...
"I love you, Livie."
...
Max, Lucas, Liv and Erica split up in the Creel house to try and look for Vecna. Liv was afraid to leave Max alone but Max somehow convinced her that she would be alright and that it'd be okay.
They all took off their shoes and used their lights to see if Vecna was there. When someone's lantern lit up they would notify the others with their notepads.
As Liv looked around she saw Max, Erica, and Lucas walk up to her with the notepad that said 'found vecna'.
Liv nodded before letting the them lead her to him. In the middle of the room there was Erica's lantern that was buzzing and lit up.
Max slowly walked up to it and her lantern started to buzz and light up. She looked back at the others as Erica took off her marker cap and wrote down on her notepad.
Phase one?
Lucas nodded to her and Erica put her shoes back on before running out of the house and over to the playground that was across the street.
...
Max and Liv each sat down on a couch across from each other in the den while Lucas stood by the window and waited for Erica's signal.
Liv leaned her head in the palm of her hand, thinking of what would happen if their plan didn't work.
Max studied her face before picking up her notebook and taking the cap off of her marker. The sound of the maker made Liv snap out of her thoughts and look at Max.
Max glanced at Liv before she wrote something down on her notepad and showed it to Liv.
Hi.
Liv smiled before picking up her notepad, taking off the cap of her marker, and writing something down.
Hi :)
Max smiled and started to write something else down.
I'm glad you're here.
Liv's smile got bigger as she picked up her notepad and started to write something down.
Me too!
Max smiled. This is the first time the girls have smiled since they were together on the field and Nancy taught Liv how to shoot a gun.
Liv flipped over a new page in her notepad and started to write something else down.
Movie friday?
Liv gave her a hopeful smile. Max didn't even smile back. She just sighed and started to write something down. Liv, worried, tried to take a glance at Max's paper. Max just looked at her and pulled the paper closer to her. Liv just leaned back in her chair. Max continued to write before she flipped over her notepad.
It was a picture of Liv and Max cuddled up on Liv's couch.
Liv smiled and Max smiled back. Max put down her paper and motioned Liv to come over. Liv stood up from her spot and straddled Max.
Max leaned her forehead against Liv's as she put her arms around Liv's waist. Liv put her arms around Max's neck and gave her a slow, loving kiss.
Max picked her notepad back up and wrote something down.
I love you <3
Liv smiled and took the notepad out of Max's hand and wrote something down on the next page.
I love you, too <3
Max smiled and gave her another kiss. Lucas, watching the entire thing happen, got more scared. More scared of Liv's reaction if Max didn't make it out alive. He knew that she would be crushed.
A light shining through the window made them all snap their heads towards the window. Lucas quickly looked out the window and saw Erica signaling for them to start phase two.
Lucas picked up his flashling and flickered it back out the window so that Erica knew that they got her signal. Lucas looked back at the two girls. Liv looked at Max and Max gave her a slight nod.
Liv gave Max another quick kiss before getting off of her. They all put their shoes back on and went into the other room to try and lure Vecna upstairs.
Max looked back at Liv before taking off her headphones and pausing her music.
"Hey!" Max raised her voice. "Asshole! I'm here. No more music. No more games." Max waited a few seconds before speaking again. "Do you hear me? What are you waiting for, huh? Come on! Do you want me or not?"
(I think we all want you, Max. Sorry, I know this is supposed to be a serious episode. I'll leave now.)
The lantern on the other side of the room turned off and Max's turned on. Max looked at her lantern and then started to walk up to the attic.
Lucas and Liv stood a few feet behind as they all walked into the attic. Max's lantern started to get really bright and buzz. A few seconds later the lantern turned off.
"What are you waiting for, asshole?" Max asked. "Hmm? I'm right here. I'm right here! I know you can hear me. I know you can read my thoughts. Even the worst ones. Maybe mostly the worst ones."
Max put her lantern on the box in front of her, along with the walkman that used to be Liv's. She then sat down on the floor. Liv put her hands in her pockets as she watched Max do all of this.
"I thought about what you said." Max started. "About how I wanted my brother to die. I thought that you were just trying to upset me. To anger me. But you weren't, were you? You were just telling the truth. Billy, he made my life a living hell. Every chance he got. So, sometimes... when I would lie in bed at night, I would... I would pray... I would pray that something would happen to him. Something awful. I knew that he drove to fast, so I would imagine him crashing. Dying in that stupid car. I just... I wanted him out of my life. Forever. I wanted him to disappear. The day that he died... I think that's why I just stood there. Watched. Not because I was scared or... weak. But because... I didn't know if he deserved to be saved. Livie has told me many times that it's not my fault and that there's nothing I could have done. I've tried to forgive myself myself. I've tried, but... I can't. I can't. So now... now, when I lie in bed at night... I pray that something will happen to me. That something terrible will happen to me. So that's why I'm here. Because... I just want you to take me away. And I want you... to make me disappear.
