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𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧

𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷:
"𝙸'𝚖 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚘𝚔𝚊𝚢."

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THEIR PLAN WAS made.

Mackenzie, Max, Lucas, Megan, and Erica were going to the Creel house. They would be taking lanterns with them to find wherever he was in the house. When they finally found him, Max was going to allow Vecna to take her but would remember a certain happy memory to keep herself alive. Mackenzie and Lucas were going to stay with Max upstairs while Megan and Erica would communicate with them and those in the Upside Down with flashlights to signal that the next part of the plan could commence.

Meanwhile, Steve, Nancy, Robin, Dustin, and Eddie were going into the Upside Down through the Gate at Eddie's trailer. They had all of the weapons that they had made. Steve, Nancy, and Robin would be going to the Upside Down Creel house to find his resting state while he was attempting to take Max. There, they would be shooting him, throwing fire at him, and hopefully punching him for Mackenzie. Whatever it took to kill him. To draw away the Demo-bats, Eddie would play a song on his guitar, and him and Dustin would get out of the Upside Down before the Demo-bats could attack them.

It all sounded so easy. But Mackenzie knew that if one thing fucked them up, the whole plan would fall apart.

The car ride was tense and nobody was talking. All of them sat in the camper as Steve drove, wearing their gear and holding their weapons. Mackenzie stared blankly ahead through the front windshield, the setting sun sending a fiery golden glow into the camper. She usually loved sunsets. But this sunset was the last one before war. Mackenzie knew that with horrible clarity.

Finally, Steve pulled up in front of the Creel house. Mackenzie stood up and immediately approached Dustin. He looked up at her.

Mackenzie took his chin in her hand gently. "Be careful, okay? We almost lost one of us in the Upside Down. I don't want a repeat."

Dustin nodded. "Okay. Love you."

Mackenzie gave him a small smile. "Love you more, Dustin."

She gave a small wave to Eddie, a pat on the head to Robin, ruffled Steve's hair, and squeezed Nancy's shoulder before climbing out of the camper. Mackenzie held her lantern in her hand as she climbed the steps, staring up at the house in front of her. The same familiar shiver went down her spine.

The group of five stared at the house for a moment longer before they advanced. Mackenzie felt Megan grasp onto her hand. Megan had never been in the abandoned house before and knew about what it meant, due to Mackenzie telling her. Mackenzie held her sister's hand tight and gave it a squeeze of reassurance.

They could do this. They had to do this.

Mackenzie entered the house after Lucas. She looked around at the dusty, boarded up surroundings. In order to get adjusted to the darkness, she blinked a couple of times.

They all removed their shoes so they wouldn't make any noise and turned on their lanterns. The blue lights illuminated the dark house, making it look more eerie if that was even possible. They split up to cover more ground.

Megan went with Erica, since the two of them would be going to the playground together to signal the older teens in the Upside Down. They covered the first floor. Mackenzie and Lucas had the second floor, and Max was by herself in the attic, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) playing on a loop through her headphones.

Mackenzie walked through the rooms by herself. Her chest was tight with anxiety and fear and her mind was spinning. Knowing that Vecna controlled the Demogorgon, the Demo-dogs, and the Mind Flayer was weighing down Mackenzie's shoulders. He was more powerful than anything. She knew that. However, the deep hatred burning in her soul for him, the one who completely destroyed Will's life forever, and everyone else's lives in their friend group forever, was enough to make her keep going.

She wanted him to die. She wanted him to feel all the suffering they felt because of him. It might've seemed extremely harsh, but Mackenzie didn't care.

Mackenzie suddenly felt new presences by her. She turned to see that it was Erica, Megan, and Lucas. All of them had grim looks on their faces. Erica held up a piece of paper, and on it read the words Found Vecna. She gave them a small nod, her heart beating fast against her chest.

Lucas got Max from the attic, and they all went back to the first floor. Sure enough, in the living room, Erica's lantern was pulsing. Mackenzie watched it do so. Max got closer to the lantern, and hers began to pulse, too. Max glanced back at all of them, and Mackenzie inwardly took a deep breath.

Erica wrote something on her paper. She then held it up for them all to see. It read Phase one?  Mackenzie and Lucas shared a glance before nodding at Erica.

Mackenzie placed a hand on her little sister's shoulder and got down to her eye level. She mouthed stay safe. Megan nodded, and her and Erica left the house to go to the playground across the street. Mackenzie felt her stomach churn with nerves as she sat down on the couch, pulling her knees into her chest.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Lucas and Max having a conversation with their notepads. Mackenzie often got like this when things got too much — she would seclude into herself, just letting herself get trapped in her mind. She was only snapped out of her trance when Max tapped her knee.

