◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦
Sam had reached a point where she couldn't deny it — she was scared.
The further Steve drove them in the trailer (which now felt empty in the absence of three members in their group), the more anxious Sam became. Steve was now taking them back over to the trailer park that Auggie, Eddie, and Max lived in. The sun had slowly set in the time it took them to travel, so now there was figuratively and literally no light at the end of the tunnel for Sam.
When they finally drove into the lot of the trailer park, Sam felt nausea swirl in her stomach.
For her, this was it.
This was Sam's turn to split up with the rest of the group. Dustin, Auggie, Steve, Robin, Eddie, and Nancy were all journeying into the Upside Down using the Gate in Eddie's trailer. Sam, on the other hand, wasn't.
The remainder of Sam's role in the group's plan would be played out alone.
She was staying in the trailer they had stolen and were currently traveling with right now. It was parking in the woods, so that the owners of the stolen trailer wouldn't spot they were back in town, but, still, she was virtually in the trailer park. All Sam would be using was the static of the radio and a camouflage bandana to blindfold herself; she was going to try and go into the void again.
This time, it would be alone, and this time, she couldn't fail.
Max's life was on the line.
When the stolen trailer finally slowed to a stop, jolting when Steve finally parked it, Sam felt the tension's rising. For a few moments, the group was left in terse silence; all Sam could hear was owls hooting and crickets chirping.
"Okay," Nancy breathed, breaking the quiet. "I wanna run through it one more time: Phase one?"
"We meet Erica at the playground," Robin answered. It would be her, Auggie, Nancy, and Steve taking part in that phase. "She'll signal Max and Lucas when we're ready."
Nancy nodded gratefully, continued, "Phase two?"
"Max baits Vecna," Steve spoke up this time. "He'll go after her, which'll put him in his trance."
Sam added, "Then, I'll go into the trance, too. I'll make sure Max is safe in whatever the hell Henry is putting her through."
"Phase three?"
"Me and Eddie draw the bats away," Dustin responded.
Eddie grinned playfully from behind Dustin. He gripped the top of Dustin's head with his broad hand, wiggling it around like a gearshift and nudging the younger boy.
"Four?"
Auggie said, "We head into Vecna's hopefully newly bat-free lair, and..." he held up one of the Molotovs that Steve and Robin had made, "flambé."
Nancy inhaled through her nose, displaying a final, sure nod. "Nobody moves on to the next phase until we've all copied," she ordered. "Nobody deviates from the plan, no matter what. Got it?"
"Got it," they all echoed in unison.
Then everyone's gazes turned to Sam.
This really was it.
"Well," she breathed out heavily, standing up a little awkwardly because she didn't want her inner tension seeping out, "I guess this is — oof!"
Dustin had shot forward and pummeled Sam in a firm hug, catching her by surprise. Sam stumbled backwards, one arm flying around Dustin to stabilize herself and the other making sure her flower crown didn't fall of again.
When Sam straightened up, her other arm moved from her head to return Dustin's tight hug. Her eyes screwed shut, face looking pained, as it all settled in for her. Sam hugged him tighter.
"You know you're my best friend, right?" Dustin muttered, having to bend down in the hug to accommodate for Sam's height.
Sam inhaled sharply through her nose, and she shook her head slightly. "Don't say it like that."
"But it's true," Dustin pulled away from the hug, but still held onto Sam so he could look into his face. "Even throughout the past year. And I never got to tell you how sorry I am about all of that."
"Dustin, I'm not mad at you. I never was," Sam said with furrowed eyebrows.
"You should be," he disagreed, looking upset with himself. "But you're not, 'cause you're Specks, and you're my best friend. Still, I'm sorry."
Sam felt her cheeks heating up. She rubbed at her cheeks with the back of her hand as if that would do anything about it; she just hadn't expected Dustin to actually care this much about Sam. She hadn't expected Dustin to actually be worried about Sam for going solo.
"Well, uh, I forgive you," she choked out nervously, giving him another final hug. It made her feel a little less worried about the proceeding plan to come. She couldn't deny she was going to miss being by Dustin's side either. When they pulled away again, she requested, "Don't do anything stupid with me gone?"
"Me? Stupid?" Dustin questioned incredulously. "I'm the only one in that group who won't make stupid decisions" — he ignored the older teens' angry protests.
Sam grinned, stomach untangling a little at Dustin's humor. "Well, don't let them make any stupid decisions. Please."
"Anything for you m'lady," Dustin claimed dramatically, bowing like he had back when they were in the field. Sam giggled, nodding gratefully.
"You better not make any stupid decisions either, Goldie," Steve's voice broke her and Dustin's interaction.
She turned to find that Steve was walking closer to her, causing Dustin to move out of the way and grant him access.
"That's funny coming from you," Sam huffed, gesturing to the stomach she knew was wounded underneath Steve's clothes.
"I only followed your example," Steve gestured to Sam's stomach in return, where he knew there was a skin graft from the Demodog attack.
Sam restrained a smile, rolling her eyes playfully. "Touché, Steven."
"All right, come here," Steve rolled his eyes (not playfully), and brought Sam into a hug of his own. Since he was much taller than Dustin, he was towering over Sam as they hugged; it made her realize that the two of them hadn't ever hugged when it wasn't a life-or-death situation. They'd never taken the time to just... breathe.
Sam was utilizing that opportunity now, and maybe a part of her was imagining that it was Stephanie hugging her. That it was Stephanie here with her.
Sue her, okay? She missed her sister.
"And quit calling me Sinclair's nickname for me," Steve requested, only making a smile grown on Sam's face.
