Thank you guys so much for your patience. Things have been very hectic here. I just got a new job (yay!) and I'm in my last semester of grad school so my thesis is currently taking up a lot of headspace. But I'm determined to meet my "one chapter a month" goal. So please enjoy this extra long chapter!
Also I'll admit this chapter is a bit on the filler side, but I promise it's setting the ground for something ;)
xxxXXXxxx
Chapter 3:
"Are you kidding me, man?!" Jeff cried, dismayed.
"Do you really think I'd be joking about something like this?" Eddie rubbed his eyes. He had a headache for the last half hour and it was steadily getting worse.
His day had taken a huge fucking nosedive. After his meeting with Chrissy, he tried to sneak off to his van and smoke a bit, but the Supreme Overlord himself, Principal Higgins, collared him by the exit. He proceeded to give Eddie the usual lecture of what a disgrace he was before dropping the mother of all bombshells on him: Hellfire Club was no longer allowed to meet on school premises.
It took all of Eddie's self-restraint to not go apeshit on the principal right then and there.
Back when he was a sophomore, Eddie had asked about starting a Dungeons and Dragons club. He had been playing the game steadily for the last two years at the local bookstore. But recently the place closed down, courtesy of the owner winning the lottery and moving out to Boston. The other players were content to go back to their lives, but not Eddie. He thrived in the world of fantasy and make-believe. He wanted to keep exploring different realms and playing different characters.
But no, apparently fantasy was "the devil's work" or make-believe was the equivalent of worshiping Satan or whatever. That's what the Church was preaching nowadays.
So it came as no surprise that the school told him no. But Eddie was persistent. After weeks of nonstop begging and pestering (and a little bribery), the Vice Principal told him that he could start a club, but only if he took full responsibility for it. He was more than happy to do so and just before Winter Break, "Hellfire Club" was born.
It was one of the few things that he looked forward to and it helped keep him from going completely bonkers over having to repeat his senior year twice. And now it was being ripped away from him.
"Did he at least say why?"
"He said because of recent events," Eddie growled. "The school board didn't feel safe allowing students to be meeting after hours on school grounds without an "adult" present."
Everyone at the table scoffed. "That's such bullshit." Grant said. His lips were painted in Cheetos dust. "If they're really "concerned" about us, why don't they just get a teacher to stay after?"
"You know why, dude." Gareth answered. "It's because it's us."
Eddie nodded. Higgins had been looking for a reason to shut Hellfire down. And this one was perfect. "Gotta keep the freaks in line." He muttered ruefully. "Don't want another student to go missing." He scanned the tables around him where all the various cliques sat together and ate and talked without a care in the world.
His headache was pounding in his ears and he just couldn't hold in his anger anymore.
"Stay away from playing fantasy games, kiddies." He said loudly. "Or people might think you're some kind of lunatic." All of Hellfire turned to him, taken aback at his words and tone. But Eddie was nowhere near finished. He slapped his hand against the tabletop and climbed up. "But don't worry!" He crowed. "They won't bother you if you're into more normal things like band…"
A few heads turned in his direction. It wasn't enough. Eddie began to saunter down the length of the table. Students scrambled to pull their trays and lunches out of his way.
"Or science or parties.." More heads were spinning around, along with a lot of contemptuous glares. Some even flipped him off. Still not enough. He wanted to cause more disturbance. And he knew exactly what button to push.
"Or a game where you toss BALLS INTO LAUNDRY BASKETS!" Eddie shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth.
That did it. From the head of the basketball team's table, Jason Carver was getting to his feet. "You want something, freak?" He challenged.
Yeah, I want you to take your holier-than-thou attitude and shove it up your privileged ass.
Of course, Eddie couldn't actually say that aloud. As much as he would've loved to, he was already on thin ice as it was and he didn't need to give Higgins another excuse to flog him. So instead he opened his eyes wide, stuck his middle fingers to the side of his head, and waggled his tongue at Carver.
The King of Hawkins High scowled at him. He muttered something under his breath (probably an unoriginal insult) before returning to his seat. His cronies immediately huddled around him and began kissing his ass. Eddie meanwhile turned and made his way back to his snickering friends.
"Forced conformity." He muttered. "That's what's crazy around here." When he reached the end of the table, he jumped off and grabbed onto the tray of a passing brainiac. "IT'LL GET YOU IN THE END!" He screamed in mock terror.
The poor girl practically fell backwards as she yanked her tray away from him. When she managed to retain her composure, she glowered at him and stormed off. Eddie just smiled and gave her a little wave goodbye before returning to his seat.
