☆✫❣︎𖤐♥︎𖦹𖣴
// fifty seven
• 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗈𝖿𝖿
Later that night the group headed off to the river, following behind Dustin who just kept running off without them, especially in the dark they couldn't see anything but the flashlights of Lucas and Robins lighting their way through.
"Dustin, can you slow down? Dustin?" The young boy continued his way down the path, glancing down checking on his compass every two seconds.
"I think we're getting close." Dustin says looking back and nearly falling into the lake when Eddie grabbed the back of his hoodie. "Watch your step, big guy."
"Oh man." The group surrounded around Dustin staring at the dark lake ahead of them. "You gotta be shitting me."
"I though these woods were familiar." Eddie signs, kneeling down feeling the temperature of the water.
"Lovers lake."
"This is confounding." Dustin uttered.
"There's a gate in lover's lake?" Max question glancing over at Julia, the girl hums nodding her head. "Wow."
"Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening." Nancy says, Julia exhaled, rubbing hers hands on Dustin's hoodie. "Maybe Vecna's the same way."
"Yeah, only one way to find out." Steve says, before you know it, Eddie Munson had brought over Reefer Rick boat from the cabin he had been hiding in.
"Easy, I.. I said easy, man." Steve rolled his eyes away from Eddie, the boy had just thrown the boat into the lake, water splashing everywhere.
"Sorry, dude." Eddie smacked his lips turning around facing up to Robin who hands went on their heads stepping onto the boat. "Yeah, I'm just gonna do that." After her Eddie stepped in, offering his hand to Nancy who took it gracefully.
"Wheeler."
"Thanks."
Steve huffs dropping his hand back down, standing up from the ground turning over to his girlfriend, offering her his hand, Julia knew she didn't need help into the boat but she still took his hand watching a smile grow on his face.
"Thank you." Julia smiled back getting a hum out from him, sitting down by Nancy, Dustin stepped forward only to get shoved back by Eddie.
"Hey, hey, hey, you trying to sink us? This thing holds four people tops, okay?" Eddie explained to him, through the teen was completely disappointed.
"It's better this way, okay?" Nancy spoke up from behind him. "You guys stayed here with Max, keep an eye out for trouble."
"You keep an eye out." Dustin threw her words back at her, making her squinted her eyes. "It's my goddamn theory."
"You heard nance." Robin reminds the young teen, Julia hums nodding her head. "Plus, Jules was also a part of this theory, makes it her theory."
Dustin scoffs, pointed over at Nancy. "Who put her in charge?" Watching the curly hair girl stand up from the boat.
"I did." Robin instantly answered.
"Compass." Nancy held her hand out up towards Dustin, waiting for the boy to give it up, he stomped his foot and handed it over and backed away from the boat.
"Hey, there you go." Steve tossed the boat coverage to Dustin, pushing the boat into the water before stepping inside sitting to Julia's left.
"You said four!" The teenager shouted.
"Sorry." Steve whispered.
"Bed time at nine, kiddos." Robin called out cupping her mouth. "Miss you already."
—
Julia crack her neck in each side watching the water swash beneath them, with Eddie and Robin using the water paddles taking them further down into the lake while Nancy was keeping track of the compass in her hands, hoping they won't miss where the gate was placed.
The boat came to a stop, she stared down at the compass watching the clock arms move rapidly.
"Guys, what's going on?" Dustin's voice echoed out from the walkie, he clearly saw that they weren't moving. "Come on, guys, talk to me."
Robin reached down picking up the walkie. "Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital ahh."
Julia turned away from the compass over to her boyfriend who started to remove his shoes along with his socks, with furrowed eyebrows she placed her hand on his arm. "What are you doing?"
"Somebody's gotta go down and check this out." Steve began shoving his socks into his shoes. "Unless on of you four can top being a Hawkins high swim co-captain and certified lifeguard for three years, then... it's gotta be me, no complaints, all right?"
"Hey, I'm not complaining." Eddie says, "I do not wanna go down there." Julia ignore his comments turning back only to be faced with a naked back, she thanked god that it was dark out especially seeing the nails marks on his back from the night before.
Robin raised a brow eyeing the couple smirking, now understanding why Steve didn't want her over. Nancy smugly smile watching Julia awkwardly fiddle with her hands. "Here." Steve passed Julia his shirt.
"Ugh, when'd Steve get so hairy." Lucas mentions, eyeing the body hair on the males body, using the binoculars to get a better look at Steve's chest.
"Right." Dustin jumped in, agreeing with the boy. "I keep telling him he needs to tame that jungle, but he claims Julia loves it."
Max walked in, standing between them. "Let me see." Lucas shrugs passing her the binoculars letting her take a look for herself, though they didn't expect for the girl to just stare at his bare chest in admiration.
