PLEASE REMEMBER ME
☀︎
HE HELD HER IN HIS ARMS AS HE TOOK TO HIS TRUEST FORM. Henry was the monster that Hawkins pinned him to be. He had a way with words, manipulation, and a charm like no other. He had his way of turning a determined girl, fighting to end him into a helpless child, able to convince her that he was all she needed. He plagued her mind.
His monstrous form held her in his arms. The coldness around them chilled Alex's bones. This was wrong and she knew it. Knowing it was wrong froze her hold on him, leaving her tense. Fear clouded her judgment because all she knew she wanted was a love that could protect her and instead she managed to run from it and fall into the arms of someone willing to hurt her.
Her eyes turned up in curiosity. Was this the man she somehow grew fond of? Was he Henry, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a charming smile? No, this was the monster she only ran from. This was the man that was torn apart and pieced back together from a world so dark and twisted. Alex wanted to scream but Henry already had her. The silent scream brewed in her throat without the chance to ever escape.
He didn't need to speak, his presence enough caused her insides to curl.
Her eyes began to flutter and she wondered how she could be tired in a time like this. She fought against it, attempting to keep her eyes open. But when she struggled against his arms, there was no use. He was inside of her whether she still felt the way she did or not. Her small opening alone was all he ever needed to immerse himself in her mind.
Alex's eyes continued to flutter until they closed and she grew limp in his arms. This was all he needed. He knew where to find Max Mayfield— in a gym, frozen in time. Picking up Alex, he draped her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing to him as he exited her bedroom.
The red outside her bedroom window was no storm, it was his home. This was where he brought his victims to be put on display. He wished Alex was awake for this so he could show her those she led to their deaths. Something in him didn't want to hurt her that way, but he knew she could never care for him either, only through manipulation and his own dig around her brain. He'd change her mind on him through sheer force.
With one motion, he dropped her to the ground with a thud. Alex didn't wake and he was content with that. The vines did his work for him as they strung her up for him to watch. It made him comfortable to know he owned her now, even if she woke, she still lived here with him.
Making his way toward her, his hand extended, his long claw stroking her cheek with his head cocked to the side. "This is all for us." He knew she couldn't hear him but he hoped she could feel it, feel him. "We will not lose now that I have you. It will all be over soon."
He was hesitant as he pulled his hand away. The battle was not over. Max was waiting for him and Hawkins still needed to burn. Taking a step back, he looked at her with admiration. Bloodied and bruised and he felt how strong she still was inside. If only her emotions were not weak then perhaps she would have escaped him.
Finally turning his back to her, Vecna kept his eyes forward. Max awaited him and even if she fought, her mind still lingered on him, letting him hold on just a little longer. He wouldn't spoil it. He wouldn't tell her he had Alex, he'd let her hold onto that hope a little longer, and the sweet feeling he'd have to see the terror in her eyes when she would see he'd won.
Disappearing from his home, he prepared for his final sacrifice in a gymnasium made ready for a winter dance. He'd turn this happy memory cold for Max Mayfield and that would only add to his win.
Max waited— either for an opening to leave or for Vecna to find her again. She was able to escape this whole time and when she felt she finally found safety, it was ripped away immediately. She closed her eyes and tried to think of any memory but he lived in her mind. He taunted her with every word, making his arrival all that more unbearable.
She tried to escape but that door to the Creel house stood before her and the haunting sound of the song that saved Victor Creel chilled her entire body. She looked for a way out, even if she couldn't think of a happy memory to dive into, she'd run. As long as she ran.
"It's time," Vecna announced from behind her. Max spun around, air pulled from her lungs and a lump formed in her throat. She felt helpless. She couldn't get a word out until he launched her back. One simple gesture of his hand and she was sailing across the gym.
Her eyes were on him as she stayed glued to the wall. No matter the struggle, she would never win against a monster like this. She grunted and cried out in pain and he continued to push forward. The very floor that Max danced on, her first kiss with Lucas Sinclair and Vecna ripped it all apart. She'd never looked at the Snowball the same as she once did, not without him tearing across her mind.
Max continued to struggle as he stood before her. He breathed in the air around her. "You are brave, Maxine. Much braver than your brother. But in the end... you are weak and fragile, just like him. Like all the rest of them. And you will break."
He rose his hand in the air, his claw extended out as he wished to finally end the suffering both of them felt. She'd die and forget her pains and he would finally have what he's wanted all these years. He'd win. He could feel a part of her leave her body and come to him. It was glorious. Power shot through him and he could see the end. It was everything he dreamed of. In this scenario, he was no monster, he ended the world of suffering and he won.
All of that was ripped apart as his body grew weak and shot back in a matter of seconds. Nothing came to his mind of how this was all possible. It couldn't be. He rose high in the middle of the gym, immobile. It burned within him to be held like this. His body was no longer in control and it was unbearable. He didn't understand how until he saw her.
To him, this was a nightmare. All this time he wished to see her again, to destroy her, to cause her all the pain she caused him. But now she had him and it all became unfair. She found him in the depths of another's mind and he couldn't fathom how. Then a new fear struck him, that she had gotten to Alex just before he had left. If she was free because of Eleven, Hawkins wouldn't just burn, it would be torn apart, destroyed into nothing.
