March 26th, 1986

Hawkins, Indiana

Skull Rock

Eddie was more than pleased to see us, all things considered. He jumped between eating and drinking as much as he could while he explained to us what had occurred last night. Eddie Munson has what I like to call shit luck, constantly at the wrong place at the wrong time with the odds always playing against him.

The jocks; Jason, Patrick, and Andy, had found Eddie's hiding place last night and chased him out into Lover's Lake. The only reason Eddie had been able to escape was because of what had happened to Patrick, another Hawkins High teen killed by Vecna. But Eddie and Lucas had no doubt that the remaining two jocks blamed Eddie for his murder, and would go to anyone in the community that would listen.

"When I got to the shore, I tried calling you guys, but, uh..." Eddie took a moment to drink from the water canister he had just been fumbling with. "My walkie was busted, man. So, uh, I did the thing that I do now, apparently. I ran." He released an annoyed chuckle, staring up at us from his spot in front of Skull Rock. "Do you know what time this happened? Patrick's attack?" I questioned, shifting my gaze between Eddie and Dustin who paced loudly behind us.

Eddie nodded quickly before pushing up the sleeve of his leather jacket, "Yeah, no, I... I know exactly what time it was. My walkie wasn't the only thing that got soaked." He shot me a sarcastic grin as he waved his watch at us before tossing it over to me. "9:27..." I sighed, nodding my head in confirmation. "Same time our lights went kablooey." Robin pointed out.

"Which means what, exactly?" Steve questioned, having not followed along with the new piece of concrete information. "It means that that surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick." I explained before tossing Eddie back his watch. "Well, we're one step closer. We know how Vecna attacks." Robin mumbled, pacing between Nancy and me. "And where he attacks from." Lucas called out from beside Max.

Thinking over the next step, Max moved on to the next part of the plan. "So now we just need to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart." She mumbled with a simple shrug. "If he has a heart." Robin pointed out quickly. "A stake? Is he like a vamp?" Steve questioned slowly before his eyes grew wide, "Is he a vampire?" He questioned louder.

"It was a metaphor, she wasn't being literal." I stated as the party shook their heads in disbelief at the question. "A bullet should work on him, right?" Nancy questioned simply. "I say we chop off his head." Lucas shrugged, earning a few hums of agreement. "I vote all of the above, but we can't do any of that until we find a gate." I reminded the group with a frown.

"We need El to get her powers back." Max called out. "Oh my, God... Everything was way easier. We had this girl, she had superpowers-" Steve began to explain but was quickly cut off by an unamused Eddie. "Superpowers. Yeah, you mentioned her." He mumbled before nodding towards Dustin who continued to pace behind us, now beginning to mumble incoherently to himself. "Hey, uh... Henderson's not cursed, is he?" He questioned.

Looking back at Dustin, we watched as he shifted his eyes between his compass and the map. "Cursed?" Steve chuckled, looking from the teen and onto Dustin. "No, no. He's fine. Mental? Absolutely." He mumbled the last part before Dustin yelled out into the empty woods behind us, "Boom!" His voice echoing back at us.

Jumping in our places, we glared at Dustin as he grinned at us before raising his hands in the air as if he had just made a grand discovery. "Bada... bada... boom." He mumbled under his breath, pointing a finger at Steve as he moved to the front of the group. "I was right." He stated while Steve scrunched his face at the boy. "Skull Rock was north."

Tilting his head back before releasing an annoyed groan, Steve rolled his eyes before waving a hand at the giant rock in front of us. "Seriously? You're serious? This is Skull Rock, okay?!" Steve yelled only to earn a hum of agreement from Dustin as he continued to grin at us. "You're totally, absolutely, a hundred percent wrong. Right now!" Steve yelled gesturing to where he stood on the ground. "Yes." Dustin agreed quietly. "And no." He waved his hands in front of him, waiting for us to understand what he was getting at.

"Holy shit... No time. Elaboration, please?" I groaned, stopping Steve before he could continue the pointless argument. "This worked correctly when we left the Wheelers'," Dustin called out, holding his compass up in the air before continuing. "Correct when we got in the car on Curly. But it started to slip the further east we went. And now, it's way off." He proceeded to let us in on what he had been mulling over in his mind this whole time. "When I was leading us here, I wasn't wrong. The compass was."

Shrugging off the new piece of info, Steve squinted his eyes at Dustin. "So you're using faulty equipment. You're still wrong." He pointed out, annoyance evident in his tone. "Except it isn't faulty. Nell, remember what can affect a compass?" Dustin gestured in my direction as the pieces started to click. "An electromagnetic field..." I mumbled with a slight grin. "Sorry. I must've missed that class." Robin called out with a furrowed brow.

"In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect towards that power." Dustin explained as he pointed a finger behind us. "So either there's some super big magnet around here, or..." "There's a gate." I stated while Nancy shook her head in confusion. "But we're nowhere near the lab." She pointed out.

Laughing lightly, I quickly shook my head. "The lab wasn't the only gate... The tree, remember?" I questioned her before Dustin continued speaking. "This gate would have to be much smaller. Way less powerful." He continued with Robin quickly calling out, "Snack-size gate."

