They both turned to look behind them when the lights randomly turned on, both of them looked at each other confused, the electricity had been cut of here for decades at least. Max put the headphones around her neck and started inching towards the light.
Alex followed after her hesitantly, not wanting to be alone in this creepy ass place. "I promise I'm gonna stop asking this, but..." Max started, looking behind to Alex and gripping her hand tightly. Alex pushed Max behind her a little, wanting to keep her safe even if it wouldn't do much.
"Yeah, I see it too," Alex reassured, falling back into darkness as the light switched off again. The light transferred to the one next to Max, making them turn again.
Alex left the room first, pulling Max behind her as an act of protection. They followed the trail of the lights, not entirely sure where it was leading.
"What are the odds that Vecna," Alex asked, noting Max's fright.
"Pretty damn certain," Max said back. Both of them follow the lights again, gaining attention from the rest of the gang as it led to a grand chandelier in the dining room, the light slowly getting brighter until the bulb just stopped and became dark.
"It's like Christmas lights," Robin said to them, looking over at Nancy specifically, "The Christmas lights,"
"Yeah," Nancy nodded, "When Will was in the Upside Down, the lights...it was like they came to life,"
"Vecna's here," Lucas gasped quietly, if Vecna was really in the house then they wanted to be quiet, in case he could somehow hear them, "In this house, just on the other side,"
The lights flickered for a second before turning off.
"I think he just left the room," Robin said to them after a short silence.
"Did he hear us?" Max asked, fear rising as she moved closer to Alex, if that was even possible.
"Can he see us?" Steve asked to no-one in particular.
"Headphones," Alex whispered to Max, watching as the girl pulled them up from around her neck and put them on, blasting Kate Bush in hopes that would protect her from Vecna if he came back for her.
"Wait, wait. Everybody turn of your flashlights, and spread out," Nancy ordered, everyone obliged and went around the house, flashlights turned off. Apart from Steve who stood there dumbfounded,
"We're not gonna be ale to see if we turn our flashlights off," He mumbled, watching everyone spread out in the darkness.
Alex made sure she was always in range of Max, not too close so they were still spread out, but close enough that she could always see the ginger.
"I got him!" Robin exclaimed, making them turn to her, "Got him" Robin repeated, making the two girls share a look and run over to Robin, her flashlight illuminated and pointed at the ceiling, but then it turned off, "Well, i had him,"
But Steve's lit up next, "Oh, Whoa," He whispered, holding his hands up to the ceiling too, "Oh, I think he's moving," Steve said, moving with his flashlight to keep the light, "He's moving,"
Everyone followed Steve as he walked into the main hallway, following the light up the stairs, everyone was staring at his flashlight. Which was Vecna? But then it turned off, like Robin's.
"Fuck, i lost him," Steve said, hitting his flashlight on his leg as if that would help anything.
"No," Max shook her head, "You didn't" she walked up a small staircase with a light at the top. They all flowed behind her apprehensively, the light getting brighter as they approached it.
"It's an attic," Robin mumbled, this wasn't helping her constant paranoia.
"At least it isn't like an underground torture chamber?" Alex said back, trying to raise Robin's hopes a little.
"Neither is good," She said back.
"Hold up guys," Dustin called out, making everyone stop and look back at him, "What if he's leading us into a trap?"
No-one listened and continued up the staircase. When they reached the top, a single lightbulb was lit in the centre of the room, hanging low on a cable. They walked closer to it, their flashlight becoming lit as well.
"Flashlights," Dustin said, making sure everyone knew the lights were it. They all pointed them up, creating a ring around the original bulb. Alex couldn't help but think it seemed like a summoning ritual or something cultish.
"Okay, what the fuck is happening?" Steve asked, looking at the teens for answers.
"Aw, Steve are you scared, do you need Dustin to hold your hand?" Alex mocked, looking over to her brother with a little smirk. He just rolled his eyes and smiled sarcastically at her, while inching closer to Nancy.
