chapter thirty-four!
CASSIE HAD TUCKED THE NOTE INTO HER BAG, then stayed in her car for the rest of the night. She couldn't sleep anymore, nor did she really want to. Instead, she just listened to music and got lost in her own thoughts. It seemed Vecna had enough of her for the night, so it quite peaceful for Cassie to just relax for a moment. She thought for a little while about what her song would be if music could save her too from Vecna. Truth be told, she didn't really have a favorite song. She had several. Blackbird by The Beatles was hers and Frankie's song, and it reminded her of happier times. Heroes by David Bowie reminded her of all of her friends. She's A Rainbow had been one of her favorites for as long as she could remember. Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac was one of her favorites that she had introduced to El. It was now El's favorite, so it reminded Cassie of her. Cassie also thought about how her father would react to her death. Would he be messed up, like he was with Billy? Would it push him over the edge, or be the final push for him to get better. Cassie hoped it was the later.
She had been broken from her long train of thought when she heard the light tapping on her car door window. Cassie had looked over to see Robing motioning for her to get out. Robin had quickly explained that they were going to visit Eddie and deliver some food, to which Cassie had nodded and told her older friend to give her twenty minutes to get ready.
Cassie felt a lot better after taking a very quick shower. The cuts on her neck burned under the water, but the blonde didn't mind. She changed into a baby blue long-sleeve turtleneck and clean jeans. The group took Nancy's car, again, making Cassie sigh longingly for her baby. Cassie went in with Nancy and Robin at the grocery store, mostly just for some snacks for herself.
"So..." muttered Robin as she held the basket. "Cassie. Just for possible future reference, what is your favorite song?"
"Everywhere by Fleetwood Max," answered Cassie, almost instantly. "But Robin, I'm not sure music is going to solve anything."
"Yeah, but I just thought it would be nice to know, just in case," defended Robin, nudging her friends side. Nancy nodded in agreement as she grabbed some chips from the shelf and setting them in their basket. Cassie reached across the aisle and grabbed a box of gummy bears and shoved them in next to the chips.
"I do wonder why you are different than the others, Cas," commented Nancy, a frown on her face. SHe tilted her head, "You have the same symptoms; nose-bleeds, headaches, nightmares, etc. But you've had them for longer, and your connection and purpose to Vecna seems off from everyone else."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," nodded Cassie, "I dunno, I think it has something to do with Billy, but who knows? Maybe the dude just hates me."
"Well, we're not going to let anything happen to you," said Nancy, certainly. Cassie raised her eyebrows, doubting her words but not saying anything. "I promise."
"Can we get me a beer too? I think I deserve it," grinned Cassie. Nancy and Robin share a look before shaking their heads. Cassie groaned. If she was going to die soon, she wanted to have a beer first. Maybe some weed too, if she got lucky.
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Cassie did not, in fact, get a beer. She was actually slightly disappointed, then remembered that she could just steal one of Eddie's if she really needed it. Cassie doubted that Eddie was still at Reefer Ricks- whoever the fuck that was anyways, considering someone was murdered there the night prior. The others didn't disagree, but figured that they should at least check. Plus, they didn't know if Cassie's vision had been happening in that moment, or if it was something that hadn't happened yet but was going to. Dustin had made the point that Eddie would have radioed them if he was leaving, and especially if he had just saw someone get murdered.
"Not to be a wimp," started Robin, once they almost made it to the house. "But can I stay in the car for this visit? 'Cause this is gonna totally and royally suck."
"It'll be fine," assured Nancy, making Cassie laugh out loud from where she sat beside Steve in the far back seat.
"I can't stand to see those doe eyes of Eddie's break again. I really, really can't," said Robin. Cassie pulled her hair back into a low bun, since it was finally dry. As she pulled it back, her elbow connected with Steve's face several times, making the older boy literally shove her out of the seat and into the floor.
"At least he can drink himself into feeling better," said Steve, stretching back out now that Cassie's elbow wasn't in his face. He shoved a handful of Pringles into his mouth, unflatteringly, as did Dustin. Cassie began to regret sharing.
