"Hey, you remember what I said last year, right? We're Zombie Boy and Ghost Boy. I'm not ever gonna leave you."
"Promise?"
"One hundred percent."
***
In which Alistair fights the monster that possessed his friend alongside his friends, while trying...
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Chapter Forty-Six: The Winning Roll
(The Hellfire Club, Pt. 6)
***
Alistair strode down the hallways of Hawkins High to where Hellfire Club was held with more confidence than he probably had.
Beside him was Dustin, and across from Dustin was Mike. Smack-bang in the middle was Erica Sinclair, holding her manual, an American flag repurposed as a cape dramatically flowing behind her, practically screaming she meant business tonight and reaffirming to Alistair that Dustin had made the right call in having her be their sub and that Eddie would probably like Erica and her sharp tongue.
That idealistic idea was popped like a balloon when they walked into the empty drama room that Hellfire Club used, the table set up and ready, Gareth, Jeff and Frank there, and Eddie lounging in his throne that Alistair still had no idea where the metalhead had gotten, but always thought how it looked badass and making Eddie's position as DM more intimidating than it already was—and which he and Rowan had been allowed to sit on a few times. Best friend and best friend's brother/pseudo-sibling privileges, after all—staring at them, at Erica, and said, "Absolutely not."
"You asked for a sub. We delivered," Dustin reminded, gesturing to Erica who looked unruffled by Eddie's rejection.
"Just give her a chance. She's pretty good," Alistair argued, and though Erica sent him a flinty look, he could see the appreciation of him sticking up for her and her D&D abilities.
"This is Hellfire Club. Not Babysitting Club," Eddie retorted.
That incited a response from Erica, who fired back with all her trademark sass, "I'm eleven, you long-haired freak."
Alistair's eyebrows raised and his head whipped to Eddie, who smirked as he remarked, "My, my. The child speaks."
That incited some snorts of laughter from Gareth, Frank and Jeff and Eddie to get off his throne as he and Erica walked up to each other, Eddie questioning, "So, what's your name, child?"
"Erica Sinclair," Erica replied.
Eddie smirked. "So this is Sinclair's infamous sister."
Another round of laughter from the older members of Hellfire as Alistair looked at Mike and Dustin nervously while Erica rolled her eyes and deadpanned, "He's sharp."
Alistair couldn't resist a smirk as Gareth and Jeff laughed at the quip, but a look from Eddie silenced them. He turned back to Erica and interrogated, "What's your class and level? Level one dwarf?"
Gareth and Jeff laughed again, but Erica was unruffled as she said, "My name is Lady Applejack."
Alistair's eyebrows raised again as he saw Eddie's smirk drop and Erica continued, "And I'm a chaotic good half-elf rogue, level 14. And 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, agonising death. So, we gonna do this, or we gonna keep chitchatting like this is your mommy's book club?"