"Is that all true?" Liv asked as she didn't make eye contact with Max. "You wanted Billy to die."
"Why are you talking?" Max asked as she looked at Liv.
Liv looked at Max. "You ever have thoughts like that about me?"
"What?" Max whispered before standing up. "No, Livie, never."
"Normal people don't fantasize about killing other people, Max." Liv shook her head. "You realize that, right?"
"Livie, please." Max whispered as her voice started to break.
Liv stepped closer to Max. "I thought you were getting better. But you're not, are you? You are sick. I don't know why I ever loved you."
"Livie, you don't mean that." Max told her as she took a step back with every step forward that Liv took.
Max looked deep into Liv's eyes. They didn't have their usual sparkle. This wasn't her Liv.
"Maybe it is good he takes you. Maybe it's for the best. In fact... I'm glad it's going to be you." Liv's voice started to distort into Vecna's. "You will be the chosen one. The fourth. The final sacrifice. It's going to be you that breaks the world."
Liv's eyes faded from their usual blue color and turned white.
...
"Max? Can you hear me?" Liv asked as she kneeled down next to Max and waved her hand in front of her face. "Max! Max!"
...
"Max. Where are you going? Don't be scared." 'Liv' told her.
"Stay away from me." Max ordered as she bumped into the wall.
"Max, I thought you said you were ready. Ready to disappear!"
"I said stay away!"
Max picked up a vase and repeated to herself that this wasn't the real Liv. She swung and hit 'Liv' in the head with the vase. 'Liv' grunted and stumbled back as the vase smashed over her head. While 'Liv' was recovering from being hit, Max bolted.
...
Liv stayed kneeled down next to Max as Lucas ran over to the window and flickered his flashlight. Max started to breathe heavily and Liv knew that Vecna was doing something really bad to her.
...
Max ran down the stairs of the Creel house and opened the front door. However, she couldn't go anywhere because wooden planks were blocking her from escaping.
"Where are you going, Maxine?" Vecna asked.
Max turned around and saw Vecna walking down the stairs. Max quickly sprinted away to the back door. She opened it and once again wooden planks were there blocking her from leaving. Lights flickered all around her as every door she opened had wooden planks on it.
One door she opened didn't have planks. It had the sauna door from when her and the party attempted to get the Mind Flayer out of Billy.
"Max! Let me out of here!" Billy shouted as he pounced on the door. "Max! Open the door!"
Max tried to run away but the door was blocked off. Billy punched through the glass and yelled. Billy continued to pounce on the door as Max just stood there. She knew that once Billy broke through the door it was over and their plan would be ruined.
Max closed her eyes and tried to think of a happy memory. She quickly thought to the night of the snow ball dance when Liv broke her ankle and couldn't go. As soon as Liv and Max's lips touched in her memory she opened her eyes and she was back at the Harrington house.
"Holy shit." Max whispered before she smiled.
Max sat down on the couch as True by Spandau Ballet played in the background. She couldn't do anything besides wait for all of this to be over. The only thing she thought about was Liv.
Just when she thought it was all calm, red liquid started to ooze out of the walls. She backed up and the red liquid stopped oozing as the radio switched to play Dream a Little Dream of Me.
Max continued to walk and look around the main floor of the house as white ash started to fall from the ceiling. She looked out the window as red lightning struck. That's when she knew... Vecna had somehow found her.
...
"Lucas, she's still in there." Liv told him after a while of silence.
Lucas bent down and looked at Max's eyes. "Oh shit."
Lucas ran back to the window as Liv continued to sit with Max. Liv held onto Max's hand and rubbed her knuckles with her thumb.
Lucas flashed his flashlight out the window. "What the hell is taking so long?"
Liv and Lucas looked at the attic stairs as they heard the attic door close. Jason walked up the stairs and looked at the scene in front of him.
"Shit." Liv whispered as she let go of Max and stood up.
"Jason? You can't be here right now, man." Lucas told him as Jason looked over at Max.
"The hell have you two done?" Jason asked.
"Jason. You need to leave." Lucas said as he stepped over to Liv and Jason.
"Is this what you did to Chrissy?" Jason asked as he knelt down next to Max.
"Just listen, Jason. You need to go, man." Lucas ordered.