"That's what my mom does," agreed Max, making Cassie snort quietly as she held a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing. Steve sent her a disapproving look as she slowly climbed back into the seat. Cassie shrugged. She knew that it was inappropriate to laugh at that comment, but she couldn't help what she found funny.
"Why don't we just give it a trial?" said Robin, almost sarcastically. ""Hey, Eddie. Good news first this time. We got you some Cassie approved junk food and that six-pack you requested. Oh, yeah! And we found Vecna! Only, bad news is that he's in that other, darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about, and the gates closed and we have no way of getting to him. Like, he's entirely shut off to us, so you're basically screwed. And, no, no, I know you were already screwed, but now you're like doubly, triply screwed.""
"Wait, wait," stopped Lucas, a grimace on his face. "Maybe we don't put it like that."
""We're one step closer to finding Vecna." That's what we say," corrected Nancy. "That's what's important."
"See, Robin?" called up Steve, Cassie rolling her eyes as she swatted his hand away from the Pringles can. "Positive spin can make all the difference."
"Uh-huh," replied Robin, and Cassie could just imagine the older girl rolling her eyes. Cassie reached into the can of chips, her mouth falling open in disbelief when she realized there were none left. She'd gotten like three. She slapped Steve on the back of the head and threw the empty can at Dustin's forehead with a scowl.
"Oh, shit," cursed Nancy. Cassie straightened up, looking forward as they pulled in the driveway of the house. Cassie's eyes widened at the sight of people crowded around and police cars spread throughout the area.
"Do you think they found Eddie?" asked Dustin. Cassie shrugged, tilting her head in sarcasm.
"Or maybe they found the body of the dude I saw get murdered last night?" she suggested, although everyone seemed to ignore her words as Nancy came to a stop and everyone piled out of the car. Cassie sat back, her arms crossed over her chest as she awaited them to come back and tell her that she was right.
The group was gone for less than two minutes before they came rushing back to the car. Cassie looked to Dustin with raised eyebrows as he climbed back into the car, sitting across from her once again. Steve hadn't even shut the back door before Nancy was taking off down the road, making Cassie stumble in her seat.
"What happened?"
"You were right," muttered Dustin. "They found Patrick. But they named Eddie as a person of interest. Like, on live television."
Cassie's mouth fell open at this information, a grimace slowly growing on her face, "Oh, damn. That's really not good."
"He contacted us," continued the curly-haired boy, while Steve shouted out directions to Nancy. "He's at Skull Rock, that's where we're headed now."
"Shit."
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Of course Cassie knew what Skull Rock was. Her brother was Billy Hargrove, the boy who was notorious for hooking up with several women, constantly. Skull Rock was a make-out spot for the teenagers of Hawkins High, a lame one at that. Cassie could name at least fifteen better places in that town for private hookups and making out than some random rock in the middle of no where.
Cassie had came to this conclusion the second that Nancy had to pull over and they had to literally walk through the woods to find the place. Cassie wondered how to felt to be a teenager and having to walk through the woods in the dark to find this super cool spot a guy was talking about. Imagine being in the mood to make out and just watching the other person trip and faceplant over a tree root. Cassie would be disappointed for sure.
Cassie was also disappointed when she realized she was the seventh wheel of a bunch of assholes. Dustin and Steve were up front, arguing about the directions because Dustin was certain he knew absolutely everything. Nancy and Robin were just hanging out in the middle, in a way that Cassie couldn't tell if it was flirting or platonic bonding, while Lucas and hard-core flirted in the back. Cassie didn't know exactly where she belonged in the bunch, but she didn't want to be a tag-a-long to a sort-of-couple and she was growing sick of Steve and Dustin arguing.
