Will said lowly.

“Okay, I just, there’s a problem here,” Robin said while biting off a piece of a red vine Will gave her. “Say El can’t get the others through, we still can’t communicate with whatever is behind the wall, so how are we supposed to keep in touch with El and make sure everything is okay? Also, how is anyone else supposed to get through if El is getting taken through. I mean, I don’t know about you, but, personally, it didn’t look like the demogorgons wanted to take us through a gross, scary wall, it looked like they wanted to add our organs to the gross, scary wall-”

“Robin!” Joyce warned.

“Sorry, sorry! But… is El really going to do this on her own? Can she do it on her own?” Robin asked.

“What if she didn’t have to?” Lucas piped up.

“Yeah, Will, if you can see through Vecna’s eyes, maybe you can help stop him from hurting her, stop him from using his full power!” Mike said.

Will hesitated. “I-”

“That’s not what I meant.” Lucas turned to Will. “Sorry, no offence. But, Vecna consumes his victims, right? Maybe that’s why El can’t reach Max, or maybe it’s why she hasn’t woken up yet. Maybe Max is on the other side of that wall, maybe she can help. And, Will trying to handicap Vecna would help too.”

“I don’t think I can,” Will’s voice was sad. “When I see through his eyes, when I connect to the hivemind… I feel what he feels, I feel what his monsters feel. The demogorgons getting burned, shot? It hurts me too. If I’m feeling El kill Vecna, how can I pull myself together enough to interfere?”

“We can think of that later,” Lucas assured. “You don’t have to push yourself or figure it out right now. I’m going to go to the hospital to try to let Max know what’s going on.”

***

It didn’t take as long to make it to the beginning this time, back to the rainbow room. It was all still a maze, but at least Max had learned that if they kept going, it’s where they would end up.

Then she heard the music.

“Kate Bush,” Max smiled. “Lucas.”

“Okay, I’m going to let go for a second, just keep your eyes closed a little longer okay?” Max tore open the wall and crawled through. Taking a sigh of relief after being surrounded by the carnage in the rainbow room.

“Follow my voice, this way.” Max ushered, and Holly hesitantly followed until Max could grab her and help Holly through. They were in the classroom and Max watched herself as Holly took it all in. “Okay, you can open your eyes for a bit.”

“Woah, Holly whispered.

“Yeah, it’s weird the first time.” Max took a deep breath and crouched slightly, taking Holly’s hands in hers.

“These are your memories?”

“Everything that Vecna can see of them, yeah.”

“Are we close?”

“I think so, further than I’d like, but things will be a bit better for now. Just, when I tell you to close your eyes again, listen. Okay?” Max warned, already flashing back to everything awful she had to relive the first time around.

First it was the bloody nose, then the migraines, and the clock. Soon, they made it to the graveyard.

“Close your eyes.” Max pleaded with Holly, watching as she started to rise in the air before they were transported into Vecna’s mindscape. The sea of red and darkness surrounded them as far as the eye could see, and Max tried to stay calm as she waited for the portal to open.

“Holly!” a man’s voice yelled out behind them. Holly opened her eyes, gasping at the horrifying scene surrounding her.

“Holly! She’s dangerous, don’t trust her!” Max and Holly turned to see Henry marching towards them.

“Holly, go! Go!” Max’s voice was frantic as she pushed Holly ahead of her. “Run!” Max ordered louder this time as the two bolted. Max glanced over her shoulder and while Henry was far, he was too close for comfort, and Max knew the only reason he was still wearing the disguise was to get Holly to trust him.

The pair made it through the gate memory Max ran through the first time, and Henry stood and stared as the bright light of the Rightside Up shriveled closed.

“Kill her.” His stare was cold, and demogorgons screeched and howled in the distance, ready to obey.

***

“It’s almost ten, visiting hours… you know,” the candy striper said quietly from the doorway, a soft and sympathetic smile on her face.

“Yeah, I know, I’ll leave soon, right at ten. Promise,” Lucas smiled sadly back at her, and she gave him a gentle nod as she slid out of the doorway.

Lucas sat next to Max’s bed, relating more to the lyrics of Kate Bush’s song now more than ever. Max was still unresponsive, half of the party was now in the Upside Down, the other half was trying desperately to get things together Rightside Up, they couldn’t save the kids, and he felt… useless. If he could take any one person’s place– he’d do it in a heartbeat.

Ever since Will fully tapped into Vecna’s power and connection was reestablished with El and Hopper, it felt like more even ground, but having the party split up again just felt wrong, and now El was going to try to take down Vecna alone. Yet, he couldn’t leave Max- he wouldn’t. And Mike and Will wouldn’t leave him, and Joyce wouldn’t either. But Jonathan, Nancy, Steve, and Dustin were in the Upside Down with El, Hopper, and… Kali? It just felt like a losing battle if everyone wasn’t on the same side, if everyone wasn’t together. But none of them could fully be together if Max was still stuck in a hospital bed.

“Please come back to us, I need you, Max. We need you,” Lucas whispered as he rewound the cassette tape again. Once he started playing it, he took her hand in his. “Look, I believe you can hear me, I know you’re still in there– you don’t give up. We think you’re behind a wall that separates Vecna’s lair from the rest of the Upside Down, and that's why we can’t reach you or find him. El is going to come through, and she’s going to need help. So if you can hear me: fight, okay? Don’t stop fighting because we’re going to get you back, we just need you to do whatever you can to keep it up a little longer, okay?”