Mackenzie looked up, only to see her holding up her notepad that read You okay? She allowed a tiny smile to appear on her face and wrote on her notepad I should be asking you that question. Max wrote back I'll be okay. I'm glad you're here. Mackenzie drew a heart on her paper.

Suddenly, a yellow flashing light came through the window. Mackenzie instantly stood up and went to the window, looking through the space in between boards outside. There was a flashlight coming from the playground that was turning on and off. Megan and Erica. Lucas blinked his flashlight on and off through the window, signaling that they copied.

It was time for phase two, also known as distracting Vecna. Probably the most dangerous part of their plan, where Max would allow Vecna to put her in a trance.

Max was the only one who put her shoes back on, considering she was the one who wanted to get Vecna's attention. Mackenzie and Lucas watched as she sat on the steps, tying her Vans. She stood up and walked back into the room with the pulsing lantern, holding her own lantern.

She glanced back at Mackenzie and Lucas for a moment. Max stood there, hesitating, before she ultimately pulling her headphones down around her ear. Kate Bush's voice echoed into the room before Max turned off the tape.

"Hey!" Max shouted. "Asshole! I'm here. No more music. No more games." The lantern continued to pulse. "Do you hear me? What are you waiting for, huh? Come on, do you want me or not?"

The lantern faded back to normal. Suddenly, Max's lantern began to pulse brighter. Mackenzie took a step back away from it. Even though Vecna was in the Upside Down, she didn't like that he was right there. They followed the pulsing light up the stairs and into the attic.

Typical.

The lantern suddenly glowed the rightest it ever had in the center of the room. Mackenzie instinctively moved closer to Lucas in fear. And then, the lantern faded. Mackenzie's eyebrows knit in confusion

"What are you waiting for, asshole?" Max demanded. "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 placed the lantern down on one of the chests in the room. She then took off her headphones and removed her Walkman from her side, placing that down on the other chest. Max then sat down on the carpet in front of the lantern and hugged her knees to her chest.

"I thought about what you said. 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 living hell. Every chance he got. So, sometimes . . . when I would lie in bed at night, I would . . . I would pray . . ." She sniffled for a moment. "I would pray that something would happen to him. Something awful. I knew that he drove too 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. And I've tried to forgive 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."

Mackenzie knew Max was just trying to get Vecna to listen to her, but that sounded so real. Maybe that was truly Max's inner thoughts.

Max didn't say anything else. Mackenzie looked down to see her sitting there, her eyes clouded over, just like back at the graveyard. Her own eyes widened and she sunk to her knees next to Max. She shook her shoulder a couple of times as tears pricked at the back of her eyes.

"Max," Mackenzie pleaded. "Max, come on, can you hear me?"

"Max!" Lucas yelled.

"Lucas, now," Mackenzie stated. She reached down and held Max's hands as she breathed heavily. "Max, it's gonna be okay."

He ran over to the window, waiting for Erica and Megan's signal. Mackenzie watched her friend in concern as she stayed under Vecna's trance, her breathing getting even more labored.

"They're not signalling," Lucas announced, making Mackenzie look up. He looked back at Max. "Oh shit." He turned his flashlight on and off through the window. "What the hell is taking so long?"

Suddenly, Mackenzie heard floorboards creaking. She let go of Max and stood up, standing by Max. Mackenzie watched in shock as Jason Carver entered the room, wearing his Hawkins High varsity jacket and looking utterly insane. Her heart sank. That meant somebody was with Erica and Megan. Mackenzie swore, if somebody hurt her little sister . . .

"Jason?" Lucas began. "You can't be here right now, man."

"The hell have you done?" Jason asked, looking at Max from behind Mackenzie.

"Jason, you have to leave," Mackenzie voiced. "I mean it."

"Is this what you did to Chrissy?" He looked up at Mackenzie. "You pretended to be her friend."

Mackenzie felt her heart shatter. "There was no pretending. Chrissy and I were friends. And I would never hurt her."

"Bullshit," Jason commented. He took a fistful of Mackenzie's shirt and dragged her to the side away from Max. Mackenzie stumbled for a moment before Lucas caught her, stabilizing her. Jason knelt down next to Max. "Hey."

"Just listen, Jason," Lucas pleaded. "You need to go, man."

"Hi, can — can you hear me?"

"Don't touch her," Mackenzie warned as Jason put his hands on Max's shoulders. "I'm being serious."

Jason waved his hand in front of Max's face. "Hey."

