Cynophobia I Stanley Uris

chapter eight

As the group rode their bikes to the Well House, the house at Neibolt street, DJ couldn't deny her fear. She was absolutely terrified and looking around at her friends, minus Beverly, who was captured by the monster, she was worried something was going to happen to one of them — or her for that matter. But Bev needed them, she needed her friends, and that gave DJ enough strength to follow Bill into the lawn of that creepy house.

"Guys, spikes." pointed their leader out, staring at the ground.

Upon hearing Eddie grunt, DJ turned around to see him throw away his fanny pack. She was actually a bit confused why he did that, especially as they might could've used that later, but she knew Eddie must've had his reasons. Shrugging it off, she turned back forward. She saw Richie pick an empty glass bottle, causing her to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. When he smashed it onto the stairway and it broke, the whole group stared at Richie. He shrugged once, a defeated look on his face, and dropped the remains of the bottle to the ground.

After that the group carefully walked into the house. DJ made sure not to walk in first or last, since this reminded her strongly of a horror movie and her father had given her a few 'How you'd survive a horror movie' tips, which she was in need of now.

"Stan?" Ben asked, pulling DJ out of her thoughts.

The blonde stopped repeating the rules inside her head and spun around to face the door, like the others. Stanley still hadn't entered the building. Actually, he was frozen in the doorway, a terrified look on his features.

"Stan, we all have to go," Bill spoke up. "B-Be-Beverly. If we split up like last time, that clown will kill us one by one. But if we stick t-together, all of us, we'll win. I promise."

Stan looked so utterly lost and scared, it made DJ feel like crying. He deserved the world in her eyes and this wasn't what should happen to him. To any of them. As he stepped into the house, DJ walked towards him, as if they were magnets that attracted each other.

She grabbed his hand, softly tugging him along as the duo followed their friends deeper into the house. There was a fireplace, engraved with the words 'GOOD CHEER GOOD FRIENDS' that made DJ scowl. Everything in this building taunted and scared her at the same time. The words were mocking, the spiderwebs were creepy and that rat squeaking entirely disgusting.

While they walked down wooden stairs, DJ was sure they would crack, however it only creaked loudly. She hadn't really expected to surprise It, but now that the chance was incredibly slim that the clown didn't know that they were here, she felt even more at unease.

"Hey, Eddie, you got a quarter?" Richie questioned, once they found the well.

"I wouldn't want to make a wish in that fucking thing."

DJ clapped Eddie onto the shoulder at that remark, "Good Riddance, Eds."

"Beverly!" called Ben into the well, not getting a response.

Mike asked an important question, "How are we supposed to get down there?"

Bill, who had found a long rope, threw it down the hole, after securing it to a pipe on the ceiling. He started climbing down first, and slowly they all climbed down one by one.

As soon as DJ had ground under her feet again, she breathed a sigh of relief. That sigh quickly turned into a horrified gasp, when Mike suddenly screamed out in pain. He was the last person to climb down, hence no one was able to help him.

The others quickly scrambled back to where the rope was dangling, yelling his name and calling for him.

"You okay? Mike!" Stan yelled up, when all of sudden Henry Bowers, covered in blood, looked down on them.