Eleven, barefoot and with a freshly shaven head entered the gym. Her head was held high as she held Vecna in the air. He was hurting her friend and she wanted him to suffer. With her hand raised, holding him in place, blood trickled from her nose as she turned him to face her.
He struggled to speak. "You," he grumbled.
Eleven felt she won already. "Hi." A toss of her hand and Vecna was thrown forcefully at the bleachers at the other end. Max slowly began to get to her knees as she watched Eleven in awe. If this was a cruel dream, she wasn't sure she'd want to wake, but if this was real, then it was perfect. She could see it now, she'd escape.
She was up on her feet when Eleven ran over to help her stand straight. "Are you okay?" When Max didn't give an immediate response, Eleven cupped her hands on her face. "Max, are you okay?"
Breathing heavily, Max felt beyond overwhelmed. "Huh?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Reaching out, she couldn't stop herself from touching Eleven. She had to know if it was a figment of her imagination or not. "Are you.. are you real? Did... did I make you?"
Eleven grabbed her hands and held them tight. She squeezed hard to show Max this was everything she needed to live. "I'm real."
"How?"
"I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer," Eleven explained no further as she felt it all made sense. She was jumping into Max's mind just as Billy had jumped into hers. This was an act of heroism for her friend and she was going to win.
Max frowned, "What?" Eleven smiled and Max shook her head in confusion. "Have you seen Alex? We got into a fight and... and she's in here. She's in my head too."
Eleven was shocked and confused. There was never a sign of Alex being here then she wondered if she missed all the signs. Maybe she missed her. And she wondered how lost Alex would be racing through a mind that wasn't her own. "No... no, I didn't see her. How did she get here?"
Jerking a finger over Eleven's shoulder, Max pointed to the man she knew had her. "He did it. I-I mean, you should've seen her. What he did... holy crap, El, if you saw her. He's a total psychopath, I'm telling you."
However, Max's words fell on deaf ears. El didn't need to hear any more than that it was Henry. All of this suffering caused to her friends was him, always him. In the freezing cold rain in nothing more than an oversized T-shirt, she had found her family but also the at the same time, he had found them as well. Everywhere she turned, he destroyed something around her causing a hell like no other. She didn't need the explanation because she had enough anger to fuel her already. Eleven already decided he was a dead man walking.
Pushing Max's arm down, she turned to him as he climbed from the bleachers. Unscathed, he pulled himself up with a newfound fury blazing in his eyes.
"If you touch her again, I will kill you again," she spoke calmly, but with overwhelming confidence. The warning should have been enough. It should have caused Vecna to retreat to his lair and die the way she intended many years ago. If only he had, then they wouldn't be here now. No one would suffer and they all would have moved on with their lives. Things would have been different, Eleven told herself they'd still be perfect but then again, she wasn't so sure. Maybe the bonds they made wouldn't have stayed so forever-lasting.
Vecna enjoyed the unsettling look that come to her face as she questioned where they'd all be without him pushing them together. It was enough to boost his confidence in finally beating her. He could do it because he knew she became too much like everyone else and much further beneath him. "Is that what you did?" He taunted her as he took another step closer. "Did you kill me?" Her face shifted and he knew he got under her skin but he was itching to continue to creep a little further. "I am so glad you are here, Eleven. This... is going to be..." he paused, holding his breath, soaking in his own words. "So beautiful."
Eleven curled her hands into fists as she watched him. He rose from the ground and she didn't see the monster before her. Instead, she saw him— she saw Henry. Everything he once was to her, how safe she used to feel with him, innocent to the lies he spewed and how she took it as truth. In a place like Hawkins Lab, his lies were the most beautiful thing there, it's all she had. And just as he took everything from her before, he took it all today. Only thing time she wanted to be certain he was dead. This time she wouldn't mess up.
Vecna continued to only see her as this little girl, so naive to the evil in the world, someone easy to mold. He rose higher before her, his arms slowly extended out as he willed the broken boards to hover around him. Eleven's eyes moved across them, her glare never faltering when she saw they all pointed toward her. He was looking for an easy kill and she'd never give him the satisfaction. Slowly, her fists uncurled, preparing for her to act. And just as she imagined, it was instant with no hesitation that he sent them toward her. Only inches from her face before she reacted to send them away. It seemed almost too easy for her but she decided to think nothing of it.
Yet Henry always had a plan. For her, for Will, for Alex, for all of Hawkins. Everything was set in motion, he just had to ensure it all played to his imagination and so far, he was winning. She reacted just as he wanted, a distraction that allows him to throw out his hand in her direction and send her sailing back. Eleven didn't even realize it all happened until she hit the floor beside Max's feet. Worry filled her and her panted breaths of panic only fueled him. A flick of his head sent her body across the floor and suspended in the air. Henry tried hard to hold back his smile as he dropped her down once more.
Eleven whimpered in pain, barely able to hold herself up. Even the anger inside her couldn't fuel her enough to take him on. Years she believed him to be dead and years he had time to prepare to go against her once more. Little by little he stripped her away until he could finally stand before her and end it for good. She lifted her head, dazed and moments from crying when she saw he had also thrown Max in his fit of rage.
Scrambling to her feet, Eleven tried to be quick. She rushed him, her bare feet padding against the floor with each quick step and her hand began to extend out to stop him. Yet it was no use. He was stronger, he was angry, and he was desperate. Holding on to Alex, he knew he could win, that he finally had a chance. The two were connected, intertwined with one another which made him better, stronger. When he held her in his arms, he felt it absorb into him, all that power. Against Eleven now, he couldn't understand why he'd been so worried before.