He paused, he knew there’d be nothing, no sign– but he hoped there would be, just a flicker, just a moment to confirm she heard him.

Then the lights flickered.

Lucas held Max’s hand tighter and looked around, his heart sinking as the lights started to flicker more intensely, just before the alarm for the room went off. Max’s heart monitor started to beep and alert sporadically as well.

“No, no no no,” Lucas whispered, eyes wide as he realized what was going on. He looked around the hospital room for a weapon, or for some way to help protect Max, but there wasn’t anything useful. “Shit, shit, shit.”

He pushed the chair back and started pulling off the wires and disconnecting Max from the different things connecting her to the bed and monitor.

“I’ve got you, I’m right here,” Lucas assured as he slid his arms under her picking her up and turning to leave, but he stopped and went to grab the boombox before rushing out of the hospital room, the sound of a gate opening behind him.

Lucas looked around the dark hallways as the dim lights fought to stay on, and he started running towards the elevator, hitting the button and turning as it closed right as the demogorgon crashed into the hallway, screaming as it saw him and Max.

It barreled towards them just as the door closed and the elevator started to descend, and Lucas could hear the demogorgon tearing into the metal doors above him. He adjusted his hold on Max better, thankful basketball had helped him bulk up a bit as he prepared to run while carrying her.

A metallic slam echoed around them as the elevator shook, Lucas fighting to keep his footing as the elevator screeched to a halt– the demogorgon’s claws thumping against the roof of the elevator.

Lucas rushed to the door and started frantically pushing the button to open the doors. They did, and Lucas cursed as he realized that they were barely on the floor below them, only a foot or so of room to slide through before having to jump down to the ground below. Lucas laid Max down right by the opening, then got onto his stomach facing the back of the elevator as he pushed himself backwards through the small opening. He managed to force the boom box through too, and set it on the ground before he reached back up to the elevator opening. He could see the roof of the elevator through the gap, and as he reached for Max, he watched the demogorgon force its claws through the metal. Lucas reached more frantically, finally getting a hold of Max and pulling her towards him as the demogorgon tore through the roof of the elevator.

“What the hell is going on, what are you doing?” A girl called out from down the hall behind him. Lucas pulled Max into his arms and squatted to pick up the boombox as the demogorgon yelled, jumping into the elevator and reaching through the gap to grab him. It nearly would have, but Lucas fell backwards and rapidly used his legs to push himself even further away.

“What the hell is that!?” The candy striper yelled.

“Run!” Lucas sat up and turned to kneel so he could get himself to his feet without hurting Max or letting her go again, and he started to run towards the strawberry blonde candy striper down the hall. “Run!” Lucas said again, catching up to her surprisingly quickly.

“The stairs!” The girl said quickly, ushering him to follow her to turn down a different hallway. They continued down the hall, more destruction and roaring echoing behind them from the demogorgon.

“Here, here, here,” The candy striper forced open the door and held it open for Lucas before pushing it shut behind her.

“Do you have a car?” Lucas asked as they started rushing down the stairs.

“Yeah, yes, it’s in the employee parking lot at the back of the hospital, we’ll go there. I’ll take us to the police station,” She was already out of breath, and sounded absolutely horrified. “Or the military base.”

“No, the Squawk.”

“What, the Squawk?” She asked.

“Trust me,” Lucas pleaded as they descended another landing.

A crash exploded above them, and both Lucas and the candy striper froze as they looked up. The metal door the candy striper had closed slammed into the wall and started falling down the stairwell as the demogorgon lunged through, perching itself on the stair banisters and roaring down at them.

The candy striper screamed as the roar snapped them back into action, and she and Lucas descended the flight of stairs they were on before running through the door to the second floor.

“The kitchen, there’s an emergency exit in the kitchen,” the candy striper ran ahead of Lucas, leading the way as they rushed down the hallway, the demogorgon crashing through the stairwell door behind them and screeching again. She took a sharp right, Lucas right behind her as the steady fast thump of the demogorgon running echoed through the hospital.

They slid into the kitchen and ran towards the back before the candy striper pulled Lucas down. Behind the stoves, both of them sitting silently, practically holding their breath.

The demogorgon prowled into the kitchen, growling as it looked around.

It made its way around the kitchen, hunting and lurking for them. Lucas could hear it right behind him, and he closed his eyes while trying not to make a sound as the demogorgon screeched around the corner.

“What the hell is going on?” A man’s voice bellowed down the hall, and the demogorgon froze before screeching, running out of the kitchen towards the noise. His screams were loud, and the candy striper pulled on Lucas’ arm to take him to the fire escape to their right.

She helped him get Max out before letting him take her again, taking the boom box for him to help unburden the load.

“My car is just down there, come on,” the candy striper said, the metal making too much noise for Lucas’ liking as they climbed down. Once on the ground, the pair ran towards the girl’s car, Lucas’ arms tired from carrying Max, but he kept a firm hold on her.

The candy striper opened the backdoor for him, and he ducked to get in, shimmying himself to the far side so Max’s head sat in his lap while he held her– the entire scene far too familiar.