Cassie settled with a lonely lingering between the Steve-Dustin duo and the Nancy-Robin duo as she smoked a cigarette. Cassie looked around at her friends and how they all fit together so easily, and began to feel lucky that it was her who was going to die and not one of them. She also realized how much she missed Will and Frankie in this moment. Would she still eb third-wheeling with them? Absolutely, but she wouldn't mind it because they were her best friends. They were the constant trio in the group, and Cassie missed hanging out with them more than anything. Everything would be so much easier with them here at the moment, Cassie believed that wholeheartedly. Her heart ached at the fact that she may not be able to say goodbye to them.
Cassie also found herself missing El horribly in that moment. Of course, she also missed Jonathan and Mike, but she missed El on a level that couldn't even be explained. Cassie wondered that if El was there, would they be the duo flirting in a way that made the others give them space. Cassie wondered if she would be grinning at El's flustered state, one that she had caused purposefully by touching her hand in a passing moment. Cassie wondered if she would feel safer with El beside her, with her hand in hers. Cassie wondered if she would feel more confident in her chances of surviving.
"You okay, Cas?" asked Robin, skipping forward to fall in step beside the girl. Nancy followed suit, coming up on Cassie's other side. The two girls looped their arms through Cassie's, making a smile grow on the blondes face.
"All good, girls. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" smiled Cassie jokingly. Nancy shrugged, squeezing the blondes arm comfortingly.
"We just miss your lovely remarks," laughed Nancy. "Seems like there's been less than usual lately."
"Oh, no," gasped Cassie, dramatically. "I can't be losing my sense of humor, that'd be too devastating. How else would anyone around here know how to laugh?"
"And there she is," smiled Robin, winking at Cassie happily. Cassie grinned, pulling her friends along with a smile as they began to giggle to themselves. Cassie's thoughts from before were momentarily pushed aside as the two older girls talk endlessly to her about things so entirely unrelated to their situation that it actually made her feel a little bit better.
Cassie heard Steve exclaim triumphantly from ahead of them, making her believe that he had found the Skull Rock. Cassie grinned at the simple thought of Dustin being wrong. She could just imagine the denial on his face, the utter confusion as he questions his entire existence over being incorrect a single time.
Cassie rubbed her eyes tiredly as they walked, beginning to regret not sleeping the night prior. She perked up upon hearing Eddie's voice, pulling the older two along as they finally caught up with Dustin and Steve.
"Miss. Cassie Hargrove, it that you?" asked Eddie, his voice jokingly posh as he curtsied to the blonde before him.
"The one and only," replied Cassie, her accent matching his as she bowed. "Mr. Eddie Munson."
The two laugh, exchanging an almost difficultly elaborate handshake. The others looked between the two in confusion. Cassie patted the boy on the shoulder as he ruffled her hair.
"Hold on, how you do two know each other?" asked Steve, his voice coated with something that sounded almost like jealousy. First, Dustin wouldn't shut up about how amazing Eddie was, he didn't want to hear it from Cassie too.
"Oh, I used to buy weed from him," she grinned, as if it were the most casual thing to say. Steve let out a huff as he rolled his eyes, slapping Cassie upside the back of her head. Cassie kicked him in the shin in response, her eyebrows raised.
"Why am I not surprised?" asked Steve, his mouth twisted into a scowl as he reached down to rub his shin. Cassie simply shrugged, a small smug grin playing on her lips.
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Cassie completely zoned out while Eddie talked. The blonde was too lost in her own thoughts and staring off into space to even comprehend a word of what Eddie was saying to the group. After Eddie had happily dug through his bag of food and settled down against the rock, he had began to explain what had happened the night prior. Cassie didn't figure she really needed to listen, considering she already knew what happened. It wasn't until Nancy nudged Cassie in the side to gain her attention did she break from her thoughts and tune back in.
"Everything lines up perfectly with what you said," muttered Nancy, her eyebrows furrowed. "But it happened at the same time. I think, through Vecna, you witnessed it happening."
"Could have told you that," replied Cassie, picking at her nails. Eddie looked to her in confusion.
"You saw that shit happen?" asked Eddie, Cassie nodding boredly as she leaned on a tree, her arms crossed over her chest. Eddie looked at her expectingly, as if urging her to explain.
