010 & 011-Elmax

19

-This chapter takes place during S3E8: The Battle Of Starcourt-
-Max's POV-

El's cries only grow louder and I try my best to sooth her, but to be honest I really don't know how.

"What is that?" Erica asks.

"There's something in there," Mike says.

"WHAT?!" I shout. "There's something in her leg?"

Nobody answers me though. Johnathan just tells us to keep her awake and runs off. El starts to blink slower and slower and I shake her awake.

"El, baby, I need you to stay awake for me," I say.

"Sit her up," Mike suggests and we do that.

"You know it's actually not that bad," Robin says. "There was a goalie on my soccer team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg and the whole bone came out of her knee, six inches or something it was insane."

"Robin," Steve says.

"Yeah?"

"Not helping."

"Sorry."

Just in time Johnathan runs back with gloves on, a wooden spoon, and a knife.

"Alright, El?" Johnathan says, getting her attention.

"Hm?"

"This is gonna hurt like hell, okay?"

"Okay."

"I need you to stay real still." He grabs the wooden spoon and hands it to me. "Here, you're gonna wanna bite down on this, okay?"

I quickly put the spoon into her mouth and she's already biting down hard. Johnathan holds the knife above the leg and looks to me for permission since El wasn't really able to do so herself. I respond by giving him a nod. He sliced down and I wince as El screams. She digs her nails into arm with one hand and with the other hand she's squeezing the life out of mine. She keeps her eyes shut tight as Johnathan reaches below her skin with his hand.

Th scream she made before was barely a whimper compared to this one. I squeeze my eyes shut and bite the inside of my bottom lip. I don't know how much longer I can hear her cries before I throw up. She spits out the spoon while shaking her head.

"No! Stop it!" She screams. "STOP!" Johnathan pulls his hand out, panting. "I can do it," she says as she sits herself up.

She reaches her hand above her leg and I can finally see the small object moving around under her skin. She starts to scream even louder as a little piece of the monster from earlier pokes through her wound before crawling back down. The windows behind us shatter and I move behind her while covering my neck so neither of us are hit by the falling glass. El is finally able to drag out the creature, which lets out a shriek as it hits the air, and launches it across the mall. I watch as it scurries away before getting stomped on by a large shoe. I smile as I realize the person who stomped it was Hop, and next to him is Mrs. Byers and some guy that I don't recognize.

***

"The Mind Flayer," Mike says, still explaining what happened to us to the two adults, Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica. "It built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, to kill her and pave a way into our world."