Demise of Mayfield

Chapter Three: Clashing

Max was alone. No one came to see her today, but she figured they had things to do. She didn't want to waste their time, so she was okay with it. She'd glance around, but she couldn't see anything. The lights were a blur, rather fuzzy as Max squinted and tried to focus to see the ceiling clearly. It didn't help, though.

She sighed, slowly lying down on the bed again. Slowly letting her eyelids close, Max drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

As she slept, she found herself in a pit of darkness. She could see everything with such clarity, and she began to run. Max felt like she could cry as she could see, but the darkness began to disappear as it turned into the Upside Down. The rifts were shifting a little wider, causing the earth to crack a little more. The demodogs walked  past her as if she wasn't there, the demogorgons following behind. The demobats were circulating around the Mind Flayer, which revealed itself to Max.

A sense of dread fell over Max. She stepped back, her eyes wide as she looked at it.

"Maxine, why do you cower away from me?"

Max's breath became trapped within her throat, her eyes becoming wide. She found herself staggering back, tears falling from her eyes, "Y-You're supposed to be dead-."

"Supposed to be," Vecna came down to Max, his eyes darkened with mischief. "But, your pathetic, little friends couldn't do much damage to me." He found himself laughing. "Eleven clearly still needs to train." He clicked his tongue.

Max clenched her fist, scrunching her nose as she eyed Vecna. "Eleven is far, far much better than you-!" She choked as Vecna's tendril raised her in the air and squeezed her tight.

"This is what's going to happen," Vecna's eyes were wide - his eyes almost popping out. "I'm going to kick you to the back of your subconscious, and I'm going to be you." His jaw clenched, and he grinned. His hand stretched over her face, his fingers bent as he eyed his nails barely touching the girl. "No one will know."

Max blacked out, and she suddenly sat up rapidly on the hospital bed. Her monitor went off, causing the nurse to become alarmed.

"It's okay," The nurse neared the oxygen mask to Max's face, but she gasped - her eyes becoming wide. The mask fell from her hold and dangled idly from the oxygen monitor. "Oh my god… your eyes!" She leaned past Max's arm, pressing the button that called in for a doctor. Trying to calm herself down, the nurse shakily grabbed the oxygen mask and placed it onto Max - whose heart rate was spiking.

The doctor and more nurses bursted into Max's door, and the doctor staggered back, "H-How?"

The nurse who had placed the oxygen mask on Max only shrugged amidst tears, "A miracle."

-

"Guys!" Nancy came rushing down, her hair disheveled. Out of breath, Nancy pressed her hand against her chest, and her eyes were wide as she smiled, "You're not going to believe this."

"Believe what, Nance?" Steve crossed his leg over the other, resting against the armrest of the couch.

"Max's eyes, they're-they're back to normal!"

"Wait," Lucas furrowed his eyebrows. "What!?" He threw his hands in the air. "How is that even possible?? We all saw-."

"Lucas," El placed her hand on his shoulder. "Breathe."

"It's a miracle." Nancy said. "Truly."

Eleven gulped, and she looked at Mike. She saw worry in his eyes, also suspicion, yet she knew it wasn't her doing. After all, all she did was help Max's heart just a little.

-

One week later.

More people left Hawkins, still a lot left regardless. The town was slowly dying, yet many didn't seem to care. It was as if they decided to die along with it.