The Long Game, Lucas Sinclair

001. has my friend been abducted or am i just anxious?

CHAPTER ONE.
1x01: The Vanishing of Will Byers

"Something is coming. Something hungry for blood," Michael Wheeler said in an ominous voice.

Samantha Hughes was hunched over her character's information sheet, raising an intrigued eyebrow as he went on. Mike was looking around at the entire party.

"A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness... It is almost here."

William Byers leaned forward. "What is it?"

"What if it's the Demogorgon?" Dustin Henderson asked anxiously.

Sam's eyebrows widened. "No!" she gasped. "We'd be so screwed!"

"It's not the Demogorgon," Lucas Sinclair sighed, trying to calm his friends down.

Mike's hand slammed down on the table, placing down a figurine Sam had yet to distinguish. "An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber!"

"Troglodytes?" Dustin scoffed.

Lucas smiled, like a smart-ass. "Told ya!"

All of them chuckled at Dustin's overthinking and Sam's panicking. Sam took her time again to peer around the table through her glasses. Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will had been Sam's best and only friends since the second grade (well—Lucas joined the party in third grade and Dustin in fourth, but that was irrelevant). They were her idiotic nerdy boys, and she loved them all.

They cringed every time she said that out loud, but she didn't really care.

They were now reaching hour ten of their Dungeons and Dragons campaign—something the five of them loved more than life itself. It combined fantasy, imagination, combat, critical thinking, and adventure into one game they could play for the rest of their lives—ten hours was nothing.

Each member had their own respective roles and characters. Will was their Cleric, Mike was their Paladin (and Dungeon Master), Lucas was their Ranger, Dustin was their Bard, and Sam was their Druid.

"Wait a minute," Mike continued softly, eyebrows furrowing for suspense. "Do you hear that? That... that sound? Boom... boom... BOOM!"

He slammed his hands on the table, causing Sam to flinch again.

"Michael!" Sam hissed.

Mike smirked. "That didn't come from the troglodytes, no. That... that came from something else."