Phantasm 》It Chapter 2

Four

3rd POV

The Losers' Club were trying their best to get out of the restaurant before Pennywise could get to them. For 27 long years of peace came crumbling down in one night.

"That's what Pennywise does, right?" Eddie began as they made their way toward the exit. "He fucks with us. So, Stanley's probably fine a - and we didn't see Jenny."

Beverly looked toward Bill, who was still pretty shakin' up about everything. "Hey, Mike. Do you have Stan's number?" she asked while taking her phone out.

"Yeah," Mike said.

They all stopped when they heard a young boy call out to Richie. "Hey, Richie."

Richie looked at the boy confusingly before asking, "How'd you know my name?"

The boy looked at them with a little grin and said, "The fun's just beginning." His smile grew. "Right?"

They looked at the boy in fright, thinking he was just another one of Pennywise's tricks. Eddie's breathing came out rigid as he looked at the group and stuttered, "What he said, is it..."

Richie tried to calm his own racing heart while glaring at the little boy. "Listen. You think this is funny?" he questioned. "All right? Think this is some sort of game, huh?" He shocked everyone by grabbing the boy's arm and yelled, "Well, fuck you, all right?!"

"Rich, be careful, dude," Bill tried to calm him.

Richie didn't calm down one bit. His grip on the boy's arm tightened while he pointed a finger at him while screaming, "Fuck you! I'm not afraid of you!"

"The fun's just beginning," the boy quoted, weirded about the whole exchange. "The line from your act, dude. I'm a fan."

Richie looked at the two adults and a little girl, who were coming from around the corner. "Are those your parents?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah."

Richie tried to make the situation a bit better, after frightening the kid. "You want a picture?"

The boy's father held up his hand. "You ok, Dean? Come on."

The little boy, Dean, looked at Richie while backing away very quickly. "I think I"m good."

Bill looked around the restaurant. "Ok, cool," Richie tried to play off. Bill's eyes crinkled when he saw a little girl with red hair sitting at one of the corners. Her golden doe eyes were already looking at him as she tilted her head to the side. What caught his attention the most was the familiar clown makeup that caked her face. "He's a good kid."

Ben gave Richie a look while the rest turned back toward the exit. "Jesus, Richie," he began while Bill was having a staring contest with the girl. His breath got caught in his throat when the little girl smiled at him. Instead of small baby teeth, the girl's sadistic grin was just rows beyond rows of sharp teeth that reminded Bill of a shark. The girl brought her hand up and waved hello. "You don't remember a line from your own show?"

"I don't write my own material," Richie admitted.

Eddie gasped, making Bill break eye contact, and shouted, "I fucking knew it! I fucking knew it!'

They reached outside. Beverly was on the phone with Stanley's wife. Bill placed his hand over his heart as if it would slow it down. Jenny's screams filled his ears. He blames himself for letting Pennywise take her away. If he wasn't a second too late then maybe Jenny would have been by his side. She could have lived the life she always wanted: going to college, being in a happy relationship that ends with marriage, having a kid or two. Bill always knew Jenny would have made something for herself.