She was just about to tease him until Robin interrupted their hug to coo, "Aw, leave Goldie and Lucas alone. They're cute together!"
In unison, Dustin, Auggie, and Eddie broke out into fervent agreements that had Sam's face heating again. She sputtered and pulled away from Steve's hug.
"Guys, can you stop—?"
"It's young love!"
"Really, we don't need to have this conversation right now—"
"I've known from the beginning!"
"Seriously, can we all—?"
"Did you guy see the forehead touch? It was adorable!"
"Guys!" Sam snapped, and everyone went quiet. Her face burned hotter, and she tried to seem intimidatingly mad, but she knew she looked anything but. "Really. Not the time."
Robin grinned back at Sam, a little creepily. "We'll stop if you tell us what was in the noteeee."
Sam groaned at the fact everyone had heard their rather personal conversation. She rubbed her entire face with her hands this time, fighting the urge to curl up in a ball of embarrassment.
"It says 'I screwed your mother,'" Sam lied hastily, trying to change the subject, "now can you guys get a move on?"
"Aw, we know you love us, Goldie," Robin cheered again, and this time, she threw Sam in a rather intrusive hug with their cheeks squished together, and Sam leaned like the Tower of Pisa. It was so quick that when Robin let go, Sam stumbled backwards and had to stand up by herself.
"Maybe," she grumbled, situating her flower crown. "That's not the point."
She urged to make a teasing comment about Robin being her sister-in-law, just to get her back, but Sam thankfully restrained. It wasn't her business. Or anyone else's.
"Oh, Almighty Zeus," Eddie began dramatically, gesturing to her with broad motions, "you will be missed dearly by the hoi polloi."
"Okay, guys, I'm not dying," Sam said, face wrenching up in a disconcerted manner. "Can we stop talking like you're never going to see me again?"
Eddie pointed at her with a grin. "Hey, but you didn't protest the nickname. I'm taking that as a win."
"Don't. It's still Sam," she remembered to protest this time, glaring half-heartedly.
"Sure it is, Zeus," Eddie winked. Sam had to physically refrain from growling in distaste.
"Sam."
"Gesundheit."
Sam took in a deep, annoyed breath. "Edw—"
"Sh, sh, sh," Eddie began muttering, stepping forward and trapping Sam in his arms. Sam grunted and tried squirming away, but Eddie started petting — yes, petting — her head of blonde hair. "Sh, Zeus, don't ruin the moment. Just let it happen."
"Please let go," she grumbled, voice muffled because her head was pushed into his chest.
Comically, Eddie just cooed, "Shh... shh..."
Sam's face was screwed up miserably, but she ultimately opted on standing still with tense shoulders raised. She waited until Eddie stopped petting her hair to speak again.
"Are you done now?" Sam deadpanned.
Eddie nodded, and finally released Sam from his hold.
"Phew, that was heartwarming," Eddie pretended to wipe a nonexistent tear, as if the moment had actually been sentimental. "I guess this really is goodbye, Zeus."
Sam sighed, tiredly. "We're gonna see each other again, you know?" But Eddie didn't stop being dramatic. "Fine. Bye, Eddie. I'll miss you, too."
Eddie, finally, brightened up with a cheery grin.
"I knew you cared, you tiny, little softie!"
Sam went to protest Eddie's claim, but apparently Auggie had enough of Eddie's dramatics for the day. Either that or he was sick of hearing Sam argue a blatantly obvious fact that couldn't be argued. Nonetheless, he pushed Eddie backwards.
"Okay, you're done," he said.
Next thing Sam knew, she was being trapped again. This time, it was by Auggie, and this time, he was vigorously rubbing the top of Sam's head with his knuckle.
"Auggie!" Sam protested. She tried pushing herself away, but he was too strong. "August Santos! Stop!"
"Stay safe," Auggie ignored Sam, squeezing her and annoying her. "Don't try too hard to play hero. Watch out for freakishly tall freshman that play football."
"Yes, Dad," Sam groaned, still trying to pry herself from Auggie's grip.
Because of Sam's joke, Auggie added, "And don't stay up too late past bedtime."
Sam, finally, stopped pretending to be bothered and let out an amused laugh. It was bright and radiant and defused some of the tension that still lingered in the trailer.
"Okay," she said through chuckles, squirming. "Okay, Auggie, fine can you — Will you let me go now—?"
Auggie acquired, but when he pulled away, he still kept Sam close enough so that he could point at her with a stern finger.
"I'll see you later, kid."
Sam nodded back at him, saluting playfully. "Later."
"Is everyone finally done messing around?" Nancy Wheeler's impatient voice snapped.
Everyone's heads whipped to her, startled. Suddenly, no one was trying to joke along with Sam, and Sam was too afraid to let them. The smiles and lighthearted energy fell.
Until Nancy broke out into a small smile.
Now, it was Nancy's turn to walk up to Sam. She reached behind herself, and from inside Nancy's jacket, she pulled out the handgun she'd bought for Sam. Nancy proceeded to stretch her arm out so Sam could grab the weapon.
"A parting gift," Nancy said airily, only slightly joking.
Sam smiled back at her gratefully and took the gun in her hands. It felt familiar, like the weapon was meant to be in Sam's grasp. She transferred it back and forth between her hands as she told Nancy a light, "Thank you."
"I don't know if you'll need it," Nancy admitted, "but just keep yourself safe, all right?"
Sam's brows pulled together, feigning offense. "Are you kidding? I'm always safe," she joked, confused.