"How? Why?" Steve questioned, hands resting on his hips while his brow furrowed in confusion. "No idea. All I know is that something is causing this disturbance, and the last time we've seen anything like it, it was a gate. And I hope it is because then we'd have a way to Vecna. And a shot at freeing Max from this curse." He finished before quickly turning around, moving to lead us away from Skull Rock.

Moving to follow after the boy, Steve quickly latched a hand on my shoulder in order to stop me. "Hey, hey... Where are you going?" He called out in an attempt to stop us from leaving. "Eddie's still a wanted man. We can't just go hiking through the woods." He reminded us.

"And what? We're just supposed to sit here all day and risk the gate closing?" I questioned, squinting my eyes up at him before Dustin quickly joined back in. "This little steel capsule might be the key to saving both Max and Eddie. What say you, Eddie the Banished?" Dustin questioned the teen that had remained silent through this whole ordeal.

Eddie scratched at his neck anxiously, staring off in the distance as if in deep thought, contemplating his choices. "I'd say you're asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if I'm totally straight with you, I think is a really bad idea." He stated, thinking over his words carefully while Steve nodded along with him in agreement. "But, uh... the Shire- the Shire is burning." He continued, provoking Dustin to jump excitedly in his place as the teen pushed himself off of the ground. "So Mordor it is."

~~~

The sun had set past the horizon long ago, making it a bit of a struggle for Dustin to make out the direction of the compass needle as we hurried through the woods, pushing tree branches and thick bushes out of our way as we ran behind him.

Coming to a quick stop, Dustin grinned as he watched the needle bounce between east and west. "Something's happening..." He called out before waving for us to keep following him. "I think we're getting close." He stated as we stepped onto a clearing, Eddie following close behind the boy and wrapping an arm around him to keep him from taking another step. "Watch your step, big guy." He mumbled, nodding down to the water that rippled and reflected the night sky back at us.

"Oh, man... You gotta be shitting me." Steve groaned as he and the rest of the party came to a stop behind us, eyes darting around the abandoned lake that lay before us. "Lover's Lake..." I mumbled sadly. "Thought these woods were familiar." Eddie frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Dustin squinted his eyes as they darted between the compass and the lake. "This is confounding..." He mumbled. "There's a gate in Lover's Lake?" Max questioned. "Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening. Maybe Vecna's the same way?" I answered her question with a secondary one as I looked between the group for an answer.

Steve nodded hesitantly before placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "Yeah, only one way to find out." He agreed before throwing a glance in Eddie's direction. "You think you can find us that boat?" He questioned the teen who quickly nodded in response before waving for us to follow him along the shoreline.

The rickety boat was left hidden under a few tarps not too far from us, "Think it'll hold?" Robin mumbled awkwardly as we looked down at the limited space. "Some of us are just gonna have to stay hidden..." I nodded before turning to look at Dustin. "And quiet." I mumbled with a frown.

"Help me get it in the water." Steve patted a hand on Eddie's back before moving to one side of the boat, carefully lifting his side off of the ground. "Easy... easy..." Steve mumbled to Eddie as the teen followed close behind him, the two carefully moving the boat back into the water until Eddie dropped his side of the boat abruptly. "Dude, I said easy!" Steve scoffed while Eddie raised his hands in self-defense. "Sorry, man..."

Both boys kneeled beside the boat to keep it steady, Robin was the first to step on the boat that swayed slightly in the water. "Here..." Steve mumbled, offering the girl a hand but she quickly waved him off. "I'm just gonna do that..." She grinned, placing either of her hands on top of Eddie and Steve's heads to help her keep balance. "Thank you." She mumbled as she took her seat on the boat. "That works too..." Steve mumbled, moving to hold his hand out to me as Eddie moved to do the same.

"Do I not get to do what Robin just did?" I questioned awkwardly before using both their hands to help me keep balance while Steve shot a glare at Eddie as he followed onto the boat close behind me. "Wheeler." Eddie mumbled, turning around to help the girl as I took a seat next to Robin, lightly placing my head on her shoulder. "Tired?" She questioned with a smirk. "Way past tired." I mumbled, watching as Steve moved to stop Dustin from following us onto the boat.

"Hey, hey, hey..." Eddie called out as he tried to step into the boat. "You trying to sink us? This thing holds four people tops, okay?" He informed the boy before waving for him to go stand with Max and Lucas. "It's better this way, okay? You guys stay here with Max. Keep an eye out for trouble." Nancy stated with a shrug of her shoulders, much to Dustin's annoyance. "You keep an eye out."

Widening our eyes at the boy's words, Nancy turned to us as he mimicked her shocked expression. "It's my goddamn theory." He defended himself with a frown. "You heard Nance." Robin called out.

"Who put her in charge?" Dustin questioned with a furrowed brow, throwing his hand up in defeat. "I did." Robin grinned as Nancy held her hand out to the boy. "Compass." She demanded. Frowning, Dustin glumly pulled the compass from his jacket before slapping it into her palm, dragging his feet as he moved to stand with the rest of the party.

Picking up the bag that Dustin had thrown into the boat, Steve chucked it into Dustin's chest, pulling a pained groan from the boy. "See ya..." He mumbled to the party as he pushed the boat into the water before quickly jumping in with the rest of us. "You said four!" Dustin yelled out with wide eyes as he watched us glide away from the shore only to earn a silent apology from Steve. "Bedtime's at nine, kiddos." Robin called out with a smirk as their figures began to shrink in the distance.