"Please, just—" Lucas began.

"Hey, hey, back up!" Jason ordered. He suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it right at Mackenzie. Mackenzie's eyes widened and she felt Lucas push her behind his back. They both raised their arms in surrender. "Back up! Not another step."

"Jason, you don't have to do this," Mackenzie told him, her voice shaking.

"I hope you're right. Is there anyone else in the house?"

Lucas shook his head. "No. No."

"Turn around," Jason stated.

"What?"

"Turn around!"

"Okay, okay," Lucas replied, and both him and Mackenzie turned around, Mackenzie feeling a tear drip down her cheek. "Relax, relax."

"And put down your flashlight," Jason said to Lucas. Lucas obeyed. "And empty your pockets?" They hesitated. "Empty your pockets!"

Mackenzie reached into her pockets of her jeans, but there was nothing there. She raised her hands back up. After facing so many monsters from the Upside Down, she never really considered that she could be held at gunpoint.

"Now this is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna back away to the top of the stairs there. Then I'll watch as Mack wakes her up from whatever the hell this is."

Mackenzie gritted her teeth at him using that nickname again, anger coursing through her veins. All she saw was red.

"I can't do that, Jason," Mackenzie voiced, turning around slowly to face him, her limbs shaking in anger. "We will all die if I wake her too soon."

"No," Jason responded. "If you don't wake her up right now, you die, Mack." He pulled the safety down on his gun. "And Sinclair."

"We call him Vecna," Lucas began, desperately trying to explain to Jason what was going on. "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?"

Mackenzie shook her head. "Jason, you're not listening. There's no cult surrounding Vecna, and there never was."

"You expect me to believe that?" Jason questioned.

"It's the truth."

"Then why was Chrissy at Eddie's trailer?"

"He was giving her drugs," Mackenzie explained.

"Liar!" Jason yelled.

"I know you don't want to believe that, but it's true. Vecna was giving her visions, terrible visions, and she thought drugs was the only way to stop them. She was scared and wanted help."

"That's how I know you're lying. If Chrissy was scared, if — if Chrissy wanted help, she would've come to me! Not Eddie! Not that freak! Never!"

"You're wrong about Eddie," Lucas insisted.

"No," Jason refused. "But I was wrong about you. I should've never let you in the door."

"And I never should have knocked. I thought I wanted to be like you. Popular. Normal. But it turns out, normal's just a raging psychopath."

Jason's eyes slid over to Mackenzie. "And you, Mack. Chrissy should've never asked you to be on the cheer team. You have five seconds to wake her up. Four. Three."

And that's when Mackenzie exploded.

"I told you not to call me that!" Mackenzie screamed.

She ran forwards. Jason shot his gun, but Mackenzie ducked, and Lucas did as well. Before Jason had time to react, she wound her arm back and punched Jason in the face with all the might she had. While Jason was distracted, Mackenzie lifted her leg up and kicked his hand, causing the gun to fly out and skid across the floor.

Mackenzie grabbed his hair in her other hand and forced him to look up at her. She wound back her right arm and punched him again. Jason suddenly regained his senses and grabbed Mackenzie's shoulders, pushing her back. She fell back over the chest in the room, causing Max's Walkman to fall on the ground. Mackenzie groaned as her head hit the hardwood floor. She picked it up slightly, only to see Jason step right on Max's Walkman, breaking it before Lucas could save it.

They had no way to help Max anymore if things went wrong.

"No!" Mackenzie cried.

She tried to push herself up off the floor. However, Jason kicked her in the stomach, forcing her to fall back down. He grabbed her hair and dragged her up, pushing her up against the wall. Instantly, Jason placed his hands on either side of her neck and squeezed.

Her eyes widened as oxygen began to get cut off. She gasped for air, but Jason was completely cutting off all of her air flow. Mackenzie reached up and pried at his hands, trying to get him off of her throat. Black spots danced in her vision.

"Lucas," Mackenzie fought out.

Lucas appeared behind Jason and tried to pull him off, but Jason lifted up his leg and kicked at him backwards, making Lucas fall to the ground.

"If you come near me again, I will kill her," Jason warned.

The crazy look in his eyes told Mackenzie he wasn't kidding. He was really going to kill her.

Mackenzie looked over Jason's shoulder. She could see Max no longer on the ground, but floating in the air. Her heart stopped and she suddenly felt sick. Vecna had her.

She couldn't lose Max. She couldn't lose Max. She couldn't lose Max.

"Lucas!" Mackenzie yelled.

