𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙥! 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣

SCENE ELEVEN. the ticking curse

"where are we even going?" piper questioned as she reached into her coat pocket, taking out a packet of cigarrets and a red lighter. lighting a cigarette as steve swerved around another conrner. the sky quickly growing dark as they drove.

"school." dustin relied. and steve took a whiff, followed by throwing a look over his shoulder as the gust of smoke blew into his face. coughing as she inhaled another gust as he reahed for the cig.

"you quit." he cried as he threw the cig out the window. the girl letting out a cry like gasp as it disappeared.

"you don't own me." anymore. she spat glaring at the boy, if looks could kill he would be more then six feet under.

"you are quiting." is all he replied as he returned back to the road, driving the kids to the school. they were going to break into ms kelleys office looking for clues. god she felt like she was apart of the mystery gang. especially with them breaking into the school, wandering around the halls with flashlights. but who would be who? piper was so invested in choosing which friend fit which position she had ignored the whole converastion on the radio. that is until max swings the door open, the familar room of ms kelleys office apearing in the dark as steve shook her lightly.

"piper, you okay?" he looked down down her, the hint of worry in his eyes. and she nodded, shaking his hand off as she followed max into the room. who was trying to find the right key for the cabinet.

"here i'll hold the light." piper spoke shining the light onto the keys so the girl to match the right one to the hole.

"thanks." max muttered as she opened the cabinet. the school files appearing inside. in alphabetical order as well.

"holy shit." max spat as she read over the names. amelia hawthorn, bailey kilen, chrissy cunningham, fred benson, george king, jessica sommors, max mayfield, patrick mckinney, and piper parker. the boys walking over as piper eyed down her file.

"found it?" dustin questioned as max pulled out a file.

"yeah and not just chrissy's file, fred was seeing ms kelley too." and steve's eyes lowered to the file cabinet. seeing a quite thick file for a girl he knew. well girls. there was one for a girl he thought of as a younger sister, max mayfield and, one for a girl he held dearly to his heart. piper parker. max grabbed chrissy's file placing it down on ms kelleys desk. opening it revealing notes, of her sessions, symptoms and, what inspired her to come to ms kelleys too.

terrible migraines
difficultly sleeping
headaches

where the three that stuck out to max, a thought struck her mind.

"can i see fred's file too?" she asked and piper nodded moving to grab freds file as well. finding the same words written in his. symptoms piper could relate to. ever since the mind flayer.

terrible migraines
difficultly sleeping
headaches
nosebleeds

and piper thought back to one time her and max where hanging out. how she could have sworn she saw the trickle down max face before the girl turned away. she always seemed to be taking pills. much like piper herself. no matter how many of those red pills her sleep never came. and when it did they were always plagued with nightmares. the mind flayer, flayed billy, the russians, thomas, they never silenced. she knew max had nightmares too. billy, her stepdad, a figure appearing from the dark calling her name. and a cold sharp pain hit her hip, making her face twist as she grabbed it.

"you alright?" dustin asked as piper looked back over the the cabinet. they had her file out as well. but it rested unopened with max. she hoped they wouldn't read it. dustin's words never reached her. the darkness seeped to creep in from the corners as names appeared before her, written in a bloodied red. chrissy cunningham, fred benson and max mayfield. max? and piper violently snapped herself out of it. turning to look at max who had frozen stiff.

"max?"

something was wrong. the girl was unresponsive, unmoving. but she was there, it was like she had been turned off. but her eyes, an image showing in them. behind them. max was in some kind of trance looking behind them but frozen forward.

"max." a voice called, the slight crackle and bubble sounding. not one of them. but piper knew that voice. the voice in her mind, the one who taunted her just before both of the soon to be killed. and max got up, movements stiff and cold. like some kind of toy. and piper was quick to follow as max started to leave the room. she could see the girls white fists wrapped tightly around the flashlight.

"maxine!" piper cried following max. but every time she tried to reach out a icy touch snapped at her fingertips. and then the clock started to tick with every step. no matter how hard she tried push her limbs, she was slow. the two rounded the corner slowly, like time was not of their essence. and the clock came a terrible off tuned chime. making her flinch slightly. the clock was strange, but this whole moment was stranger. max's dissociation, the cold halls, the lack of steve and dustin's stupid comments and bickering. it was cold. far too cold. like the mornings of the january winter. when the happiness of christmas has faded away. the clock seemed to be sticking out of the hall. cracks showing in the wall. and max took a step forward.

"max please stop this." she cried trying to follow, it was like something was weighing her down. like she was trying to walk through mud or something. and then she felt the cold sting at her feet. looking to find sloshing water around her thighs.

"piper. help me!" a boy voice cried. the clock gave another chime. and then boney hand grabbed her ankle. trying to pull her into the icy water which was only rising.

"you killed me!" his voice cried and piper gave one finally pushing. screaming max's name as she dived towards her.

- - -

em's comment.

part 69 ;)

yes that's it