Nancy snorted in amusement, because Sam was anything but.
"Whatever," she fondly rolled her eyes. "Just know, if I hear the same thing happens to you in the void like it did last summer, I'm marching straight out of the Upside Down and pulling up to this trailer in a second."
"Heard," Sam nodded with a teasing attentive voice.
"Well, um, then..." Nancy looked around the remaining group, almost as if she was waiting for another person to keep the goodbyes going. Suddenly, she realized that she was the last person, and it was time for them to leave. Sam realized it, too. "Looks like we're done pestering you."
"Good," Sam forced a light tone, glancing out of the trailer's window and analyzing the last good look of the outside world she would have for a good but. As she did, Dustin, Auggie, Steve, Robin, Eddie, and Nancy all noticed the fresh scratch marks running down the pale column of her throat. Auggie opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by a quiet shake of Steve's head. "I guess it's time."
Her friends nodded, because it was.
"Bye, Sam."
Sam's head whipped back over to the group, because that was Eddie's voice that had muttered the two words. Eddie had called her Sam, and that was the final blow that had Sam accepting this really was it.
She forced a smile, though it came out all wrong.
"Bye, guys."
◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦
Auggie honestly didn't expect to be back in the horrid Upside Down this quickly, but things didn't usually work out in his favor. He shouldn't be surprised that here he was, clad in gear that implied he was ready for war. There was bag on his back filled to the brim with Molotovs. They allowed Auggie to have one weapon, and Auggie honestly didn't understand why Steve couldn't stop staring at Auggie when he picked it up.
It was just a wooden bat impeded with mass amounts of nails. What was the big deal in Auggie carrying that?
Together, the remaining group of six transferred themselves, their weapons, and their gear from one dimension to the next. Once they were all properly back in the Upside Down version of Eddie's trailer — with Dustin making up the rear end — Nancy led them in opening up the door.
Everyone filed out in a line, Auggie's limp still quite the prevalent issue. He was trying to push through the pain, kept saying that just because he was limping didn't mean that it hurt, but it did hurt. It hurt a lot. And he was about to do a lot more walking, which meant even more pain, but he had to do this. Auggie had to accompany Steve, Robin, and Nancy in going after Vecna.
That little shit was tormenting Sam, and Auggie wasn't going to let that slide.
When Auggie heard the trailer door close behind him, he saw that Steve was pivoting around from the corner of his eye.
"Hey, guys, listen."
Auggie stopped walking and turned to see that Steve was addressing Eddie and Dustin with an imperative look.
"If things here start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort, okay?" Steve eyed Eddie and Dustin with stern eyes. "Draw the attention of the bats, keep 'em busy for a minute or two. We'll take care of Vecna. Don't try to be cute, or be a hero, or something. Okay? You guys are just—"
"Decoys," Dustin interjected in an annoyed tone. Steve fell silent, just nodding back at the boy. "Don't worry. You can be the hero, Steve."
Eddie added, "Absolutely. I mean, look at us." He and Dustin shared a look before Eddie was grinning over at Steve. "We are not heros."
Steve inhaled a sharp breath, eyeing the pair. He nodded again, and once more, it felt like stakes were being raised.
To defuse the tension, Auggie raised a hand and waved. "See you later, dudes."
"Yeah, see you, Santos," Eddie snorted, though Auggie could tell there was still underlying tension.
Auggie turned to continue walking away, but he didn't get far. At first, he thought it was because of his limp, until he realized Eddie was speaking again.
"Hey, Auggie?"
Auggie faced Eddie once more. Steve, Robin, and Nancy behind him were doing the same. They noted that Eddie had taken a few steps forward, gulping nervously.
"Make him pay," Eddie requested.
Now Auggie was the one who breathed in deeply, tensely. Red lightning and booming thunder sounded around them, and Auggie tried to nod in comprehension, but it was a stiff thing. Eddie returned the minute gesture.
"Make them pay too," Auggie muttered, motioning to his ankle and referring to the bats.
A small grin broke on Eddie's face. "I'll show them hell," he said.
Auggie sent Eddie a tiny smile back.
"I know you will," Auggie replied.
This time, when Auggie turned around, he didn't stop walking. He, Steve, Robin, and Nancy broke out into a walk that was guided by their four flashlights. Auggie could feel the nail bat behind his head, could hear the sloshing of the Molotovs in his bag. This wasn't just a theorized plan anymore, this was real.
They were really about to do this.
◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦
Being genuinely, completely alone in the stolen trailer was an unsettling feeling that Sam wasn't the fondest of. She'd been waiting for a long while in the vehicle, just pacing and sitting up and down and doing anything to distract her mind from going places she wasn't ready go.
The problem was that Sam couldn't be signaled the phases that they were on, much to Nancy's demise. She didn't know when Auggie, Robin, Steve, and Nancy would make it to the playground. She didn't know when Max and Lucas would be ready. Sam just had to... feel it out.
She snapped up from the couch when she'd officially done enough waiting.
Holding a deep inhale, Sam began walking towards the front of the trailer. On her way, she picked up the camouflage bandana lying on the small diner table and fisted it in her hand.
As Sam sank down in the driver's seat, she let out the breath she was holding in. She eyed the radio before her, and finally turned it on. Instantly, "Never Surrender" by Cory Hart continued playing on the radio station they'd left it on.
"...And nobody wants to show you how
So if you're lost and on your own
You can never surrender
And if your path won't lead you home
You can never surrender..."
