Chapter 62

I feel like this is so uneventful idk 😭 next chapter we get drama at least

A wild goose chase through the woods was not how Maggie had planned to spend her evening. The sun had already dipped below the trees. Night was settling in. That meant time was running out, and Vecna’s going to come knocking.

“Something’s happening,” Dustin mutters, staring down at his compass as they burst through the treeline.

Lover’s Lake stretches out in front of them.

“Will you slow down?” Eddie breathlessly calls after him.

“I think we’re getting close,” Dustin shoots back, looking over his shoulder.

He doesn’t see the drop until his foot slips. He nearly pitches straight into the lake.

Eddie grabs him by the shoulder and hauls him back, “Watch your step, big guy.”

“Oh, you gotta be shitting me,” Steve groans, hands on his hips.

“Yup,” Eddie says, scanning the shoreline, “I thought these woods looked familiar.”

“Lover’s Lake,” Robin points out unnecessarily.

“This is… confounding,” Dustin breathes, staring at the water.

“There’s a gate in Lover’s Lake?” Max asks, eyes narrowed.

“Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening,” Nancy says, “Maybe Vecna’s the same way.”

Maggie exhales through her nose, staring out at the lake.

“Only one way to find out,” she says.

They drag the tarp off an old aluminum boat, metal groaning as they shove it into the water. Ripples spread outward, disturbing the black stillness.

Robin climbs in first and Eddie follows. Steve steadies the boat while Eddie helps Nancy in, and Nancy turns immediately to grab Maggie’s hand.

Dustin goes to step in, but Eddie blocks him with an arm.

“Hey, hey, you trying to sink us? This thing holds four people, tops.”

Maggie tilts her head, “You guys stay here with Max. If Vecna comes for me, I’m with them. If he comes for her, she’s got you.”

“Keep an eye out for trouble,” Nancy adds.

Dustin scoffs, “You keep an eye out! It’s my goddamn theory.”

“You heard them,” Robin says, giving him the look.

“Who put them in charge?” Dustin demands.

“I did,” Maggie says, smirking without looking at him.

Nancy holds out her hand, “Compass.”

Dustin huffs and stomps his foot like he’s eight again before slapping it into her palm.

“There you go,” Steve says cheerfully, tossing his gear at Dustin.

Then he pushes the boat farther into the water and hops in after them.

“You said four!” Dustin yells, scandalized.

“Sorry,” Steve whispers, deeply insincere, as Robin and Eddie start paddling.

“Bedtime at nine, kiddos!” Robin calls back, “Miss you already!”

They paddle toward the center of the lake, flashlights cutting paths across the water. Maggie keeps hers trained low, scanning the surface and Steve mirrors her. Nancy watches the compass.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down,” Nancy says as the needle starts spinning wildly.

Static crackles through the walkie.

“Guys? What’s going on?” Dustin’s voice cuts in.

Maggie snatches it up, “It appears your compass is having a full-blown existential crisis.”

Steve starts tugging off his socks and shoes.

“Steve,” Maggie says immediately, clapping a hand over her eyes, “I do not need to see your athlete’s foot before I die.”

Steve exhales sharply, throwing his hands up, “First of all, I do not have athlete’s foot. Second, someone has to go down there and check it out. And unless one of you four can top being a Hawkins High swim team co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years straight, it’s gotta be me. No complaints.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Eddie says immediately, holding up his hands, “I do not want to go down there.”

Steve is already tugging his shirt over his head. The night air raises goosebumps across his skin as Eddie hands him a flashlight sealed inside a plastic bag.

“Good luck,” Eddie says.

Steve nods once.

“Don’t die,” Maggie adds dryly, watching him with half concern and half warning, “because I really don’t want to have to drag your heavy ass body up from the bottom.”

Steve rolls his eyes, “Wow. Touching.”

He dives in. The splash is loud in the quiet night, ripples spreading fast before the lake swallows him whole. The water settles again into calm.

They wait.

The boat rocks gently beneath them. Maggie keeps her eyes fixed on the surface, counting under her breath. Her pulse ticks in time with it. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. She hates the not knowing.

“Where are we at, Mags?” Robin asks, voice too casual.

