Chapter 49

the end of this made me sad 🥲 and the next chapter will probably have you in the feels as well.

Maggie leans into Joyce’s side, her shoulder tucked under her mom’s arm.. It’s a recent development, being unlatched from Nancy’s side. Joyce had done it gently but firmly, the way moms do when they’re reclaiming their kid after realizing just how close they came to losing them. Nancy had shot Maggie a look that said I will steal you back later, but for now Maggie lets herself be held.

Mike talks with his hands, pacing a little.

“The Mind Flayer,” he says, voice tight, “it built this monster in Hawkins. To stop El. To kill her. And if it worked, it would’ve opened the way into our world.”

“And it almost did,” Nancy cuts in, “That thing we fought? That wasn’t even the whole creature. It was just a tiny piece of it.”

Hopper’s jaw works as he processes, eyes narrowing, “How big is this thing?”

Jonathan swallows.

“It’s big,” he murmurs, “Like… really big. Thirty feet, at least. Maybe more.”

“Yeah,” Lucas adds, wincing, “It kinda destroyed your cabin. Sorry.”

Hopper exhales through his nose, clearly adding rebuild cabin to his to-do list.

Steve, who has been standing there with his arms crossed, finally opens his mouth.

“Okay. So. Just so I’m clear,” he says slowly, “this big fleshy spider thing that hurt El is… what, a weapon?”

“Yes,” Nancy says without hesitation.

Steve nods once and squints, “And instead of, you know, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon out of…melted people.”

“Yes,” Nancy repeats. “Exactly.”

Joyce shakes her head, “Are we sure it’s still out there? Still alive?”

“El beat the shit out of it,” Max says bluntly, “But yeah. It’s still alive.”

Will lifts his head, already thinking three steps ahead, “But if we close the gate again—”

“We cut off the brain from the body,” Max finishes for him.

“And kill it,” Lucas adds, shrugging, “Theoretically.”

Maggie lets out a low groan, tipping her head back against Joyce’s shoulder.

“‘Cause that worked out so great for me last time,” she mutters.

Before anyone can spiral further, a voice cuts through the empty mall, loud and echoing.

“YOOHOO! YOOHOO!”

A figure strides toward them, waving papers like they’re flags of impending doom. Murray Bauman.

Maggie’s face breaks into a grin.

“Crazy pants,” she calls out, pushing off Joyce just enough to stand, “Holy shit. I missed you.”

Murray slows, still mid-wave, already talking before he reaches them.

Joyce peels away to sit at the table with Hopper, while Murray spreads his papers out. They’re maps filled with arrows and frantic handwriting, pointing straight toward the gate.

Maggie drifts back to Nancy’s side without even thinking about it, shoulder brushing hers.

Murray taps the paper with the end of his pen.

“Okay. This,” he says, dragging the pen in a rough circle, “is what Alexei called the hub. Everything feeds through here. Power, access, control. From the hub, we take a straight shot to the vault room.”

Hopper leans over the table, forearms braced, eyes scanning the mess of lines.

“Okay,” he says slowly, “where’s the gate?”

Murray stabs the page with his finger, “Right here. Now, I don’t know the exact scale. Russians weren’t big on labeled diagrams. But it’s close to the vault room. Fifty feet, maybe.”

“More like five hundred,” Erica cuts in flatly.

Everyone looks at her.

She steps forward, hands on her hips, with an unimpressed look, “What, you think you’re just gonna waltz in there like it’s commie Disneyland or something?'”

Murray straightens, “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

Erica doesn’t miss a beat, “Erica Sinclair. Who are you?”

“Murray… Bauman,” he replies slowly.

She squints at him, “Listen, Mr. Bunman, I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job, but I’ve been down in that shithole for twenty four hours. And with all due respect,” she gestures sharply at Hopper, “you do what this man tells you, you’re all gonna die.”

Murray stares at her, offended on multiple levels, “I’m sorry, why is this four-year-old speaking to me?”

“Um,” Erica snaps back instantly, “I’m ten, you bald bastard!”

Lucas scolds, “Erica—”

“What? Just the facts.”

Maggie exhales, rubbing her temples.

“She’s right,” she says quietly, “Take it from me. You don’t just walk in there and walk back out. That place chews you up.”

The room shifts at that and eyes flick to her. Maggie doesn’t elaborate. The wounds do enough talking.

Dustin steps forward, adjusting his cap and pointing at the map, “May I?”

“Please,” Murray says, thick with sarcasm.

Dustin drops into a chair and pulls the paper closer, smoothing it out with both hands.

“Okay. See this room here?” He taps a boxed-off section near the edge, “This is a storage facility. But the important part is what’s inside it.”

