Chapter 47, Dark Waters
(Ep. 6: The Dive)

"Dustin, can you please slow down?!"

Running around the forest in the pitch darkness was not something Gwen would have willingly chosen. It was hard seeing ahead without some form of lighting and even then, flashlights could only offer so much. She was focusing on not tripping over her own feet and making sure no one fell behind all while running after her brother, who was adamant on following his wonky compass.

"I think we're getting close," Dustin informed them, and shoved past a few branches toward the shore of Lover's Lake.

Eddie held a protective arm in front to prevent him from getting closer, "Watch your step, big guy."

"Lover's Lake? Really?" Gwen felt her heart sink as she arrived to the shore. Being present at the place where Patrick died felt terribly wrong and given the fact that the compass brought them here, it definitely worsened the circumstances.

Steve sighed heavily and lay a gentle hand on her shoulder, "You gotta be shitting me."

"I thought these woods seemed familiar," Eddie commented.

Dustin nodded, "This is confounding."

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

"From the looks of it, it's very probable," Gwen rested against one of the nearby trees and stared aimlessly at the darkness ahead.

She had been to Lover's Lake many times with Steve and she never paid any attention to how sinister it looked at night. It never occurred to her to view the lake as anything but relaxing and beautiful.

(At least until now.)

"Whenever the demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening," Nancy pointed out as she gazed into the dark waters ahead. "Maybe Vecna's the same way."

"So... the Mind Flayer wasn't the only monster?" Daphne ran a hand through her hair as she recalled last summer and how terrified she had been. If there were more monsters out there, she was officially deciding to leave this town once this was over. "What has life become?"

Gwen faintly nodded, "And demo dogs."

The scar on her arm and upper chest would always be a reminder of the worst days of her life. Not with all the years having passed would she forget, because it wasn't like many say. Time didn't heal all wounds. In fact, it worsened it.

Daphne's eyes widened in disbelief. Even more when seeing how calm everyone was about this. She began pacing all around, her feet toppling against the other and mind running a mile a minute. Somewhere along the way, she found refuge against the nearest tree and rested against it.

But then, the sound of rustling was heard.

"What is that?!" Daphne nearly jumped back, jabbing a finger into the dark forest. "Who the hell is out there?!"

Lucas shot her an amused look, "Aww, is someone scared? Do you need me to hold your hand?"

Daphne kept staring into the forest and only whacked him on the back of his head.

The rustling kept getting closer. Not even with the flashlights being addressed ahead did it stop. If anything, it became louder and much more frantic, almost too urgent.

The group didn't make a move.

The sound of crackling leaves became louder, but then came the sudden light from a flashlight. It got closer, much quicker and more desperate.

Then, a figure emerged from the darkness too abruptly.

A high pitched scream came from Daphne and Lucas, the cousins now grabbing ahold of the other into a tight embrace.

Gwen was the first person to recognize who it was. Her dark raven hair, all-black clothes, and white sneakers were her signature attire – Natalia's.

She took a step forward, "Natalia?"

"Gwen Henderson, what a sight for sore eyes," Natalia smirked in her typical conceited way and waved at the group. "So... hey guys."

Eddie quickly hid behind them and crouched down, barely missing from falling into the lake.

"How did you find us?"

Natalia rested one hand against her hip and gestured with the other to Dustin, "I tapped into his walkie and heard where you were headed, so now I'm here."

Nancy stared at her curiously, "Okay, but why?"

"I know Eddie's innocent. I know that now," Natalia's voice got lower, as if ashamed.

Eddie peeked his head out slightly.

"After seeing Patrick die in that... horrible way, I knew Eddie couldn't have done it," Natalia fiddled with her hands nervously, staring down at the ground. "I connected the dots and realized it had to do with the Mind Flayer."

"It's actually not him, but a monster named Vecna," Robin nervously corrected, but quickly averted her gaze once Natalia turned to her.

