trapped with you

|5|

El walked upon Mike and Max unconcious in the ground.
"Over here!" she shouted. The party, Max's mom, Mike's mom, and Hopper all came. "Michael!" his mother cried.
"Maxine?" her mother asked.
"Are they alive?" Will asked.
"Max! Mike! Wake up, please," El sobbed.

Two days earlier
"Max! Maxine! Where are you?" Mike shouted. "Maxine if this is some game it isn't funny."

When Max awoke, it was nighttime.
"Mike?" she asked weakly.
"Max where are you?!" she heard him shout.
"Mike!" she yelled weakly.
"Max," he said running to her. "What happened?"
"I hate the woods,"  she groaned.

It was the next morning and Max was turning pale. "Max? You okay?"
"I feel like I have a pit in my stomach," she said.
"You haven't eaten," he said.
"Am I supposed to eat a salad? With leaves, roses, and taraxacum erythrospermums?" she asked.
"Tara what?"
"Red-seeded dandelions," she said.
"There has to be food, somewhere," he said.
"There's you," she said. He turned to her, he was scared.
"I was kidding! I am not going to eat you," she pointed out.
"Max, please stay alive and conscious," he said.
"In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death," she stated.
"I have to find food, I don't have time for your nerdy facts," he said. "Wait, how long can you go without food?"
"8 to 21 days. Last time I ate was Tuesday," she said.
"Maxine, today is Friday," Mike said looking worried. Max started to laugh.
"What's funny?" he asked.
"You act as if you care for me, Mike. But you don't. Not for me, or for El, or the party," Max said.
"Max, I-"
"You broke Dustin. His friends, fighting. I had to deal with your mess," she groaned.
"Max, you need t-"
"You broke him! That's what you did," she shouted.
"Max!" he shouted.
"That's what you did," she said weakly before passing out.
"Max," he said.