The girl got into the driver’s seat and started the car, ripping out of the parking lot at a speed Steve would find admirable. Lucas looked out the rear windshield to see the demogorgon standing on a car in the distance, it’s flower-like head fully open as it screeched in their direction. Lucas let out a sigh of relief as the candy striper drove away.

“Okay, so, what the hell was that?” She asked, her tone still horrified but her breath coming back to her.

“It’s a long story, I’ll explain later.”

***

“It’s time, they should be there now.” El said, and Kali took a deep breath. The two looked at each other, eyes hard as they put in earplugs that Hopper had found. Their gaze shifted up to the giant hedgehog above them, and El reached her arms up, Kali following suit.

They started to channel their powers onto the hedgehog, trying to use their powers as the soundwave before Dustin would turn it on.

Soon, they could feel the vibrations building in the hedgehog. It was working.

Kali tensed first, followed by El, who started to shake as blood trickled out of her nose.

It took a long time for them to feel like they had fully charged the machine, and El felt more pressure around her as they hit their peak.

“Now!” El yelled, and Dustin flipped the breaker. The hedgehog whirred to life and El and Kali screamed as they released the power that they had pushed up towards it, sparks flying everywhere as two large ripples of red energy exploded from the hedgehog, Kali and El collapsing immediately after.

At the wall, Hopper stood with Jonathan, Steve, and Nancy– all of them armed and ready to charge through.

Hopper stared up at the sky, and saw the explosion of energy at the base. “There it is.”

All of them watched the soundwaves charged with El’s power propel towards them from above, and soon, it was right above them, the red energy turning blue as it crashed into the wall and rippled down through it, the wall shriveling with the soundwaves until it completely receded into the ground.

“Go!” Hopper yelled, and he led the teens running through the former barrier as the second soundwave hit it, forcing it to stay in the ground as they rushed through.

When they looked behind them, the wall was regrowing.

“We made it!” Jonathan cheered as thunder echoed around them, the sky remaining red. The group turned to see they were in a new part of the Upside Down, the water wet and land barren and red– all of it seemingly made up of the same vine-vein-esque material as the wall.

“This is it, Vecna’s lair. At least part of it.” Nancy said, stepping forward.

“We wait for El.” Hopper said.

“She’ll find us, I’m going to find my sister.” Nancy growled, not even looking at Hopper as she marched forward. Jonathan followed, and Steve looked like he desperately wanted to as well, but he stayed put.

“Go, I’ll wait for her,” Hopper said, irritated with Nancy but still wanting her to be safe. Steve nodded, turning and running after the other two.

***

“Go, go, go!” Max yelled, pushing Holly in front of her as the two ran towards the Creel House. “The attic, get into the attic!”

Holly tripped at the top of the first landing and Max pulled her to her feet, practically dragging the young girl alongside her as they pushed through the door to the attic, back into Vecna’s purgatory.

“A portal, look for something like the first one,” Max instructed, spinning around for any sign of light.

“What about that?” Holly pointed to somewhere in the distance, and Max followed the young girl’s pointed direction to see a glowing red tear, like the gates Vecna made. Max froze.

“It’s different, I don’t know.”

“You had no right, Maxine,” Henry’s voice echoed behind them, and Max turned wide-eyed in the direction the sound came from.

“Well it has to be worth a shot, come on!” Holly yelled, taking Max’s hand and leading the way this time as the two ran. As they got closer, something behind the gate started to peek through, like a bedroom.

“Run!” Max yelled as they got closer, finally reaching the gate.

“What do we do?” Holly asked.

“We push through,” Max took a deep breath and pushed Holly ahead of her, trying to stay close but the gate felt like it was forcing her out the deeper she got Holly past. Eventually, Max was only able to push against Holly’s sneakers until all pressure subsided, and the gate slithered closed like a slash stitched up in moments.

Max stared in horror. Was Holly out? Was she stuck inside?

And was she really still trapped in hell?

***

El and Dustin moved back to Steve’s car, and she waited for his signal outside while he tried to pick up a signal of any kind.

Eventually, he got one.

“Towards the hospital!” Dustin yelled, and El ran, using her powers to help propel her faster.

She stayed close to the wall as she ran, hoping to cut the demogorgon off.

She launched herself in the air again, flying high as she looked around for the demogorgon, not seeing anything and terrified she’d missed her chance.

It was her next leap when she finally saw movement to her side, the demogorgon running towards the wall. El hit the ground and ran as fast as her legs could take her, thankful for all the training over the past months with Hopper and Joyce as she approached the demogorgon’s path.

She could see it come into her field of vision too soon, and she was still too far away. She picked up her pace as it passed her up ahead, leaping onto the wall and tearing open a gate as she kept running towards it.

“No!” El yelled, holding her hand out and holding the demogorgon in place while it was halfway through the gate.

She slowly approached as she held it in place, the demogorgon trembling where she had it trapped. She took a deep breath and grabbed onto its leg with her free hand before releasing her hold on it with her powers, and it screamed as it ripped through the gate, dragging El through with it.

It screeched as they crashed through the gate, and El let go of it and hit the ground rolling, steadying herself and turning to stop it with her powers, yelling as she blew its head apart.

El’s chest heaved with every tired breath. She slowly stood, looking around the same area she had seen when Vecna tried to take Max.

She was through, and he would be here.

***

Holly fell into her bedroom with a scream, hitting the floor underneath the portal the monster had first broken through to attack her. She stood slowly, turning around as she looked at the chaos from the night she was taken.

