chapter thirty-eight!
"EL," BREATHED CASSIE, the name bringing relief to the blonde as she spoke it. Never had Cassie been so sure that she liked El. Never had Cassie felt emotion so strong. Cassie hadn't noticed that a part of her had been missing until that moment, and being in the brunettes presence made her feel warm and fuzzy, but most importantly, complete. Like there was hope of everything being okay again. Cassie pulled the brunette into a tight embrace, holding her as if she was going to disappear. The brunette's hair was gone, but Cassie couldn't care less.
In that moment, Cassie realized wasn't really okay with dying.
"Cas," said El, her voice holding just as much emotion. "Are you okay? Max?"
"Huh?" asked Max, in disbelief.
"Are you okay?" repeated El, pulling away from Cassie to look at the other girl.
Max looked between the two, "Yeah."
Cassie stared at El in wonder as Max began to pat her on the face, pinching a piece of skin on her cheek. "Are you... are you real? D-did I make you?"
"Oh, please be real."
El grabbed one of each of the girls hands, her fingers intertwining with Cassie's as her eyes flickered between them. "I'm real."
"How?"
"I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer," replied El. Both sisters faces twisted up, Cassie recovering much quicker from the confusion than Max.
"Naturally."
"W-what?" asked Max.
El went to explain, but the sound of boards creaking from movement caused the three to turn around. They moved through the tinsel wall that decorated the edge of the gym, watching as Vecna climbed out of the bleachers he was previously thrown against. Cassie's grip on El's hand tightened.
El pushed the girl behind her to where Cassie was now stood beside Max, the redhead's hand tightening around her sister's arm. "Stay back."
"Be careful," muttered the blonde.
El nodded once, then made her way out further into the center of the gym. Vecna met her halfway, the two eyeing each other like prey. "If you touch them again, I will kill you... again."
Cassie's eyebrows raised, a smug halfway grin gracing her lips in pride. Max turned to the blonde, a deadpanned look on her features, "You thought that was hot, didn't you?"
"Absolutely," smiled the blonde, shamelessly.
Max rolled her eyes, "This is so not the time."
Venca let out a low growl at El's words, "Is that what you did? Did you kill me? I am so glad you are here, Eleven. This is going to be beautiful."
Cassie's features dropped almost instantly, Vecna's previous words to her echoing through her head. He was using her to hurt El, and now he had the perfect opportunity to do so because Cassie had insisted on protecting her sister. Cassie pushed Max fully behind her, a dagger in each hand as she glared at the monstrous man ahead.
"So beautiful," repeated Vecna, raising his hands as debris from around the room rose into the air. "And it's all thanks to you."
Vecna threw the wooden shards in El's direction, the girl dodging them easily by sending them to her side. The pieces embedded themselves in the wall from the force. Vecna sent El into the air, and back into the DJ table. The table collapsed from the impact, El letting out a groan of pain.
El was unable to recover from the hit before she is sent back through the air, across the room, and into a table. Vecna threw her around once more before Cassie had enough and rushed forward after giving Max a stern look to stay behind. Cassie threw one of her knifes, the blade embedding itself in Vecna's shoulder and pulling his attention away from El. Cassie threw a dagger that landed in his outstretched hand before he was able to retaliate. Cassie thew one final knife, one of her longer daggers.
Instead of hitting Vecna as originally planned, the man caught the blade midair and turned it around, sending it back at Cassie with more force. Cassie could hear El and Max call out her name as the knife landed deeply in her stomach. With his powers, Vecna twisted the blade and sent her backwards into a wall, effectively knocking her out.
Before Max could go to help her sister and make sure she was okay, Vecna sent her into the wall beside Cassie and knocked her out as well. El's face flushed red in anger, worry swimming through her mind in a way it never had before as her eyes latched onto the knife in Cassie's stomach. El felt a strange spark of pride as Vecna groaned, pulling the knifes out his shoulder and hand.
El stood up, her arm outstretched as she screamed out in anger. Vecna returned with equal force, pulling Eleven into the air and closer to him. El seethed in anger, wanting nothing more than for the man before her to be dead. Vecna held El at eye level, staring at her dauntingly. "Before I kill you, I want you to watch."
Vecna sent El backwards, the wall behind her disappearing as she is moved into a part of Vecna's mind. The red atmosphere was scarily threatening, as was the remnants of a house that no longer inhabited. El landed on the ground harshly, black spots in her vision threatening to pull her from consciousness as vines wrapped around her and secured her tightly to the door with the stained glass wall.
By the time El was regained full consciousness once more, Vecna, or as she knew him, One, walked into her line of sight with Cassie and Max thrown over each shoulder. El squirmed as Vecna sat Max down on the ground before doing the same more harshly with Cassie. The man kneeled beside the blonde, gripping the blade in her torso tightly before pulling it out and discarding it a few feet away.
