Something is coming. Something hungry for blood.

Felsius felt fear swell in his gut as a shadow enveloped him and his friends- no, his brothers- in darkness. He blinked rapidly to calm the emotions that threatened to burst out of his chest.

It is almost here.

Will the wise shakily sucked in his breath.

"What is it?"

Felsius caught his gaze and shook his head. His fingers twitched for the knives holstered on his hips.

"What if it's the Demogorgon? Oh, Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon."

The elf looked around at the people around him, which were no longer interesting looking characters but familiar 13 year old boys.

Christopher sighed and looked at Dustin, who leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. His curly hair bounced a bit.

"It's not the Demogorgon," Lucas argued. He was probably the only one that had hope, with Dustin and Will teetering on the edge of paranoia and Christopher trying to simply get back in the zone.

Mike didn't waste a second to reveal the true enemy at hand.

"An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber!"

Christopher rubbed his face and groaned.

"Troglodytes?" he and Dustin wondered aloud.

"Told ya."

Most of the party chuckled, and even Christopher let out a little giggle into the palm of his hand. Mike, though, looked distracted by something.

"Wait a minute," he said softly. Christopher's breath hitched in anticipation as he sat on the edge of his seat. His eyes widened. "Did you hear that?" The blond sat up in his seat and gripped the edge of the table. "That- that sound... boom... boom... BOOM!" Mike slammed his hands on the table, causing everyone else to flinch and jump back. "That didn't come from the troglodytes. No, that... that came from something else." Dustin looked over at Lucas and Christopher, and the latter could only respond by shaking his head in disappointment and hiding his face in his hands. A piece, a fatal and disgusting monster, was placed on the table. "The Demogorgon!"

They all groaned, except for Mike.

"We're in deep shit," Dustin cursed.

"Will, your action!" Mike focused his attention on the smaller boy next to him.

"I don't know!"

"Fireball him!" Lucas urged, speaking with both his mouth and hands.

"I'd have to roll a 13 or higher!"

"Then do it, goddammit!" Christopher felt a kick on his leg from Mike. He rolled his eyes and kicked right back at him (yeah, alright, Mrs. Wheeler didn't like it when they cursed, but his own dad didn't, so none of it really mattered).

"Too risky. Cast a protection spell."

"Don't be a pussy. Fireball him!"

"Cast protection."

"Majority over minority! Flame that son of a bi-"

"The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering! It stomps towards you. Boom!"

"Fireball him!"

"Another stomp, boom!"

"Cast protection!"

"He roars in anger!"

The group erupted into a small roar, none of them caring to wait for another to stop speaking before opening their mouths. Dustin yelled at Lucas and he yelled right back at him with the same anger and urgency. Christopher gripped his hair and was about to start slamming his hands on the table and telling them all to shut up before Will made his decision.

"Fireball!"

He shook his hands and tossed the die onto the table. The piece of plastic rolled off the table in fowl swoop, making Christopher gasp and the rest scramble to get up.

"Oh, shit!"

"Where'd it go? Where is it?!"

"I don't know!"

"Is it a 13?"

"I don't know!"

"Where is it?"

"Oh my God, oh my God-"

Mrs. Wheeler called out for her son from upstairs, but none of them paid her any mind.  Christopher sat frozen in his seat. His skin prickled at all the noise around him and his heart raced in a silent panic. Jesus Christ...

"Can you find it yet?!"

"No, I can't find it!"

As Mike, Will, and Lucas rummaged through the basement to find the die and Dustin and Christopher freaked out by the table, Mrs. Wheeler opened the door above the stairs.

"Mom, we're in the middle of a campaign!"

Christopher took the heels of his palms away from his eyes and looked at his pacing friend. He gritted his teeth.

"Dustin, I swear to God, if you don't shut the fuck up I'm going to lose it."

Mike argued with his mom by the stairs and Lucas and Will kept on looking and yelling and Dustin kept repeating 'oh my God' over and over and like, okay, on a real note, Christopher might actually be losing it at this moment. He curled his fingers into his curly hair and rested his forehead on the table. Breathe...

