MADELINE, dustin henderson

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Dustin puts the D&D manual on the table.

"The Mind Flayer," Dustin exclaims as the page with the Mind Flayer is opened.

"What the hell is that?" Hopper asks and I sigh.

"It's a monster from an unknown dimension," I start, looking at Dustin.

"Yeah, it's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home," he continues.

"It enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains, using its highly-developed psionic powers," I finish the explanation.

"Oh my God, none of this is real. This is a kids' game," Hopper argues and I furrow my eyebrows.

"No, i-it's a manual and it's not for kids. And unless you know something that we don't, this is the best metaphor—"

"Analogy," Lucas corrects Dustin and I scoff.

"Analogy? That's what you're worried about?" Dustin asks in disbelief.

"Fine," Lucas says.

"Analogy? For understanding whatever the hell this is?" Dustin exclaims.

"Okay, so this... Mind Flamer thing—" Nancy starts.

"Flayer, Mind Flayer," Dustin corrects her and I grab his shoulder, switching our places so that I'm standing next to Nancy. She sighs in frustration from Dustin's comment.

"What does it want?" she asks, looking at me and Dustin.

"Well... basically to conquer us. It believes it's 'the master race'," I reply, using air quotes.

"Like the... Like the Germans," Steve says and I raise an eyebrow.

"Really, Steve? The Germans?" I ask just to mess with him.

"Yeah, um... You mean the Nazis?" Dustin corrects.

"Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the Nazis," Steve says.

"Then yeah. If the Nazis were from a different dimension, totally. It uses other races, like us, as inferior to itself," I state.

"It wants to spread and take over other dimensions," Mike adds and I nod.

"We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it," Lucas says.

"That's great, that's great. That's really great," Steve exclaims, making me roll my eyes.

"Okay, so if this is like a brain that's controlling everything, then if we kill it..." Nancy picks up the D&D manual.

"We kill everything it controls," Mike says.

"We win," me and Dustin exclaim at the same time.

"Theoretically," Lucas adds.

"Alright, great. So how do you kill this thing, shoot it with fireballs or something?" Hopper asks as he takes the manual.

"Yeah, no. Definitely not fireballs," I state, shaking my head in disappointment.

"Uh, you summon an undead army, because... you know, zombies, they don't have brains and the Mind Flayer... it likes brains..."

"Shut it, Dustin," I cut him off.

"Um... Yeah, it's just a game, it's a game." Dustin sighs, looking to the ground.

"What the hell are we doing here," Hopper exclaims and walks away, putting the manual back on the table.

"I thought we were waiting for your military backup," Dustin says.

"We are!" Hopper states and I scoff.