"Hey, you remember what I said last year, right? We're Zombie Boy and Ghost Boy. I'm not ever gonna leave you."
"Promise?"
"One hundred percent."
***
In which Alistair fights the monster that possessed his friend alongside his friends, while trying...
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Chapter Fifty-Six: Max Is Next
(Dear Billy)
***
A gasp lodged in Alistair's throat as he blinked awake, readjusting from the vision or hallucination or whatever he had seen. He looked back at the group, realising he'd never moved at all, as Max's head whipped around, visible fear in her body.
She had seen a vision, too.
All thoughts of Vecna cursing him flew out the window as Alistair rushed to Max, concern filling his face as he asked, "Max, are you okay?"
Max blinked at him, eyes blown wide and face pale, like she had seen a ghost. The expression made Alistair grow cold with the realisation it was the exact same expression he saw on Chrissy's face, before she died.
"I... I-I..." Max stammered, but she couldn't finish, so instead Alistair pulled Max into a hug, holding her as she trembled. He saw Cami rest a comforting hand on Max's shoulder while Steve looked at the redhead in concern and Dustin pulled out the walkie, voice strained, and said, "Nancy, you guys need to get here right now. Something happened to Max."
"Wait, what happened to Max? Dustin, what's going on?" Robin asked, but Dustin had already turned off the walkie, turning back to Max, concern filling his face as Alistair pulled away but stayed by her side, as if he moved, Max would be under another trance—and this time, she wouldn't wake up.
He remained quiet over his trance, his realisation he had been cursed. They couldn't worry about him as well—not when Max was in greater danger than him.
Not like they needed to worry about him, anyway. Not when he could come back if Vecna got him, as much as that terrified Alistair to think of Vecna snapping his bones, of dying again. Max couldn't.
If he'd had a choice, Alistair would willingly sacrifice himself if it meant Vecna never touched Max.
He already died once to protect someone he loved as a sister, after all. He'd do it again, would die again, to protect Max, his friend, his sister in everything but blood.
So Alistair kept quiet about his curse and pour all his concern on Max, thinking there had to be some way to break the curse, there had to be.
He's not going to get you, Max. I won't let him get you.
It didn't take much longer for Rowan, Nancy, Valerie and Robin to arrive, as they heard a faint crash before the four girls appeared, also holding flashlights. The two groups stared at each other, as the quartet took in the files, the concern on their faces, the look on Max's face, before Nancy asked, "What happened?"
***
"It was here. Right here."
Alistair stared at the wall lit up by the flashlights, an ordinary wall that, according to Max, she'd seen a grandfather clock lodged inside it, ticking away.
