Phantasm 》It Chapter 2

Six

Why, Richie? Why would Pennywise target Richie? Is this where Richie can find his token? What I don't understand is why the arcade of all places.

Whatever the reason, I have to get to Richie before the fucking clown does. I went through the mirror and entered the women's bathroom. Everything was dark and dusty, so this place either shut down or it went down the shit drain. I quickly ran out of the bathroom and saw Richie leaving.

"Richie!" I called out. He didn't hear me and kept walking. "Shit."

I followed Richie outside toward the Town Square. Just the feeling of the sun's rays on my skin made me stop momentarily. I could feel its warmth engulfing me which made me want to cry. 27 years in that dark cold place, trapped with nowhere to go. I want to kiss the ground and feel the grass on my skin.

"Here you go, ma'am," I heard someone say before giving me a pamphlet. I glanced down and froze, What to do when you're expecting? Looking up, the man turned and waved. The only thing I noticed was half of his face was decayed. "Worrying too much isn't good for the baby, you know?"

My brows furrowed. Around me, the crowd began to stop what they were doing. A few eyes were on me but the rest were toward the quad, where Richie is at the moment. Suddenly, a few people started making their way toward me.

"Did you miss me, Richie?" Pennywise chuckled on top of the town statue.

Richie jumped back. "Fuck!" he gasped.

"'Cause I've missed you. No one wants to play with the clown anymore. Not even my wife."

"Richi-!" I shouted but something cold grabbed my wrist. I glanced down and saw the little girl, one of Pennywise's victims, with half her face eaten off.

"Don't interfere," she warned.

I tried to pull my wrist away but two arms grabbed me from behind and yanked me toward a wet body. "Go back, Jenny," the man said. I screamed when I noticed his side, near his chest, was gnawed off.

"Play a game with me, would ya?" Pennywise taunted Richie. Richie was shaking. "How about Street Fighter?"

"Richie!" I shouted again but the man behind me placed his hand over my mouth.

Pennywise grinned. "Oh, yes. You like that one, don't you?" His face became more serious. "Or maybe Truth or Dare?"

"Jesus," Richie breathed.

The red ballons Pennywise had in his hand lifted him off the statue as he slowly floated toward Richie. "Oh, you wouldn't want...anyone to pick truth, though, would ya, Richie? The only person who knows your secret is the mother of my child, otherwise, no one else knows what you're hiding."

My eyes widen. I know the secret Pennywise is talking about. Truth be told, Richie didn't tell me willingly. I found out on my own and gave him the talk. I told him that he doesn't need anyone's approval. If he loves someone from the friend group, which isn't Beverly, then it's fine. It's ok to have a crush on someone from the same gender. Of course, Richie being Richie, he denied it. It does hurt but I understand where he's coming from: the fear of not being accepted, the name-calling, the constant bullying, fights, harassment, etc.

Pennywise laughed before singing, "I know your secret. Your dirty, little secret." I screamed before kicking the man behind me in the shin. "Oh, I know your secret. Your dirty, little secret." Once the guy released me, I pushed the girl off me before running toward Richie. Richie was trying to put some distance between him and It. "Should I tell them, Richie?"

"This isn't happening. This isn't real," Richie breathed while shutting his eyes. I saw a toy bat from the picnic table a family was occupying. I quickly grabbed it and continued sprinting. "It isn't real. It isn't happening. It isn't real."