Chapter 30: Max's Arrival
POV: Adam
October 1st, 1984, and Adam spots the blue Camaro in the school parking lot before first period, his heart sinking like a stone through dark water because he knows exactly what it means—the final pieces are moving into place, destiny clicking forward with the inexorable precision of a countdown timer approaching zero.
Max Mayfield. Billy Hargrove. The last major players before everything accelerates toward catastrophe.
The car sits between two pickup trucks like a predator among prey, all aggressive lines and California chrome that seems to mock Hawkins' small-town sensibilities. Through the windshield, Adam catches a glimpse of movement—red hair and the defensive posture of someone who's learned that new places usually mean new kinds of pain.
She's here. The girl from the arcade, the future Party member, the catalyst for everything that's about to change.
In Mr. Clarke's classroom, the introduction unfolds exactly as Adam remembers from another life, another world where these people were fictional characters whose pain existed only to serve narrative purpose.
"Class, we have a new student joining us today," Mr. Clarke announces with the kind of forced enthusiasm that teachers use to make unwanted changes seem exciting. "This is Maxine Mayfield, who's moved here from California."
"Just Max," the girl corrects immediately, her voice carrying the sharp edge of someone who's tired of having her identity defined by other people's expectations.
Just Max. Never Maxine, never anything that makes her sound soft or controllable.
Her eyes scan the classroom with predatory assessment, cataloging threats and potential allies with the efficiency of someone who's had to adapt quickly to survive. When her gaze lands on Adam, recognition flickers—the arcade kid who beat her Dig Dug score, the stranger who showed her genuine appreciation instead of mockery or dismissal.
She remembers me. Good. That gives us a foundation to build on.
Mr. Clarke assigns Max the seat behind Lucas, but at lunch, she makes a deliberate choice that surprises everyone—including herself, judging by the slight hesitation before she commits to the action. She carries her tray to the table where Adam sits with the Party, settling into the empty chair beside him with the careful casual attitude of someone testing social waters.
"Hey," she says quietly, just loud enough for him to hear. "Dig Dug champion."
Adam grins, feeling the weight of foreknowledge and the lighter touch of genuine pleasure at seeing her again. "MADMAX. Welcome to Hawkins. It's... quieter than California."
Quieter. If only you knew what kind of noise is coming.
"Quieter's good," Max says, though something in her voice suggests she's not entirely convinced. "I could use some quiet."
Running from Billy's abuse, their parents' dysfunction, the kind of family chaos that makes moving to Indiana seem like salvation instead of exile.
The Party reacts to her presence with typical twelve-year-old boy confusion—Lucas and Dustin immediately begin competing for her attention with increasingly desperate displays of middle school machismo, while Mike maintains hostile territoriality that makes the lunch table feel like a diplomatic minefield.
"So you're the new girl everyone's talking about," Dustin says with the kind of nervous energy that suggests he's been practicing this conversation in his head for hours.
"Depends what they're saying," Max replies with wariness that speaks of too many experiences with rumors that precede reputation.
She's been hurt before. Probably multiple times, in multiple places, by multiple people who were supposed to protect her.
Will observes the interaction with quiet interest, apparently grateful for any distraction from his own internal struggles. He's the first to offer genuine welcome without agenda or expectation.
"It's nice to have someone new," Will says simply. "Sometimes the same people get boring."
Will. My brother, extending kindness because kindness is his default setting, even when he's fighting literal demons.
After school, Billy Hargrove makes his presence known with the theatrical menace of someone who's learned that intimidation often works better than actual violence. He corners Adam by the bike racks, all dangerous charm and barely contained volatility wrapped in a package designed to make teenage girls swoon and teenage boys retreat.
"Stay away from my sister," Billy says without preamble, his voice carrying the kind of authority that doesn't expect to be questioned.
Sister. Stepsister, actually, but the possessive dynamic is the same.
Adam channels the kind of adult calm that comes from actually being an adult, meeting Billy's stare without flinching or backing down—a response that clearly wasn't in Billy's playbook.
"We're just classmates," Adam says evenly, keeping his voice neutral despite the rage building in his chest.
Just classmates. For now. But I'll be whatever she needs me to be to keep her safe from you.
