𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑| Max Mayfield [COMPLETED UNTIL SEASON FIVE]

xviii. the bite & the truth

Eleven sat down, recounting what Billy had shared with her. Troy stood up, listening closely to her words. Eleven decided she was going to reveal everything, realizing that it was Troy in her vision.

"He said he was building something. That it was all for me, Theodore, and Mildred," Eleven explained. The room hung heavy with the weight of the revelation. Max, puzzled, asked, "Why not Cassidy? She helped?" The question added a layer of complexity to the unfolding mystery.

"That's the thing... That's not—" Eleven began but was abruptly cut off by Troy. "Because I'm not Cassidy," he smirked. "What?" Max furrowed her eyebrows, her heart quickening its pace as Troy displayed a devilish smirk. "Cassidy is in the Upside Down, you shitheads! I, Troy Anderson, put my subconscious into her body. He is building something! How have y'all not noticed yet?" Troy's revelation sent shockwaves through the room, unraveling a startling truth about Cassidy's identity and the sinister plans at play.

"Troy?" Mike, Will, and Lucas echoed in disbelief. "I'm working with the Mindflayer... He's helping get revenge after Jane broke my arm!" Troy's proclamation filled the room with an unsettling revelation. Max couldn't help but express her disdain, "You're getting revenge... just because she broke your arm?" She rolled her eyes, finding the motive absurd.

"Now... It's time for revenge!" Troy declared, extending his arms. The room became enveloped in an eerie atmosphere as ominous noises echoed, signaling the commencement of a malevolent plan set into motion. The gravity of the situation intensified, leaving the group in a state of shock and impending danger.

As the ominous sounds filled the room, they all stood up, alert to the impending threat. Max, fueled by a protective instinct, approached Troy with a warning in her voice, "I swear to god, if you hurt her..." Her sentence hung in the charged air as Troy scoffed. "Really? What? Kill me?" he snickered, a sinister grin playing on his lips. "You shouldn't be afraid of me... You should be afraid of what's coming," he declared, his words dripping with a foreboding sense of impending danger, casting a shadow over the room.

"Take this, shit head!" Mike roared, swinging the bat at Troy's head. The impact sent Troy sprawling to the ground, unconscious. "I've been wanting to do that to him for so long!" Mike expressed with a sense of relief, but the triumph was fleeting.

"We have more things to worry about! The Mindflayer is coming, and Cassidy is stuck in the Upside Down!" Max urgently emphasized, the urgency in her voice cutting through the air. "Well, not exactly," a mysterious voice interjected, catching their attention. The room held its breath, the unknown voice introducing a new layer of uncertainty and tension to an already fraught situation.

They all turned to see Cassidy, and Max rushed over to her, embracing her in a tight hug. Cassidy, overwhelmed with emotion, let a tear slip, whispering into Max's ear, "I missed you so much." As they pulled away, Cassidy's expression shifted to a frown.

"I'm not exactly here. I'm still in the Upside Down. Billy is with me. The only way to get me back is to burn Troy out of me, just like with Will last year," Cassidy explained with a sense of urgency, her words hanging in the air. Eleven walked over to join them, the gravity of the situation settling in as they confronted the challenging path ahead.