Max was lifted up against a wall by the vines, Cassie being pulled up beside her as her pink shirt was stained a dark maroon from the blood pooling around the wound.
"Papa is dead," cried out El, almost desperately. Vecna turned around to face the brunette.
Cassie's eyes blinked open, coughing for a moment before realizing how much it hurt to do so. Cassie wondered if she was injured outside of Max's mind, or Vecna's- whoever's she was in now. When Vecna had previously injured her, it carried over into the real world. Did this? She was stabbed, surely that couldn't be as easy to heal as a few scrapes on her neck.
"I know what he did to you," cried El, bringing Cassie back to the moment before her. The brunette sobbed, "You were different. Like me. And he hurt you. He made you into this. He's the monster, Henry, not you. Not you."
"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." said Vecna as he continued towards El, Cassie thrashing in the hold of the vines. Cassie thought his monologue had gone on long enough, and he was getting boring. Although, hearing someone call that Brenner dude mediocre was partially satisfying. Vecna stepped closer to El as he went on, "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."
Cassie rolled her eyes, "Shut up, please-."
Cassie is silenced by a vine covering her mouth. She gagged at the slimy texture.
"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," resumed Vecna, as if Cassie had said nothing at all. El's eyes flickered over to her in worry. "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."
Cassie seemed to piece it together in unison with El, like a communal lightbulb going off above their heads. The Mind Flayer, the demogorgons, the demodogs. Billy. Everything, every bit of it was him. It was Henry Creel. One. Vecna. The Ugly Bitch himself. Cassie's eyes narrowed in anger. All those lives that had been lost was because of him. Her brother, Jack, Patrick, Fred, Chrissy, Bob, and so many others. All that blood is on his hands. It clicked almost instantly, Vecna's constant nagging about Billy, how he so easily knew so much about the boy. The Mind Flayer wasn't a sidekick, they were the same.
El let out a shuddered breath at the realization, "It was you. Always you."
"All I needed was someone to open the door," said Vecna. "And you did that for me, without even realizing it, didn't you?"
El whimpered, a sob escaping and tears pouring down her face. Cassie wanted to scream out, to tell her that it wasn't her fault. No matter how much she may think she's to blame, it wasn't her fault. El was good, she was so incredibly good and she tired her best to do the right thing. Most importantly, she was a kid. Cassie didn't see how this forty-year-old man was blaming an actual child for his own mistakes. His own messed up mind.
"And when you did realize, you chose to resist," continued the man, "So I sought a means to open my own door. I sought your power."
Vecna reached out, his finger brushing across El's face. Cassie let out a muffled cry of worry as she pushed against the vines holding her in place. She was beginning to feel lightheaded, the blood loss becoming too much. She could feel her pink top sticking to her chest from the moisture, the darker stained part of the fabric growing bigger by the moment. The knife was still only feet away from where Vecna had discarded it to the side. Cassie wished she could reach it, or at least one from her pockets, but her arms were held out by her side by the vines that she couldn't find the strength to rip apart, her tan skin becoming paler from each passing second.
"So, don't you see? Once again, you have freed me."
"No," cried El in denial. "You don't have to do this. You can still stop this."
"It's over, Eleven," said Vecna, his voice slightly boastful. "Your friends have lost. There is nothing, nothing you can do to stop this now. Hawkins will burn and fall. And the rest of this broken and senseless world. And I will be there to pick up the pieces when it does. And remake it into something beautiful. There was a time where I hoped to have you by my side. But now I just want you to watch."
"Cas..." breathed Max, blinking as she regained consciousness. Cassie's eyes flickered over to her, the blonde unable to move her head because of the vines. Cassie let out a sigh of relief that she was okay, but the relief was short lived when Vecna came back into her line of sight, approaching Max with a menacing and determined look.
Vecna held his hand to Max's face, his long boney fingers caressing her skin, "Don't be afraid. Try and stay very still."
Max sobbed, Cassie ignoring the pain in her torso as she struggled against the vines hold. Cassie knew it was pure adrenaline keeping her awake, but she didn't care. Max needed her help. Cassie closed her eyes, unable to talk as she began to think.
Please, begged the blonde, hoping Vecna could hear her pleads. Take me instead. Please. She doesn't deserve to die. Please. Let it be me.
"It'll all be over soon."
Cassie's muffled cries grew louder as he ignored her mental pleads. El screamed for them both, "Max!"
Lucas watched in horror as Max's body began to float into the air. He was pinned against the wall by Jason. Daniel laid unconscious to the side, Lucas having won the fight against him minutes prior. Lucas found his strength, grabbing Jason by the side of the head and slamming it into the window beside them. Jason stumbled backwards, giving Lucas time to send several punches his way. Soon enough, Jason fell to the ground, no longer moving and no longer fighting against Lucas as the dark-skinned boy rushed over to the two girls.