"Whatever monster it is, it killed Chrissy, my best friend, so I want to make sure it pays," she continued, "Which is why I'm here. I want to prove Eddie's innocent since I took a big part in hunting him down-"

"Yeah, you really did," Lucas retorted.

"Does Jason know you're not on his side anymore?" Gwen wasn't fully certain about believing her. Mainly since Natalia tended to be a pathological liar.

She shook her head, "He doesn't, but you should know that he rallied the entire town to hunt down Eddie. No one is listening to the cops anymore, so if anyone sees him, he's dead meat."

"Fuck this!" Eddie suddenly blurted out, and kicked various rocks into the water. "That's just great! Thanks for having contributed to this, princess!"

Natalia scoffed, "I thought you killed my best friend! She was found in your trailer and all the evidence pointed at you! Did you really expect me to guess her death had been linked to something supernatural right away?!"

"Everyone thinks I'm a murderer because of you and your posse!" Eddie flailed his hands in frustration and took various steps toward her. "If my name doesn't get cleared, I might as well be dead! Thanks to you!"

"Thanks to me?!"

"YES!"

Natalia was now glaring at him so heavily, "I know I messed up and I'm so sorry! I want to help prove your innocence, which is why I'm here! So shut up and let me try!"

Gwen stared at them with a deadpan look, her patience starting to gradually wear off. She had to admit, this was a little amusing at first, but it was getting extremely stale. "Can you guys fight later? We need to-"

"The cops are looking for me and you think a simple apology is enough?!" Eddie continued arguing, all his anger getting released into the empty night and placed onto one of the instigators.

Natalia rolled her eyes, "Of course not! I'm trying to fix my mistake, but you're making it hard for me to do so!"

He slowly nodded, more out of sarcasm, "Do you know why?"

She tilted her head at him, "Why's that?"

"Because I don't like you and I definitely don't trust you either!" Eddie argued, his face getting closer to hers. "You're responsible for this mess, so excuse me for not wanting you involved!"

Natalia scoffed, "Do you think it's easy being here knowing you left my best friend's body without a care?! You could've called the cops, but you ran away instead like the coward you are!"

That last sentence seemed to cut deep into Eddie.

He flinched slightly and was silent for a quarter of a second, trying to brush aside the fact that her words were true and he was nothing but a coward for leaving Chrissy alone.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?!" Natalia's expression was now adorned with satisfaction at his silence.

"Just leave! I don't need your help! I have them," he gestured to the group, who were just staring at them with a tinge of amusement. "Go back to doing whatever it is you prissy princesses like to do."

Natalia refused, "No. I'm staying, so stop being a baby and start getting used to me."

Eddie's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked to the others as if expecting to receive their help, but they simply stood still and watched like this was some kind of tv show. He took a sharp breath and forced himself to look at her, "Just leave, Cortez. Now!"

She still refused, "I said no."

"Jesus Christ! What's wrong with-"

"SHUT UP!" Gwen suddenly yelled.

(She understood where Eddie was coming from, but also understood Natalia. From an outsider's view point, it looked terrible on his part considering Chrissy was found in his trailer. Instead of reporting it to the cops, he fled the scene like a guilty person would.

And the last thing Natalia knew was that the Mind Flayer was gone, so how could she have guessed her best friend's death was linked to the supernatural?)

The group staggered back, all of them exchanging equally concerned looks.

"I have to admit, this argument was entertaining at first, but we're standing in front of what appears to be the gate into the Upside Down. It's our chance to find Vecna and kill him, but if you guys keep yelling at each other, you're only going to waste our precious time and you," Gwen pointed at Eddie and headed in his direction. "Bitching about how she messed up won't prove your innocence and I understand you don't like her, because believe me, she made my life a living hell and I can't stand her either!"

"Are you trying to help me?" Natalia complained.