Billy leans closer, invading personal space with predatory precision. "I know your type. Broken little orphan looking for attention. Touch her, and I'll break you."
Broken little orphan. If only you knew what kind of broken I really am.
"Noted," Adam replies, the single word carrying enough calm authority to make Billy's eyes narrow with calculation.
I'm not afraid of you, Billy Hargrove. I've faced apex predators from other dimensions. You're just a damaged teenager with anger management issues.
As Billy stalks away toward his Camaro, Scout sends threatening images through the bond—the creature emerging from the woods, flower-face unfurling, ready to defend his pack leader from human threats. Adam has to actively restrain his companion through their psychic connection.
No. He's human. Damaged and dangerous, but human. We don't attack humans unless there's no other choice.
That evening, the arcade becomes a battleground where Max demonstrates exactly why she earned the MADMAX high score. She dominates every game with fierce concentration, anger channeled into joystick precision that makes grown teenagers step back and reassess their assumptions about California girls.
Lucas and Dustin hover nearby like satellites caught in her gravitational pull, while Mike maintains suspicious distance that makes his hostility feel more like fear than genuine dislike.
He's afraid of change. Afraid that adding new people to the Party means losing the closeness that's sustained them through impossible circumstances.
"She's good," Will observes quietly, watching Max navigate Galaga with surgical precision.
"She's amazing," Dustin breathes, apparently having developed his first serious crush in the span of three hours.
Adam plays mediator, reading social dynamics with adult understanding while maintaining his cover as peer rather than puppet master.
"She's cool," Adam says to Mike during a moment when Max is distracted by her current game. "Give her a chance."
She's more than cool. She's brave and broken and beautiful, and she's going to become family whether you like it or not.
Max catches his eye across the arcade and mouths "Thanks," her expression carrying gratitude that suggests she's not used to having advocates in social situations.
In that moment, Adam realizes his feelings are more complicated than just protective.
She's twelve. I'm mentally thirty-something. But this borrowed body is also twelve, with all the hormonal chaos that implies.
I'm in trouble. The kind of trouble that makes smart decisions feel impossible and emotional complications inevitable.
[MAX MAYFIELD RELATIONSHIP: MUTUAL RECOGNITION (35%)]
[BILLY HARGROVE MARKED: ACTIVE THREAT]
[SCOUT RESTRAINING PROTOCOLS: ESTABLISHED]
[PARTY DYNAMICS: SHIFTING]
[NEW QUEST: NAVIGATE THE MAX SITUATION]
[MULTIPLE OUTCOMES POSSIBLE]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: +500 XP]
That night, Adam lies awake knowing the timeline is accelerating toward convergence—Will's episodes are daily now, Max is here stirring up social dynamics that were already fragile, Billy represents a powder keg of violence waiting for the right spark, and somewhere in the Upside Down, the Mind Flayer is reaching toward Hawkins with tendrils that will soon burst through reality itself.
October. The month when everything changes. When Will's possession reaches critical threshold, when the tunnels spread beneath the town, when my carefully laid plans either succeed or fail spectacularly.
Through the bond, Scout sends updates from patrol routes that now include monitoring Billy's movements and tracking dimensional weak points that correspond to Will's tunnel drawings. The creature network is stretched to capacity, but holding steady.
Six weeks. Maybe less, depending on how quickly Will's infection progresses.
Six weeks to prevent a possession, save Bob Newby, integrate Max into the group, and somehow manage Billy Hargrove without revealing the existence of interdimensional creatures.
Six weeks to save everyone.
No pressure at all.
But as sleep finally claims him, Adam allows himself a moment of something approaching optimism. He has advantages this time—foreknowledge, established relationships, a creature army that's grown stronger and more loyal with each passing month.
I failed Barb. I couldn't stop Eleven's sacrifice. But I saved Will once already.
And I'm not done saving people yet.
+1 CHAPTER AFTER EVERY 3 REVIEWS
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
Love [ Stranger Things Demogorgon Tamer ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ Stranger Things Demogorgon Tamer ] with exclusive access to 40+ chapters on my Patreon, you get more chapters if you ask for more (in few days), plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $6/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse, Breaking Bad , The Walking dead ,The Hobbit,Wednesday].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!