"Oh, yeah. I'm cursed by this dick in some weird way," she said after thinking for a moment. "But, I wouldn't say I saw it, it was more like I was experiencing it? I kinda saw it through Patrick's eyes. One second I'm underwater, then I'm twenty feet in the air and you're falling out of a boat and Jason is freaking out."
"Oh," muttered Eddie in response. "So, you have, like, a superpower?"
"Not exactly," smiled Cassie, sarcastically. Robin winced, knowing it was quite the opposite.
"Well, we're one step closer," cut in Robin, "We know how Vecna attacks."
"And where he attacks from."
"So, now we just need to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart," finished Max with a shrug. Cassie nodded, pointing at her sister with a grin.
"I call dibs!"
"If he even has a heart," said Robin, sending Cassie a look. Cassie pouted, rolling her eyes.
"A stake?" asked Steve. "Is he like a vamp? Is he a vampire?"
"Obviously, Steve," said Cassie, a sarcastic grin spreading across her lips. "He wears a cape and has fangs and everything. I've seen him, I should know."
"Wait, seriously?"
"It was a metaphor, Steve," smiled Max. Steve looked to Cassie with a scowl, the blonde shoving his shoulder playfully.
"A bullet should work on him, right?" asked Eddie. Cassie thought for a second. Would a bullet work on this guy? It didn't work against the demodogs, or the mind flayer. Could they even kill Vecna? Or was he too powerful? Cassie would like to think she could just beat the shit out of him like she would anyone else, but she knew this was different. Vecna could kill people from a different dimension, and quite brutally. What could he do to a person right in front of him?
"I say we chop his head off," said Lucas, his voice cutting through Cassie's doubts. She let out a low chuckle at his words, then tilted her head in agreement. Surely Vecna couldn't just grow a new one, right?
"What about blowing him up? Like setting this fucking asshole fully on fire?" suggested Cassie. Steve looked at her and rolled his eyes, knowing that Cassie would do anything to involve fire. The older boy believed she was likely a slight pyromaniac. Cassie just grinned.
"I'd say we do all of the above, but we can't do any of that until we find a way into the Upside Down," reminded Nancy.
"We need El to get her powers back," said Max, making Cassie smile at the girls name. Robin noticed, sending Cassie a subtle look.
"We just need El in general," added Cassie, making Steve nod from beside her.
"Everything was way easier," said Steve, looking over to Eddie, "We had this girl. She had superpowers."
"Superpowers. Yeah, you mentioned her," nodded Eddie. His eyes trailed over to Dustin, Cassie following his line of sight. The blonde scrunched her nose up at Dustin's restless pacing, but shrugged it off nonetheless. "Hey, uh, Henderson's not cursed, is he?"
"Cursed? No, no, he's fine," assured Steve, looking over towards his friend then back to Eddie. "Mental? Absolutely."
"Boom!" shouted Dustin, suddenly. Cassie stumbled from where she stood, almost tripping over a tree root. She glared in Dustin's direction, steadying herself. "Bada... bada boom!"
"What the hell are you on, you moron?" asked Cassie, crossing her arms over her chest as she took a step forward.
"I was right," smiled Dustin, victoriously as he looked to Steve. "Skull Rock was north."
"Seriously? You're serious?" asked Steve in disbelief. Dustin nodded happily. Steve pointed up to the large rock behind him, "This is Skull Rock, okay? You're totally, absolutely, one hundred percent wrong right now."
"Yes," agreed Dustin, "and no."
"He just has a hard time admitting when he's in the wrong," muttered Cassie to herself, Robin stifling a laugh as she overheard.
"This worked correctly when we left the Wheelers," said Dustin as he held up his compass. It was correct when we got in the car on Kerley, but it started to slip the further east we went. Now it's way off. When I was leading us here, I wasn't wrong. The compass was."
"So you're using faulty equipment. You're still wrong," denied Steve. Cassie rolled her eyes, unable to believe that this argument was still happening, just because Dustin didn't like to be wrong.
"Except it isn't faulty," corrected Dustin. He turned, looking to Lucas. "Lucas, remember what can affect a compass?"