"My point is, I'm moving past it so I can help you, which is something you should do if you want to return home! And as for you," Gwen turned to Natalia and left Eddie's side to stand in front of her. "I'm glad you realized your mistake and are trying to fix it, but don't expect to be welcomed by sunshines and rainbows when you spend days hunting him and making sure everyone sees him as enemy number one. I get it, you lost your best friend and I'm so sorry for that, but now that you know the truth, stop fighting Eddie, get over yourself, and just move past it so we can help him!"

Gwen took a deep breath and leaned her head back. She truly hoped there'd be no more arguing, but something was telling her there would be a long night ahead.

Nancy was the first to break the silence, "Okay, great. How about we continue, then?"

"Right, the gate," Dustin turned around, blinking out of his thoughts.

Gwen was now facing the lake, taking notice of the boat by the shore. Behind her, Eddie and Natalia were glaring at each other and mouthing insults like a couple of children, not realizing Gwen could sense everything and was losing her last thread of patience.

Staring ahead with a deadpan look, she clenched her jaw, "I grew up taking care of my brother and his friends, so don't think I don't know you guys are making faces at each other."

Natalia and Eddie halted, slowly stepping away from each other, "Sorry."

Steve had to bite the inside of his cheek to refrain from laughing. With a clear of his throat, he then said, "Well, we need to find out if the lake is really a gate. There's only one way to find out."

Dustin started leading the way to one of the boats covered with a tarp. He wrapped his fingers around the edge and lifted it, revealing a small boat that could sit about four people.

(Maybe five if they were lucky.)

Without saying a word, Steve and Eddie took initiative and started pushing the boat to the edge of the shore. The boat created a loud thumping sound when Eddie dropped it too harshly, resulting in Steve complaining, "Hey, easy, man!"

"Sorry, dude," Eddie apologized.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna do that," Robin lay her hands on their heads for balance, gently stepping into the boat and taking a seat at the very end.

Eddie stood up from his crouched position and followed her in, much to Steve's dismay, who just glared with irritation at the metalhead.

"Wheeler," Eddie offered his hand as she took a step inside and situated herself next to Robin. Next was Gwen and he smirked at her before saying, "You're not gonna bite my head off now, are you, female Henderson? Or should I be on the lookout?"

She teasingly rolled her eyes and ruffled his messy curls, placing her hand on his and gently smiling, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe, so don't irritate me."

Steve clenched his jaw.

His hands formed into tight fists as he watched them exchange a few smiles. His darkened gazed lowered to Eddie's hand, who was still holding hers in a way that appeared extremely friendly.

He glanced into the water and then back at Eddie. The urge to push him into the lake was getting stronger and it'd be one way to test the theory about this place being the gate.

Oh, how much he wanted to throw him in.

Gwen then took a seat in front of Nancy, but caught Robin staring at her with a suspicious look, "What?"

Robin nonchalantly shrugged before whispering, "If you're trying to make Steve jealous, it's definitely working."

She blinked at her, confused, "I'm not trying to make him jealous."

Robin teasingly smiled at her, "Uh huh."

"Hey, hey, hey, are you trying to sink us? This thing holds about four people tops, okay?" Eddie pushed Dustin back by his forehead, preventing him from stepping a foot into the boat.

"It's better this way, okay?" Nancy tried to reason, "You guys stay here with Max."

Daphne scoffed, offended at being left behind, "Why doesn't Eddie stay back? Or Robin. Robin's better."

"Wait, who's Robin?" Natalia asked.

Gwen glared at her so heavily, "She's right beside me, you idiot."

Robin awkwardly waved.

"Screw you, Henderson," Natalia bitterly said, tilting her head slightly. "I know you guys don't care, but I think Robin should stay here and Eddie can remain where he is."

Eddie flipped her off in response.

"You're right. We don't care," Gwen told her, glaring at her with annoyance.

Natalia clenched her jaw, but said nothing more.

"Why are we being left behind?" Dustin gestured to the rest of them, appearing much more offended at being excluded from a mission he thought of.

"It's better for Max if she has at least one responsible person in the group," Gwen tried to explain.

