love ; bill denbrough

3

Bill

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Cass and I hopped on our bikes and rode together. Richie refused to tell us what was going on, only insisting that we had to see for ourselves. Jackson street is about a 2 minutes ride away, and half of the time, i've been focusing on not falling off of my bike at the speed I was going.

Soon enough we arrived to a crowded scene, dropping our bikes at a lawn opposite all the commotion. There were ambulance, and police tape around the scene. I rushed towards the guys, who I saw in the crowd, and so did Cass, but she was small and barely could see past Stanley's shoulder.

Me, being the tallest of us all, I pushed to the front. Georgie's coat lay on the ground in a puddle and the puddle was diluted with blood. The police picked up a wellington boot and inspected it. It was Eddie's. I remember seeing him in them when he ran off with Georgie. I felt tears fill my eyes and Cass stared at me. She couldn't see what I saw. The people around me saw my face, and knew that no one would react like that unless they knew who the yellow, blood-soaked raincoat belonged too. I looked back at Cass, who still had no clue what was going on. I grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.

Cass

I feel my eyes fill with tears. I never cry in front of anyone, especially not a group of kids I just met today. That's my little brothers boot. I looked and saw another officer holding a red coat. I knew that coat. It was the coat that I had written 'Eddie James Corcoran' in on the tagline in my baby brothers favourite shade of blue sharpie when he first started school.

I looked up a Bill, the lump in his throat was almost visible as he stared down at me, and for some reason, I felt it was okay to embrace him in a tight hug. He obviously thought the same and he held me tight. I began crying into his shoulder, my cry's muffled by his denim jacket. He was crying also, I felt a hot tear drip onto the back of my neck. I stayed in his embrace, hearing his heartbeat and the low sounds of the outside world. The police were asking for people to identify the kids and I heard Richie, with 0 sarcasm explain that we were their siblings. This was all, very real.

All I wanted was to go home, but I couldn't move and neither could Bill. We both stayed glued in our bone crushing hug. I just wanted to go home, but right now, at this very moment, Bill is the closest thing to home that i'm going to get.

"You two." I heard an unfamiliar man's voice call, to what I assumed to be Bill and I. We both look up, and Bill kept his right arm wrapped around my shoulder, holding my hand tight. It was an officer. "Who's coat is this?" He held up a yellow raincoat.

"My brother's." Bill's voice was soft. "Georgie's."

"And this one?" He held up a red one, that was almost shredded.

"That's my brother's. Eddie's." My voice was barely audible and Bill gave my hand a tight squeeze.

The officer look inside the hood of the raincoat and a look of pain flashed across his face. It was Eddie's name tag and he knew I wasn't lying. "Daniels." He called over an officer. "Take these guys home."

"That's okay, we have bikes." Bill spoke up. Before letting the officer get another word in we walked away to our bikes on the grass.

"I gotta be home." Stanley muttered and all of the other boys agreed. The left, but not without giving Bill a pat on the back and words of reassurance. All of the boys lined up and hugged me, also whispering words of reassurance in my ear.

After they all left I just stood, my hands on the handle bars of my bike.

"C'mon." Bill spoke, but not easily. His face held a pained look and his eyes were red. I got onto my bike and we rode again, neck in neck, not half as fast as we did throughout the day though. Bill reached a hand out and steered with one hand, I did the same, gratefully holding onto his hand and riding back to my house. 

I put my bike in the garage and I dropped to the ground, my back sliding against the shelf of paint cans. I broke down again, worse than the time before as I was now alone. There was no need to hold it back. My parents were out of town on a business trip, they'd be back in a week. So I had to spend a week alone, without little Eddie bursting into my room every 5 minutes because he was bored.

"Hey, hey." I heard Bill's voice and he rushed over to me, pulling me up from the ground and into his arms. "It's gonna be alright." He stroked my hair, but he was crying too. "Where are your p-parents?"

"They're on a b-business trip for a week." I managed and Bill carried on stroking my hair. We were both as bad as each other at the moment.

"My mom and d-dad aren't h-here for 4 days. Y-you can stay with m-me?" He stuttered out, but it wasn't because of his emotional state, Bill had told me stories about his stutter.

I couldn't use my words, so I just nodded. I couldn't even move from the spot I was in. I squeezed my cloudy eyes shut, hoping that when I opened them I would see Eddie, doing something annoying most likely, but I wished I'd see him. I couldn't move. I felt all of my weight being lifted as Bill wrapped his arms around my torso, I knew he was carrying me to his house. I wrapped my legs around him and he walked down the street, into his house. I clung onto him as he carried on through into the kitchen, placing me onto the countertop.

I rubbed my head and tried to think positive. Georgie and Eddie were only classified as missing, for all I know, I'm wasting my time crying because they're out there somewhere. I've taught Eddie everything, from not to talk to strangers, to where a persons weak spots are from him to strike. I know he's okay. The thoughts comforted me and I wiped my tears away, no more fell.

"Here." I was brought out of my thoughts by Bill, holding out a cup of hot cocoa with all the trimmings.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"I know it looked bad back there," He referred to earlier's events "But I think we should look for them. They're only missing."

"I thought exactly the same thing." I sipped cream off the top of my cocoa.

"We should get the guys to help us. I know they will." He smiled, pulling his walkie talkie from his belt.

"Sure."