"An electromagnetic field," said Lucas, seemingly catching on to whatever the hell Dustin was getting to. Cassie huffed, leaning back against her tree and sharing a look with Steve. Cassie never got used to be surrounded by nerds.
"Yep."
"I'm sorry, I must've missed that class," said Robin, Cassie nodding along in agreement.
"In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect towards that power," began Dustin. Steve and Cassie shared a look, neither understanding. "So, either there's some super big magnet around here, or..."
"There's a gate," finished Lucas. Cassie squinted at the two.
"How did we come to that conclusion from that?" she muttered, Steve shrugging from beside her. Cassie closed her eyes, bringing her hand to her forehead.
"But we're nowhere near the lab," pointed out Nancy.
"But, what if, somehow there's another gate?" asked Dustin. "A gate that we don't know about. It'd have to be smaller, way less powerful."
"Snack-sized gate," commented Robin. Cassie looked to Steve.
"How? Why?" asked the older boy.
"No idea," admitted Dustin. Cassie didn't know he was capable of admitting that he didn't know everything in the entire world. "All I know is that something is causing this disturbance, and the last time we've seen anything like it, it was a gate. And I hope it is, because then we'd have a way to Vecna. And a shot at freeing Cas and Max from this curse."
Cassie watched as Dustin turned around, beginning to walk away from the group without explanation. Steve rolled his eyes, "Where are you going? Hey, hey, hey! Eddie's still a wanted man. We can't just go for a hike through the woods."
"This little steel capsule might be the key to saving Max, Cas, and Eddie," said Dustin, holding up his compass as if it were a gift from god. The curly haired boy looked to Eddie, "What say you, Eddie the Banished?"
"I say, you're asking me to follow you into Mordor," started the older boy. Cassie looked to Steve, her eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched up as she mouthed motor? to the boy, who only shrugged in response, "which, if I'm totally straight with you, I think is a really bad idea. But, uh, the Shire... the Shire is burning. So Mordor it is."
Cassie watched in disbelief as Eddie stood up, Dustin jumping happily in excitement. Eddie walked towards Dustin, the others following behind as they began their second hike through the woods. Steve looked to Cassie, "What is Mordor?"
"Sounds like a rich people food," shrugged Cassie, looping her arm with his, "Figured you'd know all about it."
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Cassie was growing more and more tired by the second as they walked through the woods for what felt like hours. It had grown dark, making Cassie's body believe that it was time for sleep. Cassie wished for nothing more. Dustin was speed walking through the woods, shoving limbs and thorn vines out of his way as he moved along. Cassie was right behind him for a while, but soon went towards the back of the group when Dustin continuously let limbs fly back into her face after moving past them. Cassie figured it wasn't intentional, just Dustin being excited, but it was still annoying and she was going to punch him in the face if she hadn't moved. Now Cassie found herself being quite content walking alongside Nancy and Robin in the back.
Cassie had to speed up into a jog when Dustin murmured about something happening. Cassie came out of the woods as the rest of the group stopped. The blonde girl held back one of the thorn bushes as Nancy and Robin made their way through. Cassie grimaced when she realized that they'd stopped at a lake; more specifically the lake that Patrick had been murdered at the night before.
"Oh, man," muttered Steve. "You gotta be shitting me."
"This is just fantastic," scowled Cassie.
"I thought these woods were familiar," said Eddie, Cassie reaching forward to pat his back.
"Lover's Lake."
"This is confounding," said Dustin in wonder.
"There's a gate in Lovers Lake?" asked Max in disbelief.
"Whenever the Demogorgon attacked," started Nancy, "it always left an opening. Maybe Vecna's the same way."
"Yeah, only one way to find out," said Steve. Cassie leaned on his arm, a teasing smile on his face.
Luckily, Eddie still knew where the boat was that he attempted to make his escape on. Where he had gotten the tarp to cover it up, Cassie didn't know but didn't care enough to question. She stood with Robin as Steve and Eddie pushed it into the water, sending the older girl a knowing smile.
