Against all odds || Stranger Things 4 | Hellcheer

Chapter 45

"Billy? Is it...is it really you?"

"Sort of, I guess. Part of my mind must have stayed attached to that thing–How do you call it? Mindflayer?"

Feeling like she's intruding, Chrissy tries not to listen to the intimate reunion, but Max's emotions are so raw and loud. Billy's are more contained, maybe because his mind feels like a thin veil floating toward them. Is this what happens when you become part of the Upside Down? You slowly fade into the Hive mind.

"I'm so sorry Billy," sobs Max and Chrissy can feel that pain and guilt to her core.

It breaks her heart. Makes her think about her own brother.

"Stop whining, Maxine. I'm not worth it."

His thought is unbothered, but there's a smile somewhere behind. Max's apologies keep spilling all over them, messy, desperate.

"I'm sorry for everything. Not just what happened at the mall. I'm sorry for before–for being a selfish little brat– Your dad– I knew what he was doing to you. I knew I was getting you into trouble– I'm so sorry. I should have– And then when the mindflayer got you–"

"I said quit whining, geez. Since when do you even worry about me?"

But there's no hiding in this place, and his love and care is floating everywhere. He's happy to see her–or feel her–and so is she. Max laught wryly.

"I know, right? I hated you, you hated me...But there was a time when it wasn't so bad, remember?"

There's no formulated answer, only snippets of memories that Chrissy can't tell which one of them is producing. It feels like she's invading. The beach where she sat in Max's vision appears again, this time a young Billy is running toward an even younger Max to give her a large shiny shell. Then they're dancing around a Christmas tree, giggling as they trip on the floor. Then she's propped on his shoulders to catch a kitten in a tree.

"Maybe if I'd saved you that day, we could have go back to something like this. Be real brother and sister...I miss you."

The last bit explodes like a devil from its box.

"Everything is a mess since you've been gone. Your dad went crazy with grief and we kicked him out but now we have barely anything left and we live in that shitty trailer park and Mom is a wreck and I don't know if I can be happy ever again. I want you back. Please, come back."

"Come on, Max. You don't need me."

"I never got to say thank you. You saved El...and me. You saved us all."

"Yeah?"

"You did! So thank you."

"Sure. Whatever."

"Will you stop being a dick?"

They're laughing now. This might be the most beautiful sound Chrissy has heard from this place. It's also so different from how she remembers Billy's laughter. It used to be yappy, maniac. Too much. All of Billy was too much, he was too loud, too brash, too flirtatious. She hated the way he behaved around her squad – hated even more how some girls behaved in response to that. There were even rumors he had a go with Mrs Wheeler.

"Almost had a go–Is that Chrissy Cunningham?" replies and asks Billy.

Chrissy finds out that she can blush without a body.

"The things you do to prove your Daddy wrong," he snarks. "I'm sorry, though, if I've ever been rude to you, Chrissy. And to you Max."

In the far, far end of her mind, Chrissy feels vines moving. Before she can act on it, Max begs them to stay away from Vecna. She doesn't need to control them any more, they're slithering away by themselves.