"I swear, if I'm dying tonight because of you, I'm gonna haunt your ass so hard, Harrington!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah! I'm gonna go full Poltergeist and shit!"
"Then bring it, Graveswood."
"Challenge accepted."
***
In which after years of suppressing their...
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Chapter Seventy-Seven: Roast And Run
(The Gate, Pt. 4)
***
Rowan's boot made a dull thud on the ground after she stepped over a vine. She panted, breath fogging her goggles and captured by her bandana, but she much preferred the protections than breathing in the poisonous air of the tunnels. In front of her, the kids were shambling along behind Steve, who scanned the tunnels ahead as Rowan was scanning the tunnels behind them, both taking their roles as protectors seriously. Silence permeated the tunnels as thickly as the rotten air and biting cold, until they came to a crossroads.
Steve stopped, and the kids and Rowan did the same. And as Rowan stepped up behind them, her foot crunched on something.
Alarm jolted through Rowan and she looked down, lifting her boot to see what she had stepped on. Her stomach churned with nausea at seeing she'd stepped on a bone. She looked up quickly after that, focusing on the yawning darkness of the tunnels, the vines and protrusions from the ceiling. Anything but the floor and the nausea threatening to climb up her throat.
"God," Lucas breathed, sounding as sick as Rowan felt.
"What is this place?" Max whispered.
"Probably nothing good," Cami mumbled as she adjusted the straps of the weed tank on her shoulders.
"Guys, come on. Keep moving," Steve instructed as he kept walking forward, the kids obeying. Rowan made to follow, until she noticed Dustin had paused, looking at one of the protrusions on the roof of the tunnel.
"Dustin, come on. We have to go, there's no time to stop," Rowan chided as Dustin kept staring at the thing—something that reminded Rowan of a nipple, and moving in a way that looked like it was breathing, making Rowan's skin crawl at the thought.
"What the hell?" Dustin breathed, peering closer.
"Hey, Dustin, let's—" Rowan tried again, ready to pull Dustin back, until the thing fired a burst of ashy spores into Dustin's face.
"SHIT!" Dustin screamed as he stumbled back, clawing at his face. Panic shot through Rowan and she grabbed the cap-wearing boy, yelling, "Dustin are you okay?!"
"HELP! HELP! HELP!" Dustin screamed, his screams attracting the rest of the group's attention as Rowan shook him, yelling, "Dustin, what the hell's wrong!? Talk to me!"
