Dare Me (Henry Bowers x Reader)

Deal Braker

"Pennywise always plays with us. Stanley is probably fine." I say as we make our way to the exit.

"Mike, do you have his number?" "Yes."

"Hey,Richie!" A small voice calls out, and a kid comes up to my brother smiling.
"The fun is just beginning, right?' Richie leans down to the kid grabbing his shoulder. "You think it's fun? Do you think this is a game? Fuck you!"

"Be careful, Rich!"

"Fuck you! I am not afraid of you!"
The kid stands there looking confused and a little frightened. I walk up patting his shoulder. "Rich. We should chill a little."

"The fun is just beginning. From your act, dude! I'm your fan." "They are your parents?" The boys parents stand behind the kid, the father ushering the family along quickly, "Yes."

Richie smiles, trying to save his grace, "Do you want a picture?" I place my hands on his shoulders, "Richie, stop." The kid scoffs at Rich as he walks away with his family, "I think I'm good."

Rich shakes his head, "Jesus, Richie. Don't you remember a line of your shows?" He admits, "I do not write my jokes." At that moment Eddie blew up, "I knew it, I fucking knew it!" I shake my head, "Wasn't it obvious Eds?"

Outside the resturant, Bev calls Stan's home phone, "Hello, Mrs. Uris. My name's Beverly Marsh. I apologize for calling, but I'm an old friend of your husband's." Eddie points to Mike in a rush, "You lied to us. That's not okay."

Richie adds, "Yeah, first words out of your mouth should have been like, "Hey, man. You want to come to Derry and get murdered? 'Cause then I would have said no." Both the men turn to walk away to their cars. "Guys." Mike calls for them.

"When did it happen?" Bev shutter into the phone, "In the bathtub." WHAT? My blood runs cold. Stan? "We're all very sorry, Patty." She hangs up the phone turning to face us.

"Pennywise knew. He knew before we did." Mike starts up again, "We have to stop him. I have a plan." I place my hand on my head, this is all so fimiliar. "I got a plan. Getting the fuck out of Dodge before this ends worse than one of Bill's books."

"We made a promise to each other."

"Let's un-make the promise." I shake my head, "We can't do that. Other people are going to die, I can't knowling leave with that on my shoulders." Richie rolls his eyes, "Other people die every day, man! We don't owe this town shit! Plus, I just remembered I grew up here, like, two hours ago. So, I'm fucking leaving. Fuck this." Richie walks away to his car. "You coming, (Y/n)?" I huff facing the club, "He's my ride." Eddie nods his head, "I'm with Richie." "Guys, ceom on. Listen."

"What? We stay, we die, that's it? I'm gonna go back to the inn, I'm gonna pack up my shit, and I'm gonna drive to my home. I'm sorry, man. Good luck." I walk on the pavement to the car, "(Y/n), what about, Henry? He's still here. Suffering." I glare back at Mike. "Don't." I grab at my neck again, feeling the empty space.

Riding around the town gave me chills. Nothing changed at all, like the county is stuck in some time warp. Chills walk down my spine as we pass the mental institution. "There he is." I sing song as we pass. "What?" Richie asks looking at me with bug eyes. I shake my head, "Sorry. I'm tired." But I wasn't. I was wide awake. My eyes locked on the 9th window on the 7th floor. A figure sits there, watching the only car on the road pass. Henry...

I place my hand on the window, and for a second I see his palm pressed on the glass. Henry...

~~~~

Henry Bowers sits by the window, watching the dead streets. A single car passes on the road. He gasps, "(Y/n)." He places his hand on the window, begging to be released. "(Y/n!)" He screams louder, banging on the glass. His attention only turned away by a singular gingle of bells, and a omouis giggle from the dark. Henry turns around, "Who's there?" Just then a red balloon blows its self up under the bed across the way. "Huh?" Henry gets on his hands and knees examing the balloon. He didn't know weither this was supernatural or drug induced from all the medicaion they force upon him.

Henry pulls at the balloon, only for it to pop and a zombie liek creature to come crawling at Henry. The zombie advances, right to Henry's face. The broken smile with missing teeth seemed fimilliar to him... "Hockstetter?" He asks in confusion. He wipes his eyes, but the zombie is still there. From the conor of his eyes he sees IT. Standing in the shadows, over taking him once more. "Kill them all." IT repeats. "Kill them all." Again, "Kill them ALL!" Patrick pops open the knife from Henry's past, the one he used to cause so much pain. "My knife." Henry grabs the cool metal in his hands, a growing smile on his lips. It's happening all over again. In the time IT had gotten to Henry, he has killed guards, and escaped into the Town of Derry. Just as IT wanted. Henry was on the hunt.

~

Richie slams the door as we enter the town house, "Let's get our shit and get the fuck out of here. Did you leave your stuff here?" Rich asks Eddie, "No, my stuff's still in the car." I stand there in a daze. "Are we really going?" I ask myself more than anyone. "Fucking right we're going." Rich says pushing my bags in my arms. Bev sits at the bar with Ben, both of them shaken. I advance towards the two. "Bev?" She turns looking white as a sheet. "What did you see?" I remember her visions from the younger years, everything is playing out how she saw, why not now? She shakes her head, "Let's just-" "You knew how Stanley died. How?" I challenge her, gaining the attention of the club.

"Wait, what?" "She knew how Stanley was going to die, is that what she just said?"

Bev attemtps to leave, but I grab her arm, "You can't just walk away from this. How did you know where he killed himself?" She stays silent in front of me. Ben replaces my hand with his own, "Bev, talk to me. Just talk to me. Like we used to." She breaks, "I saw it. I've seen all of us die."

"Okay, I just got to grab my toiletry bag, and then we can go." Eddie says as he ventures down the stairs, "What'd I miss?"

At that second my phone rings, I look down confused. Another unknow Derry phone number. I step away from the group answering, "Hello?" "Oh my god, it's you. It's really your voice." I narrow my brows, "I'm sorry, who is this?" The person on the line sighs, "Oh, come on, Tozier. Please, tell me you havn't forgotte about me that easily." I back up, hitting the post of the stairs. "Henry?" I whisper quietly into the phone. "It sure is, baby. Bad time?" I swallow my tongue, "Uh... I'm just a little busy."

"Ohh, are they there with you?" He giggles darkly, "With them gone we can finally be together, (y/n)." I choke on my own voice, this isn't my Henry...

I shake my head, my eyes welling with tears, "Stuipid, fucking, clown." Henry laughs into the line, "IT has shown me what I need to do! DON'T EVER DISRESPECT IT!"

After a pregnant pause, he speaks calmly, "Where are you at, sweets?" "Henry you don't have to do this." "Playing hard to get, huh? That's fine. I'll see you soon, Tozier."

The line cuts dead ending the call. Oh my god. I reach for the nonexistant necklace, only grasping the fabric of my shirt. "Hey." I jolt up when my shoudlers are grabbed. Richie stares at me confused, "You alright?" I wipe the hair out of my face, "Yeah, I think I just need to get some air." I rush away from him, going outisde and start walking. I pull out my phone calling Mike, "Hello?" He answers sounding defeated. "I'm in. What's the first step?" "Meet me at the library." He hangs up, and I make my way to the requested destination.