A Threnody of Tears | Steve Harrington ✓

Chapter Nine

With only Dustin's faulty compass as their guide, the group made their way through the woods, unsure of what their final destination would be. Maggie walked next to Steve, both of them walking in a comfortable silence until a sudden realisation struck Maggie.

"Shit." She muttered, Steve looking towards her in a panic as if something had happened.

"What?" He questioned.

"Nothing." She returned, smiling at his concerned expression. "Well, it's not nothing just not super important in the context of all this end-of-the-world stuff. I just realised that I didn't show up to my shift at work and didn't tell anyone. God Lou probably thinks I'm dead after all."

"That's it?" Steve questioned, his eyebrows furrowing. "But come to think of it, Robin and I haven't shown up to work either." He continued, the realisation striking him as well. "I mean it wasn't such a big deal last time considering Scoops went down with all the 'mall fire' stuff but let's just hope the Video Store survives this, I really don't want to lose my job again."

"Well, I hope it survives too." Maggie returned earnestly. "I don't know what I would do without such frequent trips to the Video Store. My Dad simply would not know what to do with himself. Although it might encourage him to finally get back into the job market." She muttered, Steve looking down at her with sympathy.

"How is that going?" He asked tentatively, knowing it was a sensitive subject.

"No change." She returned. "It's no surprise but that doesn't stop me from wishing that things were different. It's been nearly a year since it happened and yeah I've done my best to move on but that doesn't mean that I don't think about her every single day. I haven't cried since that day you know? I used to feel like such a monster for it, who doesn't cry when their sister dies? Yet sometimes I feel like if I start crying now, I'll just never stop. So it's easier to just not. Does that make sense?" She finished, looking up at Steve, aware of how much she had just blurted out in her emotional state.

"Yeah, it makes sense." He said softly. "If it helps I think your sister would be proud of you. I know that fighting interdimensional creatures and scenarios was definitely not your idea of a fun break, but I think she would be proud of everything you have done for your Dad."

Maggie softly smiled, looking down at the floor. "Thanks, that means a lot, especially coming from you."

"You know I-" Steve started, only to be interrupted by a disturbance up the front of the group.

"Something's happening. I think we're getting close." Dustin called out, only to be held back by Eddie.

"Watch your step, big guy," Eddie said, holding Dustin away from where he was about to walk straight into Lover's Lake.

"Oh man," Steve groaned, walking into the clearing. "You gotta be shitting me."

Eddie sighed. "Yeah. I thought these woods were familiar."

"Lover's Lake," Robin announced.

"This is confounding," Dustin muttered.

"There's a gate in Lover's Lake?" Max questioned.

"Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening," Nancy explained. "Maybe Vecna's the same way."

"Well, only one way to find out," Maggie said as they moved to recover a small boat from the shore and ease it into the water.

Maggie hopped in first with the rest quickly joining her, however when Dustin moved to climb into the boat as well, Eddie stopped him. "Hey, hey, hey, you trying to sink us? This thing holds four people tops, okay?" He accused.

"It's better this way, okay? You guys stay here with Max." Maggie started, looking over to the redhead who she couldn't stop worrying about.

"Keep an eye out for trouble." Nancy finished.

"You keep an eye out." Dustin protested. "It's my goddamn theory."

"You heard Nance," Robin warned.

"Who put her in charge?" Dustin asked.

Robin shrugged. "I did."

"Compass," Maggie said, the closest to Dustin as he reluctantly handed over the compass.

Steve pushed the boat further into the water before climbing into the boat to join them. "You said four." Dustin accused.

"Sorry." He said quietly, giving them a small wave.

"Bedtime at nine, kiddos," Robin called after them. "Miss you already!"

Maggie watched the compass closely as the boat moved further and further away from the shore, her eyebrows creasing when it started to move violently, the needle travelling in every possible direction. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. Slow down, guys." She ordered Robin and Eddie who were paddling, holding out the compass for everyone to see.

"Guys, what's going on?" Dustin asked over the walkie-talkie. "Come on, talk to me. What's going on?"

Robin picked up the device, calling out to the group waiting for them on the shore. "Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital 'aah!'"

The group watched the compass as its needle only continued to spin more violently, Steve suddenly standing up and taking his shoes off.

"Steve, what are you doing?" Maggie questioned, the first to notice Steve's sudden movements.

"Somebody's gotta go down and check this out," Steve explained. "Unless one of you four can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then... It's gotta be me. No complaints, all right?"

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Eddie muttered. "I do not wanna go down there."

Steve pulled his shirt off before prepping himself to dive into the water. An action that Maggie couldn't help but stare at. Robin and Nancy grinned at each other, noticing the small exchange immediately.

"Hey. Good luck." Eddie called, passing Steve a flashlight wrapped in a plastic bag.

"Thanks." Steve returned, picking up the flashlight.

"Steve?" Maggie called after him, gaining his attention immediately. "Be careful."

Steve nodded at her with a smile before diving into the water, leaving the rest in silence as they waited for him to appear once more.

"Where we at, Wheeler?" Robin questioned, looking over to Nancy who was observing her watch intently.

"Closing in on a minute."

Robin exhaled. "Okay."

"Come on, Steve. Come on." Maggie muttered, fighting the urge to dive in after him as each second passed by.

The water suddenly splashed, Steve breaching the water and scaring everyone in the boat. "I found it." He said, gripping tightly onto the edge of the boat. "I found it. Yeah, I found it."

Robin moved to grab the walkie-talkie to inform the others on the shore. "Dustin, you are a goddamn Einstein. Steve found the gate." She said only to be met with silence on the other end.

"It's pretty wild. It's more a snack-size gate than the mama gate, but still, it's pretty damn big." Steve explained before suddenly being pulled back under the water, only to surface once more.

"Steve?" Robin asked as Steve was suddenly dragged back into the water's depths.

"Steve!" Maggie shouted, looking around the boat in a panic, before standing up and prepping herself to dive in after him.

"No! What the hell was that, man?" Eddie shouted, before noticing Maggie's prepped stance. "No, no, Maggie. You're not going in there, are you?"

Maggie looked over at him with a shrug. "Well, I'm not just going to wait here." She said, before diving in, completely unprepared for what awaited her at the bottom.