"Hey. Can... Can you hear me?" Jason put his hand on Max's shoulder.
"Jason, don't touch her." Liv clenched her jaw as she stepped closer to Jason.
"Hey." Jason ignored her and waved his hand in front of Max's face.
"I'm not messing around. Jason, please, just-" Liv quickly walked over to Jason, who was still knelt down to next to Max.
"Hey, back up! Back up!" Jason yelled as he stood up and pointed a gun at Liv.
Liv put her hands up and quickly backed up. Lucas ran over to Liv and pushed her behind him.
"Not another step." Jason said.
"Wa... Wait. We... We don't have to do this." Lucas tried to calm him down. "We don't have to do this, man."
"Yeah, I hope you're right. Is there anyone else in the house?" Jason asked.
"No. No." Lucas answered since Liv was to scared to even move a muscle, let alone speak.
"Turn around." Jason ordered.
"What?" Lucas asked.
"Turn around! Both of you!" Jason yelled.
"Okay, okay. Relax, relax." Lucas whispered as he and Liv slowly turned around.
"And put down your flashlights." Jason added.
"Okay." Lucas calmly said as the two of them put their flashlights down on the ground.
"And empty your pockets." Jason told them.
Liv and Lucas just looked at each other.
"Empty your pockets!" Jason shouted.
"Okay. Okay. Okay." Lucas whispered.
Lucas quickly put his hands in his pockets and threw everything on the floor. Liv reached into her back pocket and took out the two pictures that Robin took of her and Max. A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared at them and dropped them to the floor.
"Now, this is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna back away to the top of the stairs there. Then I'll watch as you wake her up from whatever the hell this is." Jason instructed.
Lucas shook his head and slowly turned around. "I can't."
"Alright. Then Harrington will do it. She's your best friend, right?" Jason asked Liv.
Liv slowly turned around. "Jason. If I wake her too soon, we all die."
"No." Jason quietly said. "If you don't wake her up right now, you both die." Jason turned off the safety on the gun. "Just you."
...
Max knew it was only a matter of time before Vecna arrived so she started to use all the furniture she could carry to block off the door.
As she turned around to put another chair on the door, all of her hard work was gone and Liv's front door had turned into the stained glass door.
"You can't hide from me, Max." Vecna said as the door slowly creaked open.
Max knew there was nothing she could do so she closed her eyes and tried to find another memory. She went through all her memories with Liv and El or just Liv alone but nothing was working.
"You think I don't see what you're doing?" Vecna asked.
"Is Mike a good kisser?" Max asked El in her memory.
In the memory, Liv hit Max on the shoulder. Max turned to Liv with a smile.
"You're an amazing kisser, too. Don't get so jealous." Max laughed.
"You think I don't see everything?" Vecna asked.
Max then had a vision of Jason pointing a gun at Liv and Lucas.
"You thought you could trick me?" Vecna asked.
Max had a vision of Robin being choked by a vine. She then had a vision of Eddie and Dustin being attacked by the bats. Then she had a vision of Hopper, Joyce, and Murray being attacked by a demogorgon.
"You thought your friends could stop me? I see them. I see your friends. Just as clearly as I... see you. I can feel them. I can feel them dying."
Max continued to have these visions until it became to much for her and she opened her eyes.
"It's time, Max."
The music of Dream a Little Dream of Me started to distort and become warped. Max spun in a circle trying to find Vecna.
"It's time." Vecna said from behind her.
Max yelled as Vecna held up his hand and Max went pinned up against the wall. Vecna walked closer to Max as she whimpered and tried to break free from his hold.
...
"We call him Vecna." Lucas started to explain to Jason. "He lives in another dimension. That's why you can't see him."
"And Eddie Munson and his... his Hellfire acolytes, what, you all summoned this Vecna?" Jason wondered.
Lucas shook his head. "No, no, you're not listening. Just listen. There... There's no cult. There never was."
"You expect me to believe that?" Jason asked.
"It's the truth." Liv promised.
"Then why was Chrissy at Eddie's trailer?" Jason wondered.
"She was buying drugs." Liv answered.
"Liar!" Jason clicked off the safety on the gun.
"Okay." Lucas started as he protectively put his arm out in front of Liv. "Chrissy... She was seeing things. Terrible things. Things Vecna forced her to see. She was scared."
"No." Jason denied.
"She just needed help." Lucas added.
"See, that's how I know you're lying. If Chrissy was scared, if... if Chrissy wanted help, she would've come to me!" Jason raised his voice. "Not Eddie! Not that freak! Never!"
