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𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, her eyes burning from forcing them to remain open in the lake. She kicked harder and using her arms, managed to drag her body further underwater. The light was coming from a sizeable hole in the lake bed, surrounded by thick, dark vines. It was unmistakably the gate Steve had found.
But, before she could get a closer look, a strong pull came from the depths of the gate, not unlike a strong current. The pull was too strong for Lily to swim away from, and, unable to do anything but kick helplessly, she began to slip into the hole. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see, and she had no idea what she would find.
The next few seconds were a blur. One moment, she was still underwater and the next, she found herself on the ground, gasping. Her lungs were burning and her eyes were stinging, but she didn't waste any time in getting up. There was only one thing on her mind; find Steve, fast.
She looked around, trying to get her bearings. She was in the Upside Down, she could tell that much. One glance at the thundering red sky told her where she was. It was the same place she had been less than an hour ago. However, this time, Lover's Lake was dry. She was stood on the bed of the lake which, in this place, was waterless.
"Steve?!" She yelled, whirling around, "Steve?!"
It didn't take long for her to find him. He lay a few feet away, writhing on the ground, with three bat-like creatures circling him. Two of them were lashing out at him with their wings, while the third had its long tail wrapped around his neck. Steve's hands were grappling to pull the third creature away and, as Lily approached, she realised in horror that he was being suffocated.
She latched her hands onto the creature's body, dug her sneakers into the ground and tugged as hard as she could. It was a joint effort between her and Steve but, after a few pulls, the creature broke free from Steve.
While he gasped for air, Lily dragged the creature further away. It flailed around in her grip and, before she could duck out of its reach, the edge of one it's sharp wings caught her neck. She cried out in pain as it ripped into the skin just below her left ear, but she didn't let go. Spurred on by some unknown strength, she forced it to the ground and stamped on it as hard as could. It took her three more attempts, before eventually, it lay still.
"You son of a bitch" She cursed, taking a step back.
Then, something wrapped tightly around her torso and pulled her to the ground. She hit the floor hard, the wind knocked out of her, while she struggled to free herself from what turned out to be another creature. Then, to her horror, she heard a loud crack, followed by a sharp sting. Something had broken, but she didn't know what.