"I got it!" He looked up from his spot and saw that Mike had gone upstairs to reason with his mom. "Does the seven count?

"It was a seven? Did Mike see it?" Dustin started to put on his coat, so Christopher decided he'd join him by the door. He did his best not to wince at the slight headache the formed between his eyebrows. His eyes wandered over to Will and Lucas, where he made eye contact with the former. They shook their heads at the same time. "Then it doesn't count."

The rest of the party rushed to put on their coats and grab their belongings. Christopher slung his book bag over one shoulder and led the way upstairs, where he could hear Mr. Wheeler grunting at the television (as if that would get it to work better).

"Hey guys! Does anyone want this?"

The three of them looked at Dustin, who held a pizza box.

"No," they said in unison.

They made their way outside and to their bikes. Christopher swung his leg over his seat and waited- he and Dustin were neighbors so they rode home together whenever possible, and the other boy was offering the last slice to Mike's sister (what was her name again?) who would most likely to say no.

"Chris, you have to stop doing that thing."

He looked up at Lucas, who had a matter of fact look on his face. He furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side.

"Huh?"

"Whenever we play, you get really into it. Like you space out, and to be honest? It's a little freaky." His friend did a demonstration by placing his arms on an imaginary table and holding his head in his hand with a far away look in his eye. Christopher hid his giggle behind his hand.

"It adds to the group. Are you telling me we didn't need a crazy one in the party?"

Will shook his head from where he stood by his bike.

"You're not crazy, Christopher."

Before the conversation could go any further, Dustin exited the house with a mouth full of pizza and a girl to complain about.

"There's something wrong with your sister."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's got a stick up her butt." Dustin headed to his bike and handed his crust to Christopher, who took it with a smile (if he couldn't see germs, they didn't exist).

Lucas agreed with his friend. "Yeah. It's because she's been dating that douchebag, Steve Harrington."

"One time I was sitting on a bench and watched him beat up my tutor. Blood gushing from his nose and shit. Gnarly." Christopher took a bit from the crust and slowly came out of the garage. He held the cold piece of bread in his mouth.

"Not cool, man. You watched?" Lucas looked at him in confusion, as if he was supposed to spill his secrets under the scrutinizing glare of the moon.

"Uh, yeah. I was sitting on the bench."

"See, that's what being around Steve does to you. Makes you mean." Dustin steered them back to the topic at hand. They all flicked their bike lamps on one by one, Christopher's stuttering for a few seconds. "She's turning into a real jerk."

"She's always been a real jerk," Mike argued.

"Nuh-uh, she used to be cool. Like that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign." Dustin, Lucas, and Christopher rolled away, the ladder nodding his head at the two friends they left behind.

"Four years ago!"

"Just saying."

As Dustin finished that conversation, Lucas said his goodbyes in the form of a quick 'later'.

After a few seconds, Will caught up to them. It only took a mere thirty seconds to get the point where Lucas had to depart from the four.

"Good night, ladies," Lucas said as he split off. Christopher waved at him and grinned with his mouth still full of crust.

Dustin nodded at him. "Kiss your mom 'night for me." Once Lucas was gone, Dustin looked at the other two. "Race you guys back to my place? Winner gets a comic."

"Any comic?"

"Yeah."

Christopher and Will glanced at each other. With nothing other than a small nod, they were off. They sped down the hill as Dustin yelled out at them, the blond laughing all the while.

"I'll take your X-Men 134!"

After about a few seconds of biking away, Christopher looked back and sighed. Dustin was no longer chasing after them, just staring at them in disbelief.

"Go ahead and go home. I'll get that comic for you." They both came to a complete stop, but only one went to turn around. His worn out shoes scuffed against the ground.

"You sure?" The brunet looked at him with slight confusion. His hands fiddled with the bell on his handlebars, the metal clinking in the process. Christopher gave a little smile and nodded.

"Yup. See ya, Will."

Will returned the smile.

"See ya."