Some parts are mentioned from the novel Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff
Also there is a happy ending and a sad ending
El was sitting in the car with Joyce on the way back from visiting max at the hospital.
"How was it today?" Joyce asked
El shrugged "same as usual i guess"
They two sat in silence for a while before el finally said something
"I was thinking about maybe trying to visit max like in her mind"
"Oh yeah that's an interesting idea, do you think you would be able to do it?" Joyce questioned
El thought for a second " yeah I probably can"
"Well then try it, just remember that it may not work" Joyce said not really knowing what to say
El turned toward the window and stared at the town that had recently been rebuilt. They pulled up in front of their house, as soon as joyce put the car in park El opened the door and ran into the house.
She rushed towards her room without saying anything to Jonathan or hopper who looked at her confused. El and mike had recently broken up as they had both decided they were better off as friends.
She slowed down as she got closer to her room, she walked past wills room and saw Will and Mike sitting on his bed.
She opened her bedroom door and walked inside shutting the door behind her, she sat down on her bed considering visiting the mind of her comatose friend. After a few moments she decided to try, she stood up and walked over to her dresser grabbing a bandanna and the radio, she then locked the door and sat down against it. She turned the radio onto an empty signal so it played static noises, she then tied the bandana tightly around her eyes so she couldn't see a thing.
She closed her eyes under the bandanna and focused on the static of the radio. Soon blood dripped out of her nose, she opened her eyes and looked around finding herself staring into the black void.
"Max?!" She called
When she got no response she felt extremely disappointed, until she noticed a small amount of white light coming from a corner. She approached it slowly and noticed it looked like a door. She walked towards it quickly till she was standing directly in front of the glowing door, she wearily opened it and stepped inside. Suddenly she was in a bar.
(A/N I got this memory from the book Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff)
she saw a girl who she recognized as a younger max sitting on a bar stool, while an older clearly drunk woman sat on the stool next to max holding a small diary over her head.
"We're having a dramatic reading." She called looking around the bar.
El watched as max slouched back in her seat, until she noticed another strange glowing door at the back of the bar, this door had a slight red tint. She pushed through the crowd of drunks before getting distracted by a man standing at a pool table in the back of the bar who looked like an older male version of max. That's when she realized that man was maxes father, she was surprised he was just continuing to play pool while the drunk woman had his daughters diary, Till she looked back over at max and the woman who was now walking away angrily as maxes empty diary sat on the stool the woman was just sitting on. El then noticed the smirk max and her father shared before they both went back to what they were doing. She stared at maxes father for another moment before continuing towards the door.
She opened the door and stepped back into a void, though this wasn't the regular void their was something different about it that she just couldn't place. She walked around aimlessly calling maxes name every few minutes till she actually got a response.
"El!" She heard maxes voice yell
"Max?!" She called frantically
"El! Where are you?" She heard as maxes voice got closer.
"Max!" She said as she started running in the direction of maxes voice
"El!" "Max!" "El!" Was all that could be heard as the two girls frantically looked for each other. El kept running till she saw another figure running towards her, the two both slowed to a walk staring at each other in disbelief for a moment till max ran closer and pulled el into a hug.
"Are you real?" El whispered as she wrapped her arms around maxes shaking body
"I don't k-know" max sobbed in relief and pain as the two of them hugged.
They hugged for another minute scared to let each other go, the two girls eventually let each other go, but el quickly grabbed maxes hand.
"Thank you" max said seriously
"For what?" El questioned confused
"You saved me"
"Of course" el said as she squeezed maxes hand
"Are you here to bring me back?"
"Oh... I don't know if i can"
Max frowned at that "can we try please, it's scary here alone, sometimes i think i see things that aren't really there"
"Okay let's try!"
"How?"
"Let's just go back through how i got here"
El started walking back towards the door with max following closely behind, the two were still cautiously holding hands. After around half and hour of walking the door finally came into view.
"That door was not there before" max said confused
"That's how i got here, there was a door in my void that let me into one of your memories then that door that let me in here"
"Oh"
The two walked over to the door and stepped through it. The same memory appeared to be replaying the same thing as el walked through earlier. Max looked shocked as she looked around the bar.
"It's the Black Door" max said in a quiet voice
"Huh?" El questioned confused
"The bar is called the Black Door, my dad would bring me here whenever we had no food at his apartment. This was the last time i ever came here." Max explains
"Oh"
The two stood there as max looked around at the familiar sights and faces, her face turned to a soft smile as the two started walking through the bar towards the glowing door. They stopped in front of the door, max glanced back for a moment before sighing and stepping through the door into Els void.
Max looked around for a moment "the doors just led us back into the same place we were before?"
"No this is different, this is my void the other was yours"
"Oh"
El squeezed maxes hand "so i think we should go back to where i came in where we should be able to hear static. You should focus on the static and waking up in the hospital and you should actually wake up there." El explained the best she could
"Ok... what if that doesn't work? What if I'm trapped here forever?" Max started to panic
"Don't worry max if it doesn't work i will come back tomorrow and we can try again and if it doesn't work then i can come back the next day i promise to come back until you can wake up"
"Thanks El, your the best"
The two girls started walking until they heard a slight static.
"Okay close your eyes and focus on only the static and waking up" el said quietly
Happy ending
"Thank you" max said as she leaned in and gently kissed el before closing her eyes, el watched as max slowly faded away, she realized she could no longer feel maxes hand in hers and hoped max had made it.
El shut her eyes and soon woke up leaning against her bedroom door. She pulled the bandanna off and wiped the blood off her nose with a tissue, she turned off the radio and put everything back in its proper spots. She heard a loud knocking at her bedroom door and opened it quickly. To see hopper looking stressed and happy, that mix of emotions confused her.
"What's going on?" She questioned
"Max woke up" he said, El smiled softly as he said that.
Sad ending ( tw death and suicide)
"Thank you" max said as she leaned in and kissed el, before closing her eyes. El watched as max slowly faded away but something felt wrong. El sadly placed the hand max was holding into her pocket, before closing her eyes.
She soon wake up leaning against her bedroom door that wrong feeling still lingering inside her as she pulled the bandanna off and wiped the blood off her nose with a tissue, she turned off the radio and put everything back in its proper spots.
She had just sat down on her bed when she heard a quiet knocking at her door.
Confused she responded with "come in"
A crying joyce entered the room, she closed the door behind her before sitting next to el on the bed still crying.
"What's wrong" El questioned though she already knew the answer
"Sweetie, max passed away"
Tears started slipping down Els face, she knew this was her fault and that's what she told herself at the bridge as she jumped hoping she would see max again soon.