Blondie - IT (2017) R.T.

7: It saw us

    As we all sat either on our bikes, the bench, and for me, on the ground. Richie and Eddie had finished their ice creams and I had pulled out a granola bar to eat, mom had insisted I keep one in my bag. Each person put their input in on the situation. "Wait wait wait. Let me get this straight. So it comes out of where ever for like a year and eats kids, then what? It just goes into hibernation?" Eddies asked, a confused yet thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe it's like those bugs." Stan said. "What're they called?" " cicadas." I supplied. "Yeah those." He looked to me then back to Bill. Mike spoke before Bill could. "My grandfather thinks this town is cursed." He started. I put the other half of my granola bar away as I sat in the grass. "He says that bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing." Everyone listened, the only noise came from the stage behind us where children's giggles could be heard. "An evil thing. That feeds off the people of Derry." He finished. "But it can't be one thing." Stan said. "We all saw something different." "Maybe." Mike started. "Or maybe it knows what scares us most. And that what we see!" He said and a shiver laced up my spine. I pushed my bangs off my forehead a little shake up from the sudden cold. "I-I saw a leper." Eddie said. "He was like a walking infection." The small boy shivered. "B-But you didn't." Stan started again. "Because it isn't real! None of this is. Not Eddie's leper, or-or bill seeing Georgie, or the woman I-I keep seeing." Stan was frustrated now. "She hot?" Richie asked, I knew he was trying to lighten this dark mood that had laid itself on top of us. "No Richie! She's not hot!" Stan snapped at him. "Her face is all messed up." Beverly anxiously tugged I'm her short hair. "None of this is makes any sense! It's lake bad dreams." He finally finished with a blank stare. "I don't think so." Mike stared up at him. "I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?" "What'd you see?" Eddie asked. "You saw something too?" Mike hesitantly started. "Yes. You know that burned down house on Harris Avenue?" I nodded. "I was inside when it burned down." I gasped but it went unnoticed. "Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the room next to me. They were pushing and pounding on the door, trying to get to me. But it was too hot." He whispered the last sentence. "When the fireman finally found them, the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone." Everyone looked sad and unable to comfort mike, for we were all damaged and unknowing of how to help someone in emotional distress. "We're all afraid of something." He finished easily. "You got that right." Richie said and looked over his shoulder. "Why Rich? What are you afraid of?" I looked and watched him gulp nervously. He fixed his glasses. "Clowns." He said and looked down. I patted his thigh comfortingly. "And you Ally? What's the one thing that makes you the most terrified?" Eddie asked and bill and I locked eyes. My eyes. Not being able to see my mom, any of you ever again. I thought. "The dark." I said quietly, and looked down at my lap. Someone made a noise and I knew it was about my fake fear. I didn't look to find who. It was most likely Stan or Mike. It was a stupid fear for someone like them, rational thinkers who couldn't be tricked into a fear as silly as heights or the dark. I zipped the backpack shut.

******

     Later, we all found ourselves in Bills garage. One of Ben's slides of Derry was displayed over Bills fathers map of The sewers. I sat by Bev. I was quickly become used to her being around, and was no long offended by the idea of her. It didn't mean I was going to apologize, but I didn't feel I needed to. "That's where G-Georgie went missing." Bill said. "The iron works." Ben pointed. "The black spot." Richie said quietly. "Everywhere it happens, its all connected by the sewers." Bill said out. "It all meets up at the well house." I said quietly. "It's in the house on Neibolt Street." Stan said. "You mean that creepy old house were all the junkies and hobos sleep?" Richie asked. Eddie opened his fanny pack and pulled out his inhaler. He took a puff and breathed heavily still. "I hate that place." Bev said and looked to meet her eyes. "I always feel like it's watching me." I said and she nodded before looking back to the screen. Out of breath, Eddie said, "That's where I saw it, that's where I saw the clown." He looked around at all of us before puffing more of his inhaler. "That's where I-i-it lives." Bill said. Stan shook his head. "I can't imagine anything ever wanting to live there." Eddie stood. "Can we stop talking about this? I-I can barely breathe." He wheezed out. "It's summer, we're kids, I can barely breathe." He inhaled sharply. "IM HAVING A FUCKING ASTHMA ATTACK!" He said loudly. "I'm not doing this!" He said finally and yanked the map of The sewers off the wall. "What the hell! P-put it back!" Bill said with a sharp tone. The slide changed on its own. I stood up and went to move. Eddie shook his head no. The slide changed again and Bill finally noticed. "Billy, I-I don't like that." I said. Everyone looked at the wall where a picture of Geordie and Bills dad playing baseball was showing. "What happened?" Bill asked as the slide clicked to Bill, Georgie and their parents on a log ride. Another picture showed the same thing but them hitting the water at the bottom. "What's going on?" Bill asked as Eddies breathe shook and he moved back over to his seat next to richie. "Hold on." Mike mumbled and tried to fix it as the pictures flickered to more memories. Georgie, Bill and I camping, the two brothers, me and Georgie smiling at the camera as he was missing one of his front teeth. The screen flicked to Bills dad, Bill Georgie and their mom after one Sunday at church. I had taken this picture, except my aunts face was covered by her red hair in this one. It flew past her to the left like a hurricane had swept by. The slides flicked and zoomed in on my small, dead cousin. "Georgie?" Bill asked. I stumbled back and hit the counter, Bev grabbed my hand. "Bill?" Stan asked. The slides flicked and the picture moved to Bills mother's face that was covered by red hair. As it zoomed in it looked like she was screaming, her head turning to the left and her hand flicking in the wind. "Bill!" I yelled as the face came back from under the hair as a creepy clown. I'm guessing that's the one that the others had seen. Richie and Eddie made noises of fear and held each other. "What the Fuck!" Richie yelled as the face become more uncovered. "What the fuck is that!" He said. He grabbed Eddie and shook him. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" He asked, but Eddies eyes were glued to the screen. Bill stood paralyzed in the middle of the room. "T-t-t-tuh-" I stumbled with words as i tried to scream. "Turn it off!" Bev said as she still held my hand in her smaller, softer one. "Turn it off!" Stan said. "Turn it off Bill!" He yelled. Mike moved before anyone else. He kicked over the projector, slides coming out and flying everywhere. The picture was sideways closer to me and Bev.