Sam had to breathe again, just once, before she fiddled with the radio. Finally, she lifted her hand from her lap and just touched the stereo before her. One touch, and the radio station faded away. Instead of Cory Hart's voice, Sam couldn't hear anyone's voice at all. It was blank, empty static reminiscent of a calm ocean.
This was Sam's phase one. Now, she was on to phase two.
With shaky hands, Sam brought up the camouflaged fabric and put it firmly over her eyes. She smoothed out the bandana, and her hands shifted behind her head. Sam started tying it like she would a blindfold; in the same way she did that day back in Hopper's cabin. Sam knew the bandana was properly tied when she couldn't see a single thing.
Again, Sam thoroughly hated the feeling of being virtually blind.
But phase two was now complete.
Sam didn't have an excuse anymore; it was time to go into the void.
She didn't know why she was so unsettled by the fact she would be doing it alone. Sam should be used to this part by now — the process of going through the motions by herself, figuring everything out on her own. In the midst of the static, she allowed herself to hear Corey's and Mike's voices in her head.
Okay, just try to listen to the sounds around you. On what you're hearing. Just focus on the static.
Listen to the static.
Focusing on the static
Listening to the—
It brought her some semblance of comfort to hear their voices again, even though Sam was just conjuring up a memory in her brain.
Sam tried to calm down enough to enter this mindscape. She relaxed her shoulders, breathing evenly though her nose while she sought out the static in her mind.
Sam focused on the rushing feeling that started in her chest. She let it expand, filling out so that her entire body was buzzing — maybe with electricity, or maybe something stronger. The humming of the radio became barely audible in her ears.
Like that time before, Sam could feel her consciousness slowly move from the mortal plane to somewhere else entirely. The air shifted around Sam, and her chest constricted like mad. For a second, Sam felt that she'd run out of air; that her body was closing in on herself; but it was a familiar feeling and it let Sam know she was doing something right.
Sam sucked in sharply and opened her eyes.
When she did, she was surrounded by vast of black.
She was successfully in the void.
In the distance, Sam could make out the blue lights that Max and Lucas held.
Then, she followed it.
◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦
Auggie had been walking on his pained ankle for so long that the pain just felt like an accommodation to him at this point. A part of him was sure that the limp would never go away, but it was a small downside compared to everyone else he'd allied with as of late.
Once again, the group of four found themselves in the desolate woods like before. The difference between then and now was that they weren't looking for Nancy Wheeler's house — they were looking for Vecna's.
Their flashlights were the only light source any of them had as they traveled. That, and the constant red storm above them with the occasional lightning. Auggie was still sticking to the fact that he preferred Sam's weird powers over this.
Unseen creatures were chittering, causing a shiver to run down Auggie's spine. He continuing limping, because they didn't have time to stop, but he was still deeply disturbed nonetheless.
"Uh —" Robin's wavering voice broke in, being the first one to speak up in a while. "I don't mean to freak anyone out... but I swear we've seen this tree before."
Robin had stopped leading the group of four; she was standing now, shining her flashlight on one of the dead trees covered in vines.
"That's impossible," Nancy told her.
"That would suck, right?" Robin worried. "If Vecna destroyed the world because... 'cause we got lost in the woods?"
"I highly doubt we're lost, Robin," said Auggie. "All these trees just look the same."
Robin chuckled nervously and sarcastically, marching away from the tree. She continued walking in that clumsy stroll she always went on with.
"Robin, hey!" Nancy called out. "Watch out for the vines! Hive mind!"
"Thank you!" Robin shouted back, although she was running now, which was very terrifying.
Nancy threw her head back, groaning. "I'm going after her," she told Auggie and Steve before she broke out in a careful jog towards the other girl.
"Ah, don't worry about her," Steve said to Auggie, reading the tense look on his face. "She's just stressed."
"Nancy or Robin?"
"Um. Both?"
Auggie laughed at Steve's answer, causing Steve to do the same with how contagious Auggie's laugh was.
"Well, you can count me in with them," Auggie admitted, flashlight pointed towards the distance of where the two girls had run off to. "I know Robin's scared, but..."
"But she's a super klutz?" finished Steve, harboring an amused tone.
Auggie huffed again, amused. "Sam did tell me that it took Robin longer to walk than most babies, so..."
Steve chuckled right back at him, before he was sobering his laugh. "I really shouldn't laugh. When I was a baby, I actually crawled backwards."
Auggie slowly turned his head to Steve, the most incredulous expression he'd ever worn on his features.
"Crawled backwards?"
"You know, I'd push with my hands like this," Steve demonstrated the notion of a baby crawling backwards. "Beep. Beep. Beep. Always in reverse, you know?"
Auggie was grinning fondly, but Steve still went on with his "casual" story.
"I mean, come on, it makes sense. You push to move, right?"
"No, no," Auggie barked out a laugh, pleased smile stained on his face, "it doesn't make sense."
Steve shrugged, "Well, it did to my tiny, little Harrington brain." He sighed. "That is, of course, until I reversed my baby butt down a flight of stairs and thumped my head really good."
Auggie was laughing again, and he found, that the world was ending, yet he could never stop this gleeful feeling when he was around Steve. Not even in the face of death.
(It was a funny image — Steve fucking Harrington crawling backwards as a little toddler and falling headfirst down a whole flight of stairs.)
"That explains so much," Auggie claimed with a teasing look.
"Yeah," Steve huffed lightly, "I guess it kinda does. I think, like, right out of the gate, like, I'm super confident — but I'm also, like, an idiot. Which is just... I mean, it's a brutal combination. But, I mean, the good news is, I get a big enough thump on my head, I can change, you know? I can learn. I can... crawl forward."
