Call it quits |Eddie Munson|

EIGHT

"The hooded cultists chant, Hail Lord Vecna." Eddie said intensely from behind his book.

"Hail Lord Vecna." He whispered. "They turn to you, remove their hoods. You recognize most of them from Makbar. But there is one you do not recognize, his skin shriveled,-"

The table was listing closely as they waited for the reveal.

"-desiccated. And something else. He is not only missing his left arm, but his left eye!"

"NO!"

"WhAt!"

"No! No!"

"Come on!" Julia protested with the rest of the group.

"Vecna's dead.

"He was killed by Kas"

"So it was thought, my friends. So it was thought." Eddie said as he grabbed a figure from behind his book and placed it on the game board. "But Vecna lives!"

_

"You are scared, you are tired, you are injured. Do you flee Vecna and his cultists? Or do you stand your ground and fight?"

"...Come on." Eddie said looking over the table, the group was deep in thought all contemplating the same thing. Should they risk it?

"I say we fight." Dustin said eventually, he still sounded a little unsure himself as he looked around the table of people slowly agreeing with him. "To the death."

"To the death." Mike pitched in.

"To the death." Said Erica

"To the death." The rest of them chanted one by one until they reached Julia who was still considering.

"What will it be, M'lady?" Eddie grinned.

Julia thought for a second, looked over the table of pleading face. She looked back at Eddie, narrowed her eyes and smiled before shaking her head.

"Fuck it. To the death!"

The whole table chanted, high-fived and raised their drinks as they pounded excitingly on the table. Eddie fell back into his chair as he laughed at the sight. Julia made eye contact with him, it was only for a few seconds but it was strong, they both felt it, they smiled softly at each other. Dustin screaming "To the death!", rather loudly, broke the tension between them as Julia tore her eyes away from Eddie and regained focus on the game.

They played on, dice were rolled, cultists were beaten and points were lost. There was cheering and there was defeat, as Eddie pushed over pawns and laughed as the team thinned out, all leading up to a final moment of battle.

"Time-out! Time-out!" Jeff pleaded as the group gathered together in consultation.

"Guys, I hate to say this, but we've got to flee."

"I concur."

"Didn't we just agree 'to the death'?" Erica reminded them.

"That wasn't literal."

"Vecna just decimated us." Julia stated, deep in thought.