Chapter Eighteen
The Dive
Piper hung toward the back of the group as everyone followed behind Dustin. The compass was tight in his grasp as the needle continued to change direction, making it difficult for the source of the magnetic pull. From the back Piper could hear the soft bickering of Steve, Eddie, and Dustin. At times it caused a soft smile to come to her face and a chuckle to pass her lips. But outside of that, nothing else was hard for her, except the repletion of Curtis Harding. Whenever the song was done playing, Piper reached down and hit the rewind button on Max's Walkman, so the song would play again.
"What happens if you hear that song so much it no longer is your favorite?" Robin asked from beside her, a playful teasing tone in her voice.
Robin was trying anything possible to have something else on her mind that didn't include the impending doom of her hometown and the possible death of someone she considered a best friend. Outside of Steve, Piper was only one of the few who knew the real Robin and accepted her as she was. It caused an internal panic as she remembered the real reason their all together and it not being for a movie night.
"I don't know if that's possible," Piper answered, turning the volume down slightly, but enough to where she could still hear it. "This is my mom and dad's song. It holds happy memories for me." Piper chuckled "I can still picture the nights I'd hear the record player going and coming down the stairs to see them dancing in the living room. It was the one song that could put a smile on my mom's face."
Robin smiled with a slight sadness set in her blue eyes, "That's beautiful."
Piper nodded, "I think we have to be more worried about Max's Walkman running out of batteries before this song is no longer my favorite."
"Well, let's hope that Dustin can find the gate before we get to that point," Robin spoke, throwing her arm around Piper's shoulder.
"With the circles we've been walking in, I'm starting to think that's not possible."
Piper looked up toward the canopy above their head and could see the sky getting darker and darker. The sun was disappearing off behind the trees that surrounded Lover's Lake and it seemed they weren't one step closer to finding the gate. It was only a matter of time before darkness fell over the group and the chill of a night wrapped around them. It wasn't till they got to the north end side of Lover Lake that it seemed something was finally happening. Or that's how Piper took it from the excitement that seemed to be exuding from Dustin.
"Yo, Henderson! Slow down!" Eddie shouted after the younger teen as Dustin seemed to take off at the front of the group.
"Where the hell is this kid going?" Steve grumbled, soon making chase after the other two.
One by one the others followed.
"Dustin? Dustin, can you slow down? Dustin!" Eddie showed after him, his footsteps growing a little faster.
"I think we're getting close!" Dustin shouted back with excitement.
Eddie reached forward quickly and grabbed at the back of Dustin's shirt, yanking him backward, before he'd stepped straight into Lover's Lake.
"Watch your step, big guy," Eddie spoke, patting Dustin's back.
"Oh man, you've gotta be shitting me." Steve groaned.
"Seems we have walked many laps around this lake," Billy spoke placing his hands on his waist. "Did we even really move from where we started?"
"I don't think so," Robin answered.
"This is confounding," Dustin spoke with a slight smile on his face.
"It makes sense if we really think about it," Piper spoke moving toward the front of the group, standing beside Eddie, as her green eyes scanned over the still lake. "Every time a Demogorgon attacked it left behind a gate that led into the Upside Down. It was small, but it was still a way for it to travel back and forth between worlds. So why wouldn't Vecna be the same?"
Piper looked over toward the others, looking at each of their faces to see if any of them caught on to what she was saying.
"Well," Steve sighed heavily, "There is only one way we're going to find out. If we go and look for ourselves."
"You're not seriously thinking of going out there, are you?" Billy asked.
"Seems to be the only answer, someone's gotta have a boat or something lying around that we can use."
It didn't take long for some of the others to find a small rowboat sitting off the shore of Lover's Lake – the exact one Eddie tried using to escape. Eddie, Billy, and Steve dragged it back to the others before setting it on the shoreline. Robin was the first to step up, gently grabbing the tops of Eddie and Steve's heads as she stepped aboard.
"Alright, just gonna get on," Robin spoke taking a seat right at the front of the boat.
Eddie followed right after, holding a handout for whoever was next. That happened to be Nancy as she took his reaching hand and stepped aboard. Piper was soon to follow.
"Woah, you're not being serious are you?" Billy spoke stepping forward, his hand rising to point out to the lake, "You're not going out there."
"Why wouldn't it?" She looked at him confused.
"Did you happen to forget that the person in the most danger at the moment would be you?"
"When has that stopped me, or anyone else for that matter, before?" Piper countered, "I'll be fine, Billy."
Billy shook his head slowly, "Piper…please…"
"I'll be fine," She stepped forward and caressed his face gently, her eyes pleading as she looked up at him. "Stay with the kids? Make sure they stay safe?"
