— "The Battle in Max’s Mindscape"

The air in Max’s mindscape is heavy, oppressive, as if reality itself bends under the weight of Vecna’s presence. Shadows stretch unnaturally across the floating fragments of memories — her old bedroom, the school gym, the snowball dance — all twisting and cracking like broken glass suspended in the void.

The gymnasium continues to rot, spores now are falling from the ceiling, and the air grows colder — and hard to breath, as suddenly "Dream a Little Dream" starts playing.

Max, breathing hard, slings a chair over her shoulder and carries it across the length of the gymnasium. She throws it at the front door, where it joins a mess of other chairs and tables. She's barricaded the front door. Max atorms back a cross the gym, grabs another chair, turns back, and...

The barricades are gone.. in it's place, The Creel house door.

Vecna: — "You can't hide from me, Max." —

Max closes her eyes, blocking it out, instead trying to locate another memory, memories flashes by until land on her sleepover with Eleven, at Hop's cabin, the Girls where dancing Madonna, and reading teen magazines.

Vecna: — "You thought you could trick me. You thought... your friends could stop me. But i see them Max. I see your friends... as clear as i see you... I can feel them. Feel them... dying." —

Max's happy memories are overtaken by present day image of her friends... Steve Nancy and Robin, at the Upside-Down version of The Creel House. They are being choked by the vines. They gasp, gag, their eyes flagging. Dying.

Max is tormented by the images, she can't take it anymore. Her eyes snap open to find The Creel house door is now wide open. But no sign of Vecna...

Vecna: — "It's time, Max." —

That came from behind her. She whirls. The decayed snowball streamers are ondulating. Is he hiding there? she stares, frightened, slowly backing away.

*Then a Dark shape appears behind her. Vecna.

Vecna: — "It's time." —

Max spins back around just as he hits her with a powerful psychic blast. She flies backwards, punching through the streamers. Her back slams into a wall. But instead of falling, she stays pinned.

Vecna walks right up to her. Only a few feet away now. She squirms, desparate but unable to escape his psychic grip.

Vecna: — "You are brave, Maxine. Much braver than your brother. But in the end..." —

He runs a long fingernail along her face, drawing blood.

Vecna: — "...You are weak and fragile, like him. Like all the rest of them. And you will break." —

He then starts to dig his nail into her forehead when..

WHOOM! Vecna is suddenly and violently ripped backwards by some Psionic force, away from Max, pulled into the middle of the gym. Max is released and crumples to the ground, while Vecna hovers in mid-air, struggling, unable to move. He's now the one pinned by an invisible force.

Max look up from the floor, her eyes going wide. Through a drifting curtain of spores she sees...

Eleven, walking across the gym. Her hand is held out, angled slightly up. She is holding Vecna... With a subtle twist of the wrist, she rotates him around that he is looking at her.

When he finally came face to face with whoever was keeping him pinned mid-air, recognition and surprise registered on his face.

Vecna: — "You." —

Eleven: — "Hi." —

Eleven throws her hand. WHOOM! Vecna ia flung sideways. He slams into the nearby bleachers with so much force that he blows the through the wood.

Note for Players: You can play Vecna, a character from the scene, or an original character.