Partners in Crime - Max Mayfield

To Test a Shark with Blood

"Do you copy? This is a code red!"

"I repeat, this is a code red!" 

"Max! Do you copy?! This. Is. A. Code. Red."

Max harshly grabs the walkie talkie, scoffing as she does.

"Shut. Up." 

Max then turns off the walkie talkie and heads back to sleep.

Lucas glances at the boys, the walkie in his hand. "She, turned it off." Chris chuckles and heads over to the phone. "Let me try."

The phone rings and Max sits up, glaring at the device. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me.." She pulls off the blankets and marches over to the phone. "I'm sleeping. Go away." " I know you love  to get your beauty rest darling, I'm afraid it's extremely important." Max stops herself from hanging up, glancing at the phone again. "Chris?" "Hi Max, something bad has happened, and it's only going to get a lot worse if we don't do anything." "What the hell are you talking about." "We'll fill you in when you arrive, come over to Mike's and bring El with you." The line goes silent for a minute and Chris whispers "I hope you and El had fun together." He returns to normal volume "See you soon." He hangs up and looks over at the boys "And now, we wait. How has the search for Dustin gone?" Lucas shakes his head "He isn't responding" Chris sighs "Try again.." Lucas nods before repeating the message toward Dustin's walkie. 

El and Max finally arrived at the Wheeler's residence and Chris walks up to Max with a big smile which the other mirrored and the two of them hugged tightly. "How was your time with the boys?" Max asked and Chris huffs slightly, glancing at Mike. "Eventful.." Max chuckles and nods "I bet.." Chris and Max separate and the group settles down. "So, what exactly is going on?" Max asks and the boys turn to stare at Will, who looks down, not expecting the sudden attention. "I didn't think it was anything at first. I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it." Will sighs looking around at everyone. "The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead." "That night the power went out." Mike says and Will nods "and then I felt it again, at the field, near Nelson Farm the next day." "Then again, outside of Castle Byers.." "What does it feel like?" Will stay silent for a moment, as if pondering her question.

"It's like..you know when you drop on a roller coster?" "Sure" Mike and Lucas respond "Yeah" Max says and Chris and El stare at Will in confusion. "No" The group stares at Chris in confusion. "You've never been on a roller coster?" Max asks and Chris rubs the back of his neck "My mom always thought I'd accidentally activate my power on it and send us all to our death." "Oh..well I'll take you to one soon." Max says with a smile and Chris smiles back "I'd like that.." They then turn back toward Will who continues. "It's like..everything inside your body is just..sinking..all at once but, this is worse." The group silently watches Will "Your body..goes cold and--you can't breathe. I've felt it before..whenever he was close." "Whenever who was close?" Max asks confused "The Mind Flayer.." Will says and a silently chill falls over the room. "But..I closed the gate." El says and Will nods "I know but..what if he never left?" Will looks over at El "What if we locked him out here with us." 

Will places a piece of paper on a table, pulling out a blank crayon and drawing the Mind Flayer. "This is him, all of him. On that day on the field, a part of him attached itself to me." He smears the drawing across his hand to increase the symbolism. "My mom got it out of me and Eleven closed the gate." Will turns the drawing over "But the part of him that was still in me..what if it's still in our world?" Will places his hand on the page and the smear that was on his hand imprints onto the page. "In Hawkins.." "I don't understand.." Max states "The demo dogs died when El closed the gate. If the brain dies, the body dies." Mike shakes his head "We can't take any changes, we need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayer's back." "Yeah" Will agrees "And if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again. A new me." "A new host.." Lucas says and Will nods "He's smart so he'd more the likely choose someone we wouldn't expect. A way to blend in and stay away from us, the only ones who really know how to fight him." Chris says and El looks at Will in confusion. "How can you tell if someone is a host?"