Steve and Angie hold their breath, moving slowly amongst the piles of fish bone.
Steve resists the urge to grimace as Angie gently slaps his arm to get his attention.
She points out in the distance, a bright red light emerging from the depths.
He pulls her back slightly, taking the lead as they approach it.
As far as Steve and Angie were concerned, they'd never seen an open gate before. But, whatever this was, it wasn't good.
Steve reaches out to touch it, but it gurgles with protest. Angie pushes him back, signaling that they should head back to the top.
He follows suite, not stopping to grab his flashlight on the way back up.
Angie reaches the surface first. Steve is close behind her, nudging her body back to the boat as she tries to catch her breath.
"Oh, Christ!" Eddie shouts in surprise-- although happy to see them alive.
"We found it," he announces as Eddie checks up on Angie.
"You found it?" Nancy repeats with a smile.
"We found it," Steve replies, "Yeah. We found it."
Robin lets out a sigh of relief, reaching for the cerebro, "Dustin, you are a goddamn Einstein. They found the gate."
"It's pretty wild," Angie continues, panting between words, "It's more of a snack-size gate than the mama gate--"
"--But it's still pretty damn big," Steve grins.
But it's quickly ripped from his face as something reaches for his ankle. He bobs in the water, his expression unsure.
Before anyone can help him, he yelps, being dragged under the water.
A string of shouts echo from the others.
"Steve! Steve!"
"No! No! What the hell was that, man?"
"Nancy, really, what happened?"
Angie shakes her head, preparing herself, "I don't know, but I'm going in after him."
She leaps to dive when Eddie grabs her arm, "You can't be serious! You have no idea what's down there!"
"I don't care," she replies, ripping her bicep away, "I have to!"
Angie takes a deep breath, disappearing under the water once more.
Nancy steps up to follow her, "Just wait here."
"You're not going in there too, are you?" He scoffs, watching her closely, "Nancy!"
"Goddamn it!" Robin shouts, leaning over the edge.
"What are you doing? She said wait," Eddie reasons.
"Yeah, I heard her."
"Gosh," he sways, "Are all of you crazy?"
Robin nods, "I'm surprised you haven't jumped in yet. Your sister was the first to go."
Eddie stands instantly as if he was in a trance before, "Holy shit. My sister's in there."
He dives into the water, following Nancy to the red light. Robin isn't far behind him.
When she emerges from the other side of the tunnel, Angie's breathing remains heavy. The ground is coated with protesting vines and the sky is consumed by a grey bleakness.
"Steve!" she yells, not spotting him by the entrance, "Steve!"
Angie pauses, swearing to herself that she could hear his voice in the distance.
YOU ARE READING
Angelica "Freak Two" Munson
Fanfiction"Hey, Harrington!" she reverses against her heel, flipping him the bird, "The names Freak Two, actually. If you're gonna insult me, you might as well do it right." ---------- Angelica Beatrice Munson, aka "Freak Two" is Eddie Munson's younger sister...
