ৎ ָ࣪ 𓄹 ﹙𝟬𝟬𝟭﹚˖ ᨒ .ﾟ ꗃ 𓄸
❛ THE CAMPAIGN ❜ 𓂃 𓈒 𓏸₊˚ 〆

HAWKINS INDIANA, a normal small town where nothing out of the ordinary ever seemed to happen. That's what it seemed like, at least, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. The town was very abnormal, full of supernatural beings, kids with powers, and even monsters from another dimension. Everyone would soon come to find out how different Hawkins really is compared to any other town.

         "Something is coming. Something hungry for blood." A voice boomed out loud. The kids in the basement looked around at each other, some scared, and some excited for how things would turn out.

         "A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness. It is almost here." The voice continued, silence following afterwards. One of the boys in the basement gulped, growing anxious.

"What is it?" The boy asked shakily, it turned out to be Will Byers. The main focus of the night. He chewed on his fingernails softly, his leg bouncing up and down, as he waited for Mike to answer his question.

         "What if it's the Demogorgon?" A boy by the name of Dustin, exclaimed in fear. "I feel like it is." The blonde girl whispered to the boy with curly hair. She was forced into playing this game with them, and she'd never admit that she actually enjoyed playing it.

           "We're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon." Dustin mumbled under his breath, barely loud enough for the two people on the side of him to hear.

"It's not the Demogorgan." Lucas tried to sound reassuring as he patted Dustin's shoulder softly with a smile. "Don't lie to him. It's definitely the Demogorgan." Grace spoke truthfully, wincing when she heard a whimper of fear come from Dustin.

          "An army of Troglodytes charge into the chamber!" Mike shouted in alarm, a few of the kids jumping at his sudden loudness.

    "Troglodytes? Seriously?" The blonde girl raised her eyebrows in confusion. She was sure it was the Demogorgan and not Troglodytes.

          "Told ya'!" Lucas grinned happily, sticking his tongue out at the girl. Grace rolled her eyes at the boy, smirking when Mike began to change his mind.

         "Wait a minute. Did you hear that? That— that sound? Boom. . boom. . boom!" Mike slammed his hands on the table. The kids all let out loud screams, not expecting him to be so into the game already. They had only just started, but it seemed like Mike was taking the campaign much more serious than them.

          "That didn't come from the Troglodytes. No, that came from something else. The Demogorgon!" Mike revealed with a smile on his face. The three boys in the basement let out groans. The blonde bit her bottom lip excitedly as she turned to look at Lucas, getting ready to rub in the fact that she was right all along.

          "I told you, dingus!" Grace grinned from ear to ear, not realizing that she was actually enjoying the game she would've called nerdy a few hours prior.

        "We're in deep shit. Why are you acting all excited about this?" Dustin scoffed, shaking his head. He began to wonder if his best friend was a bit mental. The girl was smiling, as if the Demogorgan wasn't a tough opponent. It was one of the hardest to defeat.

"Will, your action!" Lucas called out, which only made the boy crack under the pressure. "I don't know!" Will covered his face in his hands. The boys sighed while Grace reached forward and grabbed his hand.

"If it helps, I'd cast a protection spell. It's the safest way to go." The blonde told him. Will looked at her with a small nod, trying to see if that's what he really wanted to do. Play it safe, or sacrifice. The whole campaign was depending on his choice.

          "No way, Will. Fireball him!" Lucas told the boy, pushing Grace's hand away from Will. Grace scoffed, giving Lucas a look. He would have to roll a thirteen or higher, which was too risky for them.

         "I'd have to roll a thirteen or higher!" Will told Lucas, speaking with shakiness. "Too risky. Cast a protection spell." Dustin explained to Will. "Don't be a pussy, fireball him!" Lucas leaned towards Will's face, making the boy a bit more nervous.

"Cut it out, Lukie." Grace whispered mockingly, knowing Lucas hated the nickname she gave him in first grade. She'd been calling him by that name ever since, only when she wanted to tease him though.

"Cast protection." Dustin chimed in, trying to get Will to pick something before they ran out of time. "The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering! It stomps towards you. Boom!" Mike shouted.

        "Fireball him!" Lucas called out, starting another shouting match between him and Dustin.

        "Another stomp, boom!" Mike moved the Demogorgan closer to Will.

"Do something." Grace told Will hopefully, knowing he'd make the right choice to save their campaign. At this point, she didn't really care what he chose to do, as long as he picked something.

  Will closed his eyes in a panic, dropping the piece he needed most onto the ground. "Oh, shit! Where'd it go? Where is it?" Lucas panicked as well, all kids going into a frenzy as they dropped to the floor to look.

        "I don't know!" Will seemed annoyed at himself for losing the piece, and Lucas for asking him so many questions at such a stressful time. "Is it a thirteen?" Lucas asked again, earning a quick shrug from Will as everyone continued to search for the piece.

          "Oh, my God!" Dustin began to repeat the same three words, afraid they lost it forever. Grace walked over to the boy, leaning her chin on his shoulder as she quickly stole his hat, putting it on her own head. Dustin didn't mind, used to her stealing his hats from him.

"Mike!" Karen's voice suddenly called into the basement. Her voice sounded urgent. When she didn't receive a response from Mike, who was busy crawling on the floor looking for their missing game piece, she shouted for him again, louder that time.