"What's gonna get us?" Sitting next to Grant were two of the newest recruits: Mike Wheeler and Dustin Henderson. They must have joined the table at some point during Eddie's tirade. Both freshmen were wearing their Hellfire Club shirts, which made Eddie's chest swell a little with pride. At least he could count on the loyalty of his party members to be unwavering.
"Society."
"Higgins pulled the plug on us." Gareth elaborated off of Dustin and Mike's confused faces. "Won't let Hellfire meet after school tonight."
Dustin's eyes widened. Next to him, Mike's mouth was hanging open in surprise. "Shit, are you serious?" He asked incredulously.
Grant nodded sadly.
"Oh man. That's…" The freshmen shared a look with each other before Dustin finished, "that really sucks dude."
It was a quick exchange, one that only lasted about two seconds, so it was understandable that no one else at the table noticed. But Eddie's wisdom stats had always been high, so he noticed right away the unspoken conversation that had passed between Mike and Dustin and their simultaneous look of relief. Before he could question them though, Grant interrupted him.
"Why can't we just play somewhere else tonight? What about Starcourt?"
Eddie gasped in mock agreement. "Hey yeah! And maybe while we're at it, we can head over to the security booth and hold our wrists for the handcuffs!" He threw a pretzel at Grant to emphasize his point.
"Oh, right." Grant looked sheepish. "Sorry man. I forgot."
Eddie was not on the best terms with the mall security. The first time he visited the New Haven of Capitalism, an officer followed him around from store to store, probably hoping to catch him shoplifting. Eddie turned and confronted the rent-a-cop, which resulted in him being wrestled to the ground and detained for "disturbing the peace". Chief Hopper let him go with a warning. But Eddie still found himself shadowed there, so eventually he refused to go back.
"We can't meet at my place." Eddie thought aloud. "It's not big enough for more than two people." It was also decorated with various molds and smells. Not exactly the most ideal location.
That didn't leave much options for them now though. Grant's father was incredibly strict and spent most of his nights on the couch watching TV with a six pack. Jeff's mom was a neat freak and always looked like she was going to have an aneurysm whenever someone so much as breathed on her plastic covered furniture. And Gareth's mom was currently on the dating circuit, so she usually had a gentleman caller over every other evening. So all of their houses were out of the question.
"What about you two knaves?" Eddie jutted his chin at Mike and Dustin. "Think your folks would mind?"
Both boys sat up straighter like a pair of gophers. Once again, they looked at each other as if communicating telepathically.
"Well," Dustin laughed nervously. "Here's the thing, fellas. My mom wouldn't mind it at all. In fact, she'd love to have you guys over. It's all she ever talks about, you know? How much she wants to meet you. You know how moms are, right?" He laughed again and Mike joined in. When no one else did, he then swallowed loudly. "But, uh, she also has a cat. Mews. And I seem to recall that Jeff is allergic to felines. So we could totally use my place, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the idea of putting a fellow party member at risk."
Everyone nodded in agreement, Jeff even giving Dustin a grateful smile.
"Wheeler?"
Mike stared down at his tray. "My mom says I have to be in bed no later than 10." He muttered in a low voice.
Jeff and Grant snickered. Gareth tried to hide his laugh by coughing into his hand. Eddie meanwhile stared in disbelief. "Wait, seriously?"
Mike's cheeks reddened as he nodded. The snickers turned into laughter. "I have an early flight to California tomorrow!" He said defensively. "She doesn't want me to oversleep and miss it!" This just made everyone laugh harder.
"Alright you clowns, that's enough." Eddie said sternly. "Knock it off." As annoyed as he was, he couldn't fault Mike for this. Not everyone was blessed to have a parent that cared.
He would know.
"That reminds me," said Jeff. "Are we still on for practice tomorrow morning? I gotta bring those speakers back to my cousin on Monday."
Eddie sighed. "Yeah." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah, I'll make sure to pack 'em."
God, he was really letting things slip from his mind today. Gigs had been few and far between lately, but now that Spring Break was here, his band 'Corroded Coffin' could really polish their chords and smooth out their beats so that come Tuesday night, they'd kick ass at The Hideout.
Just as long as they didn't blow out the windows in Gareth's garage again.
Wait a minute…
Eddie slapped the table again, making everyone jump. "Gareth," he said. "Your mom said we could use the garage as long as we didn't make a mess, right?"
Gareth, whose mouth was full of peanut butter, blinked at him confused. "Well technically she said it was as long as the neighbors didn't complain about the noise or call the police. Why do you-"
He trailed off, his eyes widening with excitement as he began to realize what Eddie was getting at. Grant and Jeff understood too, sitting up a bit straighter and looked at him eagerly.