Alex looked around the circle and it seemed everyone was panicked, not just Steve. Well, this can't be good for anyone can it.
Alex looked across to Max. Is this even safe for her to be here? Can Vecna grasp her mind from the other side? It would be so easy for him to just snap, then poof, he would be inside.
Max seemed to be thinking the same thing as she locked their hands together, holding it tightly, as if to ground her. Alex didn't let go and squeezed back.
~~
"Not to be a total wimp," Robin starts as she sits in the passenger seat of the car. Nancy is driving, Alex, Lucas and Max sit in the middle, the two girls holding each other and listening to running up that hill from Max's Walkman. Dustin and Steve sit in the trunk, surrounded by the food and drinks they had brought for Eddie. "But, can i stay in the car for this, because this is totally and royally gonna suck,"
"It'll be fine," Nancy says, shaking her head.
"I just can't stand to see the dull eyes of Eddie's break again. I really, really can't." She sighs back, Alex thought it was a bit of an exaggeration his eyes aren't that dull.
"At least he can drink himself into feeling better," Steve lifts the beer bottles, a small smile on his face as he did so. Alex wished she could do that, just drink into an oblivion and forget everything she has ever seen.
"That's what my mom does," Max adds bitterly, Alex hold back a laugh; Max is rather blunt this morning.
"Why don't we give it a trial run?" Robin says, turning to the group, "Like, 'Hey Eddie! Good news first this time. We got you some Dustin approved junk food and that six-pack you requested. Oh yeah, and we found Vecna, only the bad news is that he's in the other, darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about and the gate's closed so we have no way of getting to him. He's entirely shut off to us, so basically you're screwed but now you're like doubly, triply, screwed!" The girl blurts out, her words mixing together and her voice completely panicked.
"Wow, you're all super optimistic this morning," Alex comments, leaning back against the seat of the car, "Maybe don't word it like that," She said, looking at Robin through the rear view mirror.
"We say that we're one step closer to finding Vecna," Nancy says to her, "That's what we'll say. That's all that's important. Everyone is okay and we are closer to then end goal."
"See, Robin? Positive spin can make all the difference," Steve says, throwing a bag of candy at her from the back. Is that Steve's weird way of making her feel less worried?
"Oh shit!" Nancy cays before anyone else could comment.
The group all look out the windows as they come closer to the boathouse Eddie was staying in, it's covered in caution tape and police cars. A new form of tension settled in the car as they spotted a large group standing on the dock.
They all rush out of the car, running around the back of a news van to avoid the cops. They watch as the sheriff gave a news report talking about a homicide on the lake. he talks in detail about what he could figure out about the death, before sharing the name to the news team.
"An eighteen year old senior from Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney."
Alex watched as Lucas's face fell at the name of his teammate, he was with them barely a day ago and now, now he was dead and Eddie was 'the murderer' again.
"Dustin, Dustin can you hear me?" Dustin's walkie came through in waves from his bag. The boy reached around to grab it, hearing Eddie's voice. "Baby Harrington, Wheeler? Anyone there?"
"Eddie? Holy Shit," Dustin says in a hushed whisper, still trying to hide from the police and general public. "Are you okay?"
"Nah, Man," Eddie laughs humourlessly, "I'm pretty goddamn far from Okay,"
Alex takes the device from Dustin, he wasn't getting anywhere, "Eddie? Where the fuck are you?" she asked, clearly he wasn't at the boathouse anymore.
"Skull rock," Eddie replies, Alex nods, she knows the place, Steve does as well judging from his face, "You know it?"
"Yeah, yeah we got it,"
"Alex-"
The girl spins around, recognising the voice. Rocky. She walked away from the group and over to him. He wraps her in a hug, Alex awkwardly hugs back, she had forgotten that they were still dating, and she had been kissing Max earlier.