        "Mom! We're in the middle of a campaign!" Mike called out loudly, making sure she heard him from her spot all the way upstairs.

        "You mean the end? Fifteen after." Karen tapped her wrist as if she had checked the time.

         "Why do we have to go?" Will looked down sadly with a pout on his face. He wasn't ready to go home just yet, they had been having so much fun.

"Well, it is a school night. Plus, it's really dark out. If it gets any darker our parents will get worried." Grace told the boy, him nodding with agreement. Though, he knew his mom would be working a extra shift to make some extra cash, so he'd probably just be at home with his older brother Jonathan instead.

          "Oh, I got it!" Will suddenly perked up. "Does the seven count?" He asked Grace, happy he'd found the piece everyone was looking for.

"It was a seven? Are you kidding me? That doesn't count." The blonde quickly defended, knowing a seven was way too low. It would be the end of their campaign, and she was really warming up to the game.

"It counts if Mike saw it." Lucas whispered almost silently, but they still heard him.

"Well, he didn't. So, it doesn't count." Grace grinned, throwing her arms over the two boys as they all smiled at each other with sealed lips.

"Yo! Does anyone want this?" Dustin held out a box of fresh pizza towards the three. Grace let go of the the two boys as she rushed towards Dustin so that he could hand her a slice of pizza.

She took a bite of the pepperoni pizza, holding back an annoyed eye roll when Lucas and Will began to make fun of her and Dustin for always eating.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆⠘ *‧☽ ‧* ⠘☆ﾟ‧ ───

  THE FOUR WERE IN MIKE'S GARAGE, grabbing their bikes, right as Dustin walked out with pizza in his hand, and a disappointed look. He went to offer Nancy a slice of pizza, and she probably rejected his offer. Poor Dustin.

         "There's something wrong with your sister." Dustin explained with a glare. "What are you talking about?" Mike asked, annoyance laced in his voice. He was more annoyed at the fact that he had to end the campaign far too early than he would've liked.

         "She's got a stick up her butt." Dustin complained, rolling his eyes. "She's not that bad. I happen to like her." Grace smiled as she thought back to all the times Nancy was nice to her. She was mean to the boys, occasionally, because they were like brothers to her.

         "I don't see what you like about her. Ever since she started dating that douchebag Steve Harrington, she's been super stuck up." Lucas rolled his eyes, while all the boys nodded at his words.

         "Yeah, she's turning into a real jerk." Dustin sighed sadly, eating the last slice of pizza. "She's always been a real jerk." Mike told them. Grace rolled her eyes. She heard about teenage phases from her parents. Everyone went through them, and the blonde thought that maybe Nancy was going through one.

         "Nuh-uh. She used to be cool. Like that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign." Dustin told Mike with a sigh. "Four years ago!" Mike shook his head. "Just saying." Dustin stated.

        "I mean, I don't blame her. Steve's hot." Grace told the boys, and they all stared at her in shock. "So you'd bully us just because he's hot?" Mike asked in a high pitched voice, raising his eyebrows.

         "No. I'd bully you because you're nerds." Grace shrugged her shoulders, grabbing her bike. "Well, you're best friends with these nerds!" Dustin shouted at the blonde in offense. Grace chuckled.

         "I was kidding, guys! Steve Harrington is not my type." Grace lied horribly, quickly getting on her bike and peddling right behind Lucas.

"You're obviously lying!" Mike called out, watching the girl peddle away on her pink bike. He didn't like how she found Steve Harrington, attractive.

The guy was a total douche, and his looks couldn't make up for that trash bag of a personality. "Hey, Mike. It was a seven." Will called out softly, staying behind. "Huh?" Mike looked at Will in confusion.

         "The roll. It was a seven. The Demogorgon, it got me. See you tomorrow." Will told Mike who stared at him as he rode away, catching up with the others. "What was that about?" Grace asked Will, and he shrugged.

         "I told him it was a seven." The boy explained with a shrug. "You're too good for this world, Will." The blonde stated, earning a genuine smile from him.

         "Goodnight ladies," Lucas called out as he turned the corner to the street he lived on.

"Goodnight, Lukie Pooh." The girl called out softly, but mockingly, earning loud laughs from her friends when Lucas stuck his middle finger up at her.

         "Kiss your mom 'night for me." Dustin joked, with a wave. They could hear Lucas laughing in the distance as he drifted farther into the darkness of the late night. Grace made it to her house, stopping her bike.

         "Bring it in, guys." Grace leaned forward giving them both hugs when they stopped their bikes. She turned to her side, giving Will a kiss on his cheek when she saw how sad he looked to be having to go home.

"Cheer up, okay? We'll finish the campaign tomorrow after school. See ya'!" Grace smiled, patting Will on the back as she dropped her bike in the driveway, turning one last time to watch two of her best friends bike off into the darkness of the night. She would see them again in the morning, right?

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    ooo. ┊ 𝐒𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐀❜𝐒  𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 ！ ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ     
❪  𝙰𝚄𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚁'𝚂 𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙴  ❫  ✩₊˚.  ◛ ·˚ ༘ ᝰ ── 💌 I hope you all can enjoy this book ! It's not much.