"Well, she never said we had to use it just for band practice so…" He leaned back in his seat with a grin.
"Dude," Jeff chuckled. "You're a fucking genius."
Eddie shrugged. "Yeah well, I try not to let it show too much." The others laughed and exchanged a round of high-fives with him.
Perhaps the day could still be salvaged.
xxxXXXxxx
The next two periods, mercifully, passed without further incident. Granted, one was gym so Eddie spent that time hotboxing his van and the other was a study period where he slept in the library stacks, but any period that didn't involve him getting thrown out of class or written up was a win. If he could just get through Spanish with Signor Pesado (and his sweaty upper lip), he'd have plenty of time to help Gareth set up for tonight.
"Hey, um, Eddie?" a familiar voice squeaked. "Can we talk to you for a sec?"
Eddie closed his locker door. Mike Wheeler and Dustin Henderson were standing there, looking at him like a dog that just made a mess in the kitchen and was trying not to appear guilty. He frowned at them. Before the bell had rung and the lunch period ended, he noticed their reactions to Hellfire's meeting no longer being canceled. Unlike the others, who were elated about the news, they had looked anxious. Even more so than when they had first sat down at the table. Coupling that with the several silent exchanges he clocked them doing, he knew they had something to tell him and it wasn't good news.
That's when Eddie noticed yet another thing.
"Aren't you guys short one musketeer?"
Mike and Dustin were seldom seen in the halls without another freshman - Lucas Sinclair. The three of them were obviously close friends from before high school and had all joined Hellfire club simultaneously. But then Lucas signed up for the basketball team and began spending more and more time with Jason Carver and his lackeys.
And Eddie couldn't lie, he sometimes felt a twinge under the ribs whenever he saw Lucas high-fiving Patrick McKinney in the hallway or sitting next to Carver during lunch.
"Well, the thing is, uh," Dustin laughed. But it wasn't genuine. It was too loud and forced. In fact, it was a laugh that Eddie was all too familiar with; after several Hellfire meetings, he learned that Dustin had a nervous tic of laughing whenever he felt uncomfortable.
"Lucas has to do his, uh, 'balls-in-laundry-baskets' thing tonight. So…" He laughed again, this time more uneasily. "He's not gonna be able to make it to Hellfire tonight."
Eddie didn't say anything, which made Mike and Dustin glance at each other uneasily. They had probably hoped he would've reacted a little more shocked or even angry. But given Lucas's recent absences, he wasn't fully surprised.
"So, uh, Mike and I were talking," Dustin continued, trying to maintain an air of casualty. "Shooting the shit, and um, we both thought since it would be impossible to beat your sadistic campaign, maybe we could…"
"Postpone tonight's session." Mike interrupted, having grown impatient at his friend's ramblings.
Eddie's headache was back.
So much for salvaging the day.
"I'm sorry," He shook his head, "I must've smoked a little too much because for a second there, it sounded like you two want to-" He made a show of choking on the next word. "Postpone."
"No, no! I don't want to postpone!" Mike retracted frantically. "We don't want to postpone. It's just that, you know, most of the subs will be at the championship game and-"
"Oh, it's the championship game?" Eddie interjected. Dustin nodded, his blue and white cap flopping around. "I see." He took a step forward, making both freshmen take three steps back. Intimidation check passed. "And instead of telling me himself, he decided to have you cretins do it."
"Well, no. No, not exactly." Dustin swallowed. "I'm sure he wanted to tell you. He just probably thought you'd be upset with him for joining "the dark side", you know?" There was that laugh again.
"Can I level with you?" Eddie asked. Both boys nodded. "I really don't give a shit what you guys do in your spare time here. As far as I care, this place can burn to the ground." (And he'd gladly help spread the kerosene. Though that was probably not a good thing to say aloud.)
"The only thing I'm concerned about is the future of this club. Because if I don't blow it," Eddie couldn't help but grin at the thought. "I'm gonna walk that stage this May."
The football field covered with rows and rows of folding chairs. The stage decorated in the school colors, from the banners to the flowers. The sun baring down on everyone adorned in dark green robes and caps. The speakers squeaking with feedback from the podium's microphone. Principal Higgins's voice droning on as he called name after name.
Until it was finally Eddie's turn.
The sound of his sneakers squeaking as he made his way center stage. The look of contempt on Higgins' face when he handed Eddie his diploma and the way his eyes bulged when Eddie refused to shake his hand and flipped him the bird instead.
