𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧 | Max Mayfield

TWENTY EIGHT

Tara sat by Max on her hospital bed.

It's funny.

Even unconscious, she was still beautiful.

''Max,'' Tara called softly. ''Please come back to me.''

''I read something somewhere. If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it's yours. If not, it was never meant to be.''

''We're meant to be.'' Tara whispered as she stroked Max's hand with her finger.

The door suddenly opened, and Mike, Will, El, Nancy and Jonathan walked in.

Tara sat up from the hospital bed and hugged them.

After their hug, El looked at Max's body.

''Do they know when she will wake?'' El asked Lucas.

''No. They say she might not,'' Lucas replied as Tara fought back tears. 

''Her heart stopped for over a minute. She died. But then she came back.'' Lucas said, frowning slightly. ''The Doctor's don't know how. They say it's a miracle.''

Tara smiled sadly down at Max. She was her miracle.

El sat down carefully next to Max.

''I'm here, Max.'' El spoke as she took Max's hand in hers.

''I'll be back.'' Tara whispered into Max's ear and she slowly rose from the hospital bed. ''I promise...''

She nodded to El as they walked to the door.

They drove to El's old cabin.

Jonathan opened the door of the cabin and sighed. ''Oh Jesus.''

The place was trashed badly.

''Holy shit.'' Mike cursed in surprise. ''This place is a total disaster!''

The roof had a gigantic hole, where the Mind Flayer had jumped through.

''Well, that's a bit of problem.'' Jonathan commented.

''I get we gotta hide the Supergirls, but this isn't exactly the Fortress of Solitude.'' Argyle said. ''It's more like a Fortress of Grodiness.''

''Come on guys. I've seen Mike's room look worse than this,'' Nancy insulted Mike's room.

''Oh, brutal dude.'' Argyle said.

Nancy turned on the water before turning it off again.

''Ah! See? Water still works.'' She said with a smile.

She pulled down a box.

''Cleaning supplies!'' She said.

They had cleaned up the cabin to the best of their abilities.

''Did she talk to you at all?'' Will asked Mike, referring to El.

''Not much,'' Mike replied. ''I mean, a little.''

''Dr. Brenner. He said that she wasn't ready.'' Mike said, causing Tara to tense up. ''And now she's starting to think that that he was right.''

''That's crap.'' Will commented. 

''I know,'' Mike said. ''She's just never lost before. Not like this.''

Tara nodded in agreement.

''You guys'll have another chance.'' Will said to Tara. He knew what she was thinking. 

''Let's hope not. Let's hope One is-'' Mike started.

''Vecna.'' Tara corrected.

Mike sighed at her.

''Fine. Let's hope that Vecna is dead and rotting.'' Mike finished his sentence.

''He's not. Now that I'm here in Hawkins. I can feel him and he's hurt.'' Will said as he shuddered with teary eyes.

Tara felt an odd feeling in her suddenly rise. Like, something bad was right next to them. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what though.

''He's hurting, but he's still alive,'' Will said. ''It's strange, knowing now who it was the whole time but I can still remember what he thinks; how he thinks. And he's not going to stop. Ever. Not until he's taken everything and everyone.''

''He's taken enough from me,'' Tara mumbled quietly.

''We have to kill him.'' Will said.

''We will.'' Mike assured him.

''No, I will.'' Tara said, seething angrily. ''Taking Max was the last straw. I-I have so much anger in me and,--'' 

A glass bottle suddenly smashed.

''Woah, Tar.'' Mike murmured softly as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

A familiar man entered the cabin.

Tara opened her mouth but Hopper pressed his finger onto his lips.

Tara got the hint but nodded in his direction.

Hopper went into El's room.

The others went outside.

''Oh, honey,'' Joyce called out as Tara threw herself into Joyce's arms.

Tara happily hugged her back.

She let go of Joyce as El and Hopper followed them outside with a wide smile.

Will suddenly felt his neck, goosebumps filling his body as he stared up at the sky.

A dark cloud hovered in the sky.

Ash started to fall down from the sky.

They started to walk off, following where the Ash had come from.

They walked out onto the field where they finally found the source of it all.

Once pretty flowers, now withered and dead.

They looked up, and saw burning explosions up hill.