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𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗔𝗡

chapter fifteen:
that was the night I nearly lost
you

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MAX WAS ALIVE.

Once the Gate had stopped ripping through the Creel house and everything had calmed down, Lucas had picked up Max's mangled body in his arms and carried her down the stairs, his sobs not quieting once. Serenity had trailed right behind him, the tears flowing like waterfalls down her cheeks. They brought her back outside, the sounds of sirens wailing in the distance — no doubt from Erica running all the way to downtown Hawkins to call an ambulance like Lucas had asked.

Lucas had set Max's body down on the soft grass away from the Gate opening, not letting her go once. Serenity had knelt down next to her, putting her head in her lap and letting the spiked bat rest next to her. However, as she stared down at Max, she started to hear . . . breathing. And it wasn't the labored ones from her, or the hiccups Lucas occasionally let out. This was coming from Max.

Not really wanting to believe it, Serenity reached out her hand and placed it on Max's chest. However, unlike how it had been back upstairs in the attic, it was . . . beating.

"Lucas," Serenity said, her voice trembling. "Her heart's beating."

"Renny," Lucas sobbed as the paramedics got closer to the house. "Don't give me false hope—"

"Lucas." Serenity looked at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Feel it."

She moved her hand away. Lucas sniffled and reached out, putting his hand where Max's heart was. His eyes immediately widened — he felt it. Serenity put a shaking hand over her mouth in shock. How could she be alive? She had been dead back in the attic, and it had been about a minute since then.

It didn't make sense. The fourth chime rang, signaling that four people had been killed. So how was Max's heart beating when she was previously dead?

"Oh my God," Serenity whispered.

"Renny!" Erica's voice shouted, and the sirens suddenly stopped. "Over here!"

Serenity looked up. Multiple ambulances were now outside of the Creel house, and Erica was leading paramedics up the stairs, avoiding the Gate.

"She's alive," Serenity voiced once they got close. "She's alive, please, you have to help her."

The paramedics immediately got to work. They checked her pulse and confirmed that Max was alive, which they also thought should've been impossible considering all of Vecna's other murders. Max immediately got put onto a stretcher and moved her into the back of the ambulance.

"Lucas," Serenity said, putting her hands on his face and making her look at him. She tried to ignore the cuts and bruises that were already starting to form on his face from Jason. "You go with Max to the hospital. Take Erica with you."

He stared at her for a moment. "But you — you have to come. You're—"

"No," Serenity cut in. "She'll be safe with you."

She fought the urge to let out another sob. Max hadn't been safe with Serenity at all. Serenity was the reason Max had been like this. If she hadn't told Max about the music and the memories, if she hadn't told Max about what Vecna made her see . . . Max wouldn't be like this right now.

Lucas seemed to read her thoughts. "It's not your fault, Renny."

Serenity sniffled. "Go, Lucas. I'll meet up with the others, okay?"

It was selfish. It was entirely fucking selfish for Serenity to stay behind just so she could see her boyfriend. But she had to make sure he was okay, and that the others were okay.

Lucas hesitantly nodded. She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. That apparently wasn't enough for Lucas, because he surged forwards, wrapping Serenity in a tight hug. Serenity felt her chest get tight, trying her best not to completely break down. She hugged him back for a moment, and the fact that he was so grown now made her head spin.

"I love you," Serenity told him — she regretted not saying it to her kids more, now that this all happened. "It's gonna be okay, Lucas."

She wasn't really sure if she believed that herself. Yet, she was doing what she always did — pushing down her own feelings in order to make her kids feel better.

Lucas let her go. Serenity quickly hugged Erica, telling her to be safe. She then crossed her arms across her chest, watching as Lucas and Erica got into the back of the ambulance with Max. Serenity stared at the car, at the red and blue flashing lights, until she couldn't see them anymore.

And now, Serenity was alone.

She turned back to the Gate, her eyes immediately getting blurry with tears again. All she was left to wonder was why? Why them? Why did the Upside Down always target Hawkins? She would never wish any of this upon anyone else, but she hated that they were left to deal with it.

Anger flared up inside of her, as red as the glowing light coming out of the Gate. She bent down to the ground, her hand grasping around the handle of the bat. Serenity picked it up and hit it against the side of the Gate, letting out a yell as she did so. At once, the vines squealed from the nails. Serenity ripped it back out of the vines, letting the bat fall back down out of her hands. She didn't feel satisfied, though.

When you aim at the devil, make sure you don't miss.

Serenity wanted to take her own advice. She wanted to go down to the Upside Down, find Vecna, and fucking kill him herself.