    We all let out a sigh of relief, we thought it was over for one second. Then, the slides flicked again, the clown face moving and morphing. In one flick he was gone and Eddies breathing was fast, ragged. Then suddenly, with another flick of the projector the clown was out of the picture and real. I screamed and stumbled again, Bev catching me by the waist And setting me up right again. I felt the tears in my eyes. His eyes caught stan, and he ran to the others. Then, the clown was crawling towards me and Bev, we both moved backwards and tears spilled from my eyes and she held my hand tighter. The boys stumbled over themselves and fell onto the floor. This clown creature with sharp teeth  and yellow eyes pushed me and Bev into the corner. He reached for us and I ducked my face into Bev's neck as she screamed with me. Richie, Eddie and Mike pushes the garage door open and the light filled in. When I opened my eyes and pulled my face from Bev's shoulder, the monster was gone.

    Bev stumbled towards Ben, but I hesitated, scared the clown would appear again. When I went to grab bill and make him hold me until I felt safe again, Bev was pulling him into her arms. I was shaking with fear and now a little anger. Someone grabbed my shoulder and I jumped, letting out a small yelp, but it was just Richie. He pulled me into a hug and I let tear slip past my lashes again. "It-it saw us." Eddie said and me and Richie and Bill and Bev split. "It saw us and it knows where we are!" He said louder. "It always will." Bill said. He pushed past the others towards his bike. "So-so lets go." He said and picked Silver, his trusty bike, up. "Go?" Ben asked. "Go where?" Bill looked at us as if we just didn't get it. I leaned into Richie, he grabbed my hand. "Neibolt." Bill said simply. "That where G-G-G-Georgie is." He said as if it was easy. "After that?" Stan asked, looking completely done with Bills bullshit. "Yeah, it's summer." Richie brushed hair out of my face. "We should be outside." I mumbled. "If you say it's summer one more fffff-fucking time," Bill stuttered out. Instead of trying to get his thoughts out, Bill took his bike to the end of the driveway and hopped on. "Bill?" Bev said. "Wait!" She yelled after him. The others all hopped on their bikes and went to follow bill. "I don't have a bike." I said simply. "Come one Blondie." Richie said and showed me his pegs. I hopped on and we were off.

   When we made it to Neibolt, Bill was walking up the steps on the porch. "Bill!" Bev shouted as she jumped off her bike. "Bill you can't go in there. This is crazy!" She said. Bill turned back to us. "You don't have to come in with me." Bill started. "But what happens when another Georgie goes missing? Or another Betty? Or another Ed Corcoran?" He said an swiped at my cheeks again. "Or one of us?" He said and I shivered again. "Are you just gonna pretend it isn't happening like everyone else in the town?!" He looked done with all of us. "Because I can't." He said simply. "I go home, and all I see is that Georgie isn't there." I took in a sharp breathe. "His clothes, his toys, his stupid stuffed animals. But, he isn't." I sniffled. "So walking into this house is easier than walking into my own." He said finally. Bill turned and walked towards the door. "Woah." I said. "What?" Beverly asked. "He didn't stutter once." Richie said. I pulled him up the steps and Ben followed. "Wait!" Stan yelled and we all turned to look at him. "Shouldn't we, um have some people keep watch." He asked. "You know, in case something bad happens." Stan finished. Bill nodded. "Wh-Who wants to stay out here?" Everyone but me and Bev raised our hands. Richie sighed. "Fuck."