Chapter 63

it’s been a sec y’all😭 i have been so busy and midterms and exams are coming up so it makes it worse but i told myself i needed to lock in and finally finish this chapter today so here you go (sorry it’s not super long).

Eddie’s trailer isn’t in any better condition than the Wheeler house. The inside is covered with the same black vines creeping along the walls and floor.

But one thing is different. A massive, pulsing gate is open in the ceiling.

It glows, bathing their faces in red light as it throbs slowly.

“This is where Chrissy died,” Eddie says quietly, “Like. Right there.”

Robin squints up at it, “I think there’s something in there.”

The gate bends inward slightly, stretching in the center like something is pressing from the other side. A wet, squelching sound echoes through the trailer.

“What the hell is that?” Steve mutters.

Before anyone can answer, the membrane tears.

Everyone shrieks as a wooden rod punches through the gate, scraping at the slick surface until the opening widens.

They all freeze and exchange confused looks.

Maggie steps forward slowly, as the others follow close behind. She stops directly beneath the opening.

Above them, upside down, are Dustin, Lucas, Erica, and Max.

Dustin’s laugh echoes strangely as he grins down at them.

“Dustbucket! Good to see you, buddy!”

“Hi there!” he yells, waving.

“Holy shit,” Robin mutters, “This is trippy.”

“We’re gonna get you guys out!” Lucas calls, “Hang on!”

The four disappear for a moment and then reappear, struggling with Eddie’s mattress.

Eddie looks up, swallowing hard, “Those stains are, uh… I don’t know what those stains are.”

“Right, right, right,” Maggie says, deeply unconvinced.

Dustin tosses down a makeshift rope made of knotted sheets and shirts, “Pull on it! See if it holds!”

Robin grabs it and gives a solid tug with her full weight. It holds. They all laugh with relief.

“Guess I’m the guinea pig,” Robin says, shrugging.

She jumps, climbs, and hauls herself upward. The moment half her body clears the opening, gravity flips, and she drops onto the mattress with a thud.

She laughs from above, “Still alive!”

The four below exchange a look, silently arguing about who’s next.

“Alright,” Eddie sighs, “I’ll go.”

He climbs, disappears, then lands safely on the other side.

“See you on the other side,” Steve says, already grabbing the rope.

“On the other side,” Nancy replies.

Steve climbs and vanishes.

Now it’s just Maggie and Nancy.

Maggie offers a small, crooked smile, “After you, m’lady.”

Nancy shakes her head, “No. You’re in more danger than I am. You go first. I want to know you’re safe.”

Maggie opens her mouth to argue, but Nancy’s look shuts that down immediately.

Maggie exhales. She leans in and presses a quick kiss to Nancy’s lips.

“If I must.”

She grips the cloth and starts climbing.

The moment her body passes through the opening, gravity gives way.

She starts to fall, but she doesn’t land.

The world tilts and all sounds drain out. She hears the clock.

Chime. Chime. Chime. Chimes.

A cold feeling settles into her bones.

Maggie knows, with awful certainty, that her time has come.

All she can do now is hope the others can save her in the real world.

Vecna’s voice doesn’t come from one direction. It comes from everywhere she isn’t.

The ground beneath her reforms into familiar shapes. Suburban streets, quiet houses, and Hawkins perfectly reconstructed. The sky is bruised purple, veins of red lightning cracking through it.

“No,” she breathes, “Not this.”

The first body she sees is Nancy.

She’s sprawled on the front lawn of the Wheeler house, eyes open, glassy, staring at nothing. Her jacket is torn, her hands still curled like she was reaching for a weapon.

Maggie stumbles forward, “Nancy. Hey. Hey, no, no, no—”

She drops to her knees beside her, shaking her shoulder. There’s nothing. Just her still body and the vacancy of breath.

Behind her, a door creaks open.

The Byers’ house stands across the street now. The front door hangs off one hinge. Inside, the lights flicker.

“Maggie,” Joyce’s voice calls, thin and panicked.

Hope punches her in the chest before she can stop it.

She runs inside. Joyce is there. So are Jonathan and Will. They’re huddled together in the living room, backs to the wall, like cornered animals.

Then the shadows move and the lights blow out in a shower of sparks. Joyce screams her name. Jonathan shoves Will behind him.

Maggie lunges forward and the room freezes. Everything stills like a movie that’s just been pause.

Vecna steps out of the darkness, vines shifting along his decomposed skin.