Throwing out his hand in her direction, he willed her up into the air with his powers. She was stiffly suspended in the air and he took this moment to admire it. A person he once relied on to help him, he was now willing to end himself. She hurt him in ways that became unbearable to think of all those lonely years, and now he could take his revenge. Moving her closer, he found himself enjoying the way she struggled against him, whimpering, and terrified.
Now she was held out in front of him and he still didn't see it as the time to end her like he always wanted. He needed her to feel the pain he always felt. The suffering he endured for years with Papa and then from her. "Before I kill you... I want you to watch." He needed her to see it, hurt her in a way that she hurt him. Killing Max, showing her how he had Alex, what he did to Hawkins was what he needed her to see. Nothing more would hurt Eleven than to see those she loved suffer. And just as quick as he willed her toward him, he sent her back. Back into the gym wall that opened up and the red eerie glow filled this dark gymnasium.
Eleven began to feel everything he wanted her to feel when she landed in this red lair of his. This new world she found herself in, she began to fear. She feared this was where it all would end, right where he wanted. Ragged and shaky, she rose to her feet, terrified of Vecna's arrival as she observed the place before her. Spinning around, her eyes traveled every which way until they landed on a familiar face. Alex Henderson, all this time, had been right where he wanted her. A place Eleven could never wander within Max's mind.
She didn't think of what Vecna had planned next for her now that she saw Alex. All that mattered was what he had planned for her friend. Dr. Brenner told her that the moment Vecna got her, this would all be over. There was a fear she never saw in him when he told her but she also never thought it to be true. She was certain Henry would never find her, that Eleven could save her before it was too late. Now she saw that all this time, she was very late.
Racing up to her, her bare feet splashed in the strange liquids that puddled this world, stepping on vines that didn't seem to mind all that much. Her arms extended out and as soon as she became close enough, she held Alex by her face, cupping it in her hands. Her eyes traveled all over her face before she looked around. It was sickening how he draped her up, and put her on display, acting as if he already won.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked over Alex's unconscious face once more. Her head lobbed to the side like she was already gone. But El couldn't give up that easily. "Alex," her voice was soft, shaky, and mixed with a small flood of tears. "Alex, wake up." She gently patted the side of her face, her heart rate quickening that there was someone she couldn't save after all. "Alex, please, please, I need you." Feeling the warm tears spilling down her cheeks, she grew frustrated and held onto Alex's shoulders. "Wake up! Wake up!"
"She won't wake," Henry's voice boomed but Eleven acted as if she didn't hear him. She continued to beg and shake her. It was until he couldn't stand it any further. As he made his way into his lair with Max slung over his shoulder, he sent the vines to retrieve Eleven. They moved quickly, wrapping tightly onto her ankles, and pulled her down to the ground. Eleven fought but her strength wasn't all there. She was exhausted and somewhere inside her, she was beginning to give up.
They dragged her slowly, carrying her toward the Creel house door that sat within this small part of his world. Now strung up all the same as Alex, she shielded the red rose that haunted nightmares of all those before. Eyes kept on Alex, she whimper and begged for her to wake. Even as Vecna carried Max into the room, displacing her the same beside Alex Henderson. For a moment, he stood there, admiring his work.
"Papa is dead!" Eleven called out. Dr. Brenner was all she could think of to sting Henry and make him look at her. Catching his attention, she watched him turn towards her as his interest peaked. "I know what he did to you. You were different. Like me. And he hurt you. He made you... into this. He is the monster, Henry. Not you."
Coming forward, he felt amused by her words. "You're right. You and I, we are different. And Papa did hurt me. But he was no monster. He was just a man. An ordinary, mediocre man. That is why he sought greatness in others. In you. And me. But in the end, he could not control us. He could not shape us. He could not change us. Do you not see, Eleven? He did not make me into this. You did."
Terrified, Eleven watched him, recalling her memories she once lost within her mind. She had done this to him and she was the cause. Her fear of being the monster continued to grow and she was starting to believe it. Without her, this world would be changed, maybe for the better. Henry saw the break in her and continued. "At first. I believed you had sent me to my death. To purgatory. But I was wrong. I was somewhere new. I became an explorer. An explorer of a realm unspoiled by mankind. I saw so many things. And one day, I found the most extraordinary thing of all. Something that would change everything." Turning his head, he looked over his shoulder at Alex Henderson. What he had found was remarkable. Something that gave him his opportunity to take what was his, what he felt belonged to him to open doorways. What he saw was particles of this world that he could shape and control and now he used them to dig inside of Alex's mind and take her as he always wanted. "I saw a means to realize my potential. To transcribe my human form. To become the predator I was always born to be."
"It was... it was you," she whispered. "Always you."
"All I needed was someone to open the door. And you did that for me without even realizing it, didn't you? And when you did realize, you chose to resist. So I sought a means to open my own doors. A way that allowed another part of me to live within another." Running his hand down her face, Vecna remembered a time he once saw it in her, only to be faced with disappointment. He couldn't make that same mistake again. "When you had opened that door once again, you made her into a monster. Did you even realize? Realize that you invited her into welcoming me into her mind?"
