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    MAX HAD A MILD freak out at the trailers she dragged them to and now Steve and Brooke keep eyeing her in the mirror.

  Her eyes look like they're replaying something and Brooke knows she won't get an answer out of her. Brooke's body is turned more towards the door of the car, her eyes in the mirror as Queen softly plays in the car. She yearns for Steve's touch but she just feels so stupid, like Steve is seeing her in a new vulnerable view. Brooke thought July Fourth was her lowest but she's realizing this is as low as she can go, actually, probably lower once she's floating and her eyes are sucked out.

   "Turn here," Max quietly and randomly says. They all take a look around and Brooke blinks a few times seeing the sign for the cemetery. "Here?" Dustin asks. Max just nods slowly. Steve and Brooke glance at each other, worried but he turns anyway.

   The cemetery is a place Brooke hasn't set foot in since the funerals for Casey and Hopper. Feeling like her heart was ripped out and stomped as the coffins were lowered into the ground, one with no body and one with the mauled body of a teen boy. The funerals were in the same week, three days apart and Brooke was either high or drunk during the hours it wasn't happening. She didn't let herself be intoxicated at the funerals, both men would haunt her and choke her out if she did. Sometimes she thinks about pissing them off just to get some sign that they're there.

   Rows and rows of gray, mossy, graves fly past them as Steve drives down the road. The big oak tree catches Brooke's eye, the one Casey is buried under. It feels like her throat is closing up as she prays Steve just speeds up but he doesn't and her eyes are glued to Casey Windward's grave in the distance.

   The car stops where Max was directing them. Brooke didn't even realize Max was talking.

   Max gets out of the car and Lucas follows after her. Brooke can see Penelope and Stella pull up behind them. There's the sound of Max and Lucas arguing low that Brooke can just make out.

   Steve looks over at Brooke and slowly turns up the music but not enough that it would drown anything out for Brooke. Steve taps Brooke on the shoulder and she turns mechanically. Her sunken eyes make a hole in Steve's chest, choking on his words. He almost looks towards the two boys in the back for help but they quickly avoid eye contact.

    "If I ask you if you're okay, is that a stupid question?" Steve asks, his hand slowly beginning to reach over the arm handles for Brooke's thigh. "I appreciate the effort, Stevie," Brooke pats his hand and presses her lips together. Steve eyes the boys and tries to sneakily nod his head to tell them to get the fuck out. Danny nudges Dustin, both boys catching on and scoffing when Steve glares at them.

  "Why'd you make them get out?" Brooke asks, throwing her head back into the seat. "Because we have barely talked since last night and—and—it's just, it's scaring me and I feel like an ass for even saying that but fuck, Brooke, I need you here and I need you to fight this Vecna guy," Steve's voice had cracked, small tears that feel so forgein to him because he barely cries. His hands come up and immediately wipe them off but Brooke already saw them.

    That's the thing though, if Brooke is surviving this, it's not for herself, it's for the people around her. If it was just herself, all alone, Brooke would ask Vecna to kill her already. She starts to wonder if Vecna listens to her thoughts since she's cursed and if she'll give her what she wants deep down.

   She holds her head in her hands, "Steve, I'm so tired," Brooke pauses, taking in the fearful look Steve has, "But I could never leave you or the kids or Paisley—or—I just wouldn't let me go out like that because I fucking know your dumbass would blame yourself and it's not—it's not happening." The lump in her throat breaks, she contemplates telling him about the clock chime from earlier. She feels so small. The girl that once fought everything head on is now slipping through the cracks, crawling to the top each time and falling each time.

  It gets tiresome being angry all the time, to replace it with sadness is just easier.

   "Uh, I think Max has been over there for too long," Brooke sniffles, begging Steve to redirect the attention to the one in the most danger right now. Steve looks down at his watch, "You're right, it's been long enough," He abruptly opens the door.

  "Steve, give the kid time!" Penelope shouts, a heel digging into the soggy dirt. Anxiety is obvious in his rushed words, "I have, alright? I'm calling it. She wants to get a lawyer, she can." Steve rushes up the hill as the kids share a look. "Brooke, stop him!" Lucas shouts. Brooke sighs and exits the car, "He's not even mad she's taking forever, he's worried."

