𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘛𝘐𝘔𝘌 - 𝘌𝘋𝘋𝘐𝘌 𝘔𝘜𝘕𝘚𝘖𝘕

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒

Amanda's eyes shot open, her heart racing as she gasped for air. Nancy and Steve surrounded her, Steve's hands on Amanda's shoulders. Amanda looked into Steve's eyes with a fear he had never seen before, one that caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise.

"We need to go. Now." Amanda ordered, jumping to the rope as she desperately pulled herself up. Falling onto the mattress, she felt relief knowing she landed next to Dustin instead of Vecna.

"She's okay!" Dustin shouted to the rest of them, who were frantically searching Eddie's room. Eddie was the first to rush to her side, embracing her in a hug as he kissed her forehead lightly.

"I saw things, Eddie. I saw bad things." Amanda nearly sobbed into his chest as he pulled her up, making room for the other two teens to climb the rope. Amanda looked to Eddie, remembering the somber look on his face as blood spewed from his mouth. The single tear that rolled off his cheek.

"What did you see, Amanda?" Max questioned, taking a step closer as she looked to Amanda, a look that somehow made it seem as if she completely understood and somehow knew what Amanda had seen. Amanda shook her head, her eyes failing to meet Max's as she tightened her hug with Eddie. 

"Is there somewhere less... murder-ish we can talk? No offense, but I don't really want to talk about it where someone... died." Amanda wiped away the tears that had yet to fall, looking to Max who nodded.

"My house is across the street, my mom shouldn't be home. We can go there." Max suggested, leading the group to her house.

After sprinting across the street, they each made it into Max's living room. Amanda began to explain everything to the group, every small detail she could remember.

"There was a storm over Hawkins, one Vecna brought himself. Towering over Hawkins was this creature... this monster with a gaping mouth. Downtown was split, burning. Monsters invading houses. He said we will lose, he showed me the future. And he told me to- to contact Eleven. That I inspired all of this, that I made this possible. He wanted me to be who he is now, but I wasn't. He thought I wouldn't resist. He showed me death... defeat. Whatever is going to happen, Vecna has the upper hand." Amanda choked out, her hands shaking violently as she spoke. The group began to feel uneasy as they sat there, absorbing the information Amanda spewed at them. They could all hear the fear in her voice, fear that had never emitted from her before. The type of fear that made them think it was the end of the world. 

"Right, but he's just trying to scare you, Amanda. I mean, it's not real." Steve shook his head, refusing to believe that any of that was a possibility. 

"Not yet, Steve. Downtown was split, it was- it was split by four different gates. They were spreading all over Hawkins, big enough that it completely destroyed houses. It all seemed too real, as if it already happened. And it was our Hawkins, it wasn't in the Upside Down. It was us, our people... dead soldiers, monsters killing our friends, our families." Amanda responded coldly, her eyes darting to her hands which were still shaking. She was distraught by what she'd seen, trying to comprehend that this may be the end. 

"Four chimes. Vecna's clock. It always chimes four times. Four exactly." Max spoke up in a fearful tone. Max herself was beginning to shake as she recalled the encounters she'd had with Vecna. 

"I heard them too, Max. He's been- he's been telling us his plan the whole time." Amanda stuttered, clenching her fists tightly as she leaned forward, resting her arms on her thighs. 

"Four kills. Four gates. End of the world." Lucas said, looking to Max sympathetically as he let it sink in. 

"If that's true, he's only one kill away." Dustin shook his head as he looked to the rest of the group, Eddie quickly shaking his head.