Everything had come to light. It was Vecna this whole time. Vecna had taken Will — she had originally thought it was the Demogorgon, but that would've eaten Will the second it had the chance. He just wanted to make Will suffer, to create a connection to the Upside Down. The Demogorgon was just his foot soldier who managed to get defeated by Eleven. And the Mind Flayer was just the next step up. He was sent out to take over the world for Vecna, but he was defeated, too. All this time, it had been Vecna planning and getting stronger. He was the reason they were in this fucking mess in the first place.

She looked around. Even though the darkness of the night, she could see a red glow stretching from other places in Hawkins. Black smoke billowed up in the air, and sirens continued to wail throughout the night. Vecna had done it — he had opened all four Gates in Hawkins. He had accomplished what he wanted.

Serenity suddenly had no strength to hold herself up anymore. She collapsed onto the grass next to the bat, tucking her knees into her chest. The tears that hadn't stopped — and they still hadn't — fell from her face down to her knees. Serenity was sure her face was blotchy now from all her crying, and she could barely breathe out of nose.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there. Her mind was a mess. The scene in her mind of what happened back at the attic with Max played through her brain like a broken record. If she wasn't thinking of that, she was thinking about how she had ran for her life in the Upside Down to escape Vecna. She couldn't feel Vecna anymore — probably since he had killed four people, she didn't need to be traced anymore. It should've provided Serenity with relief, but it didn't.

There was nothing more she wanted than to trade places with Max. The guilt settled down in Serenity's chest, and it felt like it wouldn't ever go away, because it probably wouldn't. Max had sacrificed her life to save Serenity, when it should've been the other way around. Babysitters were supposed to protect and watch over everyone, and Serenity hadn't protected Max from Vecna.

Suddenly, the sound of a new car coming down the street echoed throughout Serenity's ears. She picked her head up, only to see the camper slowing to a stop in front of the Creel house. Serenity's eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet, making sure she had the bat with her (she was not going to leave it behind.) She raced down the hill and onto the sidewalk, where the camper had stopped right before the opening of the Gate. Serenity placed down the bat again, letting it rest on the ground.

The door flung open. She was immediately met with the sight of the boy she had been yearning to see ever since they separated not too long ago in the very same spot. Serenity's bottom lip trembled, her eyes catching on the gold necklace he had around his neck — the one she had given him. New tears dripped from her eyes down her face, every emotion hitting her all at once as she stared at him.

Steve's voice was barely a whisper, and he slowly walked down the steps of the camper until he went on the sidewalk. "Serenity?"

He stared at her like he couldn't believe his eyes, which he couldn't. The second he had heard the four chimes in the Upside Down from Vecna, the reality of the situation hit him like a fucking truck. His girlfriend, the one he adored and loved more than anyone else in the world, the one he would die for, the one who he wanted to save more than anything, was dead. He had ran back to Eddie's trailer, barely being able to breathe from how hard he was crying. Steve's legs had been seconds away from giving out — not from running, but from sadness. His Serenity was gone, and she was never coming back, and Steve couldn't live without her. She was the air she breathed, and she was dead, and nothing mattered anymore.

Yet here she was, alive and in the flesh.

The sound of him saying her name like it was a prayer that kept him alive was enough to rock Serenity to her core. She couldn't take it anymore, she needed him. Serenity let out a sob and ran up to him, immediately throwing her arms around him and burying her face into his neck. Steve froze for a moment, his mind registering that she was real and not some image that he had made up in his mind. He eventually hugged her back, holding her gently because he was still in shock.

"But . . . four chimes," Steve said, his voice shaking. "I — I thought . . . I thought I lost you." His grip tightened around her. "I really thought I lost you."

"I know," Serenity replied, her voice muffled from being in his neck. "It did. Vecna got his fourth kill, but it wasn't me."

"How?" Steve put a hand on the back of her head, bringing her in closer to him. "If it wasn't you—"

"Max," Serenity answered.

Steve's grip on her immediately tightened, as if he could feel her pain of what just happened. "Oh."

"It was supposed to be me," Serenity cried, her body shaking with sobs. "It was supposed to be me. And now Max is — is broken because of me. I was supposed to protect them and I — I failed. This is all of my fault, this is all of my fault—"

"Serenity," Steve interrupted. He pulled back and took his face in his hands, making her look at him. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"I should've stopped her," Serenity continued. "I should've known."

"It's not your fault," a familiar voice — Nancy — added.

Serenity looked back to the doorway of the camper. Nancy, Robin, and Dustin were all watching them, tears of their own in their eyes. They all looked battered and bruised, especially Dustin, who was putting all of his weight on one leg. However, she couldn't help but notice that one person was missing that had been with them earlier, and how Dustin was silently crying to himself.

She turned back to Steve, her voice quiet as she let out another sniffle. "Tell me what happened."

"Come on," Steve encouraged softly. "Let's go home."

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okay reunion 😍 I still like their reunion better in betty but oh fucking well