And that feeling of elation as Eddie completed his walk, finally free from the prison that was high school and the Hell that was Hawkins, Indiana.
"This year is my year." He muttered hopefully. "I can feel it. '86 baby."
For the briefest second, an image flashed across Eddie's mind.
A gold necklace with an "86" charm. Chrissy Cunningham's necklace.
Bemused, he shook his head and turned his attention back to Mike and Dustin with a smile. "Which means I will be entrusting you guys with the sacred duty of running Hellfire." He put his arms around their shoulders. Immediately they both froze like statues. "You boys are the future." He whispered lightly. "I knew it from the moment I saw you."
Eddie turned to Dustin. "You were wearing a Weird Al t-shirt," He gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Which I thought was brave." Dustin chuckled and mumbled a 'thank you'. Eddie then turned to Mike. "You were wearing whatever shit your mommy bought you from the goddamn Gap." Both boys laughed loudly and even Eddie couldn't help but join in.
"You were such lost little sheep." He sighed. Dustin started to say something but the words were barely out of his mouth before Eddie seized the scruffs of their shirt collars and began to maneuver them around.
"And we showed you that high school didn't have to be the worst years of your lives, right?" They both nodded frantically.
Eddie didn't like violence. Sure, he put on a big show of looking tough but that's what you had to do when the world decided to punch first. It was just another cruel lesson life had taught him. But he couldn't let his classmates know that he was soft. Least of all the freshmen. So every now and then, he had to do something to make sure they didn't step out of line.
"So, all you guys gotta do is find another little lost sheepie for tonight and bring them over to Gareth's by 6pm, sharp. Got it?"
They nodded again and with that, Eddie gave them a shove down the hallway. They both tripped over their feet as they scrambled away, off to obey his command.
xxxXXXxxx
Turns out Gareth's mom needed a little more convincing than Eddie had anticipated. Generally, she didn't have a problem with her son's choice of activities. She was used to people gossiping at church about them. Being a single mother that frequented the dating scene wasn't exactly looked highly upon in a small town like Hawkins. And having a son that liked to play the drums and listen to "heathen" music out of their garage didn't help.
But ever since the announcement about Barb Holland, everyone just seemed to be extra on edge. People were practically boarding up their doors and windows. Stores closed up early after dark. Students were encouraged to always have a "buddy" with them whenever they walked home. There was even talk about possibly enforcing a mandatory curfew for everyone.
So having a son that liked to play drums, listen to "heathen" music AND play a "devil worshiping" game might be pushing it.
Thankfully, Gareth was able to convince her with the promise that they would only play until sometime around 9:30 and that they'd keep the garage door closed so that the neighbors wouldn't see.
Before he left, Eddie had been able to sneak back to the drama room. Using Grant's polaroid, he took a few pictures of the board and where each figure was placed before swiping it all into his backpack. Then he pocketed a few items, like a fake silver chalice and a plastic skull, as souvenirs since it was likely he wouldn't be able to get back in after Spring Breaks. He was also super tempted to try and sneak out the huge chair he always sat in, a leftover set piece from the school's production of Camelot, but eventually forced himself to part ways with it.
By 5 o'clock, Eddie drove over to Gareth's house to start setting things up. Both Jeff and Grant were already there and had each brought an assortment of snacks, drinks and mixtapes. They had carefully pushed Gareth's drum kit aside to make room for three fold-up tables and were now in the process of opening a few beach chairs. Gareth meanwhile was stringing up a set of white Christmas lights to help set up the mood.
It wasn't the same, but it would have to do.
No one had heard a word from Mike or Dustin since school let out. Although Eddie was trying to be slightly optimistic that the two would be able either to find a sub or convince Lucas to ditch the game, he wasn't holding his breath. The pickings for people that would be interested in playing Dungeons and Dragons was slim and a current missing student was definitely not going to attract anyone new.
Yet at 5:45, just when the sun had finally left the sky, a car turned onto the street and parked in front of the garage. Everyone scattered from the table, anxious to see who the mysterious player was. Over the noise of the engine, a high voice called out "Have fun! Don't forget to be home by 10!" to three figures exiting the vehicle. The car then disappeared down the road and the motion sensor lights turned on to reveal…
Eddie almost laughed.
Now this had to be a joke.
Standing before him was none other than Mike Wheeler's older sister, Nancy. Eddie was in at least three classes with her and she was the furthest thing from someone who'd be into DnD. She practically had the word "PRISS" stamped across her face. She was also a senior member of the Hawkins paper, which meant it was technically her duty to be nosy with the other students.