"You're wrong about Eddie." Lucas said.
"No. But I was wrong about you both. I never should have never let either of you in the door." Jason gritted through his teeth.
"We never should have knocked." Liv said before she charged at Jason.
Jason decked her right in the face and Liv fell to the floor. She looked at the two pictures of her and Max before her vision went dark.
Jason looked at Liv who had just passed out on the ground before he looked back at Lucas.
"You have five seconds to wake her up." Jason said as he gestured to Max. "Four. Three."
Lucas yelled before he tackled Jason to the ground. Jason fired the gun and the bullet went into the wall. Lucas slammed Jason into the wall as the gun went off again.
Jason finally got control of himself and punched Lucas two times in the face before he threw him to the ground. Jason stepped closer to Lucas and in the process he stepped on Max's walkman, breaking it.
"No! No!" Lucas yelled.
Lucas stood up from the ground as Jason kicked him in the gut and punched him a few times. Lucas took a swing at him but ended up missing. Jason grabbed ahold of his waist and threw him back on the ground.
...
"You are brave, Maxine. Much braver than your brother. But in the end... you are weak and fragile, just like him." Vecna told her, knowing that it would anger the girl. "Like all the rest of them. And you will break."
Vecna lifted up his monster claw to Max's face. Before Vecna could get the chance to kill her, he was pulled away.
Max fell from the wall, onto the floor, and looked up to see Vecna floating in mid air.
Eleven walked out from the darkness and walked over to Vecna. She turned him around with her powers so that she could talk to him face to face.
"You." Vecna growled.
"Hi." El softly said before she threw Vecna into the wall.
...
Jason and Lucas continued to swing and tackle each other. Lucas elbowed Jason in the face causing him to stumble back and pick up a vase. Jason smashed the vase over Lucas' head and he fell to the floor.
...
"Max, are you okay?" El asked as she ran over to her.
"Huh?" Max furrowed her eyebrows.
"Are you okay?" El asked again.
"Yeah." Max said before she felt El's face. "Are you... Are you real? Di... Did I make you?"
El took Max's hand. "I'm real."
"How?" Max asked.
"I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer."
Max furrowed her eyebrows as she became more confused. "What?"
"Uh-" El started but she got cut off by the sound of Vecna recovering from being thrown into a wall.
Vecna growled as he stood up from the ground and started to walk closer to the two girls.
"Stay back." El ordered.
El walked closer to Vecna as he started to walk towards her. The two glared at each other as they only stood a few feet away from each other.
"If you touch her again, I will kill you again." El threatened.
"Is that what you did?" Vecna teasingly asked. "Hm? Did you kill me? I am so glad you are here, Eleven. This... is going to be beautiful." Vecna lifted up his arms and pieces of the wall lifted up into the air. "So beautiful. And it's all thanks to you."
Vecna threw the pieces of the wall at El but she used her powers to push them away. Vecna then used his own powers to throw El into the coffee table. Vecna then picked her up with his powers and threw her into a wall. El whimpered as Vecna walked over to her.
Max yelled as she ran over to Vecna with a knife from the kitchen in her hand. Vecna waved his hand, and with a scream, Max flew into the wall.
El stood up from the ground and tried to use her powers against Vecna but he beat her to it. He used them to lift her up off the ground and then brought her closer to him.
"Before I kill you... I want you to watch." Vecna told El before he threw her into a portal that lead to his mind world, knocking her out.
Two vines slithered over to El and got ahold of her wrists, dragging her, and pinning her to a wall. Two more vines slithered over and got ahold of her ankles. El slowly opened her eyes and got a good look at her surroundings. The first thing she noticed wa Chrissy's dead body. Her eyes then moved over to Vecna, who had walked over with Max over his shoulders.
Vecna dropped Max down on the ground. Two vines came over and wrapped around Max's shoulders, along with her wrists, and held her up against a wall.
"Papa is dead." El yelled causing Vecna to slowly turn around to face her and walk over to her. "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."
"You're right. You and I, we are different. And Papa did hurt me. But he was no monster." Vecna told her. "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. 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 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. I saw a means to realize my potential. To transcend my human form. To become the predator I was always born to be."
"It was... It was you. Always you." El realized.
"All I needed was someone to open the door. And you did that for me. Without even realizing it. Didn't you?" Vecna said. "And when you did realize, you chose to resist. So I sought a means to open my own doors. I sought... your power. So, don't you see? Once again, you have freed me."
"No. You don't have to do this." El cried. "You can still stop this."
"It is over, Eleven. Your friends have lost."