“You always believe you’ll be fast enough,” he says calmly, “Strong enough. That you can save everyone.”

He gestures with one clawed hand.

The Byers drop. Maggie screams and suddenly she’s not in the house anymore.

She’s in the woods.

Steve is there, leaning against a tree, blood running down his temple, trying to smile like he always does when he’s scared but pretending he isn’t.

“Hey,” he says weakly, “Guess I finally pushed my luck, huh?”

“Stop,” Maggie sobs, crawling toward him, “Please stop doing this—”

Something shrieks overhead.

Robin is shouting Steve’s name, Eddie is swinging wildly with a weapon he clearly picked up five seconds too late, the kids are scattered and terrified, screaming for her.

The ground splits open.

Red light pours out like the earth is bleeding. Vines lash upward, dragging them down one by one. Eddie disappears, still fighting. Robin vanishes, reaching for Steve. Steve’s fingers slip from Maggie’s grasp.

“Maggie!” Dustin screams as the crack widens beneath him.

“No!” She scrambles forward, grabbing his wrist, then Lucas’s, then Max’s, but they’re all ripped away anyway.

The sight of El, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Mike’s terrified facing burn into the back of her mind.

Silence crashes and now she’s alone. The town changes.

Gates tear open all over Hawkins. They rip through streets, houses, the school gym, and the middle of the road. Creatures crawl out in waves over cars, buildings, and people who don’t even have time to understand what’s happening.

The sky splits wide open.

Hopper stands in the middle of it all, battered and exhausted, rifle hanging useless at his side. He looks up at her, eyes tired and gentle.

“I tried, kid,” he says quietly, “Guess it wasn’t enough.”

The monsters close in.

“STOP,” Maggie screams, hands clenching, “This isn’t real. This isn’t real—”

Vecna looms behind her, his presence crushing, inevitable.

“This is the future you’re fighting for,” he whispers near her ear, “Every door you open. Every bond you cling to. This is what your hope buys them.”

The clock chimes again, only once.

“And when you’re gone,” Vecna continues, “there will be no one left to stop it.”

Maggie squeezes her eyes shut, breath shaking, and heart pounding so hard it hurts.

“No,” she says, voice breaking but still there, “You don’t get to decide that.”

Vecna steps fully into her path.

There’s nowhere left to run. The building at her back is cold brick and rusted metal. Vines crawl along the walls, tightening her in. Hawkins groans around them, distant screams and tearing metal echoing in the background.

Vecna tilts his head, studying her in an almost disappointed way.

“You fight so hard,” he says, “For people who will die no matter what you do.”

He raises his hand.

Maggie shakes her head, backing up until her shoulders hit the wall, “Get away from me.”

His fingers press against her forehead.

It isn’t pain at first, just pressure, like he’s trying to push his way inside her skull, prying at memories, fear, and the parts of her she keeps hidden even from herself.

“No,” she gasps, hands clawing at the air, heart slamming so hard she thinks it might burst. Images start to bleed in again of Nancy’s empty eyes, Hopper’s tired smile, and the kids screaming her name.

Vecna’s voice curls through her thoughts.

“Let go,” he murmurs, “You’re already tired. You’re already breaking.”

The sky above fractures and a sound appears.

At first it’s soft, barely audible above the ringing in her ears.

Maggie’s breath catches. It’s her and Nancy’s song. The one they danced to at the Snowball.

If you’re lost you can look and you will find me…

“No,” Vecna snarls, fingers digging in harder.

But the song grows louder.

It’s not coming from him. It’s not coming from the sky, the ground, or the walls closing in.

It’s coming from somewhere else.

“Time after time—”

Her feet slam onto the pavement.

Maggie sucks in a breath, hands flying to her head as the pressure cracks. The world around her begins to tear like it’s being pulled apart.

The building behind her fractures, light bleeding through the cracks.

Vecna stumbles back a step, fury flashing across his ruined face.

“No,” he snaps, “This ends now.”

He reaches for her again.

Maggie turns and runs.

The ground stretches beneath her feet, Hawkins blurring as she sprints toward the sound. The song is everywhere now, wrapping around her chest.

She runs past shattered streets, broken houses, and open gates with monsters clawing their way out.

None of it can catch her.

Because the song is pulling her forward, brightening memories Vecna can’t touch.

I will be waiting…

Light explodes ahead of her.

A figure stands at the edge of it, but it’s not Vecna. It’s home.

