Chapter Text
You are going to be my spy…
Will heard Vecna’s voice echo against the walls of his mind, the spread claw creeping closer and closer towards his face.
One…
He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't scream.
Last…
His heartbeat was everywhere - his chest, his throat, his eyes - as cold, clammy fingers touched his skin. Will could feel his stomach drop, bile rising up his throat and leaving a sour taste on his tongue. All he saw and all he smelled was red, dead meat.
…Time.
Will felt Vecna’s grasp on his mind, felt him claw his way into his very core until he split open, until every part was bare and bloody and not his own anymore. He tried to fight. Even as he felt blood boil behind his eyes, Will pushed back as hard as he could. He wasn’t giving in, he would never give in.
It was useless and he knew it. He was the rabbit in the sling, thrashing against its bindings in blindsided dread. Of course the rabbit knew it was dead, but it kept up the frenzy even as it saw the hunter creeping closer. Vecna, who wasn’t even in a hurry to finish him off, to strike him down. He didn’t need to. He knew Will couldn’t run. That he was his now.
The more you resist…
Warm breath hit his face, foul and moist and dead, and it was over. Will knew it was over. And still he strained against crawling vines, determined to fight, to deny Vecna’s will. Even as heat exploded behind his eyes, blood spilling from the sockets. Even as a scream broke free from the depths of his chest, Will kept fighting on, slowing Vecna down.
…The more this will hurt.
In the end he broke easily.
The last thing Will felt was Vecna penetrating his mind, prodding and swelling and leaving no room, until everything slipped away. Every memory of warm hands and soft eyes, familiar faces and smiles - all was gone. Will was gone.
And what remained was the gaping feeling of perpetual hunger. The frenzied need to devour all that existed, to spread and consume until all was one and all was him.
He raced along bleak hallways, hunting for the fox. The little, pesky thing that kept getting in his way. The girl, the bitch, the insect that just wouldn’t die. Oh, how he hated her. Max - the one that was taken from him by her. Eleven.
The fox was her friend, her protegee, her favorite. Taking her would hurt, weaken his bothersome, little enemy.
And oh, he could feel her now. The fox, she was close. He could hear her beating, living heart, the hot rush of her blood, the soft and even gush of her breath.
Max would die tonight and he would gorge himself on her taste. He would let her suffer, rip her open and tear the flesh from her bones. Slowly. He would make her scream and relish the sound of it. Finally - finally - he would take her, make her his.
She was the needle in his eye, the itch that just could not be sated. Max was the madness that kept crawling inside his mind and tonight he would rid himself of her. Crush her beneath his feet like the filthy, little creature that she was.
He ran up a staircase and he was close. Oh, he was close now. He could smell the oils of her skin, he could practically taste her on his tongue. Almost, almost…
But just as he was to reach the next floor, his vision blurred. First at the edges, taking away his orientation. He crashed into something solid - a wall most likely - but he almost didn’t feel the impact. When he tried to blink his eyes, he had to watch as his vision filled with fog. Thick and milky red clouding his mind.
Something was wrong, he realized with growing concern. He was drifting away. Away from the hospital, away from the fox, away from revenge. No, no, no!
In front of him a scene started to form. He felt his grip slip away and his heart pooled with rage, seething and aggravating, pumping through his bloodstream. This wasn’t right. He was the one in control. The boy couldn’t possibly shut him out. He was weak, he had always been weak. So what? What…
Images started flashing before his eyes. Quick. Too quick to make out more than blurry silhouettes and faces, but somehow…a part of him knew what he was seeing. Like he was falling through memories.
He found himself in a hallway, harsh, white light blinding him and he could feel his feet drag along the ground. Strong hands held his arms, gripping too tight and cutting off his blood stream. Someone was dragging him. He couldn’t move.
He was sitting in a chair now. Tied. He was in pain. He was … screaming.
A face hovered above. A man that looked down at him with an expression that made his stomach churn. Some kind of fascinated adoration, something that looked almost like awe. He didn’t like how it made him feel. He felt his body lie limp inside the man’s arms and he felt fear laze itself through the rage inside his heart.