~~~

Eddie and Robin manned the oars, rowing us out into the center of Lover's Lake while Nancy kept a close watch on the compass as the needle continued to bounce in its place. "This is thrilling..." Steve mumbled from his place beside Nancy as he drifted his flashlight over the surface of the lake. "When do we stop looking?" Eddie questioned us with a quirked brow, the four of us quickly looking down at the compass in Nancy's hand.

Unable to offer him an answer, I shrugged off the question before looking over the edge of the boat and into the dark water that rested below us. The moonlight that bounced off the surface made it seem as if the water was bottomless, almost threatening to look down at. "Woah, woah... Slow down. Guys, slow down." Nancy called out suddenly, waving her hand at Robin and Eddie to stop them from rowing us any further.

Looking down at the compass we found that the needle was moving uncontrollably in its place, flickering around in a circle. "Now what?" I mumbled, looking up at the group anxiously while Robin raised our walkie to her lips. "Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital ahh!" She spoke quickly as we continued to stare down at the compass.

The line stayed silent, we could still see the rest of the party lined up along the shoreline so Dustin's silence could only mean he didn't have an answer to offer. The boat shifted to the left slightly, dipping into the water for a moment as Steve pulled off his shoes and socks. "Steve, what are you doing?" I questioned, raising a hand to stop his movements.

"Somebody's gotta go down and check this out." He offered simply. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean it has to be you." I complained, looking at Nancy and Robin for help. "Well, unless one of you four can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then... It's gotta be me." He stated softly before, meeting my gaze. "No complaints, okay? Do you trust me..." He gave my hand a quick squeeze, standing in his place on the boat before I could stop him.

"I'm not complaining. I do not wanna go down there." Eddie grimaced, grabbing a plastic bag from off the floor of the boat before stuffing his flashlight inside it and tieing off the end while Steve pulled his sweater off, looking down at the water below. Robin placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder as I continued to stare up at Steve.

"Here..." Eddie mumbled, passing the now water-proof light to Steve. Offering the teen a small nod, he pulled the light out of his hand. "Good luck." Eddie offered with a frown. "Thanks." Steve nodded before giving us a once over, readying himself to jump off the boat. "Steve..." I called out suddenly, lightly placing my hand over his to stop him. "Be careful... Please." I whispered before retracting my hand.

The corner of his lips perked up slightly before nodding, "Be right back." He stated before diving off the edge of the boat, causing the wood to sway dangerously in its place.

Looking down at my watch, I kept track of the time as we waited for Steve to come back, he could go maybe two minutes holding his breath so someone needed to keep a close eye on the time. "Where are we at, Nell?" Robin's voice shook as she looked over the edge of the boat, the water staying still in its place. "Closing in on a minute." I mumbled, he had plenty of time.

Leaning back in his place, Eddie cleared his throat awkwardly as we continued to trace our eyes over the water, keeping an eye out for any sign of Steve.

Nearing two minutes my breathing began to get heavier, the surface of the water never once rippling as we waited for Steve to come back up until finally he broke through the surface with a loud gasp, splashing the water around wildly causing us to move to the other side of the boat as he held onto the ledge.

"I found it!" He gasped, spitting out a bit of water as I clutched onto the top of his hand. "It's actually down there?" I questioned with a grin. "It's there..." He nodded, taking in a few deep breaths as he grinned up at us. "Dustin, you're a goddamn Einstein." Robin called out into the walkie, "Steve found the gate, we're gonna start heading back."

Steve nodded anxiously, adjusting his grip on the ledge. "It's more a snack-size gate than a mama gate, but still, it's pretty damn big--" Steve was cut off, gripping onto the boat as something dragged him under the water for a moment before he pulled himself back up.

Looking up at us with wide eyes, Steve's grip slowly loosened from my hand. "Get out of the water..." I whispered, reaching to pull him up by his arm only for an unseen force to pull him under the surface completely. "Steve! Steve!" I screamed, reaching down into the water as his figure sunk to the bottom.

"What the hell was that!" Eddie screamed as they moved to the edge of the boat, Nancy quickly pulling me away from the ledge as I tried to jump into the water after him. "Get off!" I yelled, tugging her hands off of me before standing from my place and diving into the water.

Through the murky water of Lover's Lake, I couldn't make out much, couldn't even find Steve's struggling form as I swam down to the bottom. But I had a strange feeling that whatever had grabbed Steve had pulled him in the direction of the radiating red light that rested at the bottom of the lake. Guess it was time to venture into the Upside Down after all.

A movement in the water caused me to kick my feet faster until something latched onto my ankle, pulling me back abruptly. Twirling in my place, I found that Nancy had followed me in, waving for me to come back to the surface, narrowing my eyes I continued to kick my feet before gesturing to the red light as two more figures appeared behind her.