it chapter two | reader insert [✔]

twelve | the ritual

You'd blocked out most of the travel down the circular well, and didn't have much to think about it, other then the fact it was absolutely horrifying. You could hear your heart beating in your ears and you weren't sure if the rate it was beating at was healthy. 

None of this was healthy.

When you reached the bottom, you were met with a small cavern that reminded you faintly of a sight-seeing cave your ex-husband had brought you to a few years back.

You hadn't even thought about your ex-husband this whole time. But, granted, this wasn't how you expected to spend the early post-breakup stage; fighting a killer clown that feasted on fear and pubescent children.

You helped everyone down the hole as much as you could, before being led by a waiting Mike through an (extremely small) crawlspace that you only just squeezed your body through. You cringed at the way your body scraped against the tar-like floor, just as everyone else's did.

"Through here." Mike instructed as you squeezed your way through, before coming out the other side without as many scratches as you had previously thought. "It's tight, but we can get through."

Again, you helped as many people as you could through the small space, trying not to think about what would happen if the cave were to fall in right now. You'd all be squashed.

"This is where It hid." You looked up, alarmed, at Mike's voice. He's standing behind you, looking (rather dramatically) out into a large chamber.

You begin walking towards him, and the contents of the dark chamber comes into view.

There were tar-looking spikes, and they were huge. They were all facing outwards from the center, a space in the middle of all of them, just enough for the group of you to fit into. 

It was like something had crashed there, and crystalized the shockwave of wreckage it produced.

You were thankful there was no water this time as you followed Mike quickly towards the center of the spikes, and he crowded you all into the center- you didn't feel the slightest bit protected, though, even when you were slotted in between Bev and Bill.

Your friends were looking up at the semi-circle ceiling in amazement. They were muttering things about it while you just ran a hand through your hair in disbelief.

"So, all this has been under Derry, like, forever?" Eddie asked as he came to stand almost opposite you.

"Not forever. Just a few million years."

You weren't entirely sure why Mike was making you all stand in a circle, until he pulled the ritual thing out of his leather bag, and placed it in the middle of you all. 

"It can only be attacked in it's true form. The ritual will show us that."

"And what is it's true form?" Ben asked the dying question.

"I hope it's a puppy." Richie shrugged, almost nonchalantly, and you looked up at him in disbelief. "Like, a Pomeranian, or- I'll shut up."

"It's light." Mike murmured after staring into the side of the ritual thing for a few moments. "A light that must be snuffed out by darkness."

You weren't sure why the bad guy was represented by light- wasn't light supposed to be, y'know, good? But you didn't have time to think about it, because you watched as Mike began pouring gasoline into the inside of the ritual thing.

You watched as he lit the match, dropping it inside, and the inside burst into flames. Like a pot of fire. You try to ignore the way you flinch at the action.