“Just about a minute,” Maggie says without looking away.

Another thirty seconds crawl past. Every sound feels amplified. Maggie’s fingers curl against the edge of the boat, knuckles whitening.

Suddenly, Steve explodes out of the water with a sharp gasp.

Robin shrieks.

Maggie reacts purely on instinct, scooping up a pebble and whipping it straight at his head. It cracks against his forehead.

“Ow!” Steve yelps, clutching the spot, “What the hell?!”

“You scared me,” Maggie snaps, “Reflex.”

“I almost died,” he protests.

“I’m processing.”

He grabs the side of the boat, gulping air, “I found the gate.”

“You found it?” Robin echoes.

“Yeah,” Steve says between breaths, “Yeah, I found it.”

Robin snatches up the walkie, “Dustin, you are a goddamn Einstein. Steve found the gate.”

“It’s wild,” Steve adds, still panting, “It’s snack-sized, not like the momma gate. But it’s still pretty damn big.”

Then something yanks him..

Steve doesn’t even have time to shout before he’s ripped backward and dragged under the surface. Water splashes violently as he disappears.

“Steve!” Nancy yells.

“Steve!” Robin screams.

“Shit,” Maggie breathes, already moving.

“What are you doing?!” Eddie shouts as she scrambles to her feet.

She turns on him, deadly serious, “If he’s dying down there, I can help. Magic. Remember?”

No one gets the chance to argue. Maggie dives in immediately.

The cold hits her like a freight train. It knocks the breath clean out of her lungs, muscles seizing as her body convulses against the shock. She forces herself to move, arms cutting through the water as she kicks down, following the faint glow below.

Her vision blurs until she sees it. A red, pulsing light bleeds up from the lake floor.

Every instinct she has screams don’t. But she doesn’t stop. She reaches out and shoves one arm through the gate.

The pressure shifts violently, like the world turning inside out. She pulls herself through.

She crashes onto solid ground, coughing, dragging herself up as the Upside Down unfolds around her. Red lightning lights the sky overhead and thunder cracks violently. Ash drifts down like heavy snow, clinging to her wet skin. Dark vines twist and snake across the ground.

She looks around frantically, “Steve?”

There’s nothing for a moment. Then she hears screaming.

Before she can move, the air behind her ripples. One by one, the others push through the gate. Nancy hits the ground hard, Eddie stumbling after her. Both of them clutch oars.

Maggie doesn’t waste time explaining.

“This way,” she says urgently.

They sprint toward the sound.

They find Steve pinned to the ground, eyes wide with panic, a thick black vine wrapped tight around his throat, lifting him just enough to choke the air from his lungs. Strange, bat-like creatures swarm overhead, diving and screeching as they slash at him.

“Steve!” Maggie shouts, already moving.

The bats shriek as they dive again, leathery wings slicing the air. One of them snaps dangerously close to Steve’s face, teeth clicking as he thrashes against the vine constricting his throat.

Nancy doesn’t hesitate. She grips the oar with both hands and swings, connecting with a wet crack as one of the creatures spirals into the dirt.

Eddie lets out a feral yell.

“I hate these things!” He swings wildly, batting another out of the air. It screeches, hitting the ground and skidding across the ash.

Robin grabs a rock and hurls it, “Get away from him!”

Maggie skids to her knees beside Steve. The vine tightens when she touches it.

“Okay,” she mutters, breath coming fast, “Rude.”

She clamps her hand around the vine, ripping as it. Steve gasps as the pressure loosens just enough for him to suck in a ragged breath.

“Don’t stop,” he chokes.

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

The bats swarm again, angrier now. One slashes at Maggie’s shoulder, claws ripping fabric and skin. She hisses but doesn’t let go. Nancy steps in front of her instinctively, swinging the oar like a bat, knocking two creatures out of the air.

Eddie backs her up, panting, “You freaks picked the wrong guy!”

Another vine lashes out, snapping toward Maggie’s legs. She jerks back just in time as she stomps down. She grabs the vine around Steve’s throat again, pummeling it with a rock until it lets go.

Robin helps Steve sit up as the vine slithers away. He coughs hard, dragging in air. He staggers to his feet as Maggie and Robin help.