Vecna showed her Liv knocked out on the ground and Lucas being beat up by Jason. He then showed her Eddie being attacked by bats and Dustin screaming after him.
"There is nothing... nothing you can do to stop this now." Vecna continued before he showed her Hopper being attacked by a demogorgon, Eddie being chewed up by bats, and Robin, Nancy, and Steve being choked by vines. "Hawkins will burn and fall. And the rest of this senseless, broken world. And I 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. But now I just want you to watch."
Vecna walked away as a vine came over to El and wrapped around her neck. Vecna had walked over to Max, who had started to wake up from being knocked out.
"Don't be afraid." Vecna told her as he trailed a finger up her face. "Try and stay very still."
"No." Max whimpered.
"It will all be over soon." Vecna continued before he lifted up his claw and brought it to Max's face.
"Max!" El sobbed.
...
Lucas looked over at Max as Jason wrapped his hands around his neck and choked him. He watched with conflict as Max's body started to float in the air. He then trailed his eyes over to Liv knocked out on the ground.
...
As El was pinned up against the wall, she heard Mike's voice all around her as he told her somethings to encourage her. She closed her eyes and the vines started to unwrap from her wrist, neck, and ankles.
...
Lucas got ahold of himself and smashed Jason's head into a window. He punched Jason a couples times before he threw him on the ground. Jason got knocked unconscious and Lucas ran over to Liv.
"Liv!" He yelled as he pushed her shoulder. "Liv, wake up!"
Liv groaned before she woke up. She sat up before she realized where she was and what was going on. Liv looked around for Max and then saw her floating in the air. Max's left arm snapped, then her left leg, then her right arm, her eyes started to bleed as they got pulled to the back of her head.
"Max!" Liv cried as she quickly stood up.
...
The vines lost their hold on Eleven. El lifted up her hand and used her powers to pull Vecna away from Max. The vines lost their hold on Max and she fell.
...
Max's body fell from the air. Liv ran over to her and caught her in her arms but the impact made her lose her balance and fall on her butt.
...
El pinned Vecna up against a rock and she slowly walked over to him.
"You and your friends believe you have won. But this is only the beginning." He said to her before everything started to fade away.
...
"Max! Max! Max!" Liv yelled and stroked Max's face as she gasped for air.
"Lucas, Liv!" Erica yelled as she ran into the attic.
"We need a doctor! Call an ambulance! Hurry! Call an ambulance!" Liv begged.
Erica watched in horror as she stared at the sight of Max in Liv's arms.
"Please, Lucas!" Liv continued to yell.
Lucas and Erica quickly ran out of the attic as Liv stayed with Max and tried to keep her awake.
"Livie..." Max choked out.
"Yes, yes I'm here. I'm here." Liv cried.
"I... I can't feel or... see anything." Max slurred as she continued to gasp for air.
"I know. I know. It's okay." Liv said. "We're gonna get you some help, okay? Just... Just hold on."
"Livie, I'm scared. I'm so scared. I'm so scared." Max cried.
"I know. I know. I know." Liv repeated.
"I don't wanna die. I'm not ready." Max sobbed.
"You're not gonna die. Please, just hang on." Liv begged as her voice broke.
"I don't wanna go! I'm not ready." Max continued to say.
"You're not gonna die! Just... Just hang on!" Liv said as Max's breathing started to slow down. "Max. Max! Max! No, no, no, Max. Stay with me. Max, stay with me! Don't go, Max, please. Just look at me, Max. Max, look. No. Stay with me, Max. Hang on just hang on."
Max started to gasp for air.
"Erica, Lucas, help!" Liv yelled as tears came down her face.
"I love you, Livie." Max softly said before her eyes closed.
Liv looked down at Max when she heard the silence. "Max? Max? Max? Max, stay with me. Max, stay with me! Please, wake up! No! No! Max! Max! Please, stay with me! Help! You can't go. I need you!"
Max had stopped breathing and Liv had no idea what to do. The love of her life had died in her arms and there was nothing she could do about it.
The ground beneath Liv started to shake and break a part. A gate had started to open right beneath Liv and Max. Liv quickly picked Max up and dragged her lifeless body to the side.
Liv watched in horror as the gate continued to grow and burn everything in its path, including Jason, to ashes.
This happened for about a minute or two before everything stopped. Liv panted as she sat there with Max in her arms and waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Liv laced her fingers with Max's as she stared at the wall. She couldn't look at Max in this condition.
Liv felt a squeeze on her hand causing her to quickly look at Max with furrowed eyebrows.
"Max?"