Not Just Another Number

Saving Max

Sarah's POV

Meanwhile~

I look over at Max as she writes at the desk across the room. I wrap my arms around myself, feeling nerves and anxiety eat away at me. Everything is gonna be fine. Their plan is gonna work, it has to.

"I know you guys are staring at me." Max says, looking at us from over her shoulder. We all immediately look away, having been caught, and try to come up with excuses. I stay silent and look down at my hands. "Just hanging out." Steve says from right next to me.

I hear Max sigh followed by the shuffling of paper. "How do you think your eyes boring into the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don't know." I hear footsteps approach us, but I don't look away from my hands. From the corner of my eye, I can see her sneakers right in front of me. A beat of silence follows before she speaks. "You can look and me now." The boys sigh as we all stop acting awkward. We apologize and finally look at her.

Now that I can look at her, I notice a pile of letters in her hands. What's that? Max steps forward, holding out a letter for Dustin. "Here. For you." He takes it and she hands one to me. I look down and find my name neatly written on the front. She hands two more cards to Steve and Lucas. "Oh, uh, and give these to Mike, El, and Will. If you can ever get a hold of them again." She stutters as she hands Lucas three more letters. My stomach twists as I stare at the brown envelope in my hands. These can't be good. It's like she wrote her own death notes.

Steve and Dustin start to open their letters beside me, but Max quickly stops them. "What are you doing? No, don't. That's not for now. Don't open it now."

"Don't...Okay." Dustin says, putting his letter down. He looks at it closer, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry, what is this?"

"It's um... It's a fail safe. For after. If things don't work out." My heart sinks at her words. Things are gonna work out, they just have to. I try to voice my thoughts, but Lucas beats me to it. "Wait, whoa. Max, things are gonna work out."

"No!" Max cuts him off. "No, I don't need you to reassure me and tell me it's all gonna work out. People have been telling me that my entire life and it's almost never true. It's never true." She rolls her eyes, voice starting to sound a little choked up. "I mean, of course this asshole curses me. Should've seen that one coming." She turns away from us, looking over at the table near the stairs. She walks over to it, grabbing Dustin's radio. "If we go to East Hawkins, will this still reach Pennhurst?" She asks.

"Of course. Yeah." Dustin nods.

Steve looks from Dustin to Max, confused. "Why are we talking about East Hawkins?" No one answers him, but he doesn't need an answer. She wants to visit her mom... Steve shakes his head. "No. No. No!" The three teenagers look at me, completely ignoring Steve. I look at Max, feeling guilt lay heavy on my chest. "I..." I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "I'm sorry Max, but it's not safe."

Max scoffs and turns away from us, walking up the stairs and leaving the basement. "Max? Max!" I call after her, following her out of the Wheeler house. The boys follow behind me, calling out her name. We walk out of the house and follow her to my car. "Max. Max, seriously." Steve says, keeping pace right behind her. "Seriously, we're not joking. We're not driving you anywhere"

"Steve, if you think I'm going to spend what is likely the last day of my life in the armpit that is Mike Wheeler's basement, then you're out of your mind. So either take me where I need to go or you're gonna have to tie me down, which is technically kidnapping of a minor. And if I live to see another day, Steve, I swear to God, I will prosecute." She finishes her rant with a smirk as she reaches the car. She pulls on the door handle, but immediately frowns when she finds it locked. She glares at Steve, determined. "Open the door."