No Surrender | Eddie Munson

Chapter Forty-Six: Die On This Hill

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: DIE ON THIS HILL

RUNNING UP THAT HILL (A DEAL WITH GOD) — KATE BUSH

You don't wanna hurt me
But see how deep the bullet lies
Unaware, I'm tearing you asunder
There is thunder in our hearts

——————

"I know you guys are staring at me."

Blearily lifting my head from the cracked leather of the armchair, I look to the boys with raised eyebrows. They all rush to find distractions as Max's pointed glare fixes on them. A babble of excuses fills the small room.

She huffs, "How you think your eyes boring into the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don't know."

It takes a few tries for me to sit up. When I succeed, I find her stood in front of the sofa. Lucas and Dustin are way too focused on the articles that we have already read through a hundred times and Steve throws a baseball towards the ceiling over and over.

"You can look at me now."

"Thank you. Sorry." Dustin's apology is awkwardly echoed.

With a shaky sigh, the girl starts forward and pushes an envelope into my hand. "For you. For you. For you. And, um, you. Oh, and, um, give these to Mike, El and Will. If you can ever get a hold of them again." I frown down at it, my finger tracing the pen scratches of my name. I don't understand. She can't have written it just for me, we barely know each other. The beginning of a question is stopped short when she snaps at the others, "What are you doing? No, don't. That's not for now. Don't open it now."

"'Don't'— Okay. I'm sorry, what is this?"

"It's um..." She hesitates, blinking. "It's a failsafe. For after. If things don't work out."

Lucas' hold on his envelope slips. "Wait. Max, things are gonna work out."

"No! No, I don't need you to reassure me right now and tell me it's all gonna work out because people have been telling me that my entire life and it's almost never true. It's never true. I mean, of course this asshole curses me. Should've seen that one coming."

I can understand. I can understand it so much it hurts. The pang in my chest quickly turns to frustration. Why couldn't the Gate have just stayed shut? Why did Vecna have to come here when things were already so horrible? Why did he have to target someone I care about?

The numbness in my hand is back, stronger than ever before. I close my fist as tight as it will go but it isn't enough. It's never enough.

My thoughts are cut off by her voice. She is over by the games table, the walkie in hand. "If we go to East Hawkins, will this reach Pennhurst?"

"Of course. Yeah."

"Wait," Steve quickly interjects. "Why are we talking about East Hawkins?" He already knows the answer. "No. No. No!"

She's already up the stairs. There's nothing I can do to stop her, nothing any of us can do. So we follow her out onto the driveway.

"Max," he tries again. "Max! Seriously. Seriously, I'm not joking, okay? I'm not driving you anywhere."

"Steve, if you think I am 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."