The limp wasn't the only impending thing Auggie felt. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he could register that this conversation was growing deeper the more Steve went on.
Auggie knew he was right when Steve turned and waited a little bit so that Auggie could catch up with him.
"Listen, I guess what I'm trying to say in a really stupid, roundabout way is, um..." Steve gulped, "...is thank you."
Both of the boys stopped walking, and Auggie stared up and Steve and Steve stared back at him. The younger boy pulled a face, eyebrows furrowing.
"Thank me?" Auggie echoed in confusion. As far as he knew, he didn't even do anything.
"Yeah," Steve nodded, undeterred.
"For...?"
"Look Auggie," he started again, in a more serious tone than before. "I thought I'd seen it all. I thought I'd received all the bumps in the head — Nancy Wheeler, fucking Demogorgons, little kids having superpowers, the Upside Down, befriending Robin Buckley — all of it. I thought, you know, I've changed as much as I can and I've learned all that there is out there."
Then, Steve's breath caught in his throat, and he was tilting his head at Auggie in a way that had Auggie feeling a little empty in the stomach.
"But then I met you, and my whole life changed."
It was said as a whisper, but it was grave enough to alter the entire trajectory of Auggie's life forever. It was whispered to Auggie, but after that, it was on constant repeat as a ringing in his ears. Then he met you, Auggie. You changed his life.
Suddenly, the throbbing in his ankle became a dull, distant feeling again. It was the brown of Steve's eyes that overtook him now, rather than any physical pain that could exist. This was better and stronger than pain. This was Steve.
"And now I really am crawling forward," Steve resumed his walking again, and Auggie could do nothing but trail after him in a daze. "Slowly. It hasn't been that long, but suddenly I meet you, and I feel like I'm an entirely new person. For the better, I mean. I know things I didn't before. I" — he spared Auggie another mind-altering glance — "feel things I didn't before."
Auggie knew he should be speaking — that he should be letting Steve know he agreed. Steve should know that Auggie felt like his life didn't properly start until now, that he wasn't truly living until Steve accidentally stumbled upon the AV room.
But all he could manage out was a weak, "Steve..."
Steve stopped walking again, and when their gazes met, something clicked. Both boys were wearing the same expression. Auggie was convinced that he and Steve were on the same page before, but he now understood that they couldn't have been; none of their other conversations felt as real as this one.
"Remember the dream I told you about?"
Auggie had been so caught up in just admiring Steve that he didn't remember for a second. He had to blink rapidly to bring himself back to the decadent Upside Down woods. But then he did. Steve was still there, and Auggie felt like he could breathe again.
"About the Winnebago?" Steve continued. "Seeing the country with the two, lil' nuggets?"
His choice of words were just so childish that they had Auggie smiling again; as much as he hated to envision Steve's future without Auggie, he was smiling again. It was Steve and he couldn't help it.
"Yeah," Auggie hummed, heart settling in his chest.
Steve's entire face screwed up, though he looked at Auggie longingly. "It's all true," he continued. "Every last word."
Auggie smile was falling again. He felt Steve rubbing the salt into his wound then, he had a distant idea that he knew what was about to come. It was the bitter taste of rejection he'd been waiting to avoid.
"But I left one part out. It's the most important part," admitted Steve. Then, "You're there."
The confession shocked Auggie to his very core — stopped his breathing and stopped the world from revolving around him. Auggie felt stuck, and for more reason than just his disabled ankle. Steve's eyes pinned Auggie in his place.
"I don't know how I would make it work, but I would, because there isn't a dream if you're not there, Smiths."
Auggie breathing in, he opened his mouth to respond—
"Hey, guys!"
Auggie and Steve startled, whipping their heads to the side. They saw that Robin was running back over to them, a miserable Nancy jogging after her. Auggie faintly heard Nancy hiss something about not interrupting them, but Robin didn't seem to hear nor care. She had a hopeful expression on her face as she sped over.
"You guys! Awesome news!" she stumbled over to them.
When Nancy caught up with Robin, she placed a hand on Robin's shoulder and shot a pointed look at her that darted between Auggie and Steve then back to Robin.
"Oh — uh," Robin panted, awkwardly once she realized she had interrupted something. Steve threw his head back, annoyed and miserable. "Well, looks like we weren't going the wrong way after all."
Auggie finally let out the breath he'd been holding in, staring at the floor.
"Sorry," Nancy muttered, "I tried to tell her to slow down..."
When she saw that Auggie wasn't looking, both she and Robin sent Steve encouraging thumbs up. Steve sent them a tight-lipped grimace back, still not the happiest that Auggie's response was cut off from him. Auggie looked back up, tapping Steve on the side of the arm.
"Come on," he said. "We should get going."
Auggie began limping after Robin, who started walking again. From behind, Steve exhaled dejectedly and Nancy tried sending him a nudge to cheer him up.
"Let's go!" Robin hurried.
"Okay," Steve followed after her, voice monotone. "Ro... Slow down! Ro — Robin!"
◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦
Blood was pouring down Sam's nose out in the real world. It was a constant, ebbing thing that Sam didn't even know was a current problem at hand.
Sam's mind wasn't in the "real world" right now. It was far, far away — somewhere else in Max's mind.
The thing was, though, Sam didn't know where in Max's mind she was.
She'd seen a lot of flashes of Max's memory — a lot of good ones, a few bad ones, too. Sam had to remind herself she couldn't think about the dark ones, because they rendered her useless due to her empathetic abilities. She had searched, hard, and Sam somehow pulled herself out of the endless, black void and into somewhere else entirely.