"How about you stay then?" Dustin complained.

"I'm already inside, rugrat," she smiled at him all teasingly, knowing it would annoy him much more. "So you're staying with the others and keeping an eye out for trouble."

"You keep an eye out!"

Nancy rolled her eyes and intervened, "Listen to your sister. You'll be okay with Daphne being in charge."

"Why is she in charge?" Natalia complained.

Nancy only frowned at her, "Because she's been here way longer than you, and no offense, but you're not the most trustworthy person."

"Thank you!" Eddie exclaimed and patted Nancy on the back.

Steve shot him a look, "Dude, you're not helping."

"Just stay here, Dustin," Nancy ordered once more.

"It's my goddamn theory!"

Robin sighed heavily, her patience wearing thin, "You heard, Nance."

"You're staying here whether you like it or not," Gwen now spoke in a firmer tone, raising her voice slightly. "I'm not asking, so stop arguing."

"Who put those two in charge?"

"I did," Robin stated, causing the teen to turn quiet.

"Compass," Nancy extended her hand in his direction, wiggling her fingers so he'd give her the gadget.

Pouting, Dustin stomped on the ground and reluctantly handed her the compass. He glared at the entire group and took a few steps back to rejoin the others.

Steve, taking advantage of this, stood up and tossed his backpack at him, "Hey, here you go." He turned around and pushed the boat deeper into the lake, briskly jumping in and taking a seat at the very end.

"You said four!" Dustin complained once again.

"Sorry," Steve whispered, but it was obvious he wasn't in the slightest bit regretful for this.

"Bedtime at nine, kiddos!" Robin teased while paddling the boat away from the shore and deeper into the lake.

Dustin flipped her off, a deadpan look appearing on his face as he slowly turned away.

"Miss you already!"

"Now he's even more pissed," Gwen softly chuckled while pointing her flashlight into the gloomy waters. She squinted her eyes and paid close attention to anything that might seem remotely off and could be taken as a sign of being a possible gate. "How's that compass going, Nance?"

Staring attentively at the gadget, Nancy took a few seconds to respond until finally saying, "Whoa, whoa, slow down. Slow down, guys."

The boat came to an abrupt stop.

"What's the compass saying?" Gwen asked, leaning closer to her friend and noticing the arrow moving around chaotically. "The gate must be here."

"Well that's thrilling," Steve muttered and peeked his head out to study the waters to check if there was anything strange underneath them.

"Guys, what's going on?" Dustin's voice emitted from the walkie and Robin was the first one to answer.

"Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky with a capital 'ahh!'"

As if some kind of sign had been given, Steve began removing his shoes and socks as if his life depended on it.

Gwen felt her heart drop, "Steve, what are you doing?"

"Somebody's gotta go down and check this out," Steve purposely avoided looking into her eyes, knowing he'd be brought to his knees like a disciple revering his God. "Unless one of you can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then... it's gotta be me. No complaints, all right?"

She stared at him as if he had spoken in an unknown language. Amidst the packed space, she maneuvered her way around the others and placed her hand on his forearm. "None of that matters. If there's really a gate, that can only mean there's a chance monsters could be roaming down there. Your skills won't be able to help you if they take you down."

He halted, and slowly turned to her. Her touch was grazing his skin like a heavenly gift, as if he had arrived to the sweet hereafter and was being greeted by a beautiful deity. He swallowed thickly and found the strength to look away, refusing to permit the dangers from below prevent him from protecting his world.

"Nothing is going to happen. I'll be quick," he promised in a low whisper.

Gwen looked out into the lake in defeat, listening to him continuing to remove his shoes. She couldn't let him go down there knowing there was a risk. Anything could happen and she was beyond terrified that one action could cost everything.

"Then I'll be going with you," she stated.

But then, a pair of hands held her in place.

Steve kneeled in front of her. His gaze was pleading and desperate, as if he were praying to a divinity and seeking for absolution. He held her so delicately and slowly looked up at her. "I won't be able to focus if you come with me, so you're staying here. End of story."

