Chapter Text
„Easy man, I said easy!“, Steve said but Eddie had already flipped the boat into the lake.
„Sorry dude“, he said, holding onto the back of the boat before it could slip further into the water and away from the shore.
„Here you go.“ Steve turned around to hold his hand out for Robin to get into the boat but she already stepped forward holding onto both Steve´s and Eddie´s hair.
„Yeah, I´m just gonna do that.“ And in she went.
Next was Eddie. Steve still held his hand out but instead of taking it, Eddie jumped and landed next to Robin, Steve having to hold onto the ground, to not be pulled towards the water by the shaking boat.
Why was he like this, Steve thought. As if the whole situation isn´t already stressful enough for all of them. Now Eddie also had to get on his nerves being his extravagant self.
Nancy stepped forward, grabbing hold of Eddie´s hand, which he held out for her to gently help her step into the boat.
„Wheeler“, he said, guiding her.
„Thanks“, was her quick answer to that unexpectedly chivalrous behaviour of Eddie.
Steve gave him an angry side-eye. Did Eddie know that Steve and Nancy used to be a thing and did he purposefully ignore Steve´s gesture only to show Nancy all of his attention? Was he trying to prove anything? As if he didn´t already try to steal Dustin from him by using his D&D metaphors that Steve didn´t understand and by agreeing to follow Dustin´s stupid theory even though Steve had said no to his „adventure walk into the woods“.
Steve wanted to go next but Dustin took a step closer and tried to get into the boat by holding onto Steve´s back. Eddie held him back by pushing him backwards by his cap.
„Hey, hey, hey, you trying to sink us? This thing holds three people tops, okay?“
„It´s better this way, okay? You stay here with Max“, Nancy interfered, before Dustin could defend himself. „Keep an eye out for trouble.“
„You keep an eye out!“, Dustin blurted out. Nancy looked at him confusedly.
„It´s my goddamn theory“, Dustin said angrily.
„You heard Nance!“, Robin said from the back of the boat where she had taken a seat.
Steve wondered since when Robin called her Nance instead of Nancy. Maybe they both got a little closer during their whole investigation operation on which they gladly refused to take Steve with them. Nancy had never quite understood Steve´s and Robin´s relationship and Steve had to admit that it wasn´t easy explaining why he had no interest in dating Robin - which he actually did have at a time – without outing her to Nancy. Steve had made it very clear several times that he and Robin were actually ´only´ really good platonic friends. And Steve was very happy that he had Robin as his friend and not a girlfriend because like this they´ve had fun that Steve didn´t want to miss. Thinking about how he didn´t have that many close friends that he was as open with as with Robin, if you didn´t count Dustin and the other much younger kids.
But Steve was happy that Robin and Nancy seemed to be getting along well, or at least, better. He had seen them talking in the woods earlier, while he was trying to guide them towards skull rock. But he was too occupied by finding the right path and keeping Dustin from leading them into the wrong direction, that he couldn´t hear what they were talking about. He could have sworn that Nancy´s face flinched when she was explaining something to Robin but he was sure that it wasn´t because of something Robin did or may have said.
„Who put her in charge?“, Dustin´s words pulled him back into reality. Seemingly Dustin was just as confused in this shift of dynamic as Steve was.
„I did“, Robin said confidently letting there be no possibility for negotiation.
„Compass“, Nancy demanded, holding her hand out.
With a salty look Dustin pulled the compass out of the front pocket of his hoodie, giving it to Nancy.
Eddie and Robin meanwhile had taken a seat in the front of the boat and had the oars in position, ready to go.
„Hey, there you go!“, Steve said, throwing his backpack at Dustin, who took a few steps backwards. Then he gave the boat a good push and swiftly stepped on board, taking a seat next to Nancy.
„You said three!“, Dustin exclaimed angrily, looking at Steve with a look that told him that he should have known Steve wouldn´t have left the others without him.
„Sorry…“, he whispered an answer, giving a little goodbye wave with his hand and turning his head around to focus on the lake.
„Bedtime at nine, kiddos!“, Robin shouted back at Dustin, Max and Lucas who just flipped them off looking not at all surprised by their behaviour.
„Miss you already!“, Robin stood up, waving at them, before sitting back down and focusing on keeping a steady rhythm with Eddie who held the other oar.
Slowly they found their way towards the middle of the lake, Nancy keeping her eyes on the compass. Steve held tight onto the flashlight, trying to light the way which wasn´t as productive as he wanted it to be because soon, they found themselves surrounded by nothing but black water and the black night air. The only things the light managed to make visible were layers of fog that the top of the boat pushed through and the backs of the two people sitting in front of Steve.