   "Look at him running up there. Whatever Max is doing, she's about to smack him silly," Dustin says. "Maybe it'll cure his dumbassery," Danny laughs.

Stella is staring at the two of them, Steve's call for Max getting louder each time. She squints seeing Steve shaking Max and her heart drops. "No, no," She whispers. Feelings of dread uproots itself again within her. The same feeling right before Stella knew it wasn't gonna end well for Casey. Stella cares about these kids, she has no idea what'd she do if Max dies right here, right now.

  "Max, wake up!" Catches the attention of everyone. Brooke's head whips at her boyfriend urgently shaking Max and calling out for her. The desperation in Steve's voice makes her stomach hurt. "Something's wrong," Lucas says.

  "Guys!" Steve shouts and they all immediately run to his side.

  What they walk up to makes their skin crawl. Max's eyes are rolled back and there is no reaction from her, she's stuck in a trance again. "Fuck!" Penelope curses and tries to feel anyone that isn't the group.

   Danny falls to his knees next to Max, "Max! Come on!" Then the whole group begins to shout for Max, begging for anything to snap her out of it. Brooke even slaps her younger friend but she stays frozen. Steve grabs Dustin by the hoodie, "Call the girls! Go get 'em! Go!" Dustin rolls down the hill and speeds towards the car.

   Brooke runs a hand through her hair, pacing the area around them before just staring at Max. The shouting fills her head like the plague and the panic makes her feel sick. "Max, Max, please!" Stella shouts. Her name is being called out like a mantra.

   Max's body would twitch every so often under Lucas' touch. Brooke can hear Dustin calling the girls multiple times with no response. "Penelope, there's nothing there?!" Brooke asks. Penelope clenches her fingers with her eyes closed, "No, nothing except us," Penelope counts the people she can feel. Seven. She shoots her eyes open. There's eight of them. Brooke can see the sudden fear on Penelope's face. "Penelope, what?" Brooke asks, stepping closer.

   Penelope is one for being blunt but right now she has no idea if she should say that she doesn't feel Max, she doesn't feel Max's blood. She takes a deep breath, "I can only feel seven of us." Brooke does a headcount and number eight lands on Max. "Fuck—" Brooke's words are cut off by Dustin running towards them, cassettes in hand.

   Dustin slides and drops all the cassettes he could gather. "Wh—What is this?" Lucas stutters. "Song! What's her favorite song?" Dustin quickly gets out. "Why a song?!" Danny asks, picking up the different cassettes and examining them. "Robin said—nevermind! It's too much to explain. WHAT'S. HER FAVORITE. SONG?" Dustin now shouts.

     Brooke falls to the ground next to Steve and begins to rummage through the different music. The occasional times Brooke would pick the kids up or pick up Max to hang out with Danny the music just played in her Walkman never loud enough for anyone to hear it.

  Danny's heart is beating a thousand miles per minute, maybe even second. His mind has gone blank on what his best friend's favorite music would be. If you had quizzed him another time before this he's sure him or Lucas would get it. "Lucas, which one is it?" Steve shouts. "How do you not know?!" Stella shouts as well. Brooke keeps looking between the music and Max who still sits frozen with her eyes rolled back. The fear has filled her lungs and each deep breath burns.

    "Lucas! Kate Bush!" Danny shouts. Lucas nods and now looks for the song that Max would play during their hangouts before the breakup. The first Kate Bush thing he sees he hands it to Steve to place into the Walkman and then Dustin places the headphones on Max.

   "Now!" Dustin shouts and Steve starts, 'Running Up That Hill.'

   Despite the fear in Brooke's chest, she shakes Max and joins in again shouting for Max to wake up. All of a sudden, the hand Brooke had on Max's shoulder slowly slips off and Max begins to float up into the sky.

  Stella is thrown back into that night with Chrissy as she falls to the floor, hand over her mouth as she sobs.