"I'm going."

"You're not."

Silence came between them.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Eddie suddenly said, and looked out into the dark water. "I do not want to go down there."

"Steve, please don't do..." Gwen's voice faded into an abrupt silence once Steve took a step back to remove his yellow sweater. His abdomen was exposed and all she could do was stare at him as if she were in the presence of a perfectly crafted art piece. Her gaze roamed all over his skin in a reverent way, like she was worshiping his mere presence.

Oh...

"Hey," Eddie handed him a flashlight covered with a white plastic bag. "Good luck."

Steve took the flashlight from him, but never once did he look away from her. Their hands accidentally touched as he handed her his sweater, as if having placed his heart on a silver platter.

The sound of a clearing throat disrupted their attention.

Steve then averted his gaze to the darkness ahead. He stood over the edge, contemplating the dangers lurking below, but it was the need to keep her safe that drove him forward without looking back.

But then, he heard her call out to him.

"Steve?" Gwen softly spoke, her voice falling to a low murmur that only he could hear. "Please be careful."

No words needed to be exchanged. An unspoken oath was given and the silence carried it into its lengths.

And that was more than enough.

When he jumped into the water, Gwen stood over the edge and kept her gaze locked into his disappearing figure. The light from the flashlight became dimmer until then fading. Her grip tightened onto the boat as the return of the darkness brought more disturbance. The silence was unbearable, like a torment meant to be experienced in purgatory.

The lake used to be a glorious sight, but it was haunted by treacheries now. It was a carrier of the void and being on dry land was a privilege. She counted the seconds in her mind, urging him to come back to her. He promised her he would, so she would hold him accountable.

One second became ten.

And ten became twenty.

Patience was a forgotten concept.

"He's taking too long," she tapped the edge frantically, her gaze never leaving the water. "He better be okay."

"It's Steve," Nancy tried to sound reassuring, but her voice trembled in the middle. "He's gone through lots of things and always comes back. I'm sure he's fine."

"Let's hope so," Eddie mumbled.

Robin shot him a look, "You're not helping, so shush!"

Gwen took a deep breath, shutting her eyes briefly, "Just tell me how much time has passed."

"Closing in on a minute," Nancy said.

"You know what? I'm going down to get him," Gwen handed Robin his sweater and was about to jump down, but the water suddenly splashed and Steve came bursting out. "Oh, thank God. Are you okay?"

"I'm alright and I found it," Steve revealed, his arms moving in a synchronized pattern and creating ringlets in the water.

"You found it?"

"Yeah, I found it," Steve swam closer to the boat and rested his arms against the wooden edge.

Robin smiled in delight and turned on the radio, "Dustin, you are a goddamn Einstein. Steve found the gate."

"It's pretty wild," he admitted. "It's more of a snack-sized gate than the mama gate, but still, it's pretty damn big."

Then, the worst happened.

Steve was suddenly pulled down into the water. He came back up in a loud gasp and stayed still, as if hoping he would go unnoticed.

Gwen held her hand out, gesturing at him to come back to her, "Take my hand. You gotta get out of there."

Steve swam to her with haste, but he was dragged down before acquiring ahold of her hand.

"Steve!!!" Gwen hovered over the dark pit, her heart thumping frantically and mind running through millions of thoughts. She never prayed out of her doubts, but all previous beliefs were forgotten as all she cared for was his safety.

Robin and Nancy looked all around, screaming his name, "Steve! Steve!"

Eddie moved closer to the middle, afraid of getting dragged into the water as well. "What the hell was that, man?!"

Gwen just stared at the lake. She didn't listen to their panicked voices, but only focused on the darkness ahead. He was under there, somewhere amidst the danger. She couldn't stand here and panic senselessly. Not when her world was at risk of disappearing.

Without thinking twice, she jumped into the water, not bothering to care for anything other than him.