She looked around for Max, and stared up at the portal waiting and hoping she’d come out any minute. She clenched the miniature around her neck as she waited with baited breath.

“I came out where I was taken… maybe Max will too,” she whispered to herself. Max was at the hospital, maybe she woke up, and maybe she’d know what to do next.

Holly’s walk through the house was tentative as she was brought back to the wreckage from that night. The stair banister was broken, furniture was strewn around carelessly, and Holly couldn’t help but look to her right when she made it to the bottom of the stairs– right into the kitchen.

She walked in silently, and her eyes landed on the dried blood on the ground. Her mom’s blood. Henry did that. Henry was the monster.

Holly backed away from where her mother took her stand, then turned as she pushed herself out the door and started to run even faster than she had with Max. She ran.

The hospital was under lockdown, she couldn’t even get halfway through the parking lot. Suddenly, her hope vanished, and she was left back at square one with no clue where to find anyone.

But when you’re in trouble and need help, you turn to an authority figure– a teacher, a police officer… or, a military guard. But how would they find her family? Her parents were in the hospital, and who knew where Mike and Nancy would be.

The radio station. Robin was their friend, and they talked about that place a lot when they thought no one could hear them.

Holly turned on her heels, hoping to find someone, anyone, who could help her.

Her legs were like iron weights and each breath was like breathing icicles by the time she saw the radio station, and she hoped beyond hope that someone would be there, that this wasn’t for nothing.

***

The candy striper pulled up to the Squawk, and paused once she parked the car.

Lucas didn’t hesitate to open the door and pull Max out.

It wasn’t long before the others were coming out of the radio station.

“Lucas, what happened?” Mike asked as Will went to help Lucas move Max.

“Vickie?” Robin asked as the candy striper got out of the car.

“A demogorgon came after Max,” Lucas said, his voice raw after so much physical exertion.

“Are you two alright?” Joyce asked.

“Wait, you saw it, did it hurt you?” Robin asked, checking Vickie over.

“You knew about all of this?” Vickie said, still in disbelief.

“It’s a long story, and even after seeing one of those things, you probably won’t believe half of it. Come on, let’s talk inside,” Robin said, leading Vickie through the doors as Joyce held it open for the boys.

“I don’t get it, why would he send a demogorgon after Max, why go after her?” Mike asked as Joyce and Lucas settled Max in on the cot.

“Let’s let them rest for a minute okay?” Joyce encouraged.

“Come on, we can talk outside,” Will proposed, and Mike nodded, the pair heading up the stairs.

“I don’t get it.”

“Maybe something happened on Vecna’s side, maybe there’s something going on, maybe he needs her, or maybe she’s a threat,” Will offered, trying to keep up with Mike’s fast and frustrated pace

“Max is the only other person El can’t reach in her mind.” Mike’s tone was cold.

“What do you mean?” Will asked as Mike shoved the door open.

“I know Lucas hasn’t lost hope, that El hasn’t either… but I did, I thought there was no Max left to reach,” Mike said defeatedly. “But maybe… maybe Max and Holly are in the same place, and if Vecna wants to hurt Max then Holly is in danger too.”

“You don’t know that, none of us do.”

“We would if you could just tap into your powers again!” Mike yelled. Will recoiled a bit, his eyes widening as Mike’s fury stung.

“I- I’m sorry Will, I just don’t know what to do. How are we supposed to help Holly, or Max, how are we supposed to know what to do now that we’ve lost contact with El, again?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll keep trying,” Will assured.

“Yeah… sure.”

Will squinted and glanced over Mike’s shoulder, seeing something moving in the distance, it was someone running towards the tower.

“Who is that?” Will asked, stepping to the side more to try to catch a glimpse of them.

Mike furrowed his brow at Will before turning to follow the other boy’s gaze, just to see the same girl running towards them.

“Wait… oh my god, Holly?” Mike whispered to himself as soon as he saw two bouncing blonde pigtails. “Holly?” Mike yelled, starting to move towards the running girl.

“Mike!” She called back.

Mike took off running, Will close behind as the three ran towards each other, quickly closing the distance to the point Mike could pick Holly up and hug her as she held onto him for dear life.

“I didn’t know where else to go or what to do,” Holly said, holding Mike tight.

“Are you alright?” Mike asked, setting Holly down on shaky legs as he held her arms to help keep her steady.

“Yeah, I’m okay. He didn’t hurt me.”

“Ho-how are you here? What happened?”

“Max saved me, she got me back.”

Mike and Will looked at each other, then back at the Squawk.

“Let’s go,” Will said, and the three started walking towards the station again, just for Holly’s legs to give out under her.

“Holly!”

“I’m okay, but we ran for so long,” Holly panted out, still trying to catch her breath. Mike picked her up and walked with Will back to the station– hoping Max would be awake when they got back.

She wasn’t.

***

“No, no no no, dammit!” Max screamed, spinning around desperately to try to find another way out, her breath starting to come to her faster as she realized she’d missed her opportunity again. She couldn’t do this for another year.

“We must stop meeting like this.”

Max turned, and Henry was there just like last time, inches away.

“Screw you!” She yelled, terror completely overwhelmed by anger this time as she pushed him away from her before taking off in the other direction.