Maggie pushes harder, tears streaming down her face as she bursts through the glow. Vecna’s scream tears through the vision, but it fades as the music swells.

Maggie runs, and this time, she gets away.

When she opens her eyes back into the real world, well, the Upside Down real world, she’s gasping.

Kneeling over her is Nancy, who is freely crying and holding back a sob.

“Maggie,” Nancy chokes, “Oh my god. Oh my god.”

Maggie looks up, disoriented. Her throat feels raw like she’s been screaming for hours.

“Hey,” she rasps, “Hey… I’m—”

Nancy sobs outright and leans down, pressing her forehead to Maggie’s.

“I thought—” She swallows hard, You just went still and you started floating and–and, I couldn’t— I couldn’t wake you up. So we got the music and I–I.”

Maggie lifts a trembling hand and cups Nancy’s cheek.

“I’m here,” she whispers, “He didn’t get me.”

Nancy lets out a broken laugh and cries, “Don’t ever do that again.”

“Not exactly on my to-do list,” Maggie mutters weakly.

Nancy huffs a breath and pulls Maggie into her arms, holding her tight. Maggie presses her face into Nancy’s shoulder, shaking now that the danger has passed, her body catching up to the terror.

Above them, the others hover anxiously.

Steve paces in a tight circle, dragging a hand through his hair. Robin crouches nearby, eyes wide and unblinking, watching Maggie like she might vanish. Eddie stands a few feet back, frozen, guilt written all over his face.

Nancy keeps one arm wrapped firmly around Maggie, “Can you stand?”

Maggie nods, even though her legs feel like they belong to someone else. With Nancy’s help, she gets to her feet.

“We’re getting out of here,” Nancy says, already looking up toward the gate, “Now.”

No one argues.

They move fast. Steve and Eddie steady the rope, and Nancy stays close enough that Maggie can feel her shoulder brushing hers the whole time.

Maggie climbs first once again.

The moment she pulls herself through, gravity snaps back into place, and she lands hard on the mattress in normal Hawkins. Nancy is right behind her, hands gripping Maggie’s jacket.

Once everyone is up, no one celebrates.

They’re too tired and shaken.

They settle into Eddie’s trailer for the night, weapons within reach. Steve takes first watch without being asked. Robin curls up on the floor with her back against the couch. Eddie fusses with the windows.

Maggie sits on the bed, knees pulled to her chest. Nancy sits beside her.

After a moment, softly, “What happened back there?”

Maggie keeps her eyes on the floor. Her hands are still trembling.

“Can we,” she swallows, “can we talk about it in the morning?”

Nancy studies her face and nods.

“Okay,” she says gently, “Morning.”

Nancy shifts closer, their shoulders touching. Maggie leans into her without thinking.

Maggie closes her eyes, finally relaxing, knowing Vecna didn’t win tonight. But she knows he’s not going to give up so easily.

When morning comes, gray light leaks through the thin trailer curtains. Maggie sits at the tiny table with a mug of coffee she hasn’t touched.

Everyone else is awake, and it’s blatantly obvious that no one slept well.

Nancy sits close, knee pressed against Maggie’s under the table. Steve leans against the wall, arms crossed. Robin perches on the arm of the couch, unusually quiet. Eddie sits beside her, pretending that he’s not frantically panicking on the inside. The kids are clustered together, watching Maggie with seriousness that they had to learn way too young.

Nancy breaks the silence, “Okay. You said morning.”

Maggie exhales, “Yeah.”

She stares into the coffee, hoping that it might give her advice.

“I heard the clock chime first,” she says finally.

Steve straightens and Robin’s jaw tightens. Dustin’s eyes flick to Max subconsciously.

“And then?” Nancy asks, grabbing Maggie’s hand.

Maggie swallows, “Then he showed me Hawkins.”

She looks up now, forcing herself to meet their eyes, “Not like it is. Like it’s going to be. Four gates just… ripping the town open. Streets, houses, the school. Everything.”

Eddie mutters, “That’s… not ideal.”

Maggie huffs a breath and keeps going, “Monsters poured out of them. Everywhere. Like, there was no point fighting anymore because there were too many.”

The kids shift closer together.

“And then,” Maggie says quietly, “he showed me all of you. Nancy. The Byers. Steve. Robin. Eddie. Hopper. You guys.”

She nods toward the kids, “All dead. One by one. Like he wanted me to really sit with it.”

Her voice wobbles despite her best efforts. Nancy tightens her grip.

