Nancy and Jonathan swap conspiracy theories with a new ally as Eleven searches for someone from her past. "Bob the Brain" tackles a difficult problem.
Later that same night, Susan was searching for the placements of a few leftover drawings she, Joyce, and Hopper couldn't get to earlier in the day. Joyce had already gone home to take care of her kids, so Susan was on her own, but she didn't mind. She eventually found the right spot for the drawing she was holding and taped it in place.
While Susan continued looking for the right spot for the rest of her daughter's drawings, Max was sitting in her bedroom, dressed in a green t-shirt and gray shorts. Her sweat was visible through her t-shirt and her hair, which was now all let down, was slightly damp, some of it sticking to the back of her neck. Max didn't know whether she was running hot or cold anymore, and the stronger the feelings got, the more terrified she felt.
Lucas was with Max, too, talking with her about what she's been experiencing since yesterday after she was found in the field.
"It's like... It's like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling," Max told Lucas as he walked around her room, his finger tracing her drawings across the wall. "See what he's seeing."
"Like in the Upside Down?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah. Some of him is in that place," Max shivered at the name, still not used to the story of Will's disappearance or anything she's seen or been told. "But some of him is here, too."
"Here, like... like he's in your house?" Lucas took a seat next to Max, who didn't break eye contact with the wall in front of her.
"Yeah. In this house and... and in me. It's like... he's reaching into Hawkins more and more every second. And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel," Max explained, her voice breaking.
"And the more you see these now-memories," Lucas concluded.
"Yeah," Max nodded, reaching her neck as goosebumps crawled on it. "At first I just felt it in the back of my head. I didn't even really know it was there. It's like... when you have a dream and you can't remember it unless you think really hard. But now, it feels worse. It's like with my nightmare. I remember it all the time no matter how hard I try to forget. And now, it's the same with the shadow monster. It's the same with what I'm feeling right now."
"Hmm..." Lucas thought aloud. "Maybe that's a good thing."
"What?" Max nearly gasped as she whirled to meet Lucas' gaze. "Lucas, how is this good? I'm literally connected to some giant shadow monster thing from another dimension and I feel like he wants to kill everyone I know and love."
"I know, but, just think about it, Max," Lucas coaxed Max from her rambling. "Since you're a part of the shadow monster, you can see and feel what he does, and you can tell us about it. It's like you're a spy, now. A superspy. And maybe that's the key to defeating him. This all could be happening for a reason."
"A reason?" Max whimpered. "Lucas, this feels wrong. I don't know why this is happening to me. I didn't even know about any of this freaky shit beforehand, and I just moved here. This feels unfair."
"Don't think about it like that," Lucas encouraged, rubbing Max's sweaty shoulder. "Think about this as an advantage. A way to help you. A way to get rid of this evil. You're spying on the shadow monster since you know and feel what he does. You're the key to stopping him. You are strong. You can overpower him."
"You really think so?" Max asked, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Yeah. Yeah, I really do," Lucas nodded.
YOU ARE READING
Stranger Things: MADMAX
FanfictionIt wasn't supposed to happen like this. She was the new kid. She knew nothing about the dangers lurking with the small town of Hawkins. And yet she was the perfect target.