“That gate wasn’t meant for you,” Henry’s voice echoed around her as she ran. “You’d have nothing to go back to.”

Max didn’t say anything, just kept running. She just had to make it back to the cave.

“I know your tricks now, Maxine,” Henry’s voice deepened, shifted. “You cannot escape me.”

“Go to hell!” Max yelled, running towards a doorway in the distance.

She slammed through the doors into the rainbow room, but instead of bursting into a murder scene or a hallway, she ran into something, causing her to stumble back.

She looked up, and Vecna stood in front of her.

“You should have given in when you had the chance. It would have been easy for you then.”

Max turned to scramble away before everything in her body froze and tensed. She let out a yell as Vecna used his powers to turn her around.

“Your gate is open, you’re winning, why do you even want me anymore?” Max choked out.

“Leaving things unfinished is how this all happened in the first place. You will continue to be too much trouble until you vanish completely.” Vecna approached her slowly.

“Go ahead, kill me, I already got Holly out, so how’s your plan going now?” Max wheezed out, more force being placed on her throat as Vecna got closer.

“I told you, I will not make it easy, you are going to suffer for what you’ve done.” Vecna pulled his arm back before thrusting it forward, sending Max flying back into the Upside Down.

She hit the ground rolling, and sputtered for air as she pushed herself off of the wet, slimy ground.

“Every broken bone, the pressure in your eyes… it will feel like nothing once I am done with you,” Vecna growled, lifting Max into the air before slamming her back into the ground. “You will beg me to kill you, like the weak and hopeless creature you are.”

Vecna picked her up himself this time, his long fingers curling into her hair. She instinctively placed her hands over his to try to stop the pulling on her scalp, but he slowly raised her until her feet were dangling off the ground, her eyes shut as she cried out.

“You will suffer Maxine.”

“Fuck. You!” Max screamed, swinging her legs back before kicking them in front of her, extending them on Vecna’s gut.

The force was enough to push her out of his grip, but not by pushing him back. The hair in his fist tore from her scalp like velcro coming undone, and Max yelped as she hit the ground on her back, her hand on the back of her head as she scrambled to her feet and ran.

She tried to wrack her mind for ideas. Door three didn’t work, it didn’t work again and she couldn’t keep fighting a losing battle if she was stuck here. Door two probably wouldn’t be an option for much longer if Vecna was really planning something even bigger than opening the gates, so what did that leave her with?

Max couldn’t get out, she couldn’t stay here, but she didn’t want to die either.

But she couldn’t keep running. So she stopped.

Max’s breath came hard and heavy, her chest heaving shakily as she slowly turned to where Henry, now in his true form, was following her. She couldn’t stop him, but she’d be damned if she made it easy for him. If it worked, it worked. If it didn’t…

Then at least she was going through door one while trying to help the others.

***

“Do you really have to play it… over and over?” Joyce asked softly.

“Think about how I feel,” Lucas muttered, rewinding the cassette again.

“… That’s fair,” Joyce said, stepping aside. Lucas hit play.

There was a scream in the distance, a young girl. Nancy shot straight up, looking in the direction with steely eyes.

“Come on!” She yelled, breaking out into a run, the boys following close behind.

Max hit the ground hard when Vecna threw her, and she barrel rolled until she hit the door with the stain glass window. Max heaved, reaching out for a piece of broken wood out in front of her, stopping once her hand was on it.

“The last time we were here, Maxine, you were alone and you ran from me. Before that, Eleven saved you. Now… you have nowhere to go, and no one can save you. You are mine.”

Max groaned as she tried to push herself up, and she threw the sharp piece of wood towards Vecna. He reached his hand out and stopped it mid air with his powers, barely paying it any attention.

“You don’t learn easy, do you, Maxine?” Vecna growled, her breath coming to her fast and hard as she stood defiantly.

Vecna turned the stake and propelled it in the opposite direction— towards Max. The wood hit her hard and pushed her back into the same door he had tied El up on.

She wheezed out a gasp as it pierced through her and lodged itself in the hard wood, effectively pinning her. She whimpered as she grabbed at it, crying out softly as every move made it seem like the wood was splintering inside of her.

“You have caused me a great inconvenience, Maxine. You should have listened before, you should have let it happen. Now, it is going to hurt far more, now I want you to suffer.”

Max couldn’t control her breathing properly, and each frantic inhale caused more and more pain from the wood impaled through her stomach. She looked up at Vecna, tears in her eyes as he slowly walked towards her. She clenched her teeth in preparation, trying to slow her breathing and stay brave as he neared her, mere inches away.

“Do you remember how much it hurt last time, Maxine? Do you remember what it’s like to die? You can thank Eleven for making you go through it twice.” Vecna lifted his hand, ready to place it in front of Max’s face again, and she took her opportunity.

Max tightened her hold on the wood pinning her to the door, and pushed it forward with all her might. A strangled gasp tore out of her alongside the stake, and Vecna roared as she forced it into him, her shoulder hitting the ground as she landed.

Vecna backed away slowly, a furious yell echoing around them as he ripped out the wooden stake.

Max’s vision was getting dark as Vecna regained his focus, and her eyes were getting heavier and heavier as something warm and wet started to cover her side. Probably her own blood, but everything felt so disconnected.

Then it started, faint, in the distance, she could hear Running Up That Hill again.