“He kept saying it was my fault,” Maggie adds. “That this is what happens when I care. When I don’t let go.”

“And what did you do?” Nancy asks.

Maggie looks at her, “I didn’t believe him.”

Steve exhales like he’s been holding his breath for hours on end.

“I heard the music,” Maggie says, “And I ran. That’s it. I didn’t fight him. I didn’t win. I just… didn’t stay.”

Robin nods slowly, “Valid strategy. Highly recommend continuing that.”

Max speaks up softly, “The clock. Did it chime four times?”

Maggie nods, throat tight, “Four. Exactly four.”

Max exhales slowly, “It always does. Four chimes. Every time. He’s been telling us his plan this whole time.”

Lucas says grimly, “Four kills. Four gates. End of the world.”

“And if that’s true,” Dustin’s face pales, “then he’s only one kill away.”

Maggie forces a thin, crooked smile, “Which means he’s deciding between me and Max. Seeing who he can catch first.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ,” Eddie groans, dragging his hands down his face.

“Try your mom again,” Steve says quickly to Maggie, “Try them again.”

Maggie steps over to the wall phone beside Max and yanks the receiver off the hook, dialing from muscle memory. The busy signal greets her immediately.

“Well?” Dustin asks.

Maggie shakes her head, “Busy. Again.”

“Maybe you punched it in wrong,” Steve says, hopeful.

Maggie stares at him, “Steve. It’s my house, I know the number. It’s been busy for four days.”

She slams the receiver down harder than necessary, “Jonathan, Will, and El collectively have one friend. There is zero chance that phone has been off the hook this long by accident.”

“How is that even possible?” Lucas asks.

“Joyce has that telemarketing job,” Dustin offers, “She’s always on the phone.”

Maggie turns on him, “Not this always. She would’ve checked on me. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

“My spidey senses are tingling off the radar,” she adds, “And they’re never wrong.”

Nancy nods immediately, “Maggie’s right. This isn’t a coincidence. Whatever’s happening in Lenora is connected to Vecna. It has to be.”

“But Vecna can’t hurt them,” Steve says, “Not if he’s—”

“Dead?” Maggie cuts in, “Yeah. About that.”

She straightens, “We have to go back into the Upside Down and kill that son of a bitch.”

Eddie and Steve erupt at the same time.

“Absolutely not—”
“Are you insane—”

“Let’s think this through,” Steve says, holding up his hands.

“What is there to think through?” Nancy shoots back.

“We barely survived because we didn’t know what we were dealing with,” Steve exclaims.

“And now we do,” Nancy says, “Next time, we’re prepared. Weapons. Protection. We go through the gate, find his lair, and end him.”

“Or,” Steve snaps, “he kills us. We’re only alive because he let us be. He’s not scared of us.”

Robin jumps in, talking fast, “And for good reason. We were wrong about Vecna. Henry. One. Sorry, what are we calling him now?”

Everyone talks at once.

Robin squeezes her eyes shut, “Right. Point is: he’s basically Eleven, but evil, homicidal, and terrible skin. He could turn us inside out with the snap of his fingers.”

“So don’t fight him head-on,” Dustin says.

Everyone turns to him.

“He’s like Eleven,” Dustin continues, “That means he has limits. When El remote travels, she goes into that trance thing. I bet Vecna does the same.”

“That’s what he was doing in the attic,” Lucas realizes.

“Exactly,” Dustin says, pointing, “When he goes after his next victim, his body will be there. Physical. Defenseless.”

Steve raises an eyebrow, “Defenseless? What about the murder bats?”

“Right,” Dustin admits. “We distract them. Lure them away.”

Eddie stands slowly, “And how, exactly, do we do that?”

Dustin shrugs, “No idea. But once they’re gone, he doesn’t stand a chance. It’ll be like slaying sleeping Dracula in his coffin.”

“There’s still a problem,” Robin says, “We have no pattern to his killings. We don’t know when he’ll strike next. Or who.”

Max’s gaze shifts to Maggie, “We do. We’re still cursed. One of us stops the music. Draws him back.”

Lucas throws his hands up, “No. Absolutely not. That’s how one of you dies.”

“We’ve survived before,” Maggie says quietly, “Both of us.”

She meets Max’s eyes, “We can do it again. He just has to be distracted long enough for the rest of you to get into the attic. Whatever it takes.”

Max nods once, “Just don’t miss.”

“Because if you do,” she adds, “one of us pays the price.”

The room goes silent. No words are needed because they know just what that means.