He let his eyes wander towards Eddie. Taking in his appearance now that he had him still in front of him. His jeans vest seemed to have a lot of self-made pieces on it. The back was cut out and had been replaced with a black piece of clothing that showed the word “Dio” in red wavy letters. Steve had never heard of that band. On the sides were smaller labels from clubs or bands, Steve thought Eddie had sewn on himself. Just like the little metal rings that held the right sleeve together at the end where a slipper sat that had to be broken. Steve´s eyes wandered down towards a metal chain which left Eddie´s right back pocket and lead towards the front of his jeans, loosely hanging down onto the bench. On the left side there was a black bandana with a skull hanging from his pocket, almost touching the floor of the boat.
Steve wondered if that was just a handkerchief like his grandpa used to have around to clean his nose with. But if it was, then Eddie probably wouldn´t have it hanging out of his pocket that prominently. It had to be another weird fashion statement, Steve thought. Maybe inspired by one of these weird musicians that looked like Eddie.
„Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down guys!“, Nancy disturbed the quiet and Steve´s inner chain of thoughts.
Robin and Eddie tried to get the boat to stop, then turning around to Nancy who ducked a little forward so that everyone could have a look at the compass in her hand.
Steve turned the flashlight around. The needle of the compass turned around itself quickly, shaking a bit whenever it changed direction.
„Guys? What´s going on?“ Dustin´s voice appeared out of nowhere out of the walkie-talkie. He seemed to have noticed through his binoculars that the boat had stopped.
Robin grabbed the walkie-talkie as Dustin asked again and answered him. „Uh, Dustin your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital aah!“
Steve gave his flashlight to Eddie who was the only one not holding anything in his hands at the moment.
He took it, keeping the light onto the compass in Nancy´s hand but putting on a confused look when Steve started to take his shoes off and dropping his socks next to them.
„Steve what are you doing?“, Nancy asked who had also noticed what Steve was doing next to her.
„Somebody has to go down there and check this out. Unless one of you three can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then…“, Steve quickly looked around in the three concerned faces facing him „it´s gotta be me. No complaints, all right?!“
He stood up, shaking the boat so that everyone had to hold on to the wood.
Just when Steve thought one of them would actually say something, preferably one of the girls telling him that it would be too dangerous to go down there and that they preferred him to stay with them on the boat Eddie jumped in and said: „Hey, I´m not complaining. I do not wanna go down there.“
The nerves of this guy, Steve thought. He´s the one being brave here, the one doing a sacrifice for the group, for Dustin´s theory that not he but Eddie had wanted to check on and now Eddie was the one who rather wanted to stay in safe waters. Why did he even agree to follow them onto the lake then?
Steve´s eyes wandered from Eddie´s calloused face downwards to his hands that fumbled something out of his jacket´s pocket.
His ringed fingers pulled out a plastic bag, turned it around and threw it´s insides into the boat next to his feet.
Steve turned around to grab his sweater and pull it over his head. A quiet „hey“ and a rustling sound made him turn around again.
Eddie held a little cigarette package between his teeth, so that his hands were free to wrap the plastic bag around the flashlight that Steve gave him. Once he was done, he snapped the little package away from his mouth and gave Steve the flashlight back.
„Good luck“, he said looking up at Steve.
„Thanks“, Steve answered before he threw his sweater at Munson, who had now a single cigarette dangling between his lips, throwing probably a bit harder than he originally intended to.
Robin snapped her hand forward grabbing the cigarette before Eddie could light it and threw it over board with a dry „gross!“.
The cigarette landed next to the boat swimming on top of the black water. The black water that seemed like a wall that Steve needed to break through at any moment now, that is going to make his body flinch by its coldness and darkness, leading him into a scary, unknown world.
Just as Steve thought he had mentally prepared for his dive Nancy´s voice reached him, nothing more than a whisper, but she said his name.
Once again Steve turned around, almost thankful for getting another moment to breathe and a more or less secure stand in the boat. Maybe a last chance for him to be talked into staying here.
„Be careful“, were the words that left Nancy´s mouth, which slightly curved upwards into a scared smile.
Steve nodded, feeling three pairs of eyes resting on him. Before the concern could reach him too and would get a hold of him, making him overthink the situation more than he´d like to he faced the water again. There was no going back now. And he jumped.
He felt how his feet left the boat, leaving it shaking on the surface of the water. The sudden cold pushing any thought out of his brain for a moment until the adrenaline kicked in and made him regain consciousness of his body and his situation. Steve opened his eyes to see less than he would have hoped. Trying to calm his pulse to make it easier to hold his beath for longer he followed the beam of light down towards the bottom of the lake. It took him a few seconds, that felt like an eternity in this cold that surrounded him and squeezed him tighter the closer he got to the ground until the light would show more than just dust particles swirling around.