   "Max!" They all shout but she stays in the air. "Vecna, you fuck!" Brooke curses at the creature, hoping somehow that Vecna would switch their places. Everyone's throats have begun to hurt from yelling but it isn't stopping them. Penelope keeps her hands clenched for any sign of life from the Mayfield girl and she finally feels that eighth person.

     Max gasps and falls to the ground rather harshly. Their shouts overlap as Max freaks out, subconsciously moving towards Lucas. He holds her in his arms so tight that Brooke isn't sure he'll ever let go. "Holy shit, Max!" Brooke says as she reaches for any part of the girl. Max begins to hyperventilate but they all keep reassuring her that it's okay. "I'm still.....I'm still here," Max says between breaths.

   Steve lets his hand fall from Max and towards Brooke. The fear in her lungs slowly dying out. She feels a touch on her hands and looks down to see Steve's hand on top of hers. A gasp of relief leaves her mouth and her head falls onto Steve's shoulder. Now they're left to wonder what will happen now that they saved Max and what will happen to Brooke.

    WHEN BROOKE WAS YOUNGER she would love staying up to watch the summer sunrise. She'd stay up till 8am and then fall asleep at 9am after she was satisfied with the view of purple and blue fading together.

   Well, Brooke is not 12 anymore and after everything she feels like she's aged 5 times faster than most her age. So now when she has no idea when the last time she slept was, Brooke feels slightly insane.

   Steve and her had attempted to fall asleep together on a small chair in the Wheeler basement, Steve's arms wrapped tightly around Brooke as she lays basically on top of him. The Max event shook up everyone. Now everyone has an even closer eye on Brooke and they had even come with plans to stay up and on watch for the girls but that had failed pretty quickly when it was Dustin's turn.

   Brooke looks down at Paisley who insisted on sleeping on the floor next to the couple.

  Nor Paisley or Steve would tell Brooke but they both needed to be close to her. It was the only way they could dare to fall asleep. Steve thought the tighter he held Brooke the less of a chance of her being hurt by literally anything.

    Each time Brooke almost dozed off all she could see was Max nearly dying and then her stomach would turn and she'd be wide awake. Heavy eyes drift from person to person asleep soundly. They all look safe right now. The clock on the wall behind her is taunting her. If the calculations are correct, today is her day. Steve made Brooke grab her Walkman on the way back to the Wheeler's basement last night and they badgered her about her favorite song.

   "Dustin?" There's a static noise and it sounds like Eddie's voice but Brooke wonders if she's hallucinating it. It happens a few more times. "Guess it's fucking real," Brooke whispers and begins to try and reach for the walkie but Steve's grip on her can only make her go so far.

   The static makes Nancy startle awake and she looks around, spotting Brooke looking at her, "Morning," She says annoyed before sleepily grabbing the walkie.

    "Hey, it's Nancy," She says while Brooke still tries to get out of Steve's grip. Something about Eddie needing a food delivery is what Brooke can hear.

"What the fuck, Steven?" Brooke whispers and slides under Steve's muscular arms, landing on the carpet floor right next to Paisley. The thud makes Nancy turn around and notice Max being gone. She cuts the conversation short with Eddie and shoots a glare at Brooke.

   "What? Why'd you look at me like that?" Brooke asks, trying not to step on Paisley. Snores leave the girl's mouth as Brooke steps over her. Nancy rolls her eyes and walks over to Dustin, "Wake up!" She shakes him awake. Dustin wakes up with a loud groan. "Aren't you supposed to be on Max watch?" Nancy then turns to Brooke, "And did you sleep at all?"

   "I actually have no idea. Cannot tell the difference at this point," Brooke says, shifting the weight from foot to foot. "Yep. Yep. Yep," Dustin repeats, wiping the tiredness out of his eyes. "Anyway, where is Max then?" Nancy shouts. "She's right there," Dustin points to where he last saw the redhead but, she is longer there and Brooke finally catches on, "....A second ago. I swear I dozed off for just......an hour."

  Nancy panics and looks back at Brooke, "You didn't see her leave?"