This wasn’t him. He wasn’t afraid. He was the hunter, not the prey.
White light bled into a sea of colors as the scene changed yet again. Another hallway. But this time he was standing on his own two feet, walking. There were people flooding past him. He could hear the sound of their laughter, their shoulders bumping into him as they didn’t even seem to take notice of him. He felt small and he found himself trying to become even smaller. To not get in anybody’s way, to not take up too much room.
This wasn’t right.
A girl’s voice cut through the crowd, loud and bossy and familiar. “Oh, shut up Don! Let the lovers love!”
A pang of excitement inside his chest as he ran away from some unknown danger. A warm hand in his. Black hair and brown skin. A smile that pierced through what remained of his anger. It all bled away when he heard her laugh, her warm eyes looking at him and only him.
Patty.
He felt something shift. In the back of his mind - so very far away now - he heard a scream. Deep and outraged and not important anymore.
She was the only one who could snap me out of it.
The voice was inside him. But it wasn’t his. These memories weren’t his. He wasn’t…
Yeah, I’m not … you. We’re not … well you’ve already figured it out yourself, so…
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. And when he opened them again he was back where he’d started. Back in the dark and bound by vines. He was Will again and he was stuck - oh God no, he was stuck again and no matter how hard he strained his bonds just wouldn’t budge. No. No. No, this wasn't- he couldn’t be back here. No. No. He had to get out, had to get away before he’d come back, before Vecna could come take him again. His mind was his own now. He was Will Byers, he was Will and he had to break free, he had to, he had to, oh no, please, no-
“Hey, it's okay!”
Will almost swallowed his own tongue by accident when he heard the voice of a boy in front of him. His heart was thundering against his ribcage, his thoughts running a million miles per hour, but he recognized him. He could barely even see through all the blood, but he recognized the voice. He recognized it, because it's been inside his head only moments before.
“I uh– wait I’ll…” The boy reached out his hands towards Will. “I got you. I think…”
Will had been straining from the moment he found himself tied down and still the black, slimy tendrils wouldn't budge. If anything they hugged him even tighter into their deadly embrace the more he struggled. So when they retreated easily without as much as a touch from the boy, Will was more than just a little puzzled.
But most of all he was relieved. Even as he felt himself fall forward, now that his bonds were no longer holding him in place. He fell hard onto his knees and only barely avoided crashing face first into the muddy ground. Perched up on all fours, his arms and legs quivering from the strain of holding himself up, Will greedily sucked air into his lungs. He could breathe freely again, his throat and ribcage no longer restricted, his hands not bound, his mind his own. Will was himself again. Oh God, he was himself again.
If he hadn't been busy with getting enough oxygen down his windpipe he’d probably started sobbing right about now.
“Are you okay?”
Will’s entire body recoiled as he heard the voice close to his face. He fell back on his butt, instinctively scrambling away from it.
“Sorry”, the strange boy said, embarrassment clear in his voice. “Too close. Get it. Sorry.”
And Will could swear he saw him withdraw his outreached hand. Although it was hard to tell through the bloody veil. He started wiping at his eyes.
“Who are you?” Will’s voice was a mangled little thing at the bottom of his throat, but right now he was too frightened to feel embarrassed.
“Uh…well…” The boy on the other hand seemed almost mortified by the question. “That’s kinda hard to explain.”
“What?” Will was rapidly blinking his eyes against the blood that was now starting to dry into a crust.
His heart was still racing inside his chest, but now that he was out of immediate danger the adrenalin slowly started to fade from his system, leaving room for the memory of what just happened to come back to him.
“Vecna, he was…I was…” And then it hit him, his heart setting out several beats as he remembered himself - not himself! - running along white hallways and up bleak stairs, his eyes opening in wide horror. “Max!”, he yelled, staring at the boy in front of him. “I was about to…Oh God is she-”
“She’s fine!”, the boy quickly called, holding up his hands in a way Will believed was supposed to be soothing. “I mean I stopped him…we did actually. Uhm…the Demos shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”
Again, Will felt bone crushing relief flood his system. So, apparently he didn’t kill Max. That was good news. Still, the question remained…
“Who are you?”, he asked again and this time he was able to actually look at the boy.