“You okay?” Maggie asks, already scanning him for damage.

“Well,” Steve says, blood slipping from his mouth, “they only took about a pound of flesh. Other than that, never better.”

“Let me help,” Maggie says, stepping closer.

“What? No,” Steve protests immediately, “Absolutely not.”

She rolls her eyes, “We can’t have you bleeding out in demon land. Just let me help. Please.”

He sighs, knowing she’s not going to give it up and reluctantly compromises, “Fine. But not all of it. Can’t have you bleeding out too.”

Maggie smirks faintly, “I’ll take half. Besides, I can handle it. I’m probably going to die anyway, so might as well do what I can before then.”

She doesn’t give him time to argue. Maggie closes her eyes and presses her hand to his side. Blue light veins beneath her skin, pulsing from her wrist. A sharp pain spears through her abdomen, and she sucks in a breath as blood blooms beneath her shirt.

She grits her teeth and holds on just long enough.

Steve watches, frozen, as parts of his wound begin to knit back together. The bleeding slows to a dark ooze.

Maggie pulls back with a sharp inhale, staggering half a step before she catches herself.

“I don’t think,” Steve says quietly, eyes wide, “I’ll ever get used to that.”

“What did you do?”

The voice cuts in sharp behind her.

Maggie freezes.

She turns slowly, forcing on a sheepish smile as she faces her girlfriend, arms crossed, jaw clenched, and eyes blazing.

“Uh… nothing?”

Nancy opens her mouth, clearly ready to unleash hell, before a piercing shriek splits the air.

Maggie’s head snaps up just in time to see another cluster of bat creatures diving out of the red-streaked sky. They land around the gate, screeching with their wings snapping open.

“There’s not that many,” Steve says, trying for optimism, “We can take ’em, right?”

More shapes spill over the horizon.

“You were saying?” Robin says flatly.

“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Maggie says tightly, hand pressing to her abdomen.

“The woods!” Nancy shouts, grabbing Maggie’s hand and hauling her forward.

They bolt.

Branches whip past as they tear into the trees, the sound of wings and shrieks close behind. Maggie focuses on keeping her feet under her, biting back a gasp as pain flares in her stomach.

They shoot back to Skull Rock, ducking beneath the massive overhang as leathery wings flap through the air above them.

Everyone collapses into a frantic huddle, their lungs burning and hearts pounding against their ribcages. Maggie keeps a white-knuckled grip on Nancy’s hand, settling herself before panic gets clever.

Robin peeks her head out first. She scans the sky as the bat swarm thins, disappearing into the red haze.

She exhales, “Okay. That was… close.”

“Too close,” Eddie says, already climbing out.

Maggie sways as she gets to her feet, the world tilting sideways. She presses a hand to her abdomen and pulls it back sticky with blood.

Steve doesn’t look much better, slumped against the rock wall.

“Whoa, hey,” Nancy says quickly, steadying Maggie while Eddie grabs Steve before he fully checks out, “Easy.”

Nancy lifts Maggie’s shirt, her expression tightening at the raw, ugly wound. Thin lines of blood trail downward. Without hesitating, she tears off part of her own top and wraps it firmly around Maggie’s torso.

Maggie hisses, “Okay, wow. I didn’t consent to that level of pressure.”

Nancy ignores her and ties it off anyway.

Eddie mirrors the motion for Steve, tearing fabric with less grace, “Don’t get weird about it, man.”

Maggie shuts her eyes, breathing through the throbbing. Nancy presses a quick kiss to her forehead.

“Is it okay?” Nancy asks softly.

Maggie nods, forcing air into her lungs, “Yeah. Still alive. Unfortunately for whatever’s hunting us.”

“So,” Eddie says after a moment, “This place is basically Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit.”

“Pretty much,” Nancy answers, keeping an arm around Maggie.

“But everything from our world is still here?” Robin asks, “Buildings, stuff, places?”

“Except people,” Nancy says, “As far as we know.”

Robin’s eyes light up, “So, hypothetically, we could swing by the police station, steal guns, maybe some grenades, and blow up those bat things guarding the gate.”

