Always Be There For You ~ Dustin Henderson x Reader

Chapter 36: The Piggyback

 Max, Lucas, and I sat in the living room of the Creel house. Erica had done a sweep of the house and found Vecna hanging out on the first floor. She was now sitting on the playground, waiting for the group in the Upside Down to give them a signal. My headphones sat on my ears, playing Purple Rain on loop.

Max shot me a glance, signaling me to give her and Lucas some alone time. I nodded and headed over to the window, pretending to closely watch for Erica's signal. We had to be quiet so that Vecna was unaware of our presence, but we brought notepads and pens so we could still communicate.

After a few minutes, I saw Erica's light brightly flash and turned to Lucas. He carefully passed me the flashlight so I could give her the proper response. I sighed, knowing that it was time for the hard part.

I found the lantern that Erica had placed earlier, signaling Vecna's location. It was flickering, he was still there. I picked it up and turn off my walkman, readying myself for the difficult journey that lay ahead.

"Hey, Vecna!" I called, announcing my presence. Max and Lucas looked at me nervously.

"I'm here you burned-up piece of shit! Come and get me!" I taunted. The light began to fade and I cautiously stepped forward. Max and Lucas were behind me as I followed Vecna's path up the stairs, down the hall, and up to the attic.

Vecna was in place. I placed my lantern on the floor and kneeled in front of the brightly glowing light. I tossed my walkman aside, knowing that I wouldn't need it unless things went wrong.

"What are you waiting for, dickhead?!" I shouted, "Just come and get me already!" I waited a few moments, thinking of the perfect things to say.

"I know you can read my thoughts. Even the worst ones. God, you love to make me remember those. I tried to convince myself that I was ready last time, but the truth is, I know you wouldn't kill someone ready to face their death. You thrive on the fear that you instill in those around you. You thrive on knowing that in every waking moment, you've influenced someone's life for the worse. So, I'm gonna be honest. I'm not ready to die. But, I'm ready as hell to face the things I've done wrong. I know I'm the cause of all the misery in the lives of my friends and family. I know I'm responsible for the deaths of three people. I know I'm-"

"Y/n," I was cut off by the voice of someone I didn't expect, Max. She placed her hand on my shoulder and I sighed.

"Max, what's-" I turned around to look her in the eye but jumped back in surprise at what I saw. I quickly pulled away from Max's grasp on my shoulder and my breathing quickened. Max's eyes had rolled back into her head.

Suddenly, memories of little things about Max filled my brain. Little actions that could easily be brushed away, but looking back were signs of much worse. Vecna had taken ahold of Max.

"Lucas!" I yelled, "Lucas! Vecna has Max!"

"What?!" Lucas angrily questioned. Tears flooded my eyes as I tried to piece together the sudden change in events.

"Holy shit! Holy shit!" I shouted, I turned towards the lantern, "Give her back, asshole! It's not her time! It's me you want you prick! You prick!" I stood up and paced back and forth. I could tell Lucas was panicking as well, but he was keeping it together much better than I was.

"Max is strong, she can handle this," Lucas reassured me, "We just have to give Erica the signal. We can't tell them the truth, the group will worry too much." I nodded and wiped the tears from my eyes. Lucas grabbed the flashlight and gave Erica the signal from the attic window. I continued to pace back and forth, on the verge of a panic attack.

"Y/n," Lucas grabbed ahold of my shoulders, "She's gonna be okay." I nodded and sighed, even though I could tell Lucas barely believed what he was saying.