Infatuation | Eddie Munson

24- The Gate In Lover's Lake

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My legs became tired and warn out after walking for so long. After a long time of hearing Eddie ramble on about shit with Dustin, I slowed down my pace and was now walking behind him, beside Steve. Steve was someone who I knew of beforehand, but found way too intimidating, hence not speaking to him ever before our current situation.

"Hey," he began, looking up at me as we walked through the dirty path. "I'm sorry you're being dragged into all of this mess."

I looked up at him for a second before reassuring him, "What? No- I dragged myself into this."

He smirked. "Yeah, well, you don't wake up everyday and get possessed, not to mention following this kid around in order to find some gate to lead you to an upside down universe," he said in one singular breath.

"Yeah, I guess not," I shrugged, laughing in self pity.

"Hey, uh- I don't mean to be intrusive or anything but, is there some sort of thing going on. Y'know, between you and Eddie?" He asked, signalling towards Eddie who seemed to be in the middle of an intense conversation with Dustin.

"What? Why would- What makes you think that?" I quickly responded, stumbling on my words.

He looked around before looking back at me, pointing to his neck. I furrowed my eyebrows at him as I watched his gesture in confusion. That was until it hit me.

"Shit!" I cursed, adjusting Eddie's jacket so that it covered my neck as I looked down in embarrassment. There must have been a hickey that Eddie had left on my neck from the previous day in which I hadn't noticed.

"Don't worry," he chuckled as he looked at me with his brown eyes, which were not nearly as dark as Eddie's. "Half of these kids are unobservant idiots-"

"Dustin?" Eddie called loudly. "Can you slow down? Dustin?"

Dustin began to run swiftly, the rest of us following him, "I think we're getting close!" He ran through the leaves of the bushes surrounding us, suddenly coming to a halt. "Watch your step, big guy," Eddie said, blocking Dustin from falling in as we looked over the huge lake in front of us.

"Oh, man," Steve complained. "You've gotta be shitting me," he said, catching his breath.

"Yeah," Eddie spoke up. "I thought these woods were familiar."

"Lover's lake," Robin said with her raspy voice.

"This is... Confounding," Dustin whispered.

"There's a gate in Lover's Lake?" Max asked, Nancy immediately jumping to respond, "Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening. Maybe Vecna's the same way."

"Yeah... Only one way to find out," Steve said as I let out a sigh.

Conveniently, the boat with the busted engine that Eddie and I had used to escape had washed up to the shore. "Hey Guys!" I spoke up, signalling towards the boat a few feet away. Everyone averted their eyes to the boat and back to me, and without any debate, we rushed over to the boat, drawing it towards us.

Eddie and Steve lifted the boat into the water, it making a sudden splash as it lowered down onto the dark blue lake. "Easy! I said easy, man," Steve growled suddenly.

"Sorry, dude."

The two boys made way for Robin to step in, Steve holding a hand out to help her inside. "Yeah, I'm just gonna do that," she said as she put her hands onto their heads for support as she stepped into the small boat. "Thank you," she said in a perky tone as she sat down.