El could hear yelling in the distance, fighting. She had been tempted to stop and try to find Max or Holly in her mind, but it didn’t sound like there was any time. She kept moving, faster now than she had before.

“Lucas…” Max started to drag herself away from where she landed. One arm covering the wound on her stomach, the other one reaching out ahead of her shakily before her hand landed in the pool around her on the ground.

She only managed to pull herself forward slightly before she felt something wrap around her leg. She yelled as Vecna flipped her onto her back, and as she looked around for something to grab hold of and stop him from pulling her towards him more, she saw it in the distance: the bright light of a portal. Her portal. Her way out.

A new amount of energy filled her and she looked up at Vecna as he stood straight, turning his wrist out to her and using his powers to bring her to her feet.

Max tried to struggle against his hold on her unsuccessfully, and he waltzed up to her to pin her to one of the many disgusting pyres of the area.

“You hide, Maxine, you hid from them, from me, and now we all see you clearly for what you are,” Vecna taunted, his hand secure around her throat as he released his magical hold on her. He started to squeeze off her airway, and Max kicked out her legs trying to get him off as she clawed at his hand. “Broken,” he growled, and Max whimpered as her head got fuzzy. “I will admit, you are stronger than the others, braver, but you’re still weak, and you cannot be fixed, no matter how hard you try.”

”-let me steal this moment from you now-”

Max’s rage returned to her as she caught a glimpse of the portal to their side. She glared back up at Vecna, a calm coming over her as she remembered how she escaped last time. She launched both hands forward, clawing into his neck and pulling towards herself, taking chunks of Vecna with her. He roared and grabbed at the wounds.

Max landed on her knees with a yell, her hands secured around the wound in her stomach as she wobbled to her feet and started to stumble towards the portal, the world seemingly spinning around her.

“Lucas…” Max whispered, a small amount of hope returning to her.

“Not this time,” Vecna growled, holding his hand out, freezing Max in place. Max could feel her socks get soaked through her shoes by the wet ground as Vecna turned her towards him, and her eyes widened in fear once more.

There was a scream beside them, and Vecna went flying, his hold on Max releasing as he crashed into what used to be his stairwell.

El rushed to Max’s side and helped her off the ground, and couldn’t stop the tears in her eyes as she saw Max conscious and aware for the first time in so long.

“El?” Max asked, choking up at seeing her best friend after so long.

“I’m here, I’m right here,” El said, hugging Max tight. “I won’t let him hurt you more.”

“El, Holly-”

“I know, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay,” El stood and placed herself in front of Max, ready to fight off Vecna and protect Max once he emerged from the new hole in the exposed stairwell. She wouldn’t fail this time, she wouldn’t lose Max again.

There was nothing though, no movement, no sign of Vecna retaliating, then it all happened at once.

The stairwell shattered, the wood flying like projectiles towards them, and El’s eyes went wide as she threw her hands to her sides, the wood shooting off in different directions around them.

Vecna used El’s deflection of the shrapnel to his advantage, and El yelled as she flew to the side, Vecna using his powers to keep her frozen still.

Max pushed herself to her feet and moved as quickly as she could towards Vecna, but as soon as he saw her move out of the corner of his eye, Vecna held his arm out and fully revealed himself through the stairwell, pinning Max to one of the large tendrils jutting out of the ground, and once she was pinned, the dark slimy vines wrapped around her limbs and throat, choking her slowly.

To her right, El was pinned to the stained glass window again, to her left, the portal. Max let out a defeated sigh as the final chords of Running Up That Hill played and the light from the portal disappeared

Usually, Lucas would play it while visiting her, usually the visits weren’t able to be very long, but now that she was with him and there was no time restraint, he rewound the tape again, waiting as patiently as possible for it to be playable again.

“Lucas, is she up? Is Max awake?” Mike and Will’s voices echoed through the stairwell as their feet slammed down on each step.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Joyce asked.

Lucas stood in shock, turning to watch the boys run down the stairs. “What? Oh my gosh-” Lucas could see Mike holding Holly as they got into the basement of the Squawk.

“What? How is she back? You found her?” Lucas asked.

“It was Max!” Will said, trying to catch his breath as Mike set Holly down. Joyce instantly crouched beside the younger girl, looking her over for injuries or any sign that she was in the same state Will had been when he first came back, but Holly just stared over at Holly’s hospital cot.

“What?” Lucas asked.

“She’s there, she’s with Henry, kind of, she got me out through a gate, she didn’t follow me. He was chasing us,” Holly explained, staring sadly at how different the red head laying in front of her was– quiet, peaceful, still. Holly didn’t realize how much life Max’s eyes gave her, how much energy the older teen had.

Lucas’ eyes grew three times their size, and he basically fell over himself trying to get back to the boombox to turn it on.

“Come on Max, we’re right here, come back to us, come on, Max,” Lucas pleaded, taking her hand in his.

“It is time for a new world,” Vecna growled while looking down his arm at El, but he continued walking past her. Then, he turned his attention to Max. “One you won’t be a part of.”

Vecna curled his fingers into his palm and Max’s vision got darker and darker as the vines around her throat tightened, and Eleven struggled against the vines restraining her to fight to get to her friend.

“More like one you won’t be a part of.”

A deep boom echoed around them and Max fell to the ground, landing hard as two more bangs followed suit, the vines releasing El as well. Vecna roared as he turned around to see his attacker. Nancy stood with her shotgun aimed at him, and fired another shot that cut through Vecna’s cheek.