He was sitting across from Will now, a respectful distance between them. The boy had his legs hugged to his chest, a pained expression on his face, like he was having belly issues. He must be about his own age, Will figured. Lanky build and pale skin, not looking like a threat at all.
“Okay…”, the boy said, squirming awkwardly and barely able to hold eye contact. “I’ll tell you, but you…just please don’t freak out.”
Will could only stare at him with growing concern. This boy didn’t seem dangerous at all. But he was here, so there had to be something off about him. Also his antics were stressing him out.
“Who,” and Will was still staring concernedly, “are you?”
The boy swallowed, the corners of his mouth twitching into a brief and awkward smile. He managed to look at Will about two seconds before his eyes were all over the place again, lips pressed back into a thin line.
Okay, so Will considered himself awkward most of the time, but this guy was on a whole new level.
“I’m …” And the boy swallowed again, fingers fidgeting with the hem of his pants. “Uh… I’m Henry.”
The last part was muttered and almost impossible for Will to hear.
“Wait…” He frowned, eyes growing big as something dawned on him. “Henry?”
And the boy was staring right back at him now, his body leaning slightly away from Will, like he was afraid to get burned or something.
“Like…” And Will felt his blood freeze inside his veins, despite his heart picking up a rapid beat inside his chest. “Like in Henry Creel?”
The boy leaned away even more, fixing Will with wide pale eyes. “Jupp.”
Okay…
This was officially too much for him to handle.
Without even making the active decision, Will pushed up and onto his feet, ready to bolt, only that the boy - Henry! - was up too, a mere moment later, knees slightly bent and fists held out in front of his chest, like he was anticipating a fight.
The image was so ridiculous it pretty much rendered Will unable to move. With his heart thundering against his ribs and the rush of his own blood in his ears, he could do nothing more but stare at the lanky boy in front of him.
“Don’t freak out”, Henry said, still staring at Will in a disturbed way like he was the actual threat here. “Please?”
“Don’t freak- What the…How is this even possible?!”
And Will couldn’t even think anymore. His mind was a thick, clotted lump, unable to form one single coherent thought, let alone a whole sentence.
“How the fuck did you…how did I - we…WHAT?!”
Henry slowly unclenched his fists, his hands trembling slightly as he gestured at Will to stay calm. “What do you remember?”
His body felt on fire. His nerves sizzling and his blood pumping, Will desperately tried to make sense of everything, but he just couldn’t. He was barely coherent when he tried to retrace his steps.
“I was…there was Vecna and then- and then I was Vecna and I wanted to hurt Max- oh God I wanted to hurt Max! The hospital! I was in the hospital, and then I wasn’t anymore- and … and I wasn’t Vecna anymore, I was…I was…”
“Me!”, called Henry, way too enthusiastically.
“Huh?!” Will was shaking like a leaf by now.
“I mean you weren't me, but like…you were in my memories”, Henry tried to explain, his shoulders still slightly drawn, his arms held out in front of him in self protection, but his hands no longer clenched into fists. “That’s when I managed to force Vecna onto the backseat.”
Will could only stare at him. It felt like there was electricity constantly running up and down his body. “The backseat?”
“Yes!” Henry gave him a thumbs up, enthusiasm growing as he realized that Will was trying to work with him here. “It's like a car with three passengers. Vecna, One and me.”
Will’s eyes grew impossible wider. “What?!”
Henry grimaced slightly, an awkward smile tugging at his lips. “Well, it's not really a car, obviously. But it’s easier to picture this way.”
“Right”, Will said, voice thin, head spinning. “That's totally what's freaking me out here. Aren't you … like the same person?”
“Well…” Henry shrugged. “Yeah.”
Will just kept staring at him, hoping the expression of utter confusion on his face was enough to convey his…well his utter confusion.
