Tʜᴇ Fʟᴀʀᴇ ꕥ Lɪᴢᴢɪᴇ Jᴏʜɴsᴏɴ

sᴇʀɪᴇs ғᴏᴜʀ ꕥ 12

The walk through the woods (or, as Steve called it, hike) had quickly become a run. Well, Dustin was running. Lizzie was just following until she heard Steve shout. "Oh, man! You gotta be shitting me!"

Then Eddie. "Yup. I thought these woods were familiar."

Then Robin. "Lover's Lake."

Then, finally, she saw it herself. They were standing at the edge of the huge, heart shaped(ish) lake, with no way to cross it.

"This is confounding," Dustin said, still glancing at the compass. However, his eyes averted to Lizzie as she came to stand beside him.

"There's a gate in Lover's Lake?" She asked.

"Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening," Nancy said. "Maybe Vecna's the same."

Of course. This is the site of Patrick's murder.

"Yeah, well, only one way to find out," Steve shrugged.

Eddie nodded. "I know a way."

He led them a little further round the shore, to the boat he had escaped the basketball jocks in.

"Easy! I- I said easy, man!" Steve said, as he and Eddie shoved it into the water.

"Sorry, dude..."

Lizzie crossed her arms as she watched Robin get on the boat awkwardly, putting her hands on the two boys' heads. Then Eddie got in, along with Nancy. Then Dustin tried-

"Hey, hey, hey, are you try'na sink us?" Eddie asked. "This thing holds three people, tops, okay?"

"It's better this way, okay?" Nancy said, coming to the fore as Eddie sat down. "You guys stay here with Lizzie, protect her-"

"I'll be protecting them, more likely," Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Um, who cares about that? It's my goddamn theory!" Dustin interrupted, voice high.

"You heard Nance," Robin interrupted.

"Who put her in charge?!" Dustin yelped.

"I did," Robin winked.

"Compass," Nancy said, ignoring both of them and instead outstretching her hand towards the annoyed boy. Dustin reluctantly handed it over.

"Hey! There you go!" Steve said, as he threw the backpack at Dustin and jumped in the boat as he pushed it out.

"You said three!" Dustin yelled.

"Sorry," Steve mouthed.

"Bedtime at nine, kiddos!" Robin yelled, the boat now about ten metres from shore.

"Thanks, Oldie!" Lizzie yelled back, giving the boat group the middle finger, mainly for the benefit of Dustin, who then laughed.

"That one was good."

Lucas, meanwhile, sighed, taking the binoculars out of the bag and staring through them.

In about two minutes, he said. "They're stopping! What are they stopping for?"

Dustin nodded to him, taking his supercom up. "Guys, what's going on out there?"

Nothing. "C'mon guys, talk to me, what's going on?"

Then Robin spoke. "Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital aah!"

Lizzie rolled her eyes and sat down beside Max, who was posed against a horizontal tree trunk.

Then she heard. "Uurrrgh. When's Steve get so hairy?"

"Right?" Dustin replied. "I keep telling him he has to tame that jungle, but he claims the ladies 'dig it'?"