"Rocky I-"
"No, save it for later." He said, pulling back from the hug and noting that the girl was still wearing his jacket and smiling, maybe she could help him after all. "Have you seen my brother, i haven't been able to get a hold of him," he asked breathlessly, "Lexi, leave them," he pointed to Dustin specifically and Nancy, "They, are a part of it, this.... this cult, and my brother, he is the leader of it. It's the D&D shit, it makes them crazy," he waved his hands like a mad-man, trying to show how it messed with them, "What happened to Chrissy, that night in the trailer, it... it happened to Patrick last night, Me and Jason, we watched it." he paused to take a breath, then looked her in the eyes.
Alex barely recognised them, they weren't warm like normal, no they were cold and angry he looked as if he hadn't slept in days and was running off pure caffeine, "Eddie, he was there again and... Lexi, i don't want you hanging around with those Hellfire freaks, like Mike Wheeler or that Henderson kid. Lexi, they're bad news and i mean it, Eddie and them... he cursed them, that's why Chrissy started floating and Eddie... he ran away at my house with Chrissy, because he wasn't expecting it to work but now, now he's killing them all. And i... i don't want to loose you because they're gonna mess with your head, and then you'll become his next victim."
Alex stepped back a little, she wasn't sure what had happened to him in the last forty-eight hours, but this wasn't the guy she was making out with three days ago. "Rocky, that's not what's happening, i promise you, you have it all wrong. I can't explain it to you here but Eddie is innocent," she said hesitantly, the boy looked like he could kill right now. Alex stepped back in and grabbed his hand, pleading for him to listen.
"No!" He essentially shouted at her, a crazed look in his eyes, "Alex, if you hang out with them you'll be next." He growled. Alex stepped back again, he stepped forward, his look changing from pure insanity to empathy, "Lexi, i... i just don't want you to be next, your too good for them," he looked back to her friends, "For the freaks and the losers and high-school flunks."
"Rocky, i just need to you listen. Your brother, he isn't behind all of this, i promise you. He ran away because he was scared, this thing, that got Chrissy and that got Patrick, it's from this parallel version of-"
He rushed forward and grabbed her hands, he looked panicked, "No, Lexi not you as well. Don't listen to whatever shit they're feeding you, it's all lies, to cover for my brother. You really think there is a parallel universe," he looked up and put a hand on her cheek, "Please, come with me, and Jason and Andy, we can keep you safe. Those freaks, they're just gonna brainwash you, and... and corrupt you until..."
"Until i die." She finished for him.
He nodded, disparity clear in her eyes. Alex was conflicted, she knew that everything Rocky was saying was false, she knows it's not Eddie behind it all but... he was so convincing and it was kind of chivalrous that he wanted to keep her safe.
"Exactly and Lexi, i can't... I can't let that happen to you, because i care about you so much and... and i don't know why but i do and if i loose you, especially to them," he motioned behind her to her friends again, "It would kill me,"
She looked up to him for the first time this conversation and it almost broke her to see him, so helpless and pleading. He leant down and put a hand on the back of her neck, closing the distance between them as he leant in close, pressing their lips together. Alex leant into it, technically she was still dating him, all those times she kissed Max was technically cheating on him.
Alex didn't care that her friends were still behind, or that her brother was watching as she kissed him. Rocky pulled back, putting an arm over her shoulder as they smiled at each other, "C'mon, just come with me and the guys, then you'll be safe and..." he pulled Alex with him to face her friends, Alex almost winced at the glares they were giving her. "Those, those freaks can't corrupt your mind."
Alex knew it was wrong, she knew that she should be going with Max, with Steve and making Eddie a free man. Yet here she was, walking away from them, sensing the glares and betrayed looks as she kissed Rocky and went with him, and Jason to hunt Eddie.
She wouldn't give them his location, she wasn't that tight and she didn't agree with them, but something, that small part of her that longed for normal teenage years won this battle, and she slid into the car with them.
A/N: Y'all gonna hate me after this one.
It's still a Max fic, don't fret. They will be endgame i just love angst.