🚲Behind That Fake Smile💔ZodiacTheSpringer

Twenty-nine

"It's so good to hear that Max is back, right?" He said in his cheerful tone. "She might even be able to help us defeat Vecna!".

"You do realise that the people who run this place probably won't let Max out until she's been confirmed to be in a healthy state." I raised my eyebrow at him.

Dustin proceeded to roll his eyes back at me. "Your always so moody and glum nowadays." He told me in a flat tone. "It's always only when Will's around that you actually seem like your actually enjoying life."

"Mhm, cause I actually enjoy being hunted down by a deadly monster that could use my own trauma to terrorise me into a gruesome death." I responded sarcastically.

"At least you weren't actually tormented, Mike." Dustin muttered as he turned to look the other way.

I gave him a pissed side-glance as I, like him, rotated my body to face the opposite way as well.

Soon enough, Lucas entered entered the waiting room with a smile that reached for his ears. He was excited, who could blame him.

Lucas invited for each of us to visit Max in small groups. I was one of the first few people that got to see Max first.

She was upright sitting in her bed with her back resting against a thick pillow. Her skin was paler than it had been a few months and some limbs were still bandaged. But even with that, she still managed to have a stable gleam on her face as she noticed us enter the room.

Each one of us walked up towards her in excitement and shared a group hug with her that wasn't too tight that it would harm her anymore than she already was. I hadn't found an open area to give Max the proper hug she deserved so I had to pile my hug on top of Dustin and Steve.

No doubt I should've shown her more affection. She definitely deserved it after what had happened but it felt quite awkward to even look at her. After all, I haven't spoken with her for what seems like many years even if it was actually only just a few months.

I rubbed my hand up and down my arm as everybody else began talking excitedly trying to keep her up with everything that had happened whilst she was in her coma.

I hadn't been listening to the conversation but somehow Eleven had been mentioned. I flinched as her name was mentioned aloud knowing what was to be said next.

"Where is she?" Max asked to me in particular.

That's when I noticed that neither Eleven or Will had arrived to the hospital as they had told me just before I had left.

"I'm not sure." I responded. "She and Will said they'd meet me and the others here but they never came." I shrugged whilst also side glancing the others.

"You don't think they've gone after Vecna without us, do you?" Dustin's head was slightly lowered as he spoke.

"You guys have been planning to attack Vecna without me?" Max asked from her bed.

"Not attack; kill" I corrected her. "But we weren't going to do it until we were all prepared." I turned to face Dustin directly. "I'm sure they are just taking their time to get here, they had to walk all the way here anyway. It's not like either of them can drive."

"I wouldn't be so sure" Steve began. "They both seemed pretty eager with their plan. They had it all drawn out and everything."

"Some of us might need to go on a quick search for them." Lucas joined in.

"Hey, can I help kill Vecna after you find them?" Max put in her request.

Everybody that were in the room looked to her, questioning what she had said.

"Max.." Dustin was about to say something before Max cut him off.

"I'm sure I can convince them to let me out!" She put in.

"Even so, what would you even do to help?" I said to her soon after realising how nasty I must've sounded.

"I could distract him or something, I don't know! Just let me help! I need to get revenge on him for putting me in here." Max pleadingly had said.

"What about you eyesight. You said everything looked cloudy?" Lucas asked.

"I'm not completely blind." Max pointed out. "I can still see the obvious."

"More importantly, how will you get around." Steve added.

"Wheelchair. I've had enough skateboard experience to know how to use one."

"They're like completely different transportation devices." Dustin spoke.

"I can still learn!"

"What are you going to do in a wheelchair?" I said to her.

"Whatever you need, just let me help!" Max pleaded.

"Let's just focus on finding the other two first. If they aren't already in the Upside-down, we can find somewhere for you to help." Steve said to finish the conversation.