STARCROSSED ▷ steve harrington

14. the massacre at hawkins lab - part three

CHAPTER FOURTEEN — THE MASSACRE AT HAWKINS LAB
PART THREE

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jackie mayfield.

"WE'VE GOT to go," Dustin pulled her upright the second her breathing returned to normal. Jackie stumbled at the strength that she'd definitely not been expecting from a fifteen year old, and looked to Max for some sort of explanation on why they were suddenly being rushed. Her sister seemed just as confused as she was.

"What's going on?" Jackie asked as Dustin tugged her up the stairs, the others following closely behind. "Dustin- hey, dickhead. Explain."

"We found out where the Core Four is," he said, venturing into Nancy's room. "They're stuck in the Upside Down. Don't ask me how or why. But we found a way to communicate with them."

"And Dustin figured out something else, too," Lucas told her. "We never knew why Vecna was killing teens, right? Well, he's doing it to open gates."

"Wait, wait, wait," Jackie shook her head. "Give me a second to process all of this. I just got kidnapped by Vecna, incase you forgot."

Max put a hand on her shoulder, then pushed the headphones back around her sister's head. "Yeah, speaking of, you need to keep those on, and keep the tape playing."

"Right," she nodded, pushing the play button. "But you're saying that every victim Vecna has killed, it opened a gate?"

"Yes."

"That makes so much sense," she ran a hand over her face. "That's how they got to the Upside Down. Patrick had just been killed there. So does that mean there's one in the road where Fred was killed, too?"

"Maybe we'll get the chance to see," Lucas shrugged. "Because we're going back to the trailer park."

Jackie's blood ran cold. Even if it hadn't been real, she'd just come from the trailer park. Vecna had cornered her there. She blinked, and glanced to her sister. "What did you say the other day?"

Max raised a brow. "What?"

"When I told you mom had thrown me out. You started to argue, but then Dustin threw candy at me and you didn't bring it up. What did you say?"

"Guys, we don't have time for this," Dustin impatiently cut in. "I have no doubt that Callahan is gonna pop up in just a few seconds now that Max is out of questioning."

"I get it, just hold on," Jackie held up a hand, and he fell quiet. "Max, you've got to remember."

Max pursed her lips in thought. "I said that... that I saw mom a little bit after you said you'd spoken to her. But you didn't really speak to her. She told me that... that you came in, and then you just kind of... fell into a trance."

Jackie felt like she'd been slapped.

Too late,
my time as come,

"Vecna's had me for a while," she finally whispered. "That's why he said had so much trouble finally taking full control. I'd been fighting him off, and didn't even know it. That argument with mom, when I got thrown out, it wasn't real. He's been fucking with my head this whole time and I've had no idea."

"Which is why we need to go to that gate," Dustin said, fiercely. "We get the others. And we kill him."

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Max rode on the back of the bike Jackie had snatched from the Wheeler's garage. Jackie honestly could not remember the last time she'd been on a bike, not since she had gotten her license, or discovered that skateboards were a thing. But riding a bike was something you never forgot to do, and speedily pedaling down the road was completely natural.