"I'm going with you," she told her. Robin looked to her, ready to protest. "I'm probably the best swimmer and you know it. Plus, I cannot stay here with Dustin unless you want another homicide for the police to blame on Eddie."
Robin looked at her friend for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Robin climbed onto the small boat first, Cassie following immediately behind. The boys don't bother to argue, knowing that it was almost useless to do so with Cassie. Cassie sat beside Robin. Eddie climbed in next, helping Nancy in soon after.
Dustin then attempts to do the same, only to be stopped instantly by Eddie, "Hey, hey. You trying to sink us? This thing holds four people, tops."
"It's better this way, okay?" assured Nancy, "You guys stay here with Max. Keep an eye out for trouble."
"You keep an eye out," retorted Dustin. Cassie stood up, stepping forward to stand beside Nancy. "It's my goddamm theory? And why does Cassie get to go? She's literally cursed."
"Cassie can swim really well," defended Robin, "You heard Nance."
"Who put her in charge?"
"I did," grinned Robin, making Cassie send her friend a sly smile. Cassie looked back to Dustin, smugly as she made herself comfortable once again on the boat.
"Compass?" asked Nancy, holding out her hand expectingly. Dustin grumbled unhappily, handing it over to the older girl.
Steve tossed Dustin's bag off of the boat, almost knocking the boy over in the process. Steve pushed he boat off shore, the jumped on himself. Dustin's mouth fell open in disbelief, "You said four!"
"Sorry," muttered Steve, insincerely as he sat next to Nancy. Cassie grinned triumphantly to herself, just happy that she got even a few minutes without Dustin's know-it-all attitude. She used to enjoy it, but since she was mad at him in that moment it just got on her nerves severely. Robin gave her an understanding look, and Cassie murmured a thanks to the girl, leaning onto her contently.
"Bedtimes at nine, kiddos!" shouted Cassie back to the kids.
"You're only a year older, Cassie!" shouted Dustin in annoyance.
"And who's on the boat?"
That shut Dustin up very quickly. Robin gave her a low high-five, Nancy grinning to herself in pride. Cassie smiled smugly, holding her head high as they rowed further into the lake.
From there, Robin and Cassie took turns with the oar. Robin apparently proved to have quite weak arm muscles, leaving her to grow tired quicker, while Cassie was just exhausted overall. Eddie had the other oar, while Nancy kept watch of the compass. Cassie wasn't sure of what Steve was there for, other than to look pretty.
Cassie felt the lake feel familiar as they moved through a specific area. Cassie recognized it as the place where Patrick was killed. She could still feel herself being pulled underwater. She could only imagine how Patrick felt in the moment. He had no idea what was happening, not even a clue about Vecna and the Upside Down. He must've been so confused, and scared. Cassie felt immense empathy for him, along with Chrissy and Fred.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down," urged Nancy. "Slow down guys."
Cassie pulled the oar out of the water, turning to look at the compass. Her eyebrows furrowed as the gadget spun around haphazardly. Cassie personally didn't own a compass, but she was pretty sure they weren't supposed to do that.
Dustin's voice broke through the walkie, asking them why they had stopped. Cassie rolled her eyes at his voice. She then began wondering if she was being too petty about her anger towards her ex-boyfriend. Did she want to die with bad blood still between them? Probably not.
"Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital ahh," replied Robin. Cassie watched the compass spin, strangely entertained. Cassie looked up with a cringe as Steve began talking off his shoes.
"Ew, your feet stink," she scrunched her nose up.
"What are you doing, Steve?" asked Robin, and Cassie almost was afraid of the answer.
"Someone's gotta go down there and check this thing out," said Steve, looking up to meet Cassie's eyes. "And I'll be damned if Cas goes down there, best swimmer or not. I was Hawkins High swim co-captain, and a certified lifeguard."
"Hey, I'm not complaining," shrugged Eddie. "I do not wanna go down there."
"I'm complaining," muttered Cassie. "I was all-conference swim champ and placed second in States, as just a freshman. I was raised in California, dude, I would swim before I could walk."
