(3) Till Death Do Us Part (Max Mayfield/ (Fem) You)

-Chapter 16: Planning and Madness-

After a bit, I actually gain the energy to get up and we all go to Max's trailer which is just across the road. I sit on the couch next to where Max is standing as the others begin speaking over each other as my head throbs with a ringing again. I swear to god, why is it ringing? Why can't I just feel a small chill or something instead?

"Okay, how about we just let Y/N tell us what she saw first, yeah?" Max asks, frustrated. The others look at me as I stare off into the distance. "I saw...a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire, dead people, soldiers....and this....giant creature with a gaping mouth. And this creature wasn't alone. There were so many monsters...an army...and they were coming into Hawkins. Into our neighborhoods, our homes." I start, recalling it easier.

"I saw....I saw my parents....all of you guys....and..you were all..." I say before taking a shaky breath. "Okay, but...he's just trying to scare you." Steve says. "Right? I mean....it's not real." He says. I look up, right at him. "Not yet. But there was something else. He showed me the gates. Four gates, spreading across Hawkins. They look like the one in Eddie's trailer but they didn't stop growing. It wasn't the upside down Hawkins...it was ours." I say. "Our homes."

As the others stare in silence, Max speaks up. "Four chimes. Vecna's clock. It always chimes four times." She says, looking at me. "Four exactly."

"I heard them too..." I mutter, turning to face Max. "He's been telling us his plan the whole time." The redhead says, scoffing. "Four kills." I mutter, putting my head in my hands. "Four gates." Lucas adds. "End of the world."

"If that's true...he's only one kill away." Dustin says, making the others gasp in realisation. Steve and Eddie groan before Steve tells Max to try calling Mike and the others again. She goes to the phone and dials, holding it to her ear. I sigh, leaning back on the sofa and closing my eyes before I hear clattering. Except, it is echoed.

"Anything?" Dustin asks, his voice distant. "No. Rang a few times, then went to the busy signal." Max responds, her voice distant as well. I open my eyes to realise I'm still on the couch, except instead of in Max's trailer, everything around the furniture is black. "What the..." I say, standing. When I stand, I look back to see myself still eyes closed on the couch. "This....is freaky." I mutter, looking at the others, hoping for them to see what I do. But they don't even hear me.

"I didn't punch it in wrong." Max says, going back to the phone. "I think she knows how to use the phone." Dustin says. "I'm just saying she could've typed it wrong" Steve responds. I walk out of the furnished area and into the darkened zone. "Same shit." Max says, putting the phone back. I look around and see a familiar figure approaching. Wearing white in what looks like a vest. Max goes on about Joyce's phone being full and how it isn't like her while Nancy agrees. But I find myself stuck on the figure.

"El?" I ask aloud, wondering if she can hear me. For sure, she isn't there in Max's trailer, so maybe she's here with me. Her eyes shift and spot me as she tilts her head. "Y/N?" She asks, unsure as well. "You can see me?" I ask. "You can see me?" She repeats to me. I nod, walking to her and hugging her tightly. "Holy shit, El." I say, smiling to myself. "What has happened?" She asks me, pulling back. "I...uh, a lot actually." I say.

After explaining the basic idea of the events, she nods. "Max....is cursed?" She asks. I nod, waiting for her to process. "Vecna...is the monster." She adds. I nod before speaking. "And from what I....saw....he was one of the kids with you back in the lab." El snaps her head to me. "One."

"We have to go back in there, back to the upside down." Nancy's voice rings through, still distant and echoey. They begin arguing and I sigh, facing El again. "We've had a crazy few days." I tell her.

"We were wrong about Vecna. Henry. One. Sorry, what are we calling him now?" Robin asks, confused. "One" "Vecna" "One" "Henry" I laugh lightly at it as I see Max notice my asleep body. She seems to assume I was exhausted from whatever I did cause I see her move a bit of hair out of my face. "We know El's strengths...but also her weaknesses." Dustin says. "Weaknesses?" Lucas asks. "We know that when El remote travels, she goes into this trance-like state. I bet the same is true with Vecna." Dustin goes on. I smile at how oddly smart our group is before snickering. "And apparently me...?" I say, looking at my own body. El is too focused on what the group is saying, so I listen in too.