Eleven's eyes looked over him toward Alex. To her, Alex could never be a monster, never someone she'd be terrified of like she was Henry. But this dark cloud always circled her, a shadow always clung to her and Eleven began to fear she placed that darkness around her. She invited Henry in to her life and she couldn't stop it and if Brenner was right, then she did create a monster. Once more, she had allowed an evil into this world without the knowledge of even doing so. "You don't have to do this," Eleven cried. "You can still stop this."
"It is over, Eleven. Your friends have lost. There is nothing... nothing you can't do to stop this now. Nothing you can do to save your friend from joining me. Hawkins will burn and fall. And the rest of this senseless broken world. And we will be there. I will be there to pick up the pieces when it does. And remake it into something beautiful. There was a time when I had hoped to have you by my side. Now I've found another. One that cannot resist the temptation." Leaning forward, he was sure to meet her eyes. To allow her to see the horrors he had in store for this world. "Now I just want you to watch."
Making his way over to Max, he stood before her, looking her over carefully. "Maxine," he taunted as he ran a finger over her cheek. "You should have stayed away from Alex. You never should have meddled in her life and caused all that... suffering." As a tear slipped over her cheeks, he leaned closer. "Don't be afraid. Just stay very still. It'll all be over soon."
His larger hand rose, perfectly placed above her head. He could already taste the win that sat before him— his final sacrifice. It was all he had left to do and Hawkins would fall, and then soon the world. It only fueled him more to hear how desperate Eleven became calling out to Max.
As he closed his eyes, Max took one final look at the only person she could see. Vecna blocked her view of Eleven, but she could see Alex. She willed her to wake up, hoping that if this was her final moment, Alex would wake up and see her. Then she could make up for what happened before, tell her that she'd never do anything to ever hurt her and she knew that Alex would believe her. In the end, she always did.
None of that could ever happen. There was never a chance for Max to right a wrong, it would simply stay the way it was intended to be. It was filling for Vecna to take her power for himself and Max felt her life drain out of herself. It was agonizing and yet there was nothing more that she could do than struggle and choke for another breath of air. Life was being ripped away and nothing could save her. Everyone that intended on saving her stumbled right into a new problem. Eleven trapped, Vecna crawling through Alex's mind, Lucas stopped by Jason. Everyone she counted on was unable to do as they promised.
Yet they never gave up. Not Eleven. She could hear the words of encouragement coming from a pizza place miles away. It wasn't anger that let her find her strength, it was pure love. Her breathing calmed as she listened to Mike's words, how he told her how much he loved her, how she was his superhero. Slowly the vines began to feel her pull, the power she possessed willing them away. Even Lucas Sinclair felt that same strength arise in him as he shoved Jason back and found himself in the winning position. Broken Walkman or not, he'd pull Max down, he'd sing, he'd beg Vecna, whatever it took, he'd do it but it was too late for him. It was up to Eleven.
Her feet hit the ground beneath and her fists curled back into balls as she screamed. It was deafening. Even Alex stirred from her booming yell. But who felt it the most was Vecna. The love she shared for her friends was far more powerful than the anger he possessed. Her hand rose as she sent him far away from Max, somewhere he couldn't touch her. He slammed back against one of his vine-like trees and withered in agony.
Back in Russia, Murray Bauman saved lives with a flamethrower. Only he believed he had saved his friends, unaware that he'd done much more. He caused an eruption of flames to burn everything belonging to the Upside Down. The vines that held Robin, Steve, and Nancy screeched in pain as they withered away. Vecna screamed as he felt it course through his body. Even Alex Henderson, unconscious began to convulse, her body seizing up in this state, unfamiliar with why it'd react to the heat filling her body so hazardously.
Eleven's eyes were on Vecna, but he kept his eyes on Alex. Was it worry? He wasn't sure himself, but he knew he needed the pain to stop. The fire that shot through their veins needed to cease and then they'd be okay, then they'd still have a shot at winning.
Eleven made her way over, keeping him held in place seeing her own shot at winning. Her breathing was heavy, yet determined. Blood dripped from her nose and though she was exhausted, she held herself tall standing before him. His eyes turned over to hers and though he felt himself losing, he had to keep pretending to possibly cause her guard to slip. "You and your friends believe you have won. Don't you? But this is only the beginning. The beginning of the end. You have already lost."
Eleven didn't flinch at his words, worry didn't captivate her as he hoped. Instead, she stepped forward to be sure that he heard. "You have."
With one blaze of glory, one bottle of alcohol bursting with flames, he started to see his ending. Outside of Max Mayfield's mind, he was vulnerable. One shot would be all it took to knock him down even one peg and that's what they did. The three left entered into the attic ready to end it. Robin grabbed hold of Steve's wrist, keeping him from running to Alex. The vines that once held her before Vecna released her and her body laid there. Her eyes were glossed over, trapped with Vecna in the mind but they couldn't see it. Her back was to them and it was for the better. They could only see him clearly and it fueled them to end this once and for all.
Steve knew he couldn't run to her or it could ruin it all. Instead, with a shaky hand, he reached for the bottle that would end this. Holding it out toward Robin, he waited for her to light it and finally take his chance at revenge. There was one person he could blame for all of this and to even hurt him in the slightest bit was enough. It had to be enough.