“The Hawkins PD does not have grenades, Robin,” Maggie says flatly, “Trust me. I asked. Hop acted like I’d requested a nuclear warhead. Sometimes a girl just wants to make a little explosion.”

“Well we don’t have to go downtown,” Nancy says, “I have guns in my bedroom.”

Eddie freezes mid-step, “You. Nancy Wheeler. Have guns. Plural. In your bedroom.”

“She’s my terrifyingly competent girlfriend,” Maggie says, grinning as she leans into her.

“A Russian Makarov and a revolver,” Nancy clarifies.

“Yeah,” Steve mutters, “she almost shot me with that one.”

“You kind of deserved that one,” Maggie shugs.

Eddie tosses his jacket at Steve, “For your modesty, dude.”

The ground suddenly convulses, throwing everyone to the dirt. Something distant roars and snarls. Very unfriendly.

Silence falls when it stops.

Eddie clears his throat, “So. Guns still feel like the move, right?”

“Strongly yes,” Robin says.

They scramble up, Steve already moving. He flicks on his flashlight and pushes forward into the dead forest.

As they walk, Eddie and Steve drift ahead, voices low. Maggie watches them go.

“I wonder what they’re talking about,” Robin says.

“Probably confessing their undying love,” Maggie snorts, “Happens under life-threatening circumstances.”

Robin considers it, “Honestly, at this point I’d believe it. This town is turning out to be aggressively gay.”

“It’s… starting to feel statistically significant,” Nancy says, smiling.

The girls laugh. For a second, it almost feels normal. But of course, the ground shudders again.

They all drop.

“Second least favorite thing on my list,” Robin groans as the world shakes, “Right after bats and right before stairs.”

Nancy pushes herself up anyway, moving forward with purpose.

“Nance!” Maggie calls, “Where the hell are you going?”

As soon as the earth settles, Maggie and Robin scramble after her, the boys close behind, because running toward danger is the group hobby now.

The woods thin out abruptly. Ahead of them, across a wide, ashen field, stands the Upside Down version of the Wheeler house.

It has the same shape, porch, and windows staring back at them. Except, everything is coated in rot and crawling vines.

“Well,” Maggie says, squinting at it, “it seems the universe has decided to stop messing around and hit us directly over the head.”

Nancy doesn’t respond. She just breaks into a jog, straight across the field, jaw set. The other four exchange a look and follow.

The front door groans when they shove it open, vines snapping reluctantly. Steve sweeps his flashlight inside, the beam catching floating ash drifting through the air. The house smells dead.

Robin wrinkles her nose, stepping carefully over debris, “Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler.”

“Let’s move,” Nancy says, already halfway up the stairs, “I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to.”

They follow her into the bedroom, the floorboards creaking under their weight. Nancy heads straight for her closet, kneels, and drags out a shoebox.

Inside sit a pair of grimy pink heels.

“Those aren’t guns,” Eddie says gently, like he’s explaining something to a child.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Maggie says, forcing a smile, “Your service is noted.”

“I don’t understand,” Nancy mutters, dumping the box out and staring at it.

“Maybe you put them somewhere else,” Robin offers.

Nancy shakes her head, “There’s a six-year-old in the house. I know where I keep my guns. And also, I threw these away years ago.”

She freezes, eyes catching on something beside the box. A stack of note cards on her desk. She picks them up, flipping through them slowly, brow furrowing.

Robin watches, uneasy, “I get that academics are important to you, but maybe studying can wait until we’re not in monster hell?”

“These are from sophomore chemistry,” Nancy says quietly.

She gestures around the room, voice tightening, “And this wallpaper. I replaced it junior year. And that mirror… I sold that at a yard sale.”

She grabs her diary from the desk and flips it open, fingers moving fast. She stops and her face drains.

“What?” Eddie asks, “What is it?”

Maggie leans over Nancy’s shoulder as she reads the last entry. It’s about herself. A hurried scrawl.

The date sits at the top.

November 6th, 1983.

Nancy exhales slowly, “I think the reason my guns aren’t here… is because they don’t exist yet.”

Eddie’s jaw tightens, “They don’t exist.”

Nancy turns around, holding up the diary, “This should be full. It’s not. The last entry is November 6th, 1983.”

“The day Will went missing,” Maggie says quietly, “The day the gate opened.”

