Chapter Text
Dustin screamed and wiggled out when the monster grabbed him. He almost fainted when they flew at top speed above the tree tops and almost again when they soared above the mountains. He closed his eyes, but the monster entered through the shattered door, flying like crazy above the earth , while pebbles hit Dustin’s face and the air became more fresh and dumped.
Then they stopped. The creature let him go and he fell on the ground, trying to open his eyes. He noticed he lost his cap.
He dared to look in front of him. The monster, creature, whatever was in front of him, the long black claws, hand and foot black and covered of shining scales, and the black, long hair hanging down on his taller body. His naked body, Dustin noticed as he struggled to look away.
He tried to stand up but he was shaking. He leaned against the rock at his back, trying with the little mind he still had, to figure out how to run away, but the only exit he could see was at the creature’s back, and even if he could reach it, the thing could fly.
“Give me my things!” growled the monster, and Dustin looked at him, confused. “You still have them, right?” The voice was worried and alarmed.
Dustin widened his eyes and realized he still squeezed the dice in his right hand, so tight that it marked his palm with a red mark. He opened his shaking hands and retreated as much as possible against the rock when the monster came to him.
He took the dice from Dustin’s hand, and his touch was delicate, he didn’t try to hurt him.
“At last…” said the creature, looking at the dice backlit.
“I…I have this too…” stammered Dustin, taking the necklace from his pocket. He tried to raise it but he dropped it. The creature jumped to pick it up.
“Look at this… I haven't seen it in decades…” then he raised his eyes again to Dustin, almost melted against the wall with fear. The creature looked at his hands.
“Oh, my bad, I almost forget how I look sometimes,” he said, with a crooked smile, and in a heartbeat he changed his appearance to a pale, tall and skinny man, with human hands and feet and the same long black hair. And still naked.
Dustin watched the change breathlessly. He didn’t know if the creature took it as kindness, but it didn’t help him to feel less terrorized. He whined when the monster raised a hand to touch his face.
“Are you scared?” said the creature. “You don’t know who I am?”
Dustin shook his head.
“You are so young…”
The question lingered in the air, and the monster inclined his head to look at his face. “You seem different… those clothes seem different…”
“Do you want to kill me?” whined Dustin with a terrorized voice.
“Kill you? It's what they tell you about me?”
Dustin shook his head again. “I…I don’t know…”
“You don’t know? So why did you summon me?”
The creature seemed confused and hesitant, and Dustin tried to catch his breath.
“I… I didn’t summon you… we… I was just playing in the mine, and the coffin felt…”
“The mine? What mine?”
“The… mine… this mine…”
The demon raised his eyes to the ceiling, surprised. “What… this is not my cave in Massachusetts…” he murmured. “What… what is going on?”
Dustin dared to move a little. The creature measured the cave looking at the walls, at the ceiling and around him, puzzled, saying things Dustin couldn’t understand. “Where are we?”
Dustin told him. The creature looked at him, at his clothes, and at his face. “Strange place,” he nodded to himself, wandering around and turning on himself.
“And who are you?” finally asked the creature.
Dustin blinked. He read enough horror stories to know it wasn’t a good idea giving his name to a demon.
“You… you first,” he dared saying, conscious he could upset the demon.
“Oh, a man of great wisdom”, smiled the creature “Well… Oh, I’m… well you can call me Eddie. My friends call me Eddie”.
“You looked like Kas,” Dustin snapped before he could stop himself.
“Kas? One of your friends?”
“No…” Dustin co*cked his head, still a little scared, but torn with the fascination of the circ*mstance and his silver tongue.
“Then who?”
“He… he is a demon… no offense…” the creature raised a hand, amused. “A demon in a game I play with my friends”.
“You play games with demons? Do you summon them? Are you witches?” Eddie’s voice was really interested.
“N…No… it’s just… a story, we tell a story and… throw the dice to see what we do…” Dustin pointed to the dice Eddie still had in his hand.
The demon widened his eyes, a hint of childish curiosity in his eyes.
“A story? And how does it work?”
Dustin hesitated,looking furtively at him, and blushing. He wanted to distract the creature until he found a way to run away, but… he was almost obscene.
“You… would you mind… cover yourself a little?” he said with a trembling voice.
The demon looked at him, surprised, then looked to himself as he noticed for the first time he was naked. He laughed lightly.
“Why, you are so prudish here, like in Salem. Although you look different”. He laughed again, and shrugged, moving his hips in a little dance that horrified Dustin. “You don’t like dancing?” mocked Eddie.
“Please,” whined Dustin. “You’re more disgusting than Steve…” he bit his tongue. He shouldn’t give the name of any of his friends to the creature.
Eddie stopped immediately, interested. “Your friend Steve? He’s disgusting? Why?” He came closer to Dustin, still glued to the wall, breathing near his ear. Dustin shivered. He felt he couldn't lie or fight the monster.
“He… he is annoying with the girls… to take them out and… make out with them”.
Eddie hissed, clicked his tongue with interest. “So this Steve wants the girls… lovely… I should meet him”.
Dustin sighed.
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t hurt him… just… enjoying his craving… you know? The desire…”
Eddie went again near Dustin, sniffing around him with his eyes closed. “Oh, no, you don’t smell like that… How old are you? Thirteen?”
“I’m fifteen!” replied Dustin vividly, vaguely offended.
“Oh, boys like you sometimes smell of this… you will soon, I’m sure” Eddie growled and caressed his cheek.
“Of what?”
Eddie looked him in the eyes, smiling maliciously.
“Lust”.
Dustin slipped on the ground when Eddie stepped away, laughing at his embarrassment and searching for something to cover himself with. He found a large shirt that reached his middle thigh, not so much, but enough for Dustin.
He tried to breathe and relax. The monster didn’t seem to want to hurt him; he just played with the dice, and after a while he closed the little chain with the charm around his neck.
After a while, Dustin tried to move.
“Please, you should…what do you want to do with me?”
Eddie looked at him, surprised.
“I’m not holding you”.
Dustin gasped.
“So you don’t mind if I go now…” Dustin ogled the entrance, Eddie was between him and the exit so he would pass near him to leave. He tried to move a step.
“Why should I? You’re a baby. You’re a baby. I prefer…” he did a slightly obscene gesture and Dustin whined again.
“But,” and Dustin held his breath. “I’d really like to hear your story. The one with the demons and the witches”.
Eddie’s eyes were sparkling, and his smile seemed sincere. And after all, Dustin was a natural bonding with older people. Even ancient demons with a twenty something year old aspect. And he liked to talk about his nerd passions, and even more he liked being alive, that he could achieve not pissing off the monster.
He nodded and sat a little more comfortably. Eddie sat in front of him, legs crossed, slightly uncovered but Dustin tried not to stare. He told him about their actual campaign back in Hawkins, the characters and the adventure, and that they had a short campaign to play there at the camp just to pass the time.
“Oh I want to play!” Eddie clapped his hands, and Dustin smiled lightly. He had rapidly forgotten the fear, absorbed by the story and Eddie’s participation. “Can I play the witches and summon demons?”
“You mean warlock,” answered Dustin, already fantasizing about how fun it would be playing with an actual demon . “I can… I can return to the camp and… speak with my friends and… take some character sheets, what do you think?” he said expectantly. The thought of exposing his friends to an unknown danger didn’t even occur to him.
“I’ll take you!” laughed Eddie, and without asking anything he grabbed Dustin again and jumped out of the cave, in the air again flying rapidly as the light.