Now Sam was standing in a skatepark.
It was another memory of Max's.
This one, Sam didn't recognize.
"Sam?"
Sam whipped around, jolting in fear. She didn't know what she was expecting — maybe Max was somehow hidden here, or something worse entirely.
The very last thing she expected, though, was to see Eleven Hopper staring right at her.
"What the he — El?!" Sam questioned wildly. She ran forward, fast, and next thing El knew, Sam was pouncing at her. Sam threw herself onto El in a hug so tight that El had to stumble backwards and catch Sam at the same time.
El was taller now, much taller and much more muscular. Her head was shaved again, almost like the way it was buzzed back when Sam first met her. No matter how she looked, she was still the same El that Sam had grown to know and love. This was actually El, here in real time.
"It's Sam," El said out loud, confusing Sam greatly. "She's — here. In a Max memory."
"Wh-What are you talking about?" Sam asked wildly. "What are you doing here?"
El grabbed Sam's forearms, eyeing her with a serious look. She nodded firmly. "I'm here to save Max. I'm with Corey, Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle in a pizza dough freezer."
What the hell? What is Argyle?
"What — How — I—?" Sam gaped, head shaking incredulously as she tried processing everything. "How did you know? That Max needed saving?"
"I went into the void before," El confessed, and it hit Sam that while the gang in Hawkins had been going through mass amounts of stuff, that El must've been too. "I heard... what you said. In Max's trailer."
And then Sam knew.
El found out about Henry. She found out about Sam's mom being his sister. She found out that Sam was related to it all.
"Oh," Sam said, a little dumbly. "Tell the boys I said hi."
El laughed incredulously. She knew Sam was trying to change the subject, but still, she blurted, "Sam says hi."
A beat.
Then—
"They say hi back," El finished.
Sam nodded, still feeling a little dazed. It wasn't long before El was pulling Sam into another hug again. It was warm and it mended all of Sam's broken pieces quicker than she thought it could be possible. Sam let her eyes screw shut and relish in the embrace.
"I missed you," Sam admitted.
El choked out on something, and it sounded a little wet.
She sniffled, "I missed you, too."
Then Sam pulled away, feeling like she'd indulged herself in way too many hugs as of late. She gestured to El's head, said, "I like the new hair. It's very — grunge."
El let out a fond laugh again, light and relieved. In return, El gestured to all of Sam. "I like the new clothes. They're very grunge. The flower crown tops it off."
Sam returned El's smile. It struck her hard, how much she had missed El's presence. She hoped Will was doing well, too. Words couldn't explain how empty she'd felt without the presence of two of her bestest friends.
A sniffle rang out, and Sam realized it was herself inhaling from her nose. She'd gotten a little too emotional throughout the whole reunion. Sam tried wiping her nose and continuing on the real reason she was here in the first place.
"Let's go save Max from Henry's sorry ass, yeah?"
El's smile lingered, but severity and determination seeped into the gesture. "Let's," she responded, taking a hold of Sam's hand and squeezing.
Sam turned towards the direction El was facing, continuing to hold her friends hand no matter what. In the distance of the skatepark, both of them could hear indistinct hollering and chatter. Kids were skating in bright, fashionable clothes, and the afternoon sun beat down on them happily.
She didn't know how much El actually knew, so Sam informed, "Max is trying to conjure her happier memories. Henry goes for the dark ones, and we have a theory that if she hides in the light, she could prolong him getting to her."
And god, Sam hoped the theory was right.
"So Max should be here?" El asked.
Sam shrugged, unfortunately not as sure as she'd like to be. "If she did everything correctly."
"Is this her happiest memory?" questioned El.
For some reason, Sam was a little disappointed that Sam wasn't involved in the memory herself.
Again, Sam was shrugging her shoulders. "I guess," she answered.
And together, the two girls continued walking.
Together, they searched for a red head of hair.
Sam and El moved on, hands interlocked as they journeyed down the long spanse of concrete that was the skate park. As they walked, Sam noticed at one point that El was completely barefoot throughout the whole process. She figured it couldn't be anything related to comfortable, as the hot sun was beating down onto the pavement.
But then something else caught Sam's attention entirely.
Shouldn't you be playing with dolls or something?
Sam stopped walking, El being forced to do the same. Both girls turned their heads and found that an older teenage boy was walking over to a little kid. This girl, in particular, had bright red hair and resembled the same girl Sam saw in Billy's memories.
It was Max when she was younger.
Shouldn't you bag your face? Max snapped in reply.
The teenager laughed, but it came out more as a scoff. As he walked away, the young Max flipped him off. Sam knew it was odd for that gesture to have her breath catching in her throat, but Sam couldn't help it. This really was Max. Her Max.
They were doing it.
They were finding her happy memories.
El started walking closer towards the young ginger, grip unintentionally falling slack on Sam's hand. Sam watched, creeping a little forward, too. She heard El call out, "Max — Max!"
El's voice echoed around the entire memory, and while little Max was standing up, it was not because she heard El.
"It's like Billy's memories," Sam told her. "She's not going to be able to hear us. Not until we actually find Max."
Sam watched as Max picked up her small skateboard and continued walking away from them. As Sam did so, El properly thought about what Sam had told her. When Sam glanced back over, there was a faraway, contemplative look on her features.
Then El gasped.
"Billy's memories," El inhaled, walking up to Sam quickly with concerned eyes. "You can't be in here, Sam. It's not safe."
Sam shook her head. She'd already heard enough of this from Max. "I should be fine," she said dismissively. "These are good memories, anyways."
