The Clock

Chapter Five: The End

There it was, in Starcourt Mall with us. Footsteps rattling the ground more, and more. Getting closer, and closer. It was trudging around, searching for me. Every time I took a breath, I was panting.
"Carson," Vecna says as he inches his way towards me. "It's time. Join me."
    "No, no, no, this can't be happening. This isn't real," I whisper under my breath.
I used every last ounce I have left in me to stand up. My legs, arms, and nearly every part of my body quivered. As Vecna walked towards me, I limped my way to the hallway behind Scoops Ahoy. Behind me, I can hear his moist marches moving closer.
Over to the left is a closet. This was my best choice at the time. I run over as fast as physically possible. A vine slithered around my ankle and made me fall face first onto the gooey ground. The vine wrapped tighter around me, giving me extreme agony. The circulation cut off, and I couldn't feel my ankle anymore.
I suddenly got dragged along the slimy, yet spiky floor of the Upside Down. My head slammed against the door frame as I got pulled into the middle of the mall. I am certain that I got a major concussion due to that.
In my vision there were flashes of darkness. I ached all over. I look up to see red lightning striking in the sky through the glass on the ceiling. A colossal force lifts me up and plows me into a pillar. My head unconsciously turned to the right. Vecna stared into my soul profusely. He strutted towards me with a satisfied look on his noseless face. I could hear the sounds of demobats in the distance, as well as ominous thunder.
"You're not really here."
"Oh, but I am, Carson. I am."
I focus my hearing on sounds at the party. I hear Max crying and sirens near. I focus as hard as I physically can until a weird sensation blasts through my body. I open my eyes to see a crowd of people standing around me, looking at me.
"Oh my god," Max says as her words tremble.
We hugged for a few seconds, but the first responders needed to take me to the hospital immediately. I was hurt, seriously injured. I had a grade three concussion, broken ankle, and plenty of other big words I don't remember.
It was around 2:00 in the morning when I woke up in the hospital bed. My leg was wrapped up in bandage, and it didn't hurt as bad. My friends were sitting in the room with me exclaiming with surprise when they watched me open my eyes.
"Can me and Carson talk in here for a moment, just us two?" Max asks.
"Sure, no problem. Let's go guys," Mike says.
"Get well soon," Ella says quietly. Everyone grabs their stuff and walks out of the hospital room, closing the door behind them. I listened to their footsteps, and their snacks ruffling inside of their bags.
"He-hey Max," I stutter. She slowly slides her hand up the sheets and into the palm of my hand.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Carson. If I never brought you to that party or-"
"It-it's not your f-fault," I cut her off. "It was never your fault."
Her head rested on my right shoulder as we dozed off to the sparkly dark night sky over the dull town of Hawkins.
She emotionally spits out, "I d-don't know what to say or feel or do anymore. It's like I can't take it anymore."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Lately, I've been having these horrendous headaches. But that's not all. There's these nightmares I've had, just like you. I don't get why or how, but-"
"Oh shit. Uhm, Max. There's something else you should know."
"DONG!"
We were both startled by the sound of it.
"Max...please do not tell me you heard that too."
The room starts to shake like a severe earthquake. Vines thrust through the wall. Red clouds and lightning strike the once calm night sky. Particles float from the ceiling. Next to me by my right shoulder was, Max.
    "No, no, no... this is not real," she says.
"I can get us out of here Max. I just need to focus my hearing on the hospital room so we can go back there. Hold my hand."
"Quick Carson. I really, really don't like this," she says shivering.
    I close my eyes to listen to the hospital room. I hear the machines beeping excessively. All of a sudden, an immense pain pierces my ears. I started to scream because of how much it hurt. Blood began to drip out of my ears until my ears bursted. All I could hear was a high pitched sound inside of my head. Everything was blurry. I was super dizzy, and I could barely stand up. Noise started to fade back in. About a minute later, there was a faint sound of Max yelling for me.
"What happened?! Are you okay?!" She repeatedly yells.
"You really thought you could get away that easily," Vecna says as he chuckles.
"C'mon Max, hold my hand again. I got it this time."
I tried again to focus my hearing. I couldn't hear anything. Everything was black. Everything was blank. Everything was nothing.
Vecna smirked as he approached Max and I, holding each other tightly in fear. He turned his head as he grunted deeply.
"Max, it's time."
I leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Max, run."
We sprinted away through the red fog with everything we had left in us.
"You can't hide from me."
We found a decent-sized rock that we sat behind. Our chests were respirating very quickly. It became quiet. We were confused. Maybe Vecna left? All of a sudden, his body appeared right in front of us. He looked angry, very angry.
He snapped his head which made us fly across the Upside Down. We could almost reach the red clouds. Below we could see demogorgons roaming around this hell of a place. We plunged into the ground vigorously. A grandfather clock floated through the air. Pieces of a house drifted around.
"I've waited long enough. It's time to put an end to both of your sufferings," Vecna says.
We got up and started to literally run for our lives. Vines shot out from behind us and yanked us back like we were puppets. I got slammed and tied up against a wall, while Max was put standing right in front of Vecna.
"Help!" Max yells. Vines covered my mouth making me unable to talk.
"Carson, you've been running from your fate for a long time. Now, you must watch Max's fate happen in front of you."
"Carson!" Max says. "I just want you to know, it's not your fault. It was never your fault."
"It'll all be over soon," he says.
My eyes teared up as Vecna lifted his left arm. I struggled but tried to focus my hearing on Vecna, hoping I could teleport to him and kill him. It was useless. It was impossible to use my ability because he bursted my ears.
Max's eyes started to roll as she rose up in the air. She dangled as her bones cracked. First her arms, then her legs. Her jaw cracked wide open. I envisioned our memories together. Everything we've been through. It all flashed back through my mind. Finally, he ruptured her eyes. Blood spewed out as her body dropped to the ground.
My arms finally got out, and I pulled the vines off of my mouth.
"MAX!" I screamed in pain. I ran over to her and fell on my knees. "Why would you do this to me?!"
"To show that I'm stronger than all of you. Nobody liked me, I was an outcast. Now I must prove my worth."
"What are you even talking about? I yell.
"Oh, you don't remember?" Vecna says. "Let me bring it all back." He lifts up his hand to my head.
"Wait! What are you d-"
All of a sudden, hundreds, if not thousands of old memories from my past appear in my mind. I look at him, and take a few steps back.
"I-I'm sorry," I say.
"After everything you and your 'friends' did to me, I needed revenge," he says.
"I was only young at the time. I didn't know what my hearing powers were capable of, pl-please don't hurt me."
"You were always weaker than me." My feet started to lift off the ground, my face in terror. There was nothing I could do to stop him.
"You must pay for your actions, 002," Vecna says.
"001, we can talk about this!!"
My head shot back, jaw breaking, eyes bleeding. Flashbacks flew through my mind at the speed of light. Memories of my family, my friends, Max.
The clock stopped ticking.