"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 One-Hundred-And-Forty-Eight: Into The Depths
(The Dive, Pt. 3)
***
Rowan's heartbeat pounded in her ears, accompanying her harsh breathing. Her calves, which had already been aching from the hours-long walk to Skull Rock, were now burning as she half-ran, half-walked, following Dustin as he led them to where the new gate supposedly was, following him for so long, day had slipped into night presumably hours ago, causing those who brought flashlights to turn them on.
But she didn't care about any of that. Because the possibility of there being another, open gate, of a way into the Upside Down, gave her enough hope to have her run for hours.
Dustin stopped, and Rowan stopped as well, as did everyone else following him. She panted, hands braced on her knees, and Steve placed a hand on her shoulder, asking, "You okay?"
Rowan nodded, sucking in a lungful of air as she glanced behind her, to where Valerie was supporting Robin and Nancy stood beside her, the taller girl probably already telling them how weird and clumsy of a runner she was.
It was only when Rowan felt like she could breathe again that Dustin said excitedly, "Something's happening," and began running again.
"Dustin? Can you slow down? Dustin!" Eddie called after Dustin as they all began running again. Rowan bit back the discomfort of her muscles screaming at her and her lungs protesting the movement, numbing them with the hope that Dustin was correct.
"I think we're getting close!" Dustin shouted as he ran forward, and as he did, Rowan noticed that the trees around her were thinning, and she could hear something like the lapping of waves—faint, but growing stronger with each second.
Rowan's eyes widened. "Dustin, stop!"
But Dustin didn't hear her, continuing to sprint forward out of the woods—and into the lake if Eddie hadn't grabbed Dustin, stopping him just before he ran headlong into it.
"Watch your step, big guy," Eddie warned as the rest of them stopped, gathering around the bit of shore between lake and woods, water lapping gently at it. A tarp-covered boat was beached on Rowan's right—the boat she assumed Eddie used to escape last night—and in front of them, was the lake.
When Steve realised where they were, he groaned, "Oh man. You gotta be shitting me."
Rowan barked out a laugh. "That's an understatement."
"Yeah. I thought these woods were familiar," Eddie commented grimly.
"Lover's Lake," Robin said as they all stared at the broad expanse of water. In the night, the lake was pitch-black, swallowing in the flimsy light of the stars and moon, concealing whatever could be lurking in its depths—fish, a body...