His grip was strong as he raised the bottle up. The flames warmed the cold air that surrounded him but only for a second. He didn't need to feel the heat, only Vecna. Launching the bottle, he knew he wouldn't miss and he was right. One hit to the chest and the world around them vibrated in pain. Vines shrieked and Vecna fell to the ground.
Alex only remembered waking up. Robin didn't fumble as she expected when she passed Steve the bottle they made. She didn't even flinch when she lit the cloth. The bottle was firm in his hand as he raised it over his shoulder and hesitation wasn't allowed. Vecna was going to pay for the suffering he caused and Steve hoped that it hurt more than anything.
Launching the bottle over, he got Vecna in the chest and all that was seen was the flames. It burst bright and loud. Enough to have the three turn away as they felt the flames lick their faces in the explosion. He was awake and as was she— together.
She felt it in every fiber of her being. The burns coursed through her veins and she felt her ears pop and block everything out. Turning onto her side, Alex's lungs were emptied as she fought to scream. Her eyes were wide and her skin grew red. She hadn't seen it, but the veins running up her arm shot through black. It was only for that second, but it happened. The part of him that lived within her now was in agonizing pain.
Vecna screamed all the same as his body fell to the floor. Alex could see through the flames as he got to his hands and knees and met her eyes. This monster was up in flames and forever burned into her eyes. She was terrified of the monster Henry was. She didn't remember the deal she made with this man but she felt it— every ache and pain he felt as did she.
As he rose to his feet to fight and break that promise to run away together, Alex broke hers unknowingly. Steve had grabbed hold of her, turning her away and hiding her from the flames. Robin launched another Molotov toward Vecna just as he got to his feet and Alex felt that pain. She dug her fingers into Steve, holding him tight against her as she became desperate to lose that pain. He saw it as fear only.
Raising the bottle, Robin sent the final one directly to Vecna, engulfing him in another blaze of flames. All Alex could do was scream as black ripped across her veins from the agonizing heat that soared through her nerves. Steve struggled to get her to her feet and away from the madness. In her ear, he whispered apologies that he felt she deserved and he swore to never love her any less than she ever deserved. To see her in such a state of fear would haunt him for the ages. Even away from the danger, miles away from Hawkins, and safe in bed with a new start to life, he would remember this burned into the back of his mind and forever, he would feel that sting of guilt that he let her go this far.
The two clung to one another like life preserves, one slip and they'd drift too far apart, too far from their safety. With his arms wrapped around her, she saw it and only for a second. She saw herself holding him— holding Henry. His arms mimicked the way Steve held her as if he studied every corner of her mind, studying Steve to become that image of true love. Squeezing her eyes shut and holding on tighter around his torso, Alex wished the image away, and just as she hoped, it faded back into her mind— a faraway place, tucked away to be forgotten. She refused to remember and pretended that it was some dark corner of her mind that made it all up.
Peeking over Steve's shoulder, Alex met Vecna's eyes. He had only looked to her searching for anything that she'd remember him the way he wanted her to. But he knew better, he knew that it'd take time just as it did before and she'd slowly lose herself as she began to find him again. Yet there was a darkness that shifted across her eyes just before they shut and she buried herself deeper into Steve. That sting to the gut was harsher than the shot that Nancy took to his chest. Stepping forward, she kept her rifle raised and her finger tight on the trigger, already pulling back once more.
Vecna stumbled back when the bullet shattered through his body. Desperate to stay his ground, he moved forward but Nancy's confidence overshadowed his as she stepped toward him with another pull of her trigger. Unable to hold himself strong Vecna took a tumble that shattered the strength within him. Nancy knew she only needed another shot. One more and he would fall and they could end it all. She held her breath tight in her lungs before her finger pulled the trigger. As that bullet released, so did all the air she held inside.
Every fiber of Vecna's being erupted into pain and he knew she felt it too. She willed for it to stop. Blood slipped down from Alex's nose, lost to the jacket Steve wore that she buried herself into for that escape. More than anything, she wished him to go in any way possible to end the pain. Whatever he felt, as did she. Vecna felt the force of her mind unknowingly hit him, sending him back toward the attic window.
The Creel house was weak, even more so in this darkened world. No amount of vines could keep the rickety old home together. When Vecna hit the wall, the dust erupted and the flames further engulfed him as the weakened boards of the house crumbled from such a blow. He reached for nothing as his body fell from the house, grasping for anything to protect him. In those few seconds, before he hit the ground, he wondered why she did, how she couldn't feel their connection somewhere deep inside to protect him. Then just as his body hit the ground with a thud it hit him. She saved him from another blow, ending his agonizing pain, and freeing him from what easily could have been the end of him. He had a chance and she gave him that.
Alex didn't realize it either. The dark corner of her mind that Vecna controlled was far too deep for her to realize he was there. Even the pain she felt, she was certain was only fear that created such agonizing pain that she couldn't recognize where it came from so it must have been from that alone. Her arms wrapped around Steve with another sob and his hold on her became stronger.
Nancy didn't want to waste time. She had to be sure he was dead and all this could end right now. It felt instinctual to grab someone and go and that's what she did. There was no ill intent when she grabbed Steve's jacket and gave a tug but it was enough for his arm to fall off of Alex's back and lurch toward Nancy as she ushered them to follow. Robin gave a quick glance to the two and grabbed ahold of Nancy's hand and pulled her to the attic stairs. However, the tug to Steve made Alex pull away, embarrassed she'd been so scared, and he only grew more desperate to hold her again.
