𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙼𝚎 ||𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗

004

Eddie just stood there, mouth hanging open in awe. Did she really just say that? He thought to himself as he watched her walk to the gym.

"Eddie, why are you just standing there?" Garret walked over to Eddie. "Are you stalking Henderson's sister?" 

"Don't be an idiot," Eddie turned around towards Garret, who had Jeff and Simon with him. "Where are Henderson and Wheeler?"

"They better have found a sub," Simon added.  Eddie began walking into the school to get D&D ready. After twenty minutes, Mike and Dustin showed up with their sub. 

"Absolutely not," Eddie state as he was sitting in his throne.

"YOu asked for a sub. We delivered," Dustin argued.

"This is Hellfire Club. Not Babysitting Club."

"I'm eleven, you long-haired freak," the sub stated.

"My, my, the child speaks." 

The rest of the guys chuckled.

"So, what's your name, child?" Eddie stood up and walked over to the sub.

"Erica Sinclair," She responded. Eddie chuckled.

"So this is Sinclair's infamous sister."

"He's sharp," Erica turned to Dustin and Mike while the other members laughed.

"What's your class and level? Level one dwarf?" Eddie asked and the members laughed again.

"My name is Lady Applejack. And I'm a chaotic good half-elf rogue, level 14." Eddie's face went serious. "I will sneak behind any monster you throw my way and stab them in the back with my poison-soaked kukri. And I'll smile as I watch them die a slow, agonizing death. So we gonna do this or we gonna keep chitchatting like this is your mommy's book club?" 

Everyone stood there shocked for a minute. Eddie reached out his hand and smiled.

"Welcome to Hellfire." And the game began. "The hooded cultists chant, 'Hail Lord Vecna. Hail Lord Vecna.' They turn to you and remove their hoods. You recognize most of them from Makbar. But there is one you do not recognize, his skin shriveled, desiccated. And something else. He is not only missing his left arm but his left eye!"

An uproar began at the table. 

"No!" "No!"

"Vecna's dead," Jeff yelled.

"He was killed by Kas," Mike added. 

"So it was thought, my friends, so it was thought. But Vecna Lives." Eddie slammed the figure of Vecna on the pedestal. "YOu are scared. You are tired. You are injured. Do you flee Vecna and his cultists? Or stand your ground and fight? Come on."

The team thinks for a minute.

"I say we fight," Dustin says. "To the death."

"To the death," Mike added. 

"To the death," Erica repeated. The members began slamming their fists on the table chanting, "To the death! To the death!" 

And so the fight began. A long hard fight. There were wins, then loses, then some more wins. The game was getting intense. Simon was the first to die, then Mike, then Garret. 

"Time out! Time out!" Simon yelled and the team got together. 

"Guys, I hate to say this, but we've got to flee," Garret stated.

"I concur," Simon added.

"Didn't we just agree to the death?" Erica added in her sassy tone. 

"That wasn't literal," Garret responded.

"Vecna just decimated us. We can't kill him with two players."

"You too? He only has 15 hit points left. Don't be pussies," Dustin said. 

"Pussies? Really? Cause we're not delusional?" 

"Delusional? How about not cowards."

"Hey!" Eddie interjected. "If I may interject, gentlemen, Lady Applejack. Whilst I respect the passion, you'd be wise to take Garret the Great's concern to heart. There is no shame in running. Don't try to be here. Not today, kay?"

"One sec," Dustin said as he put one finger up and then turned back to the group. "What do you think, Mike?"

"How many hit points do you and Lady Applejack have left?" Mike asked.

"Twelve," they both said in unison.

"It's risky as hell. But you're the ones on the battlefield. So it's your call." 

"What do you say Lady Applejack?"

"YOu really gotta ask?" 

"Screw it," Dustin says and they break formation. "Let's kill the son of a bitch."

"The chances of success are 20 to 1," Jeff interjected. 

"Never tell me the odds. Hand me the D20," Dustin said. Eddie threw him the dice. He started shaking the die and then threw it. The anticipation in the air was thick. The die landed. It was a 10. 

"That's a miss!" Eddie yelled out. 

"SHit!" The group all said. Erica grabbed the die and began to shake. She threw it. It felt like slow motion as it rolled.

A 20. 

"Crit hit!" Erica yelled and Eddie was in shock. 

"That's why we play," Eddie said, then did a bow to Erica. Everyone was cheering. As they walked out of the school, they saw the basketball game attendees also cheering. 

"Looks like they won too," Dustin said to Mike. Everyone was cheering and Dani spotted Dustin and Eddie. 

"Hey, Chrissy, I'll catch you later. Have fun at the party," Dani told Chrissy. She walked away from the cheerleaders and over to Hellfire. 

"Hey, guys." She stood there with the guys and Erica and Dustin gave her a hug. 

"WE WON!" He yelled. 

"Wow, I would never have guessed you guys won or anything. I thought you guys were just really hyped up that we won." She said sarcastically which made Eddie laugh. 

"We are all going to Hideaway, if you want to come, Dani," Mike invited. 

"Oh yea, that sounds fun!" Dani and Eddie made eye contact and they both smiled. "I just need to run home and change out of this gross thing." She pointed to her cheer outfit. 

"I can pick you up from your house if you want me to," Eddie suggested quietly so Dustin and Mike wouldn't hear. 

"Yea, that would be great. I'll run there now and see you in a little bit." She found a piece of paper and scribbled her address. "Here." 

She waved bye, then walked up the hill of a parking lot to her car.