“But it's more complicated than that actually”, Henry scrambled on. “It's like…uh, like there's different versions of the same person, yes?” He nodded his head, as if it would help convince Will. “So, there's Vecna - who's basically just the being you call the ‘Mind Flayer’ by the way - very powerful, very evil.”
Will's jaw dropped, but Henry didn't even seem to realize how mind blowing this information was.
“Then there's me, Henry. Not as powerful, but very nice and absolutely not out for murder, I swear.” His smile aimed for encouragement, but Will didn't feel encouraged at all. “And then there's One, who’s kinda a … uh, corrupted version of me? Oh, and also he’s the … like the bridge between Vecna and me. If that makes any sense.”
Will's head was spinning. He was inside his own mind - he assumed - and his head was spinning. That’s like having a dream inside a dream.
Crazy.
“Are you … fine?”, Henry asked hesitantly, nervously kneading his own fingers.
“Was that my mom's voice back there?”, Will asked, voice dry. “Back in your … memory thing?”
He was in overload. There was too much information in too little time and now his chest felt kinda numb.
Henry seemed perplexed by the abrupt shift, blinking his eyes a few times. “Uh…yeah.”
“How?” He sounded drunk. God, he felt drunk. Or at least like he'd gone one too many rounds on a merry-go-round.
“We went to high school together”, Henry answered matter of factly.
Will blinked. “Huh?”
“Yeah…” Henry did that awkward smile again. “We kinda were…friends.”
“You and my…you and my mom?”
“And Hopper too.”
Yeah. Right.
Will was here - wherever here was - standing across from the mini version of his captor, talking about reality altering revelations, like it was the weather.
“Is it possible to faint in here?”, he asked, knees wobbly as he slowly lowered himself back onto the ground. “Because I feel like I’m almost there.”
“Oh.” Henry followed him down and for a moment Will was afraid the boy would try and pad him on the shoulder or something. “Sorry, I … I keep forgetting that you don't know what I know.” He crossed his legs, looking at Will empathetically. “Your mom probably doesn't remember me, because Vecna altered her memory.”
“Huh?” Will's head hurt. “What … huh?”
“Vecna”, Henry said. “Or the Mind Flayer, if you prefer - he manipulates the memories of his victims.” He grimaced slightly, scrambling for words. “Well, in this case the memories of everyone but his victim. You are his victim in the long run. He needs you to give in to him, so he can make you his new vessel, but in order to have you let him in, he needs you to snap - to break completely and in order for that to happen he has to isolate-”
“His new vessel?”, Will blurted, sounding like a drunk. “Like…like the kids?”
“No, the kids are just his batteries.”
“Batteries?”
“Yeah.” Henry eagerly nodded his head. “Or like… like they're additional PS to boost his car.”
Will threw up his hands. “What's it with the car allegory?”
“It’s easier to picture this way”, Henry insisted, nervously staring into the dark space around them. “I think we have to speed this up.”
“Why does he need a new vessel?”, Will asked, ignoring his concern. “What's wrong with your … body? Why me?”
Henry's eyes stayed focused on everything but Will, like he was expecting something to attack. Will probably would’ve started to worry around now, if he’d still been able to think rationally.
“It’s almost used up”, Henry answered, still not looking at him. “My body I mean. He needs a new one.”
“Why me?”
“I don't know.”
“What do you mean you don't know? You're literally him.”
“I’m not– look”, Henry cut himself off, his pale eyes wide and his lips pressed into a tight line. “We don't have much time left. At least not enough to explain everything. We have to go.”
“We?” Will wasn't planning on going anywhere with that guy. “Where even are we?”
“Vecna's mind”, Henry said, his eyes wandering off into the darkness again. “My mind. Yours. It's hard to explain.”
“So far you haven't explained anything”, Will argued, frustrated by the way Henry was unable to give him even one straight answer. “Honestly, I don't even know if you're real or just some distraction conjured by Vecna. And what the hell are you staring a– “
HENRYYYYYYYYYYYY!
Will’s heart stopped, stomach dropping through the floor and blood freezing inside his veins as a guttural scream echoed around him, inside him - everywhere.
