teenage tragedy (Max Mayfield)

2. four

Cammie, Mike and Will were sat on Mike's couch in the basement of the Wheeler house, Will in the middle as he told them about the visions he'd been having lately.

"It's like... like I'm stuck," Will said.

"Like, like, stuck in the Upside Down?" Mike asked.

"No. You know on a View-Master, when it gets, like..." Will struggled to find the words.

"Caught between two slides?" Mike said.

"Yeah. Like that. Like one side's our world, and the other... The other slide is the Upside Down. And... And there was this noise coming from everywhere. And then I saw something," Will looked down.

"The Demogorgon?" Cammie asked, eyes wide.

"No. It was like this huge shadow in the sky. Only, it was alive. And it was coming for me," Will said.

"Is this all real? Or is it like the doctors say, all in your head?" Mike said.

"I don't know. Just... Just please don't tell the others, okay? They won't understand," Will said.

"Eleven would," Mike looked away.

"She would?" Will asked.

"Yeah," Cammie said.

"Yeah. She always did. Sometimes I feel like I still see her. Like she's still around, but she never is. I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy," Mike admitted.

"Me, too," Will said.

"Me, three," Cammie linked both of them with a smile.

"Hey, well, if we're all going crazy, then we'll go crazy together, right?" Mike laughed.

"Yeah. Crazy together," Will chuckled.

Cammie yawned as she sat in science class the next morning, head propped up on her elbow as she tried to pay attention to Mr Clarke's ramblings.

She'd had another nightmare the night before, but this time, it was of the fire. She was living it as Thirteen again, only, Callum didn't get her out in time before the fire killed them both. She'd woken up screaming and she was very lucky that her parents were out all night at a work Halloween party so they didn't know.

Steve had stayed with her until she'd fallen back to sleep, but then he'd fallen asleep in her room with her. He hadn't wanted her to go to school today, but she knew her parents would ask if she was having nightmares again and if that was why she was staying off school and she did not want to open that can of worms today.

"The case of Phineas Gage is one of the great medical curiosities of all time. Phineas was a railroad worker in 1848 who had a nightmarish accident. A large iron rod was driven completely through his head. Phineas miraculously survived. He seemed fine. And physically, yes, he was. But his injury resulted in a complete change to his personality. So much so that friends that knew him started referring to him as 'No longer Gage'. At the time, this was known as the American Crowbar Case. Although it wasn't a-" Mr Clarke was cut off when the door slammed open and Dustin hurried in.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Clarke. Really, I'm so sorry. Please continue with the class. Don't mind me," he said. He sat down and smiled at him. "Really, continue, please. Thanks."

"Although it wasn't a crowbar, it was a rod, as I said," Mr Clarke continued.

Dustin turned around to them and Cammie leaned forward, tucking her hair behind her ear to listen better.

"We have to meet. All of us. At lunch, AV Club," he whispered.

"Why?" Mike whispered.

"I have something that you won't believe," he whispered. He turned to Cammie. "Tell Max," he whispered.