Steve took this moment to hold Alex at arms length, her hands hanging from his forearms and her head began to hang from the agony pushing through her. "Can you keep going?"
Alex felt there was no other choice than yes. She knew that Steve would sit there all night if she asked, even if she gave him one look. He'd do whatever she said to prove he was there for her. But she couldn't put him through anymore and nodded her head as she cried. The words couldn't form but she continued to nod even as he promised he'd do whatever, carry her if he must. Instead, he held an arm around her, assisting her despite her attempts to do it on her own.
Nancy and Robin moved quickly when they saw the two follow. It didn't take much for the two to fly down the stairs of the Creel house and race toward the front door. All the veins that once surrounded the floor cowered away. Something out there somewhere saved them all and none of them knew. None could understand that together, on different ends of the planet, the small Hawkins group still worked together and continued to save the world from what horrors lay in another dimension.
Only he was gone and the fight wasn't over. Nancy stood in the doorway as Robin, Steve, and Alex appeared behind her. She was the first to see the ashen mark of where Vecna landed, but he was gone. Just like that in a matter of moments, he had found his courage to fight. He found it in a simple act of saving that he believed in. It was his fight to win and giving up now was not the option.
Their hearts dropped at the empty spot and that shadow they believed to be gone quickly returned and hovered over them. It'd never leave with him lost in this world. They'd know he was out there and he would find them especially now that he knew they would never back down.
Then the Upside Down quaked as the chimes rang out— four. Four chimes of the clock and the end began. The four moved quickly back into the Creel house and their eyes stayed on the grandfather clock before them, all but Steve. He watched Alex. There was fear that if he did even for a split second take his eyes off her, she'd be taken away all over again. He couldn't bring himself to feel that pain ever again.
"Four chimes," Robin whispered. She knew what it meant, they all did. Nancy glanced at Robin, "Max," she whispered. It was an immediate regret on her part for saying her name. The room felt darker and the weight of the world felt heavier. Steve also knew what that meant for Alex to lose Max, not to mention what it meant to him. His hand wrapped around her arm, holding her there with him. He told himself it'd keep her from running off to get to her, but it also kept him grounded from wanting to do the very same.
Then the silence was deafening. The world was unusually quiet as it waited for the other shoe to drop. Then, in a frenzy, the world felt it. The ground beneath them rumbled, shaking hard enough to throw them off their feet.
The world ripped apart in a fury that only Vecna could possess. The link between worlds was shattered wide open and Hawkins was at the very center. The pulsating anger of the Upside Down ready to be unleashed caused waves to tear apart Hawkins, reminding all that this town was cursed— haunted by an unknown evil. The world beneath Hawkins shook and the four held tight to one another to maintain the balance.
Once the world came to a pause, everything raced in Alex's mind and none wondered where Henry Creel disappeared to. He wasn't dead, just gone. For now, all Alex felt was herself. Despite her body that ached in pain and burned inside, she only thought of the others. The world was split and the sacrifices were made. Everyone stuck between was all that mattered.
Alex slipped out of Steve's arms and she raced away. They called after as they ran behind but her mind was elsewhere. She needed to know they were okay. Every trip or stumble was all that kept her from going forward. She jumped vines and pushed away the dead vegetation that stood in her way.
She screamed for Dustin because right now, he was all that mattered to her. He had to be alive. Her voice was scratchy but it tore through the open air of the Upside Down. His name was all that could be heard in this dead land. Even Vecna could hear her voice call to her brother.
When she saw his figure come into view, Alex felt her feet pound harder against the hard ground. It was the fastest she ever ran. It only slowed when he began to limp toward her and his sobs were deafening to her ears. His hands tossed out, "Don't! Don't!"
Alex came to a slow jog as her eyes darted around. Dustin was left to himself and for a second Alex felt that hot anger rise that Eddie left him. That's all she could think of as the worst possible scenario. But she knew Eddie Munson would never. He'd never break his promise to protect Dustin with his life so it only meant one thing. Her body felt numb as she felt Steve grab hold of her. Her arms were pulled back, pinning her to his chest because he saw him first.
"Alex, please! Don't come!" Dustin fought as he limped forward. He couldn't bare to look himself but he was all Eddie had in his last moments. He had to be there as someone he looked up to became limp in his arms and became cold within.
Yanking her arms free from Steve, Alex fell forward, catching herself and scraping up the palms of her hands as she hit the ground. It was only a matter of moments before she pushed herself up and kept forcing herself forward. She stumbled perfectly into Dustin as he made a reach to grab her. "I'm sorry!" His words mixed with sobs, blubbery, and almost inaudible. "I told him not to go! I'm sorry!"
Alex couldn't fight him. Her arms just barely wrapped around his torso as each of the Henderson's gave up in one another's arms. Together they fell to their knees. Dustin's head nestled into Alex with muffled sobs breaking through. Her arms stayed wrapped around him as she cried, tears pouring down her face.
People she loved so easily slipped away in these past years alone. It was this place. This haunted world beneath theirs was the cause of her world always falling in on itself. Tonight she sat there in a place unimaginable to anyone else in the world, holding her brother and wishing for nothing more than a restart to her life. Maybe if she got what she asked for, they would've loved, and the suffering never would have followed. Everything may have been at peace and Hawkins wouldn't be cursed. It would be just the same as any other town— boring and a drive to find bigger, better things.