“We’re in the past,” Nancy says.

The realization presses down on them.

In the silence Maggie can hear just the fainting ticking. It’s so quiet she’s not even sure if she heard it, but she knows what it means. The sound fades as quickly as it came, leaving only goosebumps.

Then Steve’s voice cuts through it from downstairs.

“Dustin! Dustin!”

They rush down the stairs to find Steve spinning in place, flashlight sweeping wildly as he shouts like a man possessed.

Maggie squints at him, “Is this what schizophrenia looks like?”

“Steve,” Nancy says sharply, “What are you doing?”

He turns, beam shining straight into their faces, “He’s here. Henderson. That little shit is here. I can hear him. He’s like… in the walls or something. Just listen.”

They stare at him like he’s finally snapped. Steve closes his eyes, concentrating hard, head tilting.

Then his face lights up.

“Dustin!” he yells again.

An echo answers him. It’s Dustin’s voice, but it’s muffled like it’s traveling through water.

Everyone freezes. They all start calling for him, voices overlapping, searching the house for anything strange or glowing. Anything that says this isn’t a shared psychotic break.

“All right,” Steve says after a moment, frustrated, “either this kid can’t hear us or he’s being a total douchebag.”

“Will found a way,” Nancy murmurs.

Maggie’s brain sparks, “The lights. He talked to Mom through the lights! We need lights.”

She rushes to a lamp and flips the switch. Nothing. She moves to the wall switch, flicking it rapidly.

“It has to work,” she mutters, jaw clenched.

“Guys,” Steve says behind her.

Maggie turns.

“Tell me you’re seeing this,” Steve says, aiming his flashlight at the chandelier.

The bulbs glow faintly gold, shimmering with a glittery aura.

Maggie reaches out instinctively, punching her hand through the glow. It flares orange at her touch.

“Whoa,” Eddie breathes.

Nancy lifts her hand too, fingers passing through the light, making it shimmer brighter. One by one, all of them reach up, their hands creating a floating cloud of glowing orange dust.

“It tickles,” Steve says.

“It kind of feels nice,” Robin adds.

“Does anyone know Morse code?” Nancy asks.

“Does SOS count?” Eddie offers, “Would that be good?”

“You wonderful genius,” Maggie grins, patting his shoulder.

“Here goes nothing,” Eddie says, tapping his fingers into the glow in a steady rhythm.

“It’s working,” Robin says.

Dustin’s voice rings out again, “If you can hear me, get Holly’s Lite-Brite!”

Nancy nods instantly, “I know where it is.”

She jogs off.

“This might actually work,” Maggie says, disbelief creeping into her grin.

Nancy returns moments later, plugging the Lite-Brite in. It lights up with the same golden shimmer. She waves her fingers through it.

Dustin’s laughter echoes through the house.

“We’re unplugging it on our end!” Dustin calls, “Stand by!”

The glow dims but doesn’t disappear.

“Okay, try now!” he urges.

Maggie smirks and immediately draws with a stifled giggle.

Groans echo back, “A penis? Seriously?”

Maggie laughs, “That means it worked.”

Nancy rolls her eyes and takes over, spelling STUCK. Dustin repeats it back.

“Uh, you can’t get back through Watergate?”

“What the hell is Watergate?” Steve asks.

“It’s a gate in water,” Maggie says, “And a political scandal. You should read.”

Nancy spells GUARDED.

“Okay, Watergate’s guarded,” Dustin says.

“Yes,” Steve pumps a fist.

Dustin continues, “We think there’s another gate. That there’s a gate at every murder site.”

“Does anyone know what he’s talking about?” Nancy mutters.

She draws a question mark.

“Seriously?” Dustin snaps, “How many times do I have to be right before you trust me?”

“Kid’s ego is impressive,” Steve mutters.

“It’s the tone,” Eddie agrees.

Nancy turns to Eddie, “How far is your trailer?”

“Seven miles.”

“Nancy,” Robin says suddenly, glancing around, “your house is frozen in time and all… but haven’t you always had bikes?”

The idea clicks all at once, and a moment later they’re already moving, because if the past is offering them wheels, none of them are stupid enough to walk.