Surely, these guys weren't serious.
Neither Mike or Dustin looked like they were joking mirth immediately drained from Eddie's face.
"Absolutely not." He said firmly.
"You asked for a sub. We delivered." Something about Dustin's tone made Eddie's jaw clench; just how flippant he sounded about the matter.
Don't lose your temper, man. Just breathe.
"This is Hellfire club." Eddie smiled sardonically. "Not the latest subject for the Hawkin's gossip monger."
"Hey!" Nancy's eyes flashed indignantly.
"She knows how to play-"
Once again, Mike impatiently interrupted Dustin. "Look, we tried to find someone else. But she was the only one available."
"Only because mom forced me to go with you!" Nancy hissed at her brother. As if someone flipped a switch, Mike whirled on her.
"Oh please! It's not like you were gonna do anything besides stay in your room all night!"
"It's not like I can go anywhere! The station wagon's at the shop!"
That familiar ache in Eddie's temples was starting to appear again. If these two kept squabbling for the rest of the night, his head might pop off.
"Guys!" Dustin shouted at the siblings, quieting them. He then turned to Eddie. "Look," he said, "as the supreme leader of Hellfire and our esteemed Dungeon Master, you know how much we trust your decisions. I mean, how could we forget the Quest of Dragon's Eye?" He spoke to the other members now. "Do you guys remember how long we had to travel inside those catacombs? All those hours of mindless wandering and searching?" (They hadn't really spent hours in the catacombs. Eddie had just narrated that they did.)
Jeff, Grant, and Gareth begrudgingly nodded.
"We wanted to give up." Dustin continued, speaking as if he were giving a speech to his troops on St. Crispin's Day. "To turn back and find a different path. But we didn't. And why didn't we? Because we trusted our DM."
Gareth started to interrupt, probably to point out that they only kept going because they had invested too much time and energy, but Grant silenced him with an elbow to the ribs.
"We trusted that Eddie, our benevolent DM, was planning something, building our anticipations, laying out the breadcrumbs for us to follow in the hopes that it would lead to something exciting. And what happened?"
"We found the final piece of the map." Jeff answered, a bit disgruntled.
"Exactly! We trusted our DM and it led us to the next exciting chapter of our quest!" Dustin turned back to Eddie. His blue eyes were full of wild excitement. "Well Eddie, now we," He gestured to himself and Mike, who was staring at his friend in awe. "We are asking you to trust us in return with our decision to bring Miss Nancy Moira Wheeler here tonight to play with us." Dustin then held out his hands to Eddie and smiled expectedly. "So what do you say?"
Eddie didn't answer. Like earlier in the halls, he just stared at Dustin until he began to shift uncomfortably under his gaze. He had to admit, the kid was good. He knew how to work a crowd like Carver did during his pep rally speeches. But unlike Carver, Dustin didn't make Eddie want to stab pencils in his ears.
Still he wasn't going to let Dustin know that; his ego was already big enough.
So instead, he stood up and made his way over to Nancy Wheeler. Unlike her brother, who usually ducked his gaze whenever Eddie stood in front of him, she leveled her steely eyes with his and glared back as if she were a cat watching a bird from the windowsill.
"Riddle me this," He said. "Why aren't you reporting on the big basketball game tonight?"
Nancy's gaze wavered slightly. Her nostrils flared a few times before she answered harshly, "Bruce gave the assignment to Mary Ellen."
Ah, that made sense. Everyone knew Bruce had carried a torch for Mary Ellen since the fourth grade.
"You've played before?" He asked. Nancy nodded. Eddie couldn't help but scoff. "Here's another riddle. When would Nancy Wheeler, future valedictorian of '86, have ever played DnD?"
The others snickered. Mike angrily shushed them as his sister's cheeks reddened.
"She used to play with us when we were in middle school!" said Dustin. "She's really good!"
"Really? Then, what's your class and level?"
To Eddie's surprise, Nancy just smiled at him and fixed her gaze. "My name," She said evenly, "is Lady Amalthea of the Crystal Grove and I am a half-elf, level-six, lawful neutral ranger. I have exactly five level-six spell slots and wield the Heartseeker bow and arrow, which I will gladly use on my enemies as I hide in the trees and track their movements. So, are we going to keep going back and forth or are we gonna play?"
The garage was so quiet that a pin could be dropped and heard. Everyone stared at Nancy, agape. Even Eddie was momentarily taken aback.
Well, well, well. Looks like the cat has claws.
Eddie smiled and held out his hand for Nancy to shake.
"Welcome to our quest, Lady Amalthea."