He traces a small square.

“There’s a hatch. Hidden. It feeds directly into their underground ventilation system. And that,” he says, dragging his finger along a twisting mess of lines, “will take you straight to the base of the weapon.”

Hopper frowns, “Ventilation system.”

“Yep,” Dustin says brightly. “But between me and Erica, we can show you the way.”

Hopper straightens slowly.

“You can… show us the way,” he repeats, voice low.

Dustin hears the tone and rushes to reassure him, “Don’t worry! You can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero stuff,” he says quickly, “and we’ll just be your… navigators.”

Hopper nods a couple times and then shakes his head, “No. Nope!”

“I’ll go,” Maggie says suddenly, lifting a hand, “I know where it is.”

Hopper whips around so fast, he might as well have gotten whiplash, “Hell no! Are you insane?”

She raises both hands defensively, “Okay, jeez. God forbid a girl wants to help save the world.”

The adults begin breaking off into heated side conversations, voices overlapping. The kids and Maggie drift together near the edge of the room.

“Well,” Erica sighs, folding her arms, “that settles it. He’s gonna die. They’re gonna die.”

“Yep,” Dustin agrees calmly, “Most likely.”

“You guys survived,” Lucas offers, trying for optimism.

“Barely,” Dustin says, gesturing at Maggie beside him, “I mean, have you seen the state of her? That happened when we weren’t even actively trying to screw up their plans.”

Maggie nods solemnly, “Yeah. We could’ve really used you guys down there.”

“Could’ve used you up here too,” Mike says, smiling.

“We missed you,” Lucas adds.

“Big time,” Will says, smiling softly.

Maggie’s expression shifts.

“Aw,” she says, then promptly pulls the boys into a tight group hug.

From behind them, Erica groans, “Please don’t cry, nerds.”

“Erica,” Lucas warns.

She smirks, “Keep saying my name. See what happens.”

“Hey, heads up,” Hopper says, already done arguing. He tosses Dustin a walkie-talkie, the plastic clattering into his hands.

“You can navigate. Just from someplace safe.”

“It’s not that simple,” Dustin says.

“The signal won’t reach,” Erica adds immediately.

Dustin nods, “Exactly. Not with this. You need something with a high enough frequency band to relay with the Russians’ radio tower. But for that to work, you need someone who’s actually seen their comms room and has access to a super-powered, handcrafted radio tower. One preferably already sitting at the highest point in Hawkins.”

He pauses, eyes lighting up.

“Oh wait,” he says brightly, “That’s me.”

Hopper closes his eyes.

“If you want us to navigate, you’ve got us,” Dustin continues, “But you need to give us a head start. And a car.”

Hopper rubs a hand over his face, nodding slowly, “Fantastic. Great.”

Maggie instinctively shifts back toward Nancy, fingers curling into her sleeve.

“Well,” Maggie mutters, forcing a small smile, “at least we’re back together again.”

Nancy’s smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She takes a breath.

“Listen…” She hesitates, “As much as I want you with me, I need you to go with them. To the radio tower.”

Maggie gapes, “Are you crazy? I’m not leaving the action. Or you.”

“That’s exactly why I need you to go,” Nancy says quietly, “That thing is going to come back. And I need you to be separate from El. I need you safe.”

Her voice wavers just enough to hurt, “Please. I can’t go through you dying again.”

Maggie opens her mouth to argue, already forming the protest, but it dies there.

“Alright,” she says softly, “Fine. I’ll go. But please don’t do anything stupid. I can’t handle you dying either.”

Nancy smiles sadly and leans in, pressing a soft, brief kiss to her lips.

“Onwards!” Dustin’s voice shouts from across the mall.

Maggie pulls back with a crooked smile, “Guess that’s my cue. Please stay safe.”

Nancy pulls her in tight, arms wrapping around her like she’s afraid to let go.

“Only if you do the same,” she murmurs, “I’ll see you when this is over.”

“Wait up!” Maggie calls, limping after Steve, Dustin, Erica, and Robin as they head for the exit.

Outside, Steve jingles his keys, grinning like this is the best day of his life.

“Oh, man,” he says, “now this is what I’m talkin’ about.”

“Toddfather?” Robin reads off the license plate, squinting.

Steve hops into the driver’s seat, “Oh, screw Todd. Steve’s her daddy now.”

Robin freezes, “Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?”

Erica grimaces from the back, “Did he just call himself daddy?”

“Everyone in,” Steve says, unfazed, “Where are we going?”

As Maggie, Dustin, and Erica pile into the back seat, Dustin answers without hesitation.