Alex didn't need the details of what happened that night because none of them mattered. Whatever Eddie did, he did for all of them. He was a hero. He ran to danger for others when all he felt he ever did was run away. Eddie Munson was supposed to be anything but good— he went against the norm, did as he pleased, wore what he wanted, and said what he wanted. In a town like Hawkins, he was magic. He was the difference the town needed because of the heart he had. He may have talked too loud and jumped on tables and spoke his mind freely, but his heart was pure gold.
Eddie changed lives. He reawakened the person Alex Henderson used to be. He became another figure Dustin Henderson could look up to and know it was okay to be his very self. Eddie told him how it was and he wasn't afraid if it hurt his feelings. A battle was placed on his shoulders and he feared he was only meant for the battles left in his games than the ones haunting his very town and he proved himself wrong. There was a hero in the boy who ran and he left his mark exactly where it needed to be. It would forever be a shame that the world would see him differently but those that loved him knew exactly who he was.
Feeling the touch against his hand, Dustin looked up with a tear-stained face. Steve's eyes met him and he could feel the tears welling back up as he threw his arms over him next. Alex stayed on her knees as she looked across at the body that lay there. Death was not something she ever wanted to get used to. It was scarring to the heart and she had plenty to still recover from.
Steve's hand reached out from Dustin and lay atop Alex's shoulder to grab her attention. "I'm... I'm sorry but we need to go." He paused as he gave her a hard squeeze. "We need to find Max." His voice was quiet and broken knowing what that meant. If the world opened up then the sacrifice was made. It was the end times.
Alex turned her head over, her cheek resting on his hand as she closed her eyes and the new wave of tears slipped through. She wasn't sure if she could do it, to face Max in this same state. She hoped that someone would stop her again before she could get too close just as Steve and Dustin did here. There was a better memory saved for Eddie that she could hold onto and she needed that of Max.
Steve pulled the two onto their feet and made sure to have a hold of Alex that she couldn't break free from. Dustin limped beside them, sniffling quietly to himself. There was an emptiness that grew inside him, something no words could ever fill. For once, the silence between the three was refreshing. One word and Dustin was certain he'd fall apart all over again.
The journey felt endless to reach back to their world. Even after meeting back up with Robin and Nancy, no one dared to say a word. The two girls managed to set up a way for the five to pass back through safely but no one managed a word. Horrors still lay on the other side— they were just leaving one nightmare to continue to the next.
Alex was drained as she hit the floor of Eddie's trailer once passed through. Her eyes stayed shut as she rolled to her side, attempting to fight back the tears. Her heart raced in a way she never felt before. It felt out of her control. Even holding her breath and begging for it to slow, it never even skipped a beat.
Just as she rolled away, Robin fell to the floor beside her. Alex slowly opened her eyes to meet Robin's. There were no words spoken between the two whatsoever, but together, they felt it. One look and they understood each other's pain and sympathy in the most painful way. Neither flinched as Steve landed on his feet beside them. Not even a playful eye roll that once again, he had shown off. Instead, Robin's pinky brushed against Alex's hand until they locked together. "What happened in there?"
Robin's question was just quiet enough that only Alex heard. She didn't need to further explain, Alex understood. Robin wanted to know what happened in the attic of the Creel house, and what Alex had gone through to survive. More than anything, Alex wanted the answers, she wanted to tell Robin every detail but nothing came to mind. It was all darkness. The idea of not knowing caused her heart to beat even faster. "My heart is beating really fast," Alex whispered. "I can't remember."
Releasing her pinky, Robin sat up and helped Alex next. She didn't know how to help or what to do to make things better. In fact, she didn't think there was ever a way to make what happened better. It was all destruction around them. All she could do was help Alex to her feet and force her into an embrace. Even if Alex didn't want it, Robin did. It didn't help Alex's heart slow down, but it felt better to be in someone's arms.
As the two began to separate, Nancy came up with a plan. Gathering in the Winnebago once more and head out to the Creel House. Only now, it may be a bit harder with the chaos Hawkins encountered. The world was torn apart, roads destroyed from the Upside Down splitting open to their world. However, Alex felt more panicked. She felt she was losing herself and the wait was unbearable. "We have to get to Max." Her demand was clear and Nancy was surprised to see a once broken girl lose all tears and now furrowed her brows in determination.
"We will," Nancy reassured. "I'm just saying..."
"Lucas and Erica are with her and if something happened and they don't have someone..."
Steve held an arm out as Dustin began to limp forward. He knew Dustin would jump to Alex's defense before she could even finish her sentence. He wanted her to not feel alone in such a terrifying time. Even he had wanted to race to them and make sure they were okay. Steve wanted the same but with Dustin's leg, he didn't want to risk it. "Okay, let's just think this through. All right, the roads are screwed..."
"So we run," Alex finished for him.
"Ah, no. Not what I'm trying to say here," Steve spoke loudly. However, that gleam in her eyes told him that she was now inspired and anything said would not work to keep her there. "Alex, no. No way."
Tears stained her eyes as she worked hard to stay strong. "And Max is dead and they're at that house with her. I can't leave them there while we figure out the roads right now." Slipping her bag off her shoulder, she tossed it right at Nancy, who reluctantly caught it in surprise. "Take the Winnebago. I'm not."
