MARLEY // Max Mayfield

Wish It Was Me

A book flew across the room, a box of figurines and worn cosplays fluttering soon after it, Eddie was searching like a madman, his entire upper body buried in his closet, hunting feverishly for his Monster Manual. Dustin and Lucas were sat in front of cardboard boxes, the entirety of their forearms buried deep in the innards of each box, 'Kitchen' was scrawled on the side of each container and yet, unless Mr Munson used a paper mache orcish warhammer to prepare meatloaf, it was clear these days the boxes were used for storing Eddie's DND materials.

Steve and Erica watched, their eyes wide as a heap of roleplaying materials piled before them, phoney weaponry and cheap-looking elven ears bounced across the carpeted floor a few times before occasionally settling at their feet. Marley and Max were in the corner, the former girl with distant eyes, a perpetual paleness to her cheeks while the other rested her cheek against the side of her arm, holding her by her waist. And in some way, it was the only thing keeping Marley grounded, Max's touch against her skin.

There was an exclamation from Lucas that startled the entire trailer, sans Nancy, who was still in the bathroom and Robin, who had gone to check on her some time ago. Eddie's head popped out of the closet and he seemed to bury something back into a box as he scrambled over to Lucas and took the Monster Manual from the boy's hands. Dustin leaned over to see what the resident DM had been searching for, even Erica and Steve grew nearer, leaning over Eddie's shoulder to get a better look at the grotesque illustration of an Elder Oblex, entangled with the body of a seemingly human individual.

"This is an Elder Oblex," Eddie declared tossing the book to the coffee table in front of him and pointing so harshly the paper of his manual creased under his finger. "It's a being created by the Mindflayer, it feeds on the thoughts and memories of its host body, eventually taking over completely, according to the manual it goes after players with a high intellect."

"Marley is super smart..." Dustin mumbled and Marley shifted uncomfortably, her hands shaking as she stared at the manual, unblinking. 

"They're sort of like Intellect Devourers," Eddie mused, flipping to another page to quickly show the illustration before flipping back to the Elder Oblex, "Only Elder Oblex don't follow orders...they don't follow their creators. They're completely self-motivated."

"Oh that's good then," Dustin said cheerily as he looked over at Marley who had her arms crossed, her fingers picking at her bandage.

"We can't...assume a fucking Monster Manual is gospel truth," Marley muttered, almost snapping as her fingernail buried deep into the skin of her bicep, "and if we do," her eyes had locked onto a separate portion of its description, "it also says Elder Oblex use their impersonations to lure new victims into an ambush. So what does that say about all of this?"

"Are you leading us into an ambush?" Max interrupted and grabbed Marley's hand to stop her from picking. Marley glanced at her. 

"No...I mean...not that I know of?" Marley said, her face pulled up in bleary confusion as she twiddled her bangs between her fingers. "What if I'm doing it subconsciously? If I'm something from the Upside Down, or -- or at the very least possessed by something from there maybe it's leading me to --"

"If we're going by that logic I could be luring us into a trap too, Mars," Max interrupted, grasping the girl's hand firmly to stop her from spiralling, "I'm possessed too you know."

"You guys are like...made for each other," Dustin said and Eddie flicked his ear, "Ouch! Hey, I think it's like cute or some shit."

"Neat, we're inter-dimensionally possessed girlfriends," Max grunted sardonically, "real cute, Dustin."