Taking Jason by surprise, Lucas pulled Jason away from Mackenzie, making his hands come off of his throat. Mackenzie gasped for air and she placed her hands on the wall, trying to keep herself upright. Meanwhile, Lucas was throwing punch after punch at Jason, moving him back until he finally landed dazed on the ground.

Mackenzie stumbled forwards and looked up at Max's floating figure. A sob built up in her throat and she let it out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No!" Mackenzie shouted. "Let her go, let her go!"

It was too late.

Her arm went first. Then her leg, then her other arm. Vecna snapped her bones one by one, and then her cloudy eyes started to bleed. Mackenzie let out a scream of horror that was mixed with sobs. No, no, no, no, no, no—

Max's body fell from the ceiling. Both Mackenzie and Lucas raced forwards, catching her body in their arms. Lucas cradled her body while Mackenzie had Max's head in her lap. Her body was broken, her eyes were still bleeding, and they were still cloudy.

"No," Mackenzie sobbed. It was suddenly so hard to breathe. "No, Max, come on, wake up!"

Footsteps echoed from the stairs. The door flung open, only to reveal Megan and Erica. Their eyes both widened as they saw their siblings clutching Max's body in their arms.

"Lucas!" Erica began.

"We need a doctor!" Lucas screamed. "Call an ambulance! Hurry, call an ambulance!"

"Kenzie?" Megan asked quietly.

"Megan, please," Mackenzie pleaded, her voice lowering to a whisper as she cried. "Megan, go!"

Megan and Erica turned back around and sprinted down the stairs.

"Lucas . . ." Max weakly said.

"Yes, yes, I'm here," Lucas replied. "I'm here."

"I — I can't feel or . . ." Max gasped. "S-See anything."

"I know, I know. It's okay. We're gonna get you some help, okay? Just — just hold on."

"K-Kenzie?"

"I'm here," Mackenzie told her, moving a stray piece of hair away from Max's forehead. "I'm right here, it's okay."

"Kenzie, I'm scared," Max continued. "I'm so scared, I'm so scared."

Mackenzie sobbed and squeezed Max's shoulder tighter. "I know — God, I know. Me too. But you — you have to hold on, okay?"

"I don't want to die, I'm not ready."

That sentence was enough to make Mackenzie completely break, as if she wasn't broken enough before. Mackenzie let out multiple sobs, one after the other, and gasped for breath.

"You're not gonna die," Lucas protested. "Hang on."

"I don't wanna go!" Max yelled. "I'm not ready."

"No, Max, you're not going to die," Mackenzie stated. Her mind felt foggy — she couldn't lose another person to Vecna. Max couldn't die. "You're going to stay alive. Just, please, hang on."

Max didn't respond. Mackenzie's eyes widened. She knew what that meant, and she felt sick to her stomach. Mackenzie sobbed more, shaking her shoulders, trying anything to get her to stay awake. Her

Lucas shook her body. "Max. Max! Max! No, no, no, Max. Stay with me. Stay with me! Don't go, Max. Max, stay with me. Just look at me, Max. Max, look. No, stay with me, Max. Hang on. Just hang on." He looked back towards the stairs. "Erica, help!"

"Megan!" Mackenzie shouted through her sobs.

Max's eyes slowly fluttered until they completely shut. Mackenzie felt Max's body go limp in her arms. She reached up and covered her mouth, more sobs escaping. She placed one hand on Max's heart. There was nothing. She let out a scream of agony. Her heart had never hurt this bad.

Four chimes suddenly echoed from the clock downstairs. Mackenzie screamed again, anguished sobs escaping. Four chimes meant all four sacrifices were finished.

Mackenzie had never felt such hatred for something in her life.

The house shook. Mackenzie looked down, and her eyes widened upon seeing red light peek out from underneath Max. Her and Lucas instantly stood up, dragging Max away from the Gate that was opening, screeching vines tumbling out of it.

It ripped right through the entire attic. The Gate continued to grow and grow right through Jason Carver's body. Mackenzie's eyes widened as she watched Jason's body get completely torn in two, and he let out a yell of agony as he got overtaken by the Gate. She now felt really sick.

The house continued to shake. She saw the fiery red glow of the Gate continue on outside. Still holding onto Max, Mackenzie felt her body freeze in shock. And then, the shaking was over, and the Gate stopped growing.

Mackenzie knew with horrible clarity that Vecna had won. And now, she had no idea how they were going to stop him.

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eddie munson stans honestly scare me . . . like bestie where is the song about how they're all sad about max I can guarantee you steve is not crying over eddie and playing d&d with dustin steve is crying over max