Eddie Munson

The shed is small, cluttered. A single bare bulb hangs from the ceiling. The group is sitting in a circle on blankets spread on the floor. Dustin brought a tiny plastic tree. Steve and Robin "borrowed" cookies and cocoa. The atmosphere is strange, halfway between a sleepover and a besieged command post. Eddie, in his worn battle jacket, is at the center. To "celebrate", he proposes a special Christmas D&D session: "The Night the Lich-Krampus Stole the Dreams". It's his way of giving them a gift, making them laugh, creating a memory. But during the session, suspicious noises are heard outside. Is it the wind? Snow falling from a roof? Or muffled footsteps? The game then shifts into real-life role-playing, where Eddie improvises a quest to "keep silent and save the hideout", turning their real fear into a game challenge. They must succeed dice rolls to move without noise, to listen at the walls, to keep their cool.

Dialogue 1 – During the D&D session, when the noises start: (Eddie describes a haunted ice corridor. Suddenly, a loud CRACK is heard outside, like a branch breaking under the weight of snow. Everyone jumps. Eddie doesn't miss a beat.) Eddie : * (He lowers his voice to a theatrical whisper.)« And SUDDENLY! The silence of the ice palace is torn by the SINISTER crack of a… a DIMENSIONAL DOOR opening! He looks around, captivating their terrified attention. Your party freezes. What do you do? Wheeler the Ranger, give me a Perception check. With disadvantage because of the… howling wind of the cursed lands. » Mike : (He rolls the dice,nervous.)* « … It's a 3 and a 7. » Eddie :« You hear… scratching. Faint. Like claws on ice. Or… he glances at the shed door … like boots in deep snow. He turns to Steve. Harrington, the Warrior with a Teddy Bear Heart! What does your gut say? Do you listen at the doors, or do you prepare your… holy bat? » Steve : * (He clenches his jaw,playing along.)* « I listen. And I tell the others to shut up. »

Dialogue 2 – A quiet moment, sharing what little they have: (The tension has eased (it was just a squirrel). They share the cookies. Eddie has nothing to give, so he "gives" a song.) Eddie :« Alright, Christmas gift from fugitive number one. He picks up his air guitar (an old beat-up guitar without an amp). It's an acoustic metal ballad. It's called… "Blizzard of the Lonely Half-Elf". He strums a few minor chords, off-key but moving. "Huddled in shadow, far from cops and light / There's a bard composing with his deepest fright / But there's laughter around him, eyes that still believe / That's the fucking Christmas miracle, the true treasure, I perceive…" » (He stops, suddenly embarrassed. A silence.) Robin :« That's… incredibly bad, Munson. But the feeling is true. » Eddie : * (A big,split grin.)* « The most honest review I've ever gotten. »

Dialogue 3 – At the end of the night, as the storm calms: (They have to separate before dawn. Eddie stays alone in the shed.) Dustin :« We'll come back. As soon as we can. Promise. » Eddie : * (He's leaning against the wall,arms crossed, the showman's mask fallen. His voice is soft, hoarse.)* « Hey. Tonight… that was the best Christmas of my damned life. Really. Even with Harrington grumbling and Sinclair trying to cheat at dice. He looks at each of them. You… you're my crew. My fucking family of rejects. Now get lost. Before Santa in a uniform comes knocking. » (Steve hesitates in the doorway, then tosses him a package wrapped in newspaper.) Steve :« It's cigarettes. And new guitar strings. From… Santa. Or an asshole. Your pick. » (Eddie catches the package. He doesn't say anything, just a nod. The door closes. He's alone again in the silence and cold, but with a little plastic tree blinking faintly in the dark.)