"Whose gonna look after you? Huh? You really can't expect me to sit here, doll, while you go out there."
"You going to stop me?" Piper asked with a quirk on her brow.
Billy sighed heavily and pressed his forehead against her, his grasp tight on her waist as his ocean-blue eyes looked down at her.
"You're not makin' this easy." He whispered.
Piper smiled before pressing a soft kiss to his lips and turning back to Eddie, grabbing his hand, and stepping onto the small row boat.
"Compass, Dustin?" Piper reached her hand out, "We're gonna need it."
"I'm coming too!" He exclaimed.
"Oh, I don't think so, we're not trying to sink out there," Eddie spoke up.
"It's my goddamn idea!" Dustin argued.
"Dustin, stay on shore and keep a lookout, please. We're going to need someone to be the eyes and ears while on shore." Piper explained.
"You heard her, Henderson, hand over the compass," Robin spoke from behind Piper.
"Who put her in charge!? Billy is right, she should stay, I should go."
"Dustin," Piper spoke with a firmer tone, causing Dustin to fall back, and place the compass in her palm. A smile came across her lips "Thank you."
The last climb aboard was Steve as he used his foot to push off from the shoreline leaving Dustin, Max, Lucas, and Billy on shore.
"Do you truly think coming along was a wise choice?" Nancy asked the moment they were far enough from shore.
"If this is going to bring us one step closer to Vecna, then I'm facing this monster head-on. I'm not one to shy away." Piper explained, shoving the Walkman deeper down her pocket.
Nancy nodded her head, seemingly accepting her answer, before looking down at the compass Piper had passed along. Eddie and Steve paddled out slowly to the middle of the lake, waiting for a sign that they were getting closer. It didn't take long for that to happen, as the needle on the compass began to spin rapidly.
"Woah, Woah, hold on!" Nancy shouted, "Slow down, this thing is going crazy."
"Guys, what's going on?" Dustin's voice came from the walkie that Robin was holding onto, "Talk to me."
"Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital wahhhh," Robin answered back.
"Steve," Piper asked as she watched her friend start to kick off his sneakers, and remove his socks, "What are you doing?"
"Well, someone's gotta go down there. And unless one of you three can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and certified lifeguard, it looks like it's going to be me." Steve explained, before moving to stripping off his sweater. Leaving him in only his soft cotton lounge pants "Listen, no complaints here, alright. One of us has to do it."
"You're hearing no complaints from me, man," Eddie spoke raising his hands slightly. "I do not wanna go down there."
Piper could hear the shakiness in his tone, with his gaze moving to scan over the water. Eddie reached over and grabbed a loose plastic bag from the floor of the boat, before wrapping the flashlight inside.
"Better take this, man," Eddie spoke, passing it over.
"Thanks," Steve spoke softly, moving to sit on the edge of the boat, before flipping back and landing into the dark abyss-like water.
Piper heard the flick of a lighter and watched as Eddie brought a cigarette to his lips, but before he could even light it, Robin plucked it from his lips.
"Eww, gross," She spoke before tossing into the water.
"That was cruel, Buckley," Piper spoke with widened eyes.
"What? It's a nasty habit." Robin shrugged.
"It helps with stress, something I have a lot of at the moment," Eddie argued.
"I don't blame you, Munson. I ache for one as well." Piper sighed. "Quit a long time ago and I am willing to give that all up."
They all sat in silence and waited for any sign of Steve to crack from the surface of the once again still and silent lake. Piper nervously played with the cord of her headphones.
"What's the time we're coming in on, Wheeler?" Robin asked.
"Just under a minute," Nancy answered.
Seconds passed before the bursting of water caused everyone to jump back in shock, the boat rocking a little from the hurried movement.
"Jesus Christ, Steve!"
"I found it," Steve spoke pridefully, "The gate. It's down there."
"Holy shit." Robin grabbed the walkie quickly, "Dustin you genius, Steve found the gate!"
"It's pretty fuckin' wild," Steve explained "It's not a momma gate by any means, more of a baby gate, but it's definitely..."
Steve's words were cut off as suddenly he was back beneath the surface, only to come back up again gasping for air. His hands grasped tightly to the side of the boat. He looked back behind him in confusion.
"Steve? What's wrong?" Piper asked.
"Weird felt like something pulling on my…"
But he was cut off again as this time he was pulled harder, his fingers slipping from the side of the boat, and he disappeared beneath the surface.
"Steve!" Robin shouted, moving to the side of the boat, and looking into the water for a sign of her friend. "Steve! Steve!"