Lucas's eyes widen at the mess before him. Max hovered above them in the air, and blood was pooled around Cassie in a considerable amount.
Cassie let out a cry, using all the strength she had left to rip her arm from the hold of the vines. Vecna paused, turning to look back at the scathing blonde. With her newly freed hand, Cassie grabbed a knife from her vest and sent it through the hand hovering over Max's face.
Lucas sighed in relief as Max fell back to the ground, unharmed.
Vecna let out a low growl, turning his full attention to Cassie. Max cried out, realization sinking in, "No!"
Cassie cut the vines holding her in place, freeing herself from the constraints. The blonde sent blade after blade in the monsters direction, each piercing his vine-covered skin but not fazing him in the slightest. He continued towards her. Cassie could hear the cries of both her sister and the girl she loved. Vecna held his hand out, Cassie gasping at the sudden pressure around her neck, as if someone were choking her.
Vecna stood in front of her finally, the two chest-to-chest. One against the other, in front of El, in the way that Vecna had always intended it. Cassie knew that, and in the moment she realized it was the only way to save her sister.
Vecna glared down at her, tilting his head menacingly to the side as the pressure on Cassie's airway increased. She grabbed her final blade, sending it into his chest and twisting it, the same way he had done to her previously. Vecna looked down, removing the blade in anger.
The red atmosphere around them changed, like a light had been shone from above onto the three. Instead of the daunting blood-red, the sky shinned golden. The barrier between Vecna's mind and Cassie's had been broken, and it was a fight to the death; only one could remain and Cassie knew it wasn't going to be her.
Vecna took the blade that still had his blood on it and turned it around, Cassie not breaking the stare as he shoved it into her chest, only inches from her heart. The blonde fell to the ground motionless, almost instantly. The atmosphere returned to it's daunting red.
El felt as if she was hit by a ton of bricks, Max's cries being the only thing heard as Vecna turned back to Max. El found her strength, in the same way that Cassie had done moments before. She closed her eyes in focus, knowing that Vecna couldn't get close to Max again. Cassie's actions couldn't be for nothing. The vines unwrapped from her wrists, her ankles, and her neck. El looked at Cassie's limp body and let out a piercing cry of agony as she fell to the ground, free of constraints.
El held her arm out at Vecna, sending him flying into the air.
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"You and your friends believe you have won," let out Vecna, his voice strained as he was held against the piece of a wall by El. The brunette was anger-ridden, vengeance hungry. "It is already done. And this is only the beginning."
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Cassie's eyes snapped open. She was no longer in Max's mind, nor was she in Vecna's. This was real, and it was painful. Max and Lucas looked at her, both kneeled at her side. Cassie had never felt so much pain. Her entire torso was on fire, and even breathing sent a scathing pain flying through her body like never before. No amount of beatings from Billy or her dad had prepared her for this. No amount of physical pain had ever been comparable.
"Ma-Max," she was able to get out, the redhead clutching her hand tightly. Cassie looked down at the open wounds in her body, then scanned Max over quickly in search of injuries. Max shook her head, tears streaming down her face. There was a sudden pressure on the blondes chest.
"I'm okay, Cas," she sobbed, "Because of you."
"You're okay," sighed Cassie in relief, coughing as blood darkened her bottom lip and got hung in her throat like a bad-tasting drink.
"No, don't talk. You'll be okay, just save your energy," pleaded Max, looking over to Lucas for help. It was then that Cassie realized that the weight on her wounds was Lucas applying pressure in an attempt to slow the bleeding. Cassie smiled weakly in pride, realizing that her and Max had taught him well.
"I do-don't think I want to... want to die," smiled the blonde, as if it was an accomplishment. To her, it was. For so long, she hadn't cared if she lived or died. For so long, she'd secretly preferred the peace that death seemed to offer. And now she wanted to live. All the things she'd never gotten the chance to do flashed through her head, and she grinned in excitement for her future for the first time instead of shying away in resentment. She imagined kissing El for the first time, properly. She imagined graduating high school, maybe even going to college. She imagined living to see the day that same-sex couples could marry and even adopt children. She wondered if her and El would ever do that. El would be a great mom, no doubt. Cassie imagined being Max's maid of honor at hers and Lucas's wedding and finally watching Will and Frankie get together. She imagined seeing Robin finally get a girlfriend. She imagined a girls night with her favorite people in the world. She wondered who she would get to see Nancy marry, Steve or Jonathan. Robin was always an unexpected third choice that Cassie would always secretly cheer for, despite her love for both Steve and Jonathan. Cassie imagined Dustin being her best man at her wedding (with Max being her maid of honor, because who ever said she couldn't have both?). She imagined getting to insult Mike for the next fifty years, despite likely making him the godparent to her children. She imagined leaving her dad and properly moving in with Steve. A hopeful part of her imagined her father fixing his life and becoming a dad to her in more than the literal meaning. "Not anymore. I wan-want to live."