Eddie rolled up a flashlight inside a plastic bag, passing it over to him. "Hey, good luck."
"Thanks." Steve exhales leaning over preparing himself to dive in, just before he could do anything Julia's hand wrapped around his wrist yanking him back down to her level.
"Please be careful, okay?" Steve nodded leaning down and kissed her temple, holding her hand in his, holding her like the most important thing to him was her.
Before they knew it Steve dived into the water, now they just sat in the boat waiting, counting the minutes as they passed. "Where we at, Wheeler?"
"Closing in on a minute." Nancy exhaled, Robin nods telling out a shaky breath of air, worried for her best friend. Julia hands gripped the edge of the boat suddenly turning when a loud splash came out from the water.
"I found it." Steve gasped, pushing back his wet hair from his face. "I found it. Yeah, I found it." He panted.
"Dustin, you are a goddamn Einstein, Steve found the gate." Robin spoke into the walkie, not waiting for Dustin to reply when she shut it off.
"It's wild, it's more a snack size gate then the mama gate, but still, it's pretty damn big." Steve says holding the edge of the boat, his legs kicked the water holding himself up feeling something touch his leg yanking him slightly down.
"Take my hand." Julia stretched out her hand down towards Steve letting him know to take her hand, she wasn't going to lose him again, Steve reached forward letting his fingers glaze over hers, and just before he could wrap his hand around hers, he was suddenly dragged back down into the water.
"Steve!" Robin and Nancy screamed leaning over the boat splashing the water away hoping he'll float up. "Steve!"
"What the hell was that, man?"
Julia stood up immediately tugging off her jacket tossing it down by her feet. "What are you doing?" Eddie dropped the paddle from his hands watching the girl leaned over the boat.
"I'm going in." She tells him when Robin's hand wrapped around her wrist stopping her. "Im not going to sit here and wait for him to swim back up, okay? I'm going."
And with that she ripped her arm out of Robins grasp and dove straight into the water, hearing loud muffles screaming out her name from above the water. She ignored them holding her breath as she continued to swim down until she spotted the bright red gate diving immediately inside.
She rose up taking a breath of oxygen, scanning around the place it looked exactly like Hawkins only darker and with vines, snapping her head over to the bats hearing muffled screams.
Her leg cramped from the fall, she was practically limping towards the body before she lifted herself off the ground flying over the vines spotting Steve, when she dropped down scarlet danced around her fading into the bats landing meters away from Steve's body.
"Hands off." Julia spat bringing her hands forward sending a scarlet force towards the bats, ending it's life.
She almost growled watching her boyfriend choked at the bat tail wrapped around his neck, she rose a hand lifting the bat with ease and Steve gasped for air sitting up, moving her fingers around and the bat squealed exploding from the inside.
Out of the corner of her eye Julia saw in the distance Eddie, Nancy and Robin running towards them, she turned over to Steve examining his neck, Steve exhaled nodding slowly. "I'm... I'm okay."
"Holy shit, that was awesome." Robin breaths out with the ends of her short damped hair touching her jaw. "But also terrifying." She chuckled, dropping the paddle.
"Yeah," Steve panted winching at the pain in his stomach taking Julia arms to hold himself up, the witch didn't realize her eyes were glowing red until Steve pointed it off, she blinked a few times letting her eyes go back to normal.
"Are you okay?" Nancy asked standing by Julia scanning Steve's body from head to toe, circling around him.
"They only took like a pound of flesh but other than that, yeah, never better." Steve panted leaning into Julia's arms and a hand pressed on his stomach.
"Uh, do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies?" Robin spoke up from behind them, watching unfamiliar liquid link out from the bats.
"What?" Steve furrowed.
"It's— it's just that rabies are, like," Robin waved her hand pausing. "Like my number one greatest fear and I think we should get you to a doctor like really soon because once symptoms set in, it's too late. You're already dead."
Julia pursed her lips together, turning back up to the dark sky, loud screeching of bats coming back to them. The group stood close together staring up at the sky. "All right, there's not that many." Steve mentions at the few bats near them. "We can take them, right?"
Julia scoff lightly shaking her head. "You were saying." Robin declares to the soaring bats coming straight at them.
Julia removed herself from Steve stepping forward, hands glowing scarlet staring up at the sky. "I should stay, make sure you guys don't get followed."
Steve shook his head limping towards her wincing every few seconds, turning her around to face him. "Are you insane, no, I'm not letting stay here while we are running for our life's, yes, I know you can take them easily." Steve needed her, needed her to be safe. "But I won't risk it, come on, please."
Julia stared into his eyes hearing the bats grow closer, she didn't want to disappoint him some more then she already had, with a small nod the group immediately turned running down into the woods.
She will get back at Vecna and his army of bats somehow, no matter the cost.
—