“Weathertop.”

“Weather what?”

“Just drive,” Dustin sighs.

Tires squeal as they pull out of the mall parking lot, the Starcourt sign shrinking in the rearview.

“You know, it’s nice having the gang together,” Maggie comments, drumming her fingers against her thigh.

“What, the death gang?” Erica asks unimpressed, arms crossed.

“No! I mean kind of, but we’re like all bonded for life now that we’ve endured Russian torture together,” Maggie grins.

Dustin lets out a noise between a laugh and a cough, “That’s… not how most friend groups form.”

“Speak for yourself,” Steve says, eyes on the road, “I usually bond with people after near-death experiences.”

Robin snorts, “Yeah, nothing says trust like being tied to a chair and threatened in another language.”

“I understood some of it,” Maggie says, “Mostly the yelling part.”

Soft music hums through the radio, tinny and slightly warped. The car eats up road for nearly thirty minutes, headlights cutting narrow tunnels through the dark.

Steve drums his fingers on the steering wheel, “Jesus, how far is this place, man?”

“Relax,” Dustin says from the back, peering between the seats, “We’re almost there.”

Robin tilts her head, watching the road, “Suzie must be pretty special, huh? I mean, you built this thing and lugged it into the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?”

“I mean, nobody’s scientifically perfect,” Dustin says, “but Suzie’s about as close to perfect as any human can possibly be.”

Erica snorts.

“She sounds made-up to me,” she says loudly, “She sound made-up to you?”

The car goes way too quiet.

“Why are you hesitating, Steve?” Dustin asks, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m– I’m– I’m not!” Steve stutters, gripping the wheel, “I’m not! I think she sounds real. You know. Totally. Absolutely real.”

“Wow,” Maggie mutters dryly from the back, shifting her bad leg, “Very convincing.”

“Left!” Dustin suddenly shouts, “Turn left!”

Steve waves a hand, “There’s not a road here.”

“Turn left now!“

The car swerves violently. Everyone yells as they crash straight through a fence, wood snapping and flying into the dark as the headlights bounce wildly.

“Whoa! Henderson, where are we going?” Steve shouts.

“Up!”

They shoot up the hill, engine whining, tires slipping on dirt and rock. The ground is uneven, jarring every bone in Maggie’s body. She clenches her jaw, gripping the seat as pain flares up her leg.

“We’re not gonna make it!” Robin yells, bracing herself.

“Yes we are,” Steve growls, coaxing the car, “Come on. Come on, baby.”

The engine sputters and chokes. The car jerks to a stop, angled uselessly on the hill.

Robin exhales, “Guess the Toddfather has its limitations.”

Maggie groans, already bracing herself as she pushes the door open, “Guess we’re climbing.”

They start up the hill on foot, grass and dirt sliding under their shoes. Maggie lags behind, breath hitching as her leg protests every step. Steve slows just enough to make sure she’s still upright without saying anything about it.

By the time they reach the top, everyone’s breathing hard.

Dustin wastes no time. He drops to his knees, pulling out the receiver to Cerebro, fingers already flying as he starts paging the adults.

Dustin grips the radio, “Bald Eagle, do you copy? I repeat, Bald Eagle, this is Scoops Troop, do you copy?”

Murray’s irritated voice crackles through, “Yes. I copy.”

Dustin grins, “Call sign?”

You can practically hear Murray glaring at the radio.

“…Bald Eagle.”

“Please repeat,” Dustin says sweetly.

“Bald Eagle,” Murray snaps, “This is Bald Eagle!”

“Copy that,” Dustin beams, “Good to hear your voice, Bald Eagle. What’s your twenty?”

“We reached the vent,” Murray says, “I’ll call you when I need you. Until then, silence.”

“Roger that, Bald Eagle,” Dustin replies crisply, “This is Scoops Troop going radio silent. Ten-ten, over.”

The line clicks dead.

They mill around the hilltop, the night stretching long and restless. The wind whips through the grass, tugging at Maggie’s hair as she sinks down onto the ground, every inch of her body throbbing.

The radio crackles again, sudden enough to make everyone jump.

“Scoops Troop, this is Bald Eagle. I’ve reached a junction.”

Dustin straightens instantly.

“Alright,” he mutters, thinking out loud, “so if memory serves, this is right after the My Little Pony thesis.”

Erica doesn’t miss a beat, “We went left, so he has to go—”

“Right,” Dustin finishes, pressing the button, “Fly right, Bald Eagle. Fly right.”

“Roger that,” Murray responds, “Flying right.”

Robin questions, “What’s the My Little Pony thesis?”

“Don’t get him started,” Erica says flatly.

