Daisies || Max Mayfield

65: The Creel House

Turns out Max went into Vecna's mind or something. She found the Creel house. So that's where we went next.

Nancy drove in the Wheeler's station wagon. I sat in the back, with Max, and all our gear, including the backpacks, Steve's toolbox, and both the crowbar and bat. Steve got to go n the middle with Dustin and Lucas, while Nancy and Robin took the front again.

We all clambered out, Max holding my hand her non-broken one. Dustin and I had our backpacks, his holding everyone's walkies and flashlights, excluding mine and Max's. I had two hammers clipped to the side of my backpack, along with my crowbar and a few other small things tucked inside the many pockets.

Max shivered, her jacket flapping open in the wind. She grumbled, trying to hold it enough to zip it. Eventually, she gave up, pulling the sides closer as we walked up the steps.

"Do you want help?" I asked.

She nodded, biting her lip, annoyed. "This is fucking ridiculous, I can't even zip my jacket."

Lucas looked up, raising his eyebrows. "Are you okay?"

I crouched down, zipping her jacket for her. She leaned her head on my shoulder when I stood back up, thanking me.

"Hammer." Steve grabbed one off the side of my backpack, Nancy taking the other. "Start at the bottom, and we'll work our way up."

"Got it."

He flipped the hammer in the air before getting to work, yanking out the nails from the plywood covering the door.

Max adjusted her zipper, then took my hand again, not even caring to hide it. Nancy was distracted by the door, and Lucas was oblivious, again. He was trying to peek through the windows, between the boards covering them.

Dustin glanced at Robin, nodding to her not very inconspicuously, trying to get my attention.

"She knows," Max muttered.

"Seriously! Does everyone know?" He exclaimed.

"Know what?" Steve and Nancy asked in unison, turning to him.

"Nothing," I said. "Don't worry about it."

Steve shook his head, going back to the door. "What exactly are we supposed to be looking for in this shithole?"

"We're not sure," Nancy replied. "We just know this house is important to Vecna."

"Because Max saw it in Vecna's red soup mind world?"

"Basically."

"Great."

"Maybe he holds a clue to where Vecna is," Dustin suggested. "Why he's back, why he killed the Creels. And how to stop him, before he comes back for Max."

"We don't think he's in here...do we?" Lucas asked.

"Guess we'll find out," Max said.

"That was blunt," I added.

"Ready?" Steve handed the hammer back to me, and I took Nancy's as well. They held up the board, stepping to the side. It dropped with a loud thud, sending leaves and dust flying. I coughed, covering my mouth.

Max tensed up, staring at the stained glass door. It was a large rose and would've been quite beautiful if it weren't for the massive amounts of cobwebs and dust covering it.

"You okay?" I whispered. She nodded.

Steve rattled the doorknob. "It's locked. Should I knock, see if anybody's home?"

I reached for my crowbar, now a frequent tool for breaking into shit. 

"No need," Robin smirked, holding up a brick. "I found a key."