Blind

Chapter 6

El's POV:
I'm glad I managed to get Max to sleep, talking to her helped as well. It was still dark outside, so I tried to sleep as well.

I curled up on the chair, trying to get as close to Max as I could. In the cabin, I always fell asleep the fastest next to Max, so I'm trying it again. I kept a hand on her soft hair, playing with it so she stays asleep. I put my other hand over her waist, laying my head on the bar on the side of the bed. I obviously put a pillow there first.

I closed my eyes, and I surprisingly fell asleep pretty quick. But then the nightmares started. It wasn't Max dying this time, it was at the snowball. The cursed one.

I saw Max with Vecna's claw over her, killing her. "No no no!" I ran to them and made Vecna levitate with my powers. I threw him into the school benches, which brought me a few seconds to run to Max.
"Max, are you ok?" I asked.
"Wha...?" She looked at me.
"I said, are you ok?"
"A-are you real? Did I make you in my mind?"
I grabbed her hands and held them in mine, "I'm real Max."
"How...?"
"I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer." I said simply.
"What?" She asked, confused.

Our moment got interrupted by Vecna. I began fighting him like I did 2 months ago, but he knocked me to the ground. I was gonna lose. I was gonna lose Max.

Max's POV:
I woke up to whimpering. I was confused but realised it was coming from El's direction. I felt her hand on my waist, and the other still on my head. I felt around until I found El resting her head on the side of the bed.

She was shaking, and still whimpering. "Max!" She whispered, her voice breaking.
"El I'm here." I said, stroking her short wavy hair.
"No! I c-can't lose you again." She whispered, sobbing slightly now. She still wasn't awake, I think she's having a bad nightmare. Will also told me she's been having those recently too.
"I'm okay now El." I said, rubbing her back.
She began crying now, still not waking up. "I'm so sorry Max, I couldn't save you. I should've gotten stronger."
"Wake up, I'm okay!" I whispered.
"I-it's all my fault. I should've been the one in the coma."
"No El! Never say that!" I said, a bit louder now.
"I deserve to die." She whispered, now crying harder.
I felt a sharp pain in my heart. My innocent and happy El wishes she was dead. She wishes she was the one who was in a coma. I felt tears prick my eyes now too.

"Ellie please wake up." I said, sobbing slightly.
Instead of El waking up, Lucas woke up. "What's wrong?" He asked sleepily.
"E-El." I said, she was still crying and I was sobbing.
"It's just one of her nightmares. She'll get out of it soon." Lucas said, how the fuck is he so inconsiderate?
"What? N-no she said she deserves to die Lucas! She wants to die!" I said, sobbing harder.
"Leave her." He held me in his uncomfortable embrace. I would much rather be in El's arms.
"Max I'm so sorry. Please wake up, I'm begging you." El sobbed. She was reliving the times I was in a coma. "If you kill me after I won't even blame you. Just please wake up." She sobbed.

I was crying now, I couldn't bare to hear El say all these things, while being trapped in Lucas' arms. "Let me go!" I shouted, I think I woke someone else up.
"What's going on?" Will asked.
"El's having a nightmare, she won't wake up!" I said, crying hard.
He immediately stood up, and walked over to El. "El." He whispered. "It's just a nightmare. Wake up."
I finally managed to pull away from Lucas. "Ellie please wake up." I said, calming down a bit.
"I've ruined your life!" She sobbed, "I ruin everything! I should've stayed in the lab. Where I belong, Lucas was right." She cried.
I turned to Lucas, furious. "What the fuck does she mean Lucas?! What did you say?!"
"I said she never should've escaped the lab! If she didn't, we all would've been fine! We would've been normal teenagers!" He said.
"Shut up! Never say that again!" I said.

"El wake up!" Will shouted. I heard a gasp from her direction. I heard El sobbing and Will comforting her. "You're ok El. It was just a nightmare." He said, I'm pretty sure he was hugging her.
"I'm sorry..." She whispered.
"Don't apologise El." He said.
"I need to leave. Before I ruin something else." She said, out of breath.
"No, stay here with us. We love you. You haven't ruined anything." He whispered.
"F-friends don't lie." She said quietly.
"I'm not lying Ellie. You need rest." He said, sitting her back down on the chair. "Close your eyes." He said softly.
"No! No, he'll come back. Max will get hurt." She said desperately.
"I'm okay El." I said.

She quickly grabbed my arm and held it tight. "I'm here El." I said. She held it harder, so now, it was hurting a bit.
"El, let go of Max." Will said calmly.
"N-no, I can't lose her again." She said.
"El, I won't leave you. I promise." I said calmly as well, it barely hurt, and saying it loud would freak her out even more.
"El you're fucking hurting her!" Lucas shouted. El flinched and let go of my arm immediately.
"N-no...I'm so sorry." She whispered as if she couldn't believe it.
"Ellie it's ok, it didn't hurt." I assured her. I found her hand and felt her shaking. I put my hand on hers but she quickly pulled it away.
"No, I can't hurt you anymore." She said, standing up.
"Ellie sit down." Will said, "You won't hurt her." He said.
"I just did!" El said, frustrated.

"You didn't El, you didn't hurt me." I said.
"Friends don't lie!" She shouted.
"We're not lying!" Will shouted back, "Sit down, go to sleep." He said, softer this time.
"I can't." El sobbed.
"Shhh it's ok. Let it all out." Will said. El cried for a minute before it stopped. Will slowly got up. "Ok, she's asleep now. The nightmare tonight was worse than the others."
"What happened the other times?" I asked.
"We just had to hold her and she'd sleep. This is the worst one she's had."
"She had to cry herself to sleep?" I asked.
"Mhm." Will said sadly. I felt so bad, the only way she could fall asleep was by crying herself to sleep.

"Everyone can sleep now. El should hopefully get a few hours sleep." Will said.
We all eventually fell back to sleep, I felt so bad for El though.