  Brooke thinks back but everything is so blurred together. She shrugs, "I might've been turned the other way—"

  "Brooke!" Nancy shouts frustratedly and starts to stomp upstairs, Dustin behind her. Brooke contemplates following them but exhaustion hits her. That damn clock clicks slowly. Brooke feels like she's stuck in limbo. The unknown hours that are currently leading up to her death. There's a groan from behind her.

   Stella sits up on her elbows, a random blanket half off and half on. Brooke curses that Stella is the first to awaken. Now it'll be awkward until literally anyone else wakes up. Stella narrows her eyes, "Brooke?" Her voice is rough. Stella calling out her name gives Brooke a mild jumpscare. She looks over her shoulder, "Yeah?"

   Stella hesitates but then forces herself up, "Anything happen?" Brooke fully turns now to look at Stella, "To me or Max?" Brooke is confused, she has to mean Max. Stella seems to want nothing more than for Brooke to die. Stella wipes at the makeup left under her eyes, "Uh, both I guess."

   "Max is upstairs—I think. I didn't sleep," Brooke says, wondering how long this conversation will go on before Stella snaps. Stella shuffles across the carpet and stands next to Brooke. This is the closest they've been in months. Arguments and hurtful things that were thrown at each other the last time they stood this close all alone.

    "You don't think—you don't think it'll happen to you today, will it?" Stella asks, not daring to say what will happen. Brooke knows there's no proper way to avoid the floating part, all she can hope is that someone blasts music in her ears before it all happens. She knows if she didn't have the people she does around her, Brooke would've given up.

  "It's bound to. It's what you want though, isn't it?" Brooke sarcastically pats Stella's back.

   Stella bites at her lip. All the recent events have made her less bitter, as funny as it seems. She just wants Eddie safe and proven innocent and everyone else to be okay. It's also made her reason a lot of things. Like how horrible she has been to Brooke. "I don't want you dead," Stella quietly says. Brooke's brain feels like it rebooted, the words replaying over and over again.

   "Huh?" Brooke gets out. Stella sighs and stands in front of Brooke now, "It's not your fault Casey died," Stella scans over Brooke's surprised expression, "It's Casey's fault." Brooke blinks a few times, her brain really not being able to process it. I must really be hallucinating, Brooke thinks.

  "He chose to fight that thing. He knew the risks," Stella continues. "It wasn't anyone's fault, Stella. Maybe the Mind Flayer but not Casey's. Sure he knew the risks but he didn't realize what would happen as the thing died," Brooke bluntly explains, the part of her saying it was her fault trying to crawl it's way back up. Stella nods, pressing her lips together.

For some reason, the remembrance of that night makes Brooke think of El and the Byers. Do they know what's going on? It's not like Brooke doesn't think of them all time—she does, almost painfully at length but between everything that's been happening, her brain has been at its worst again.

"I, uh, I need to make a call—"

  Nancy and Dustin swing the door to the basement open abruptly, interrupting Brooke. "Wake the others!" Nancy shouts. "Why?" Stella and Brooke ask in unison. "Max saw the Creel house last night. Wake them up!" Dustin briefly explains. "I need to call someone!" Brooke shouts up stairs as Stella wakes the others. "Who?" Nancy shouts down. Brooke's mouth opens to answer but Dustin jumps in front of Nancy. "We don't have time!" He shouts.

Brooke wants to detest that. They somehow have to have time for her to say her goodbyes to her other family.

"What—Brooke, what's happening?" Steve asks, sleep still evident in his voice. His gentle pull of her wrist makes her swallow. "Uh, Max found something," Brooke explains, forcing a smile at Steve and everyone else.

    THE OLD VICTORIAN BLUE home stands in shambles in front of the group. Brooke feels like she's on a leash. Two leashes, actually. One that is the leash that tightens around her neck each hour that goes by, the same one that frightens Brooke because she's wondering when her hallucinations will begin. The other one that her friends and boyfriend are holding keeps her by their sides.

   "Yeah, that's not creepy," Steve whispers, his hand snaking around Brooke's waist. She stumbles when he brings her closer. "Grab the hammers and get that wood off," Paisley opens the trunk. "You're standing right there, you grab one," Steve scoffs. Paisley just stares at him, not moving. "Really?" Steve says and drags Brooke over to the trunk. "You don't have to drag me everywhere," Brooke says. Everyone except Robin who stayed back with them started to walk up the rocky walkway to the house. 

