LOVE HEARTS- max mayfield

Chapter 14- The Message

Creel House was simultaneously pitch black and silent as the dead. With all lights off to draw Vecna in, and no voices to ensure their plan couldn't be heard, the house felt rather like a purgatory.

Ruby could hear Kate Bush blasting in Max's ears as the pair searched the top floor of the house for any signs of Vecna. Lucas and Erica searched the floors below with their blue lights glowing in hope of catching him.

Ruby felt this was a fruitless task, just sitting around and waiting for Vecna to pounce. She wanted to be in the action, ready to end him. However, she didn't want to leave Max's side.

Erica and Lucas suddenly appeared behind the pair, Erica placing down her lantern that was oddly pulsating. Vecna had arrived. Erica scribbled something onto her notepad, all four had pens and notepads of their own, and Lucas nodded.

Ruby caught his eye in recognition, phase one was to be set in motion. The plan began here, it began now. Erica pelted outside to signal Nancy, Robin and Steve in the Upside Down to set the next phase into action. 

Lucas sighed and began to scribble on his notepad. 

'Going to clear my head downstairs' his pad read.

Ruby nodded. 'Stay safe.' Lucas nodded in return and took him and his lantern to the next floor down. 

Ruby picked at the skin around her nails anxiously, it was all getting too real for her. Max picked up her notepad, wrote quickly on it and then held it up for Ruby to see. 

'Hi' Max grinned as she held up the pad.

Ruby laughed silently. 'Hi' she wrote back.

Max smiled and flipped over the page. 'I'm glad you're here' the next one read.

'Me too' read Ruby's response. She quickly flipped over the page and continued to scribble a longer message. 'Thank you for the ride home that day.'

Max smiled softly in recognition. 'I'm so glad I offered it.'

Ruby bit her lip, trying to contain her wild grin. 'Movie Friday?' she held up her next message hesitantly.

Max frowned and began to scribble away. When Ruby tried to look at what she was writing, Max held up the pad to her chest so the blonde couldn't see. When she was done she flipped the pad around to show the two of them holding hands with a popcorn bucket. 

Suddenly, flashing slipped through the broken window pane and the two rushed over to the window. Looking to Max for confirmation first, Ruby sighed before picking up her flashlight. Mimicking Erica's signal, she blinked her flashlight on and off to show that Max was ready to enter Phase 2. It was time to bait out Vecna.

As Lucas joined up with the girls again, Ruby grabbed her notepad and pen. She hesitated slightly, then quickly wrote down three words. Nudging Max in the shoulder she turned around the pad to show what she'd written. 'I love you' it read.

Max gaped her mouth slightly and seemed to freeze. Then she smiled. It was a smile that eased the tension that Ruby had been building up as anticipation swallowed her whole.

'We'll talk after all of this is over' Max held up her pad. Ruby nodded in agreement.

Putting the pad down, Max tightly laced her sneakers, ready to run if she had to. Gently padding into the room with the lantern that held Vecna, she looked back to Lucas and Ruby for acknowledgement. Both nodded. She took a shuddering breath as she switched off her walkman.

"I'm here. No more music. No more games. Do you hear me? What are you waiting for, huh? Come on! Do you want me or not?" she yelled angrily, hoping Vecna would take the bait, and in turn, herself.