There's No Place Like Hawkins//Stranger Things. SH

SIXTY NINE

"It's exactly what Eddie said happened to Chrissy." Dustin added, steering the discussion back to its original topic. "He said she went into a trance exactly like Max did."

Max turned around to face the rest of the group. She shook her head slightly as she looked up at them, blinking away tears from the corner of her eyes. "That's not even the bad part."

***

Now back in the small office, Max stood behind the desk. The others crowded around the other side, with Cat and Robin taking a seat in the spare chairs. The three girls read the two files left on the table while Max began to explain. "Fred and Chrissy, they both came to Ms. Kelley for help. Uh, they both were having headaches, bad headaches that wouldn't go away. And then... then the nightmares."

Cat bit the inside of her lip as she looked down at the papers. She'd been having nightmares, but surely they weren't connected to the episode she'd had. Right? Besides, they'd been a reoccurring thing ever since her first encounter with the Upside Down. The nightmares had just become more prominent ever since the events at the mall.

"Trouble sleeping." Max continued. "They'd wake up in a cold sweat. And then they started seeing things. Bad things." Steve moved his gaze to Catherine, placing a hand on her shoulder. He was becoming worried for her. "From their pasts. These visions, they just... they kept on getting worse and worse, until eventually... everything ended." Cat took in a sharp breath, suddenly becoming anxious that her episode was something more serious than just her powers being a little bit out of control.

Robin tore her gaze away from the files, looking up at Max. "Vecna's curse." She stated.

"Chrissy's headache started a week ago." Max added. "Fred's, six days ago. I've been having them for five days." Cat's face fell and she held a hand over her mouth. "I don't know how long I have. All I know is that, for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than twenty-four hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamn clock, so..." She waved her arm in the direction of the corridor, pushing back the tears in her eyes. "...looks like I'm gonna die tomorrow."

"Max..." Cat whispered, unsure how to comfort the girl. "We're gonna find a way to fix this. You're not gonna die."

Max shook her head at Cat's words. "No, Cat. Don't make me a promise you don't know if you can keep." She rested her hands on the top of the desk. "We don't know if there's a way to stop this. And even if there is, we won't have the time to find out."

Cat opened her mouth to respond, when a loud clang sounded in the hallway. The group jumped in shock, immediately turning to the doorway. Steve sighed, looking around at each of the teenagers as he came to a decision. "Stay here." He instructed the others, walking to the door. The lamp in the corner clattered as he picked it up, ripping the cord out of the wall. He held the lamp out in front of him as if it was his old nail-covered baseball bat.

"You know, I did say he should probably bring the bat with him." Cat commented as Steve disappeared out into the hallway. "What's he gonna do with a lamp? Blind someone?" Robin chuckled, the group of teens beginning to follow behind Steve at a small distance. There was more noise as they made their way silently down the corridor, this time it seemed to be coming from around the corner. Cat created a fireball in her hands, preparing to throw it at whoever or whatever appeared. She raised her hands, getting ready to aim as the rapid sound of footsteps approaching could be heard getting closer.

The group all yelled in unison as Lucas skidded into view, the boy ducking as Cat's fireball sailed through the air. It smashed into the wall at the far end of the corridor, leaving a large burn mark. Catherine cringed, she was sure to get into trouble if the school ever found out she was the one who ruined the wall.