He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he had waited too long and now the sling was closing around his throat again, he could already feel it on the back of his neck, cold, horrid fingers crawling and prodding– he almost jumped out of his skin when he felt someone grab his shoulders.
“We have to go”, Henry said, his voice calm and steady, but betrayed by the full blown horror inside his eyes. “You have to let me in.”
HENRYYYYYYYYYYY!
Will pressed his hands to his ears. He could feel his grasp, Vecna's claw reaching for him, his dead, clammy fingers on the back of his neck. No, no, not again, no, no–
“Will!” Henry was shaking him by the shoulders. “Please, I don’t have time to explain, but you have to let me–”
He’s mine! You can’t stop me and you know it!
Vecna’s voice was inside his head, he could feel it vibrate in his chest, his throat, his entire body. Like it was his own, deep and evil but his.
“Don’t let him take over!”, Henry yelled, shaking him. Will could barely feel the boy’s hands on him anymore. “You fought back once, you can do it again! You denied him! That’s the only reason I could take the wheel! He hasn’t broken you yet, Will. You’re not broken!”
You’re mine.
He felt live vines prodding at his ankles, creeping up his legs, his chest, and he couldn’t move. Not again, not again, please not again.
“You’re not!” But Henry’s voice sounded far now, like he was screaming at him from the opposite side of a canyon. “Fight!”
My puppet.
His breath was coming in quick, little jabs and Will could feel himself grow lightheaded, untethering, slipping. The vines circled around his neck, cold and throbbing and stronger than him. The sling closing around the rabbit’s head, only this time it didn’t struggle.
Good, Vecna’s voice echoed inside him. Calm now. Pleased. Good William. I see, you have learned your lesson.
He couldn’t do this again, he couldn’t, no. A sob slipped past his lips. He wasn’t strong enough to fight back.
No struggle. Clammy fingers on his cheeks. Will didn’t dare to open his eyes. No pain.
No, no, no.
Will felt himself be lifted from the ground and he didn’t dare to open his eyes, knowing already what he would find in front of him. Dead flesh strung over clawed bones, milky eyes staring at him, rotting in their sockets. A body almost used up. A body he was to replace soon.
Good.
He felt fleshed vines tightening around him and he heard the squelching sound his body made against them as it was lodged back into place. The taste of bile on his tongue, his heart a rapid thing inside chest, his entire body shaking and thrumming with adrenalin.
But it didn’t hurt this time.
The boy lies. He is weak and every day he is becoming weaker.
Will suppressed his gaging reflex when he felt the claw on his jaw, cold fingers cupping his cheek, almost … gently.
Soon he won’t be of use to me anymore, Vecna’s voice resounded inside his head, his chest, his everywhere and Will wanted nothing more but to crawl out of his own skin. To shed this shell and scrub himself clean, until he couldn’t remember the feeling anymore.
You are my spy now, William. But when the time is ripe … And Will wanted to scream when he felt Vecna’s thumb caress his skin. You will let me in.
He could no longer stop himself from gagging when he felt the dead finger stroke along his bottom lip, his whole body revolting and straining away from the touch, thrashing in his bindings but unable to escape.
You will let me in. The finger retreated - finally retreated - leaving behind cold mucus and the taste of decay on his lips and Will felt like he was losing his mind. He needed to escape, however and wherever, but he had to get away from him, from Vecna, he had to, he had to- And we will be One.
His struggle came too late. Once more his mind was invaded, Vecna plunging into him, filling him, until his sense of self was expelled, until there was no more him, no more Will. He felt the hunger taking over, the rage, the burning urge to take and devour and break.
No, no, that wasn’t him, that wasn’t him.
Max. He wanted Max. Take her, break her, ra– No!
Not him, not him, not Will. He didn’t want to hurt Max, he didn’t want to hurt anyone. This wasn’t him, not him.
“Push back.” Henry’s voice. He was back. Henry was back!