"What if they go bad?" El worried. "Henry is capable of... a lot."
Sam laughed, humorlessly. "Trust me, I know." Then, "Even if they go bad, I need to find Max with you, El. I need to save her — I can't... We can't lose her."
El's eyebrows had the natural crease to them, a result of everything she'd endured over the years; a constant bemusement.
"A lot's happened over the past week, hasn't it?"
Sam nodded, but it wasn't anything happy. It definitely wasn't encouraging.
"It has," she admitted, and it came out raspy.
El sighed dejectedly, though she should have expected the answer. She didn't even want to imagine the horrors they'd endured back in Hawkins. Sam, on the same track, felt the same about where El had been.
Sam knew El's hair hadn't been buzzed by herself. Just a couple weeks ago she was writing to Sam about how happy she was with how long she'd been able to grow her hair.
The loss of El's hair felt more like a loss of innocence this time.
"We found her," El was saying now, and Sam was confused again before she realized El was speaking to the boys back in the pizza dough freezer. "But she's young. She can't see us."
"Tell them the real Max is hiding in a different memory," Sam said, grabbing a hold of El's hand again.
El nodded at her, then announced, "We still have to find the real Max. Sam says she is in a different memory."
There was another beat, one where Sam assumed the boys on the other side were replying to El. Sam urged to know what they were saying in response, she missed them all so much. Jonathan and Will, she hadn't seen since October; and while she'd constantly heard from Will through letters and phone calls, she had no clue how Jonathan was doing. Mike, who argued with Sam as their last conversation together. Corey, who Sam missed just for the sole fact he was her family, and she could miss him.
Still, she had no clue who Argyle was, but Sam assumed she could probably miss him, too.
"Do you see anything?" El spoke up again, voice still echoing. Sam turned her head to find that El was speaking to her again. "Anything weird or a sign of Henry?"
Sam pulled a contemplative face. Cluelessly, she sighed, "No. Everything is..." she looked around again, "normal..."
But everything wasn't normal.
Sam's eyes found the attention of an old, rusted bridge overlooking the skate park. Coming from that direction was the familiar sound of "Riannon" by Fleetwood Mac, and of course that was what had Sam so captivated. Stevie Nicks' voice came out distorted, not right.
"Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her...?"
"Except for that," Sam concluded.
To the boys, El said, "There is something that doesn't fit. I think it is another memory."
Sam nodded, because she definitely agreed with what El was saying. She squeezed El's hand before she started walking again. "Come on, I want to see what it is."
"Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover...?"
Sam led El up the steep slope of the concrete that was the skatepark. She made sure to help El get up, because climbing on pavement with bare feet in the blistering California sun couldn't have been comfortable.
"All your life you've never seen
Woman taken by the wind..."
The two girls traversed up the old bridge; it was a narrow thing, too, that had Sam a little panicked. She didn't exactly trust the sturdiness of it. She had to remind herself she was just a figment in a memory, and Sam couldn't really affect the flimsy structure with her weight.
"Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win...?"
Sam squinted to see what was in the middle of the bridge. She noted it was a cassette player covered in stickers and doodles, and the realization had Sam's heart drop a little.
"That's my cassette player," Sam said, more-so to herself than anything. She glanced back at El. "Remember? This was the song playing in my room that day the three of us had a sleepover."
El's eyes widened a smidge when she was struck by the same realization.
But then "Rhiannon" wasn't the song playing, anymore. Not in the slightest.
"Stars shining bright above you..."
Sam felt something get lodged in the inside of her throat.
"No," she choked miserably.
"Night breezes seem to whisper, 'I love you...'"
Sam ran closer to her cassette player, disregarding all previous fear she had of travelling atop the bridge. El startled by this sudden change in Sam's attitude, this gut-driven fear she harbored, and followed after her.
"Birds singin' in the sycamore trees..."
"No, no, no, no," Sam muttered over and over again, face wrenching up. She tried inspecting her cassette player, tried opening it up, but it was somehow stuck.
"Sam? What?" El asked. "What is it?!"
Sam shook her head, a dry sob falling out her frowning lips. "No!" she cried, frustrated. Then, "He has her. Henry. He has Max, El."
And Sam continued trying to lodge the cassette out of the insert; she tried hitting the stop button; she tried unplugging it from the imaginary outlet it was added into.
But it was no use.
Sam let out another agitated yell. This time, she just hit the cassette player as hard as she could. It went stumbling off the odd replica of her dresser and tumbled on the bridge.
"Dream a little dream of me..."
"Shit!" Sam exclaimed.
El watched as Sam's fists clenched and her shoulders rose. She watched, for a second, as Sam's eyes went crystal blue and electric sparks shone in her veins. Tentatively, El placed a hand on Sam's shoulder, ignoring the small spark of pain that ignited in her.
"Say 'Night-ie night' and kiss me..."
Sam jolted, calming a little. Her head whipped towards El like she'd just remembered El was even there.
"Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me..."
El's head turned, and Sam couldn't help but follow the direction her gaze was leading them towards. Slowly, everything grew a lot scarier than it had just been a few moments prior.
"While I'm alone and blue as can be..."
Looking to the right, Sam saw it then. Thunder crashed and she couldn't focus on anything but. The California sunshine was dying in the distance. Instead, it was being taking over by a terrible storm — a storm of red lightning and dark clouds.
Henry's storm.
"Dream a little dream of me..."
◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦
so
i'm finally back
I'M SORRY OKAY LET ME EXPLAN
MYSELF :(((((((
it's mardi gras in my city and if you don't know that's basically like a 2 week long bender lmao. i literally wasn't home/had time to myself this entire time so i swear i didn't have any time to write. mardi gras is actually so crazy but it's over now and i'm finally going back to school on monday so the regular schedule will be coming back!
(again i'm actually so so so sorry. pls believe me that i didn't just ghost u guys on purpose)
also this is me realizing when i go back to school i'll only have 45 days left of high school entirely. like i'm gonna graduate. and never be a kid again. stop i'm getting really emotional.
other updates in the flayedcrank life before i ramble:
i finally caved and made a tiktok!!
like i said before, i have absolutely 0 clue how to make actual edits, but i've been making other kinds of tiktoks that u can totally feel free to check out
the @ is flayedcrankwp !!!
and there's not only the long game tiktoks, i've been making stuff about other stories too!
which leads me to:
i finally posted my teen wolf fic!!!
short little run down if anyone's interested: the main oc rowan is a demon who is world's #1 hater; scott and stiles are really sus of her and end up pulling a begrudging rowan into all of their issues (which she is not happy about); either one of the two could be her endgame so read to find out if you're team scowan or riles
so far i've posted the entirety of season 1, and i'm planning on posting the rest once i complete season 4 of this book
which leads me to:
we're in the final stretch now folks!!
SAM'S GOING INTO EVERYTHING ALONE GUYS HOLD MY HAND :(((((
bruh when she said "She didn't know why she was so unsettled by the fact she would be doing it alone. Sam should be used to this part by now — the process of going through the motions by herself; figuring everything out on her own." ??? like actually stop. i'm emo.
DUSTIN SAYING GOODBYE TO SAM AND HE CALLED HER SPECKS AND HE APOLOGIZED FOR HIS BEHAVIOR AND THEY HUGGED TWICE
STEVE SAYING GOODBYE TO SAM AND THEY HUGGED JUST TO HUG FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER AND THEY JOKED ABOUT THEIR INJURED TORSOS AND SAM IMAGINED IT WAS STEPH HUGGING HER WHICH MEANS SHE THINKS OF STEVE AS HER SIBLING
EVERYONE TEASING SAM ABOUT HUGHCLAIR AND SAM GETTING FLUSTERED
ROBIN SAYING GOODBYE TO SAM AND ROBIN SQUEEZED HER SO TIGHT BECAUSE SHE'S GONNA MISS SAM AND SAM WANTED TO CALL ROBIN HER SISTER-IN-LAW
EDDIE SAYING GOODBYE TO SAM
i don't even want to get into this because it's just going to make me sad and i'm going to cry
i didn't even intend to make eddie a prominent character in this story omg why did i do this i hate myself rn
EDDIE SAYING GOODBYE TO SAM AND SAM FORGETTING TO PROTEST "ZEUS" AND HE HUGGED HER AND PET HER IN A FUNNY WAY ANLSGKJFDGG SAM ADMITTING SHE'S GOING TO MISS EDDIE AND IT MADE EDDIE SO HAPPY AND THEY BOTH THINK THEY'RE GOING TO SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN BUT LSJHFDKLDHG
i don't want to talk.
AUGGIE SAYING GOODBYE TO SAM AND HE RUBBED THE TOP OF HER HEAD LIKE A BROTHER WOULD AND SAM CALLED HIM DAD AND AUGGIE FINALLY PLAYED ALONG
NANCY SAYING GOODBYE TO SAM AND THE GUN DUO BEING EXCITED ABOUT GUNS AND NANCY STILL SHOWING CARE AND WORRY FROM WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME SAM WENT IN THE VOID AND NANCY NOT WANTING TO LEAVE SAM BEHIND BUT REALIZING THEY HAVE TO
they're all so worried i want to cry
AND EDDIE CALLED SAM "SAM" FOR THE FIRST TIME.
auggie having steve's nail bat OMGJLDKFJ. and he doesn't even know how much that means to steve. stauggie striking my heart once again
eddie and auggie saying goodbye :( they just became friends, too :(
eddie telling auggie to give vecna hell for sam's sake. auggie telling eddie to give the bats hell for his ankle's sake
"never surrender" playing for sam is so ironic.
THIS IS THE STAUGGIE CONVO OF ALL STAUGGIE CONVOS FOLKS. WERE YOU READY FOR IT??? I WASN'T.
"But then I met you, and my whole life changed." "But suddenly I meet you, and I feel like I'm an entirely new person. I feel things I didn't before." "I don't know how I would make it work, but I would, because there isn't a dream if you're not there, Smiths."
STEVE HARRINGTON YOU DOG EVEN I'M FREAKING OUT.
(robin and nancy trying and failing to be steve's wing women is hilarious)
SAM AND EL REUNION FOLKS!!!
I MISSED MY SUPERNATURAL GIRLS SO MUCH!! THEY MISSED EACH OTHER TOO!!
they are about to fight for max's life so hard.
"The loss of El's hair a second time felt more like a loss of innocence this time." oh! okay! that's fine!
LFGJHDKLGJD GUYS DID YOU SPOT THE CHANGE OF PLOT??? "RHIANNON" WAS PLAYING NOT "EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE" !! AND IT WAS FROM THE CASSETTE PLAYER IN SAM'S ROOM NOT THE TURN TABLE FROM THE SNOW BALL!!
i have plans!!!
if sam hears "dream a little dream of me" one more time she is going to have an anneurysm.
closing thoughts: i'm so sorry it took me this long to update but it feels good to be back! i hope everyone enjoyed!
feel free to comment and vote!!
what'd you think?