Vigilante Shit ◇ Bill Denbrough

Chapter 20

Chapter 20 The Deadlights

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The group is currently gathered in the lounge in the inn.

"Okay. What do you mean you've seen us all die?" Eddie asks pacing around.

"Yeah, cause I gotta be honest. That's a fucked up thing to drop on someone." Richie comments.

Beverly wipes her tears as Eleanor sits beside her, comforting. "Every night since I left Derry, I've been having these nightmares. People in pain, dying. People..."

"So, you have nightmares. I have nightmares. People, they have nightmares. But that does not mean that your visions are true." Eddie argues.

She shakes her head. "I've watched every single one of us..."

"You've seen every single of us of what?" Bill appears the room with Mike by his side.

"At the place Stanley end up. That's how we end." Beverly whispers as a tear falls down her cheek.

Eleanor let out a shaky breath as chills run down her spine at the mention of death. She hugs herself, trying to calm her terrified mind. Bill notices this and sits on the couch next to me, taking her shaking hands into his.

"Okay, how come the rest of us aren't seeing that shit? I mean, what does makes her so different?" Richie questions.

"The deadlights." Mike declares.

"She was the only one c-caught in the deathlights, t-that day." Bill states.

Mike walks closer into the room, looking at everyone. "We were all touched by it. Changed. Deep down. Like an infection. Or a virus. Virus. You understand? Slowly growing. That virus, it's been growing for 27 years. This whole time metastasizing. It just got Stan first, because..."

"He was the weakest." Richie sadly says, looking down.

"Jesus Christ, Rich." Bill comments of Richie's usage of words, which has gone too far.

"Just saying what everyone else is thinking, man." Richie shrugs.

"I mean Rich, come on."

Mike points at Beverly. "What Beverly sees, it will come to pass. It's what'll happen to all of us, eventually if we don't stop it."

"How the hell are we suppose to do that?" Eddie questions.

"The ritual of Chud." Mike answers. "The shokopiwah. The first ones who fought it, they have a saying. 'All the living must abide by the laws of the shape they inhabit."

"A tribal ritual?" Richie questions loudly. "Are you fucking kidding me, man? All right, there's gotta be another way. Okay? This thing comes back, what, every 27 years? Let's just kick the can down the road and do it then."

"Wait! We'll be 70 years old, asshole." Eddie reminds.

"It doesn't work that way. None of you make it another 20 years and the wait it happens..." Beverly pauses and Richie huffs and pours himself a shot of alcohol.

"So, if we don't beat it this cycle, then..." Ben trails off.

"We die." Eleanor gasps.

"Horribly." Eddie adds.

"Yeah, I don't need the horribly part." Richie mutters.

"I didn't say it. She said it. Not me."

"All right, guys. Look." Bill speaks gaining everyone's attention. "I've seen w-w-what he's talking about and that's all true. It's the only way. If we want this ritual to work..."

"We have to remember." Mike completes Bill's sentence.

"Remember what?"

"Everything."

"We need to do this fast, the cycle ends soon and once it does-"

"We're fucked!" Eddie exclaims cutting off Mike.

"Does that mean that we should go now?" The blonde asks Mike and he nods with a serious face.

"Yeah."

"Can I change into my sneakers first?" Eleanor requests. "I don't want to see dirt on my heels."

"Oh really? Why the earth do you even wear those things?" Richie asks, gesturing at her shiny heels and the whole room fills with tension loosens and replaces with small laughs.

"I'm a fucking professional model and I'm acting like one."

"What a joke?"

"Fashion is not a joke, asshole!"

"Why do I see it as a joke then?"

"Shut up, Richie!"

"I can't shut up. I'm Richie Trashmouth."

"Guys! Stop it!" Mike intervenes the fight, trying to neutralize it. "You guys are still like kids."

"He's the one who fucking started it!" Eleanor points at Richie. "His fault."

"My fault?"

"God, I really missed these fightings." Beverly chuckles. "It feels good to hear Richie and El arguing again."

"Okay. El, you go and change your shoes. Just be quick." Mike advises the blonde. "We don't have much time."

She nods and sticks her tongue at Richie, before heading to her car.

Unlocking her car, she gets into the backseat to find her sneakers. "There you're." She takes out her heel and puts her sneakers on.

"I heard about the donations you did for the orphan kids." A voice behind her speaks as she closes the door, locking it.

Eleanor turns to see Bill standing there, hands in his pockets. "Ah yeah. It was Dylan who own the credits most."

He nods, understanding. "You sounds like he's the best husband in the w-world."

"Dylan and I was just engaged, not married. But I know that he'll be a good husband to whoever the lucky woman marrying him." She shrugs.

"And I'm p-praying that lucky woman s-should not be you." He adds, not taking his eyes off her.

She chuckles with amusement. "Heard that you got married to an actress."

"Yeah. Audra Phillips. We're now divorced." He states, leaning into her car. "I was the worst husband in the world."

"I don't believe that."

He sighs, looking up at the dark sky with shining stars. "But it was the truth. I couldn't open my heart to another woman. Because I didn't had the key with me."

She looks at him as memories of their last few minutes they spent together before she left Derry crashes into her mind. The vow. The pendant. The kiss.

Bill turns his gaze to her once again. "The weird feeling you had. The emptiness. I felt that too."

"This is your fault, Bill." She mumbles loud enough for him to hear and grips into his shirt jacket, pulling him down to her level. But before she kisses him, Richie's voice rings out.

"I told ya that we shouldn't leave them to themselves."

Quickly letting go of Bill's shirt jacket, Eleanor turns around to face Ben, Mike, Richie, Eddie and Beverly grinning ear-to-ear.

Bill let out an awkward chuckle, running his hand through his dark brown locks, which were once auburn.

"I think I need air." Eleanor states as blush fills on her face.

"We're already outside, breathing the fresh air." Richie breaths in 'fresh air' around him and everyone laughs.

"I think I'm-I'm sick then."

"Sick with what? Love?"

"Mike, dude, I think we should start remembering things you said." Eleanor says, dragging Mike with her and walking away, totally embarrassed.

"Retreating, blonde?!" Richie shouts. "This is not over!"

"Shut it, trashmouth!" She turns around and shows him the finger, making everyone crackle into laughter.