"Good," laughed Max, tearfully. "Now shut up."
"You'll be fine, Cas," assured Lucas, poorly. Cassie closed her eyes for a moment, realizing how heavy they felt and how welcoming the darkness suddenly felt. "I need you to stay awake, though. You're going to be okay."
Cassie realized she couldn't actually feel anything anymore. She wasn't in pain. With a heavy heart, Cassie realized that she actually wouldn't be okay. She wasn't okay, and she never was going to be. She only wished she had wanted to live sooner, so she could have appreciated each moment a little more. "No, I won't."
"Cassie, you're okay," sobbed Max, her hands wiping the stay blonde strands out of Cassie's sweaty face. She was burning up. Blood stains coming from her eyes, ears, and nose made her look even worse. "Please, you're okay."
"Pock-pocket," Cassie was able to let out, her eyes dropping once more. Max shook her, almost desperately. "Please, my- my pocket."
Max didn't have to wonder which pocket. Her vest had already been removed, and the only pockets she had left was in her jeans. There was a paper sticking out of the front left. Max nodded, grabbing the paper into her hand, "Okay, okay."
Erica barged in, her eyes widening at the sight of Cassie. Lucas kept pressure on her wounds, a hand pressing against each place she was stabbed. He turned his head, a quiet sob escaping, "We need a doctor! Call an ambulance! Hurry! Call an ambulance!"
Max didn't look away from Cassie as the ghost of a smile appeared on the blondes lips. Lucas turned back to the two, sharing a look with Max before looking back over to Cassie. She let out a breath, "I love you."
"Cas," pleaded Max, "No."
Cassie smiled a little larger, "It's okay. It doesn't hurt."
Cassie closed her eyes, letting out the last breath she would ever breath.
"Cas?" asked Lucas, his face falling even more. Max grabbed her by her shoulders, shaking her roughly.
"Stay with me, Cas," begged Max, "I can't lose you. Please. Wake up."
"C'mon, Cas!" cried Lucas, "You're strong, you can do this. Please."
Their pleads were to no avail. Cassie Hargrove was dead.
El cried, harder than she'd ever cried before. She reached out and grabbed at Cassie, wanting nothing more than to hold her to her chest and make sure she was okay. El folded over in sobs, her heart aching.
"Cas!" she cried out, her voice echoing both in the void and in the pizza shop that held her physical being. Will and Frankie shared a tearful look, shaking their head in denial. Mike began muttering to himself in disbelief.
"Erica!" yelled Max, her voice strained from the tears.
"Erica, help!" repeated Lucas.
"No, no, no," Max pulled her head into her arms, cradling her. "Cassie, no. Please. Cas."
Four deaths. The wrong victim taken, but the same outcome nonetheless. Steve, Robin and Nancy turned around, the dread settling in with a startling realization. The trio rushed back inside the house, staring up at the clock that continued to chime. Four chimes.
"Four chimes," voiced Robin, her voice weak and panicked.
"Max," breathed Nancy in defeat. Steve shook his head, not wanting to believe the gut feeling he had. Cassie wouldn't let Max die, under any circumstances. As much as he didn't want to believe it, he could feel that Nancy was wrong about which girl had caused the fourth and final chime.
The place began to shake.
Lucas and Max jumped as the house began to shake, a gate opening almost directly where Cassie laid. The two pulled her away and to the side, Max holding Cassie's head protectively from falling debris while Lucas wrapped his arms around her in a similarly protective way.
The gate cut through the wood and continued across the attic and down the side of the building. It cut through Jason, his cries of pain being heard only briefly before he too was dead. Daniel was alive, but still unconscious. Lucas and Max knew they had no choice but to explain everything to him when everything was okay again, but that didn't process over the priority of Cassie's wellbeing.
El watched as Max held her sister to her chest, then closed her eyes. The brunette girl shook her head, "No. You're not going. No."
El reached out, her hand pressed against Cassie's chest in attempt to use her powers to make Cassie's heart beat. Once, then twice and three times. No matter how much El tried, Cassie's heart wouldn't beat on it's own. El's hands hovered over the blonde, convinced that Cassie could live. Thoughts of the blonde swirled through El's mind in an emotional hurricane. She remembered kissing her at the sleepover, their first introduction that felt like it was forever ago. Every special moment they'd shared.
El needed Cassie to live.
But Cassie Hargrove was dead.
a/n: im sorry, im going
to go run away now.
this was so unnecessarily
dramatic, my bad yall.
-maddie