"Cassie, shut up," replied Robin, nudging her. Cassie shrugged. She wasn't really complaining, she just liked to brag about being a good swimmer.
Cassie groaned in disgust as Steve pulled off his shirt, looking away dramatically as she gagged. The blonde cringed when she saw Nancy looking shamelessly at the boy.
Cassie handed Eddie her flashlight to wrap up in a plastic bag so Steve would be able to see. She looked to Robin questioningly, both wondering if this was the best idea. Eddie held the wrapped flashlight up to Steve, "Hey, good luck."
Steve turned around, accepting the flashlight with a grateful nod, "Thanks."
Eddie stuck a cigarette in his mouth, holding the pack out to offer one to Cassie. Robin shook her head, plucking the cigarette from his lips and tossing it in the water, "Gross."
"Oh yeah, Robin," nodded Cassie sarcastically. "Like that doesn't pollute the water at all."
"Like you know what pollution mean," retorted Robin, making Cassie scowl at her older friend.
"Steve?" interjected Nancy, cutting off their bicker before Steve could jump off the boat. Steve turned around, "Be careful."
Steve nodded, Cassie giving him a salute as he jumped into the water. Cassie sat back, letting out a breath as she awaited Steve's return. The blonde smiled and began to hold her breath, just to see if she could for longer than Steve. Robin looked at her like she was stupid.
Cassie was still going strong moments later, when Robin turned to Nancy, "Where we at, Wheeler?"
"Closing in on a minute," replied the girl, giving Cassie a small nudge in attempt to get her to breath. Cassie rolled her eyes, perfectly fine with her lack of oxygen.
"Okay," sighed Robin.
Steve bursts through the water moments later, startling the group as Cassie let out a breath.
"Oh, Christ!" cried Eddie.
"Light work, I could've stayed for longer," commented Cassie with a smug grin.
"I found it," said Steve, ignoring Cassie's comment as he treaded water. Cassie perked up, leaning moving closer to the edge of the boat.
"You found it?"
"Yeah, I found it," confirmed Steve, panting lightly. He grabbed onto the side of the boat.
Robin reached for the walkie, "Dustin, you're a goddamned Einstein. Steve found the gate."
There was no response from Dustin, leaving Cassie to believe he was just basking in his glory of being right. Cassie looked to Steve, "What was it like?"
"It was pretty wild," admitted Steve, "It's more a snack size gate than the mama-gate, but still, it's pretty damn big."
Cassie extending her hand to Steve. He goes to grab it but is pulled underwater for a moment. Cassie looks in confusion as he popped his head over water. Before she could ask what happened, he is pulled back under and doesn't come up. Without hesitation, Cassie dived in after him, ignoring her friends calling for both of them. Cassie swam towards Steve, a vine wrapped around his leg pulling him under. Cassie swam faster, Steve's hand reaching for hers as he sinks further into the water.
Cassie's eyes widen in surprise as Steve is pulled by the vine through the gate. She didn't hesitate to follow him through, her head breaking through the other side as air refills her lungs.
Cassie stood up, running over to where Steve was dropped by the vine. She grabbed his hand, helping him up as they looked around. Cassie closed her eyes, almost instantly realizing that they were in deep shit. Her hand wrapped around Steve's arm, the older boy standing in front of her protectively as if Vecna was to show up any second.
"What the hell is that?" asked Cassie, hearing a loud screeching noise from the distance. She squinted, "Are those bats?"
"Stay behind me," muttered Steve, pushing the blonde back.
"Shut up," she replied, grabbing an oar from the vine-covered boat. Steve grabbed it from her hands, making her gasp in offense.
Steve swung at the bats. The creatures seemed to be going straight at them in attack. One latched onto Steve, dragging him to the ground. Cassie grabbed one out of the air that was going at her face, slamming it to the ground and kicking it away before moving to help Steve.
Before she could reach him, a vine wrapped around her foot, making her fall backwards onto the ground and hit her head.
"Shit!"
a/n: fun fun fun
-maddie