“Hey, guys?” Steve cuts in, voice tight.

They all turn. Steve is standing near the edge of the hill, staring down toward town. They scramble over to him, hearts already racing.

Below them, the mall lights flicker violently, surging in erratic pulses.

“Shit,” Maggie breathes.

Dustin bolts back to the radio, “Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Do you copy? Over! Griswold Family, I repeat! This is Scoops Troop, do you—”

The radio erupts with a shrill, inhuman screech, so loud everyone recoils.

“Guys!” Dustin shouts, pressing the button again, “Guys, do you copy?!”

Only roaring answers him.

Steve doesn’t hesitate. He’s on his feet in an instant, already sprinting down the hill, the others shouting after him.

“Where are you going?!” Erica shouts.

“To get them the hell out of there!” he yells over his shoulder, “Stay here. Contact the others!”

“Shit,” Robin mutters, already running after him without thinking twice.

Maggie follows, adrenaline overriding common sense. She hobbles as fast as she can, pain screaming up her leg with every step. The ground slopes too steeply, her footing gives out, and she goes down hard, rolling painfully until she slams into the side of the car with a breathless grunt.

“Maggie?” Steve skids to a stop, turning back just in time to see her sprawled on the ground.

“Oh, hell no. No, no, no,” He rushes over, “Nancy will kill me. You’re staying here.”

Maggie groans but forces herself upright, “Yeah, no. Sorry, but I’m coming.”

She braces herself against the car door, “And if you leave without me, I will run there by myself.”

Steve opens his mouth.

“Now,” she continues, “think about it. What would Nancy hate more? Me running alone through the dark while I’m gravely injured? Or you driving me?”

Steve stares at her for half a second, utterly defeated. He exhales hard.

“I hate this,” he mutters, waving her toward the car, “Get in.”

She doesn’t hesitate. Maggie dives into the back seat, limbs sprawled awkwardly. The drive back to the mall is silent. Maggie stares at the night sky, heart pounding. The mall comes into view in a rush of light. Tires screech and an engine roars violently.

Billy’s car barrels through the parking lot like a missile, aimed straight at the car packed with Jonathan and the kids. Nancy stands outside, firing, eyes wild.

“Steve,” Maggie says coldly, “gun it.”

He already has his foot down.

The world explodes into motion. For a split second, Billy’s car is only feet from obliterating Nancy and then Steve slams into him.

The impact throws them forward violently, seatbelts snapping tight across their chests as their heads whip back. If they hadn’t been buckled in, they would’ve gone straight through the windshield.

“Are you guys okay?” Steve pants, hands still locked on the wheel.

“Ask me tomorrow,” Robin groans.

Maggie presses a shaking hand to her ribs, “I don’t know how much more of this I can handle.”

A screech cuts through the ringing in their ears. They slowly stand up in their seats, looking up.

Crawling across the roof of the mall is a giant, fleshy nightmare. Massive limbs dragging across concrete. It’s the Mind Flayer made physical.

It lets out a thunderous roar, the sound vibrating through the pavement, rattling teeth and bones. A car horn blares sharp and urgent.

“Get in!” Nancy yells from behind the wheel.

No one argues.

Robin and Steve scramble into the very back. Maggie hauls herself into the middle row, wedging in beside Will while Lucas is squeezed on Will’s other side. Nancy slams the passenger door shut, already twisting around in her seat as Jonathan floors it.

“Marigold,” Nancy growls over the engine, “we are going to have some words later.”

“Looking forward to it,” Maggie pants as the tires screech and the car launches forward.

In the rear window, the giant creature surges after them, limbs slamming into asphalt. Someone fumbles with the walkie. Static bursts through the speakers.

🎶 Turn around… 🎶

The car goes dead silent.

Lucas, Will, and Maggie slowly turn to stare at each other, identical looks of disbelief plastered across their faces.

Maggie loses it first. She breaks into hysterical laughter, clutching her ribs.

“Holy shit,” she wheezes, “We’re getting chased by a giant fleshy Mind Flayer, and they’re singing. There is absolutely no way my life is real.”

Behind them, the creature suddenly skids to a stop.

Maggie’s laughter cuts off.

“Uh, oh. Bad. Not good. Guys?” she rattles off quickly, “Bad, bad, bad, very bad.”

“What?” Nancy snaps.

“It’s turning around!” Steve shouts, twisting to look out the back.

“Maybe we wore it out?” Lucas offers weakly.

“I don’t think so,” Jonathan says grimly, “Hold on.”

He yanks the wheel hard.

The car whips into a sharp U-turn, everyone screaming as Will is flung sideways. Maggie grabs him instantly, pulling his head into her shoulder, bracing him so he doesn’t slam into the door.