Piper felt like ice was dumped onto her as they watched Steve disappear. Eddie was freaking out beside her as Nancy and Robin continued to call his name.
"What the fuck was that man!?" Eddie asked his tone and pitch higher from panic.
"What happened?!" Robin shouted, equally freaking out.
"We have to go down there," Nancy spoke, snapping Piper from her frozen state. "We have to go after him!"
"Are you fuckin' kidding me, Nance? We don't know what's down there." Robin spoke.
"She's right," Piper said, reaching for the Walkman and pulling it from her pocket. She set it down on the seat beside her.
"Piper? Piper! No!" Robin moved to hold back her friend, "You can't go."
The sound of splashing water caught their attention seeing that Nancy was no longer in her seat.
"Fuck that," Piper spoke, pushing past Robin, before dropping into the cold, dark waters after her friends.
The glowing gate wasn't hard to find amongst the darkness that was currently Lover's Lake. Ahead of her, Piper could see Nancy's form swimming frantically toward the bottom of the lake with the red glow outlining her frame. Piper ignored the burn on her lungs as she swam faster – pushing her arms and legs to move her forward. Nancy went in first, and only seconds later, Piper right in after her.
She didn't know what she was going to find on the other side.
The thought that music was no longer playing in her ears wasn't a concern of hers either. The only thing on her mind – was that she had to get to her friend.
Piper let out a loud gasp as she broke through the gate and onto the other side into the Upside Down. She pushed her body through before falling into the empty lakebed. Her eyes met with the flashing, storming sky of the Upside Down. The rolling thunder and flashes of lightning caused the sky to turn from grey to red and back again. Her dark curly hair clung to her face and the side of her neck with her clothes sticking to her in uncomfortable ways.
"Steve! Steve!" Nancy screamed as she looked around for him, but seeing nothing, but clumps and piles of the slime-covered vines that crept across the world.
Piper searched for him as well when the screeching sound and screams caught her attention. She gasped in shock and horror as she saw Steve's flaying body with small, bat-like creatures attacking him.
"Over there!" Piper shouted, before kicking off and rushing toward him. She reached down and grabbed at a boat oar as she passed by it.
The moment Piper got close enough, she brought the oar back like a bat, before slamming it into the small body of the creature.
"Kill the fuckin' things!" Robin shouted from behind her, being the first sign that Robin and Eddie followed after her and Nancy.
Piper swung back again as another came flying back at her, the vibration of its body hitting the wood and moving up her arm. Eddie was doing the same with a weapon of his own – as Nancy and Robin stomped on the ones closest to the floor. From the corner of her eyes, Piper saw Steve stumble back up onto his feet, grabbing the tail of the one wrapped around his neck.
The moment it was unwrapped from his neck, Steve flung it down on the ground, before stepping on its neck, effectively ripping its head off.
"Holy fuckin' hell," Robin panted softly, scrambling closer to Steve.
"Oh, my god! You ok?" Nancy spoke rushing to his side.
Piper threw down the oar as she looked around to see that all of the little bats were either dead or had flown off.
"They only took about a pound of flesh," Steve gasped, spitting blood off to the side, "But other than that I'm fine."
"What the hell even were those things?" Eddie asked.
"Do you think they have rabies?" Robin asked, everyone, looking at her confused, "Because rabies is like my number one fear. And once you have it and you start showing the signs – it's already too late. You're dead! So, we should probably get you to a doctor."
"Robin, sweetie," Piper started, "We're in the Upside Down, right now, I think rabies is the last of our problems and worries."
"She is right about one thing, we need to get you to a doctor," Nancy spoke as she looked over the wounds on Steve's lower torso. The bite marks and marred skin looked angry as blood seeped from the puncture wounds. The red mark from the bat's tail around his neck already showing up angrily against his pale skin.
"And I'd imagine being here isn't really a good spot for you either," Eddie pointed out, nodding his head toward Piper.
The sound of chittering and shrieking broke through the bickering and worrying and instead drew everyone's attention toward the south end of the lake. In the rumbling red and grey sky, the flying forms of bats would be seen coming at them – in a large cluster that almost looked like a moving opaque cloud. The five of them huddled closely together as they watched them move closer and closer.
But it wasn't to them where they were heading, instead, they were landing at the gate that they had all come from.
"W-We can't take all of them at once." Piper shook her head slowly.
"Woods. Now!" Nancy spoke before turning and running toward the forest line that surrounds the lake.
Steve followed directly after her, with Piper and Eddie not far behind.
"Oh great, more running," Robin sighed before making chase after her friends.
The horrifying sound and echo of the bat's shrieking fueled the five of them to make their way deep into the forest for coverage.