   "Look, hammers," Steve waves the two tools in front of Paisley, placing one in her hands and walking away with Brooke in hand.

    A clock chimes loudly. The familiar and eery sound nearly makes Brooke stop in her tracks but they're already on the porch when the clock is at its loudest. Brooke hopes her concern isn't evident on her face. Eventually the chimes stop but Brooke still stares at the abandoned house with wide eyes.

  "Unscrew that door, Paise," Robin teasingly claps for Paisley as she gets a screw out of the wood blocking the door. Paisley mocks the blonde and then turns to Nancy, "Nance, what are we looking for in the creepiest house known to man?"

   Nancy shrugs, "We're not sure. We just know this house is important to Vecna."

   "Oh, that's great. If he's just sitting in there with a bowl of popcorn, I'm popping his ass," Penelope imitates an explosion noise with a sinister smile. "Right, anyway, so because Max saw it in Vecna's red soup mind world....it's important?" Steve says, getting another screw out. "Basically. And maybe it'll lead to more answers for Brooke," Nancy says, a shaky sigh running through her body. No one needed the reminder but they still all froze for a second in fear of the reminder.

  Immediately uncomfortable with the looks Brooke is receiving from her friends, she claps loudly, "Let's not think about it until it happens, okay? We know what to do now."

  "Why do you have to say when?" Danny asks. He's been doing his best at hiding his fear but now with the unknown time they have left it's getting harder to do so. "Yeah, stop being so pessimistic, Brooke," Dustin says with a wave of his hand and a crack in his voice, a clear sign he's nervous, "Maybe the house holds a clue to where Vecna is. Why he's back. Why he killed the Creels."

   "We....don't think he's in here, do we? What if he is just...chilling like Penelope said," Lucas says. Everyone is silent.

  "Guess we'll find out," Max breaks the silence. "Fireball to the face," Brooke says, imagining what will happen as soon as they get the door open. "Fireball?" Stella questions.

  Steve gets the last screw out and looks towards Paisley, "Ready?" She hums in response and they let the wood slab go, leaves flying up as it thuds. Dirt hits them in the face. The stained glass rose feels oddly familiar to Brooke. Is it because Vecna is in her head or is it just because Max showed her the drawing earlier? She can't tell but the excitement Brooke usually gets from an abandoned house is no longer there.

   Steve tries the doorknob but it just rattles in his free hand, the one that doesn't have Brooke in his grip, "It's locked."

  Brooke knocks on the door, "Don't think anyone is home. Should I kick in the door?"

   "No need," Robin says, holding up a brick, "I found a key."

  "Okay, everyone move," Paisley pushes everyone away from the door, "Throw it." Robin smirks and chucks the brick through the beautiful stained glass. It shatters loudly right next to Brooke. She peeks through the hole of the window but she can't see much in the darkness that has engulfed the house.

   As Steve finds the doorknob on the other side, Brooke has a feeling like they shouldn't be stepping foot in this house. Brooke tugs on Steve's jacket and he stops. "What's wrong?" Steve asks softly. "It's just—nevermind. Open it," Brooke forces herself to shake off the feeling. Steve raises an eyebrow but opens the door.

   Steve and Brooke are the first two in. The door screeches and the minimal light from the sun lights up the hallway. Dust and dirt infiltrate Brooke's lungs. Each step she takes the floor sounds like it creaks all through the house.

    The feeling she had earlier is only heightened as she takes in all the old furniture. It's like she walked into someone's home, like the Creels still live there. Abandoned houses don't usually scare Brooke. She loves them. She loves putting together why houses were left to rot, she loves seeing what was left behind but this is making her seriously uncomfortable.

  Subconsciously, Brooke tugs Steve closer to her as they reach the dining room. The wooden table is coated in a thick layer of dust. "I gotcha, alright?" Steve says with a smile that only slightly eases Brooke. She nods, "Yeah, right." Both of them wander the dining room, hoping they can save Brooke Martel.

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