"Alex, come on," Steve began but his words were left hanging as Alex pulled open the trailer door and raced out. He couldn't leave her to run and in all fairness, he felt he owed it to Max to be there for Lucas and Erica. He told himself if she died, he would continue to blame himself for not fighting her harder and letting her carry on with the risk. Before the door could shut behind her, he too had raced out the door. Left standing, Robin, Nancy, and Dustin decided on taking the Winnebago.
The trees whipped past as Alex tore through the forest. The Creel house felt like a calling to her, a place she felt deep within her heart she couldn't pull away from. She couldn't understand why, what this feeling was. Max was the only thing in her mind as she raced ahead. Steve was only a few feet behind as he called her name, begging her to slow down and come back to the car and figure things out from there.
The world was broken and so was she, but she never stopped. Breathless, panicked, and torn to pieces, she never did quit for Max. Everything before was a lost memory, waiting to resurface but now she allowed the lost memory to continue to hide away deep in her mind. All she knew was she needed to see Max— dead or alive.
It was the red and blue lights that first caught her eyes and caused her run to slow to a stop as she emerged from the tree line. Split into two, the Creel house was broken apart. Yet she could still see it in her mind— the stained glass window. The lost memory felt a reason to re-emerge, causing a shot of pain to erupt through Alex's mind. The heels of her hands dug into her temples, her eyes shut tight as she winced at the passing visual of someone she couldn't recognize holding her in their arms, the warmth and comfort they gave was like no other. That split in her head caused blood to spill from her nose as she cried out in pain.
Racing to her side, Steve fought for another breath as he grabbed hold of her. She could hear his voice muffled in her mind as the memory returned to the darkest corners of her mind once more, taking the pain with it all together. Opening her eyes and gasping from the initial pain, she dropped her hands down to her side as she looked out ahead at the ambulance parked in front.
That alone was enough for her to push forward once again. She called out Max's name in a hoarse voice, exhausted and nearly gone. She stumbled into a jog as she crossed the street, tears never halting. Stepping foot onto the yard of the Creels, Alex felt a weakness in her knees to be so close to what she could only recall as home. She ignored the haunting feeling, her eyes darting in every direction in search of Max.
Pulling up onto the street, Nancy, Robin, and Dustin piled out of the Winnebago, the red and blue dancing across their faces as they took in the scene as well. Stood on the curb, Steve's hands sat atop his head in disbelief at where they found themselves. A promise broken and he would blame himself for her loss.
Alex heard nothing around her, the world felt silent at the noisiest one would ever hear Hawkins Indiana to be. Sirens came from every direction, panicked crowds as the world around them fell apart and those caught in the wrong place, taken from them as a new world found its opening into theirs. Still, it was all muffled to her. She felt dizzy, lost, panicked and all she needed to do was see Max. About to run toward the house to find answers herself, Alex fell into a step back as Max's body was carried out on a gurney. Lucas followed close behind as he called Alex's name the moment he saw her.
Alex's feet felt heavy with every step as she stumbled toward them. Before they could place her into the ambulance, Alex reached out. All she wanted to do was feel her one last time. She wished that touch would tell Max how sorry she was for failing her, how she would give up her own life just for her to stay with them. Alex placed her hand into Max's as she passed by before it was just as easily whisked away.
The world felt blurry as Lucas rested a hand on her shoulder, his words muffled as he passed by with a tear-stained face. He must've told her about going with Max but Alex couldn't focus. She felt that every bit of air emptied out of her lungs as she fought to keep herself straight.
It all came so suddenly. She didn't feel it. Alex was unconscious before she hit the ground. On the front lawn of the Creel house, Alex collapsed, the last thing she saw was the front door, this time the glass was shattered. No red rose to haunt her for time to come this time.
Steve was the first to reach her when she fell. Robin was not too far behind as she yelled out to him, "Don't touch her!" His hands shot up but his reaction was to hold her. Her body convulsed, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as the seizure stopped her from control of her body. "You can't hold her down or you'll hurt her," Robin explained as she fell to her knees beside him and pushed Alex to her side. "She's gotta stop on her own. She needs to be on her side... it... it opens her airway, I think." Robin couldn't understand what possessed her to stay focused rather than breaking down into sobs. Her heart felt it, but her mind stayed sharp in such an emergency.
Tears clouded his eyes as he fought to protect her. "I don't... what's happening?" He held his breath as Alex stopped convulsing and became still.
"It's a seizure," Robin choked out. She didn't realize she was already crying. Trying to stay strong for Steve failed the second she saw Alex like this. It was haunting but she knew Alex would make it. She was certain. Her hands stayed on Steve, holding onto him tight as Alex's eyes opened up once more. Immediately, she had begun crying, confused and terrified. The world continued to stay dizzy around her and yet her mind stayed focused on something that she knew would ground her. Her hands reached right for Steve, holding onto him while he and Robin covered her in their arms. They held her, hiding their fearful tears from her, and became the rock she needed.
Right now, their warmth was comforting and everything she needed as that cold chill of goosebumps rose on the back of her neck. He was close and that shadow that started in the dark corner of her mind began to seep throughout. It was preparing to overtake her again just the same as before and this time, it wouldn't fail. Henry would work harder, staying focused on what he needed. What he needed was her giving herself fully to him. He'd possess her mind and soon he'd have what he always wanted. But she'd hold them for now, hold them until she one day wouldn't remember them.