“Now,” Nancy ordered, and Johnathan and Steve raised their weapons and started unloading their assault rifles on Vecna, who screamed in fury at the interference.

El stayed low to avoid the gunfire, but crawled to Max, who wheezed on the ground, eyes half shut as El placed her hands over Max’s wound.

“You have to go, Max, we’ll stop him. You have to get out,” El said, dragging Max to a sitting position.

“El…” Max’s voice was hoarse. “I can’t,”

Like on a cue, the song started playing again, and El smiled as she looked past Max, the red head following her gaze as they saw the open portal again.

Vecna threw his arms out in front of him and Jonathan and Steve went flying.

“Please, Max, please,” El begged, and Max nodded, grabbing onto El’s arm so she could use her for balance as El got her to her feet.

“Kick his ass,” Max said, her eyes opening a bit more as she gave El a smile. El nodded and turned Max in the other direction, where she started to limp towards the portal.

Nancy cocked her shotgun again, and shot a round aimed right between his eyes, but Vecna held his hand in front of his face, stopping the bullet mid-air. With a flick of his wrist, the bullet dropped lower and flew through his abdomen, earning a grunt from him as the newly sped-up bullet continued to fly.

Max screamed as it hit her shoulder, just as Vecna intended. The force sent her face first into the ground, and she sobbed as she tried to pull herself forward with her uninjured arm, moving inches at a time towards the portal.

Nancy stared in horror, her breath hitching in her throat as she realized Vecna used her bullet to hurt Max, and then turned her attention back to him.

“Go to hell,” she growled, flipping the shotgun in her hand.

“Nancy,” Vecna’s tone was cold, and he took a step towards her before freezing.

Lucas glanced towards the others nervously.

“If she got Holly out, she has to be close, right? Right?” Lucas pleaded for confirmation, but Mike and Will just looked at each other with uncertainty.

“I-” Will started, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he started to collapse when Mike caught him.

“Will, Will!” Joyce helped Mike lower her son to the ground, his head in her lap as he trembled.

“I won’t let you hurt them,” El said firmly, turning Vecna around with her powers so he was facing her. “I won’t let you hurt anyone else.”

“You can’t stop me,” Vecna growled, trying to use his powers against El too.

“Yes I can. You’ve already lost,” El reminded him of his own warning the last time they had been here, and she reached her other arm out, using as much force as possible as she pulled her hands into fists, pulling them to the sides. Vecna yelled, agony washing over him as El got a hold of him and ripped pieces of him away.

But to rip the chunks out of his sides, El also had to release her hold on him.

Vecna slumped with the release of pressure and glared up at El as a battle cry came from beside Vecna. Steve was running towards him with the butt of his gun aimed for him, but when Steve whipped it into Vecna’s shoulder, he barely flinched. Instead, him and Steve both paused, looked at the gun, then at each other, and Steve’s eyes widened as Vecna flicked his head to the side, using his powers to send Steve flying. He yelled as he tried to scramble in the air, but he collided with El and they both tumbled to the ground.

Max turned her head over her shoulder as she pushed herself to her feet, and the only thing stopping her from going back to try to help was the blood she could feel exiting her body with every passing second, and the knowledge that she’d be more of a burden than a helpful force in her state. So, she turned and continued to slowly limp away.

Vecna stared El and Steve down and started to walk towards them.

“Hey asshole!” Jonathan yelled from the side, and Vecna almost hummed in curiosity as he turned, another bang echoing throughout the area as Nancy shot at him again, close range this time.

Vecna flew back as the bullet tore apart his jaw, and Steve had time to help pull El up to her feet, everyone staring daggers into the monster in front of them as Vecna stood. He took a deep breath as El held up her hand, and with a bellowing roar that shook the entire area Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, and El all went flying in different directions.

The force of Vecna’s power rippled so far that it helped push Max forward a bit easier, like running alongside the wind. Max smiled, the portal so close ahead. But her vision was dark, and she could barely see herself and Lucas ahead of her, she could feel the pain from her wounds but she could feel him squeezing her hand too. He was there, she was going to make it through.

"Come on darlin, come on angel,"

Her body failed her, the song cut out as Max fell, adrenaline starting to leave her as everything caught up with her body.

El was the first to get back up, looking around frantically just to realize that Vecna had disappeared. He ran. Looking around desperately for any sign of him, El realized Steve was against on of the pillars, unconscious. In the direction of the portal, El saw another lump on the ground, with wet and wild red hair.

“Max!” El sprinted towards her.

Nancy pushed herself so she was sitting against her hands, coming to the same realization as El before looking beside her to see Jonathan knocked out after hitting something on his way to the ground. Nancy got to her knees and started to crawl to check on him, just to hear El yell and start running.

Nancy looked off into the distance, and pushed herself up when she realized what was happening.

Will gasped, sobbing as he reached out for his mom, who cradled him.

“I stopped him… he couldn’t- I-I held him back. They were all fighting him, all of them,” he gasped. “Play it, play it!” Will yelled as he turned his attention to the cot. Lucas didn’t even wait for it to fully rewind, he just started playing the song again, praying.

“Max!” El yelled, sliding next to her friend and pulling her into her arms.

“Is he?” Max wheezed, unable to finish her sentence.