They tear back toward the mall. The creature is gone from the parking lot, but its shrieks echo through the night.

They screech to a stop and spill out of the car, sprinting for the entrance. Inside, the creature looms in the center of the mall, towering over El like a living nightmare.

“Shit,” Maggie breathes, eyes wide, “Guys, we need a plan. Like. Now.”

Lucas’s mouth twitches into a grin that absolutely does not belong in this situation.

He shoots Will a look, “I think I’ve got one.”

Will groans immediately, “Oh no.”

Lucas is already running. They chase him up the stairs to the top level, skidding to a stop in front of a hidden stash of fireworks.

“Will and I found these earlier,” Lucas says, already grabbing an armful, “Knew they’d come in handy.”

Maggie lets out a slightly unhinged giggle.

“Oh, this is so stupid,” she says gleefully, “I love it.”

The creature roars below them, the sound shaking the railings.

“Come on,” Nancy urges, lighting one, “We don’t have much time!”

They light fuse after fuse, tossing fireworks over the edge. Explosions burst in blinding color, sparks showering down as the creature shrieks and stumbles, disoriented by the noise and light.

Maggie laughs wildly, hurling another lit firework with a reckless grin, “This is the best day of my life!”

The shrill wail of fireworks fills the mall, echoes ricocheting off glass and tile. Smoke curls through the air. One by one, the fireworks sputter out, the last sparks dying with a hiss.

Down below, the creature straightens, massive and glistening, looming over Billy. It lets out a sound that rattles Maggie’s bones and lashes forward.

A tendril shoots out, but Billy catches it.

For a split second, it almost looks like he might hold it back. Then more tendrils burst free, slamming into his sides and his back.

Billy stays upright, teeth clenched, eyes blazing with defiance. One last tendril spears straight through his chest.

Maggie feels the moment Max breaks before she even hears her.

“Billy!” Max screams.

Billy collapses, hitting the floor in a spreading pool of blood. The creature jerks violently, shrieking, its body convulsing as if something inside it has been severed. With one final snarl, it collapses in on itself, a massive heap of dead flesh.

The gate is closed.

The group rushes down the escalators, feet pounding and hearts racing. Max is already there, curled over Billy’s body, talking to him through sobs.

Maggie stumbles forward, pain screaming through her body.

“I can save him,” she gasps, “I can—”

Nancy grabs her around the waist, yanking her back hard.

“No. Maggie, no, you can’t,” she says desperately, “It will kill you.”

“Don’t say that!” Maggie cries, fighting against her grip, “I can help! I can do it, I can save him!”

Steve and Robin rush in, holding her as she thrashes.

“Maggie, stop!” Steve pleads.

She collapses to the floor, strength gone, hands clawing uselessly at the tile.

“I can help,” she repeats over and over, voice breaking, “I can do it. I need to help. I have to. Let me help.”

Nancy drops with her, kneeling, cupping Maggie’s face between shaking hands.

“Listen to me,” she says, forcing her to look up, “You don’t have to make yourself useful all the time. I know you think you have to fix everything, but you can’t do this. You don’t have the strength.”

Maggie’s gaze drifts past her.

Max is sobbing in El’s arms now, face buried in her shoulder, turning away from Billy’s still body.

Maggie squeezes her eyes shut.

“I could’ve,” she whispers, “I could’ve done it.”

Nancy doesn’t argue. She just pulls Maggie’s head into her chest, holding her tight. Across the room, Nancy meets El’s eyes with shared understanding and pain.

They hold their girls tighter.

Moments later, the mall floods with movement. Military personnel swarm in, voices barking orders. Sirens wail outside. Fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances crowd the lot.

They’re ushered out into the night.

Paramedics rush toward Maggie, noting her injuries, trying to separate her from Nancy. Maggie refuses, gripping her shirt with shaking hands. She’s not going anywhere. Not until she knows everyone is safe.

She scans the chaos, heart pounding.

Then she sees Joyce, holding Will so tightly it looks like she might never let go. When Joyce finally pulls back, Maggie’s voice cracks.

“Mom!”

Joyce runs to her instantly, sobbing as she wraps Maggie up in her arms, “Maggie, honey. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Where’s Hop?” Maggie asks, dread clawing up her throat.

Joyce pulls back just enough to look at her. Tears stream down her face. She can’t say it.

“No,” Maggie whispers, her face crumpling, “No…”

“Oh, baby,” Joyce murmurs, pulling her in again.

They cling to each other in the chaos, mother and daughter breaking together under the weight of everything they survived and everything they lost.