Steve could see the sand on the ground, big stones, a few strands of some sort of seagrass and surprisingly many little skeletons. As he got closer, he examined those skeletons that seemed to be perfectly intact just like someone skinned them of the flesh. After a look around Steve noticed a red glimmer coming from next to him. He couldn´t tell how long he had been under water already. It felt both like an hour and just a few seconds. He had already breathed out a large amount of air to make it easier to stay underwater, but he felt like it would still be enough to examine the red light beneath him and make it to the top again.
In between a grassy patch of the ground there was an oval hole. Probably as long as Steve was tall and half as broad. Thick tentacle-like black veins seemed to hold it in place, surrounding it in big knots and streaking through the sand away from the middle.
Steve pushed his free hand out, feeling deeper than where the bottom of the lake should have been already to feel a thick skin-like membrane that closed the hole. The light seemed to be coming from underneath that barrier and lightened Steve´s fingers that pushed slightly to check how strong this membrane is.
Suddenly one of those dark tentacles slapped against Steve´s hand from underneath the wall. Steve almost gasped, dropped the flashlight and tried to get back to the surface as quickly as possible.
With big movements he broke through the water next to the underside of the boat that was bobbing slowly on the water. His first big breath of air was almost painful but Steve was given a few seconds to catch his breath to form words again whilst Robin, Eddie and Nancy tried to calm themselves down from Steve´s sudden appearance that splashed water everywhere.
„I found it“, were the first words that left Steve´s lips breathlessly.
„You found it?“, Nancy asked with big worried eyes.
Robin took hold of the walkie-talkie again, wanting to break the news to Dustin, calling him „a goddamn Einstein“.
But there was no answer coming back. Instead, Steve explained what he saw, clinging onto the edge of the boat.
„It´s pretty wild. It´s more a snack-size gate than the mama gate, but still, it´s pretty damn big.“
A sudden jolt shook the boat, nearly dipping it so far over that water flooded over the edge that Steve held onto. He was pulled back into the water, his head going underwater again, only being able to hold onto the boat with one hand as the force let go of him.
With shaking hands Steve was able to grab hold of the wood with both hands again while the other three were shouting because of that sudden shock.
For the time of a heartbeat everything was quiet. Breaths filled the air next to the sound of splashing water that subdued as quickly as it came. Steve´s gaze met the three pairs of in panic wide opened eyes that fixated him, hands stilled in motion, trying to grab him.
Then it happened again. Something rough and strong had found its way up to Steve, tightly lacing up around his left leg and pulling him underwater with a force that made Steve lose his grip of the boat and making every attempt of fighting against it impossible.
The sudden movement also brought movement back to the people inside the boat who were now screaming at each other and screaming after Steve.
„What the hell was that man?“, Eddie yelped.
„Nancy, really what happened?“, Robin whined, hoping that Nancy could explain to her that everything was in fact okay.
Nancy´s ears felt like they were miles away, the screams of the two others sounded like they came through big clouds so that they were reduced to only a dull mumble.
The clouds were quickly yanked away as a hand grabbed hers, holding her back. Only then did she realise that she was standing where Steve had just jumped into the lake, leaning over the edge of the boat about to jump as well.
„You´re not going in there are you?“, Eddie asked her with a shaking voice.
„Just wait here“, Nancy said, her voice sounded like it came from another person, it sounded determined instead of scared, how she felt.
She could hear the other two screaming at her to stay, but Nancy had already gathered all of her willpower and jumped head first into the water.
Quietly Robin sat on the edge of the boat, her knuckles turning as white as her face as she pinched her fingers into the wet wood, about to drop herself backwards into the lake.
„No, no, no, no, no, no, no“, Eddie said quickly in an attempt to make her stay with him. „What are you doing? She said wait!“
„Yeah, I heard her“, Robin said with sudden confidence in her voice, but her face looking scaringly empty.
„She´s in charge“, Eddie said turning his hands into fists, pointing at the space, where Nancy had just been sitting.
„Are you kidding me, I made that shit up“, and Robin´s hand went up to her face to hold her nose closed while she let herself fall into the unknown dangers of Lover´s Lake.
With curses and angry gestures Eddie stood up, looking around to see that he was the only one left in a boat surrounded by nothing but darkness. And this darkness felt like it was coming closer with every second that he remained there, with every second that the three others got further away from the boat. It felt like this darkness would capture him and would do indescribably bad things to him. Worse than anything that could lurk underneath the water surface. And suddenly the only way out, the opportunity to escape this darkness, to dive into this dark, cold lake full of nightmares seemed like a good idea.