“He… he’s gone right now,” El promised, looking around desperately. “You’re going to be okay.”

“I can’t see…” Max whispered softly, and El’s brows furrowed with the statement since her eyes were open.

“El, Max!” Nancy dropped down next to them. “Max, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,”

“Nancy, like your mom,” El said, pointing at Nancy’s jacket. Nancy tore her jacket off and pressed it against Max’s wound, earning a cry of pain from the young girl.

“Nancy?” Max asked, her eyes unmoving and breathing slow.

“Yeah, I’m here,”

“You didn’t miss,” Max whispered.

“I did, he-”

“You would’ve hit him, you did every other time,” Max almost smiled, and Nancy felt her eyes sting with sweat and tears as she put more pressure on the wound.

“Holly, she’s… I got her out, I think I got her out, she should be okay,” Max choked out, her voice firm despite not enough air entering her lungs.

Nancy’s eyes went wide and the tears came full force. “Thank you, thank you.”

“Stop trying to talk,” El warned, holding Max a little tighter. “Save your battery.”

“I think it’s too low,” Max whispered. “It doesn’t hurt anymore… El, I’m so tired, I can’t do this anymore…”

“No, no. You’re not going. I’ll beat your heart again, you’re not going,” El said, tone almost scolding Max for even contemplating it. Nancy looked over at her, realization dawning over her that El was probably the only reason Max was still alive to begin with. Max’s heart had stopped, Vecna had taken her, but Mike said El had piggybacked at some pizza place on their way back to Hawkins to try to fight Vecna internally and help Max. It had never been talked about explicitly, but it made perfect sense, and Nancy felt like an idiot for not connecting the dots sooner.

The chorus of Running Up That Hill surrounded them, and El and Nancy looked in the air around them before a bright light appeared ahead– a portal into the Rightside Up, and they could see Max and Lucas in the basement of the Squawk.

“You have to fight, see?” El said, looking back down at Max in her arms, just to realize that Max’s head had lolled to the side, her eyes closed. “Max? Max!”

“Help me get her up,” Nancy said, adjusting herself so she could have a hold on one of Max’s arms. “We have to get her through.”

El did, sniffling as she stood with Nancy, the two of them throwing Max’s arms over their shoulders as they started to move towards the portal. It was strange, it had been loud and bold before, but the music seemed to be cutting in and out, the volume dimming before coming back and dimming again, getting quieter and quieter as the portal seemed to force itself to stay open, barely staying open as the light flickered, threatening to disappear at any moment.

“What’s happening?” Nancy grunted as they dragged Max towards the portal.

“This is Max’s song, this is her connection. She’s going,” El explained to the best of her ability.

“Hurry,” Nancy and El told the other at the same time, and their shuffle picked up its pace as they got closer and closer.

“Stop,” El said, moving in front of Max. “Let go,” El said, and Nancy obeyed, leaving El hugging Max so tight that she kept the limp girl upright.

“I love you Max, don’t go,” El pleaded, hugging Max even tighter as she adjusted herself so she was staring down the portal.

With a deep breath and a yell, El let go of Max, but kept hold of her with her powers, using them to send Max flying ahead of her, closer and closer to the portal. Then, Max made contact with it and she and the portal both disappeared.

Everyone stared as the song played at its highest volume, and Lucas swore he hadn’t blinked since Will told him to play the song.

“Come on, Max, fight,” he pleaded.

Nothing, no response.

Max inhaled like it was the first breath of air after nearly drowning, shooting up straight in the cot, earning a scream from Holly and shocked gasps from everyone else as she looked around frantically.

“Max, Max!” Lucas said, pulling her close.

“Lu-Lucas?” Max said, letting out a relieved laugh as her hands moved up and down his back, her arms pulling him close as one hand landed on the back of his hair. “Lucas!” Max started bawling, relief flooding over her as she realized she was finally home, she made it out. Lucas squeezed her tight like she would disappear through his fingers if he didn’t hold her tight enough, earning a sharp wheeze from Max.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Lucas pulled away and Max’s head dropped down as she felt her stomach.

“Lucas? I-I can’t see,” Max realized, moving her hand around in an attempt to examine it.

“Max?” Lucas was gentle, and held the sides of her face before tilting her head back up to him. Her eyes were glossy with tears, and his breath caught in his throat as he looked into blank white eyes, the blue he used to dream about getting lost in was a thing of the past. But that was alright, Max was here, and he bet she looked great in sunglasses.

“It’s okay, you’re safe, I’m here, I’m right here,” Lucas assured, taking her hands in his and guiding them to his face. “So is Mike, Will, Joyce, and Holly. Robin and a candy striper named Vickie are upstairs,” Lucas said.

“Wait, Holly’s here?” Max’s head started moving like she’d be able to see the girl if she looked in the right direction.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Holly said, stepping forward, and Max was able to look in her direction. “You saved me, you got me out.”

“I remember, I’m so glad it worked,” Max said, even more tears coming to her.

“Are you okay?” Holly asked.

“Sore, and… blind, but yeah, I’m okay,” Max smiled lightly.

“We escaped Camazotz,” Holly said, rushing up and hugging Max, who froze before letting out a laugh and returning the hug.

“We escaped Camazotz,” Max let her tears flow freely, and she could feel Lucas’ hand land on her back as she celebrated with Holly.