slut [ eddie munson ]

025

The sunlight had completely faded already, yet Dustin continued to guide the group through the woods. The younger boy had grown antsy, desperate to find the gate that he had convinced the others was near by. The others grumbled to themselves as they followed after him, not wanting to give up their search incase he was right.

Talia groaned as Dustin suddenly sped up, practically running away from the group. She exchanged an annoyed glance with Max before quickening her own pace, the rest of the group doing the same so that they wouldn't lose sight of the hyperactive boy.

"Dustin?" Eddie called, swiping a branch away from his path and holding it so Talia could slip past, "Can you slow down? Dustin!"

"I think we're getting close!" Dustin called back, still rushing in the direction of the compass, not looking where he was walking as he glanced at the group. Talia's eyes widened as she noticed the large body of water the boy was approaching, the shoreline appearing practically out of nowhere.

Noticing the same thing, Eddie rushed forward and pulled Dustin back before he could tumble into the water. "Watch your step, big guy," he mumbled, making sure he was steady on his feet before letting go.

Catching up to them, Steve sighed, "Oh, man. You gotta be shitting me." He looked out over the lake, dread filling him.

"Yeah...I thought these woods were familiar," Eddie revealed, mirroring Steve's disappointment. Talia cursed, glancing at her cousin as she stopped next to her.

"Lover's Lake," Robin said, recognizing their surroundings as well.

"This is confounding," Dustin whispered.

"There's a gate in Lover's Lake?" Max asked, confused.

"Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening. Maybe Vecna's the same way," Nancy theorized, calculating eyes focused out on the water before turning to look at the group.

"Yeah, only one way to find out," Steve muttered, not happy with where the events of the night were leading them.

"You wanna go out there?" Talia asked incredulously, "it's pitch black, we won't even be able to see anything if we went."

"Worth a shot," Steve muttered, glancing at Nancy and Robin for their approval. Nancy contemplated it for a moment before her eyes hardened with determination.

"He's right, Lia. If there's a gate to the Upside Down then we need to know," Nancy said.

Talia frowned, eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at her cousin. "Fuck it, if I die it's on you guys," she muttered, hiding a grin when her cousin shoved her, mock offense on her face.

"You're accident prone, T," Nancy reminded her, "Not my fault if you trip and break something."

Talia scrunched her nose up, "That...that's true. Whatever, but I am so not swimming out there—it's fucking cold."

"Don't need to," Eddie muttered, nodding his head at a small metal boat a few yards away. The group approached it, letting Eddie yank the covering off before Steve and he lifted it up and took it to the water.

"Easy," Steve directed, scolding Eddie when the boat flopped down into the water with a splash, "I...I said easy, man."

"Sorry, dude," Eddie muttered, clearly annoyed with the other male's annoyance. Talia bit her lip to hide her smirk, watching as Robin ignored Steve's outstretched hand and instead grabbed on to both boys heads.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna do that," she said, using the boys to steady herself as she stepped into the boat, "Thank you."

"Yeah, that works too," Steve said under his breath. Talia grinned, stepping forward and slapping her hands down on their shoulders. Both boys jerked in surprise, not expecting it. A manic laugh escaped Talia as she climbed into the boat, settling down next to Robin. The taller girl chuckled, watching as Eddie climbed into the boat next and turned to extend his hand to Nancy.