His head felt like it was about to split in half, torn between himself and Vecna. “I can’t!”, he screamed, heat spilling from his eyes and down his cheeks. He couldn’t tell if it was blood or tears and it wasn’t important. He was tearing, his entire being pulled apart at the seam. It was worse than pain, it was seething agony. Will had no idea what his soul was supposed to feel like, but he felt it splinter right now.
“You can.” Henry’s voice was shaky and thin and so very afraid, but suddenly there were warm hands on Will’s cheeks. Warm hands instead of clammy fingers and Will almost sobbed with relief.
“I know you can fight him, because I’ve seen you do it before”, Henry urged, fingers trembling against Will’s cheeks. “He wants you to think you’re weak, but you're not! He– he wants you to feel like you’re broken, but you’re not Will! I’m so sorry– I’m sorry I couldn’t help you sooner, but I’m here now and you’re not alone and I promise I’ll get you out!”
A scream tore through his mind and Will believed he could feel his brain rip. HENRYYYYY!
“AAAAHHHH!” I was only for the vines securing him in place, that Will didn’t crumble to the floor. “How?!”, he screamed. “How do we get out?!”
“You have to let me in”, Henry said, his fingers frantically wiping the wetness from Will’s face.
“No.”
“I know it’s scary”, Henry said, voice trembling. “And it’s not- you don’t have any reason to trust me. I know- I know that.”
GET OFF HIM!
Will doubled over screaming. If this went on for much longer there wouldn’t be much left of him soon. He was stuck. If he gave in to Vecna, he’d lose himself. If he kept fighting, he’d lose himself. He couldn’t win. He couldn’t escape.
“I’ve been a part of you for … for longer than you know”, Henry scrambled on, his hands the only thing keeping Will’s head up. “I– Please Will, you can’t let him win. I can’t let this happen again. It’s all my fault and I’m sorry– I’m so sorry, Will!”
Will was starting to feel tired. Like really tired. His body felt funny, his limbs tingling as bit by bit his mind shut down. His head was an open wound, but slowly he felt numbness taking over. It was nice.
Would Vecna still win, if he simply gave in to this feeling? Or would he lose a precious vessel?
“Think of your mom!”, Henry yelled, shaking Will’s head. “Think of your brother and sister!”
“Mmh.” Will tried to pull away from him, but he was too weak to even lift his head. He wanted to sleep. He didn’t want to fight this useless fight anymore.
“Think of Mike!”
An image flashed before his eyes. Soft eyes and smile. Black hair turning into brunette, pale skin to brown, just for a second.
HENRYYYYY!
“He’s your Patty”, Henry said, his voice rising an entire octave. “He can get you out.”
“Who’s Patty?”, Will muttered, his body almost entirely numb now. “Just let me slee–”
“I’ll show you!”, the boy cut him off, forcing Will’s head up.
“Mmhh!”, he argued.
“I’ll show you Patty”, Henry scattered on. “It’ll all make sense. Everything.”
Will couldn’t even feel anything anymore. Not the vines tying him, not the hands holding him. There was no screaming inside his head, there was no pain, there was nothing. And he was tired.
“Fight!” His head flew to the side when Henry smacked him in the face.
Will grimaced, forcing his eyes to open.
“They’re all dead!”, Henry screamed, his face a pale mask of horror. He was afraid, he was so frighteningly scared, but still he kept screaming at Will to fight on. “Max will be first!”, he said, voice trembling. “Then Lucas, then Robin and then everyone else. Joyce, Hopper, your siblings, Dustin, Mike! They’re all dead if you don’t fight!” He took a deep breath, his entire frame shaking, teeth chattering and neck straining. “That’s what he did to me.” Blue eyes pierced into him, brutal and honest and so very afraid. “We can stop him.”
“How?” His voice was almost too weak for himself to hear.
But Henry heard, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. “Let me in.”
This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Will had to give himself up. But that’s what it came down to, he had to give himself up, either to Henry or to Vecna.
“Okay.” His vision blurred, Henry’s face a dark shadow. Will let his eyes slip shut.
“I promise it’ll all make sense”, was the last thing he heard before everything went dark.