His Domain

Chapter 8

When she finally found the energy and motivation to pull herself out of bed she slowly trudged her way down to the kitchen to grab her phone, only to find Rika sitting at the table staring blankly ahead. She yelped and jumped back wondering if this was something Pennywise had done or she'd just come back on her own. She slowly approached the table and sat down across from Rika.

"Rika..." She said softly, "You came back?"

"Yeah," Rika said slowly then blinked a few times and looked over in her direction, "You really thought I was going to leave you here with that...thing?"

"I'd have left me and never come back," Leila sighed.

"Care to explain any of this?" Rika asked.

"I don't know if you'd even believe me or understand it, I barely understand it." She said. "How about I get us both a drink?" Rika nodded and she got up again to walk into the kitchen. She grabbed two beers and opened them before coming back to the table and setting one down in front of her friend before taking her seat again.

"Well, knowing how you are I definitely believe that you basically sold your soul to a demon to keep innocent people from being harmed." Rika said, "And I do believe in demons so guess that explains that part so...how did this even happen?"

"I was on assignment in this horrible town called Derry, Maine." She said and took a sip of her drink. "Investigating some disappearances, children mainly. I don't know why they sent me, of all people, because there wasn't really any evidence that the crimes were sexual in nature but there also wasn't enough proof there wasn't so of course when in doubt, call in the sex crimes agent right? Anyway, I kept hearing all these stories about a clown. Pennywise they said his name was."

"I gathered that much with what you shouted at...IT," Rika said.

"Yeah well you know how I am I don't really believe in that stuff. I did believe there was some merit to the story though. Witnesses are horribly unreliable to start with and then add in the fact I'm in some poor, white, religious cow town and pretty much I deduced they were afraid of a man who dressed as a clown who probably lived in the woods." She said, "Went out there to see if I could find anything."

"Clown," Rika laughed, "Like Gacy?"

"Yeah," She said, "That's what I was determined to find and prove to all of them that this was just a man, not a monster, and he happened to dress as a clown because I don't know, he was fucking crazy. I ran into him at some point, I don't know when honestly. He held me captive and he...desired me as a mate."

"You didn't..." Rika whispered looking horrified.

"You think I had much of a choice?" Leila asked her. She frowned and shook her head. "Anyway he lured some kid into the sewers where we were and I promised to be his mate, and stay with him willingly if he never killed another human as long as I was his. Guess it was a mistake."

"You think?"

"Rika..." Leila said, "It's really not as bad as it looks."

"Now you're just lying," Rika said and started to chug her beer. Leila wasn't sure she was actually lying, oddly enough. Something in her must have twisted and broken because she really didn't think it was too bad. Maybe because she was slowly going insane and starting to get used to it herself. Still, she didn't want to insist she wasn't lying because then Rika would most definitely think she was insane and even if it was true she didn't need that. "Leila, maybe it's time you consider it's okay for some humans to die if it means getting that thing off of your back."

"Children, Rika...that's what it eats. Not just people." Leila said.

"Oh this is so wrong but Mark and his stupid traps-"