RAPTURE ! ( it )

fourteen.

RAPTURE !

014. ' he would've lost his mind '

THEY ALL WERE IN THE GARAGE STILL, DESPITE THE TERROR THAT HAD
JUST BEFELL THEM.

Ben and Mike lingered in the opening of the garage with the July sun on their backs, for they were both fearful of entering it. Beverly stood with a fidget alongside Bill, barely any range between their arms as the redhead was plagued by the notion of the clown returning for them. A clearly disconcerted Richie paced shortly across the concrete, gulping loudly and nervously readjusting his glasses. And Stan, despite being unsettled to his very core, had gathered a scarce courage and sat beside the wounded girl on a slightly trembling cardboard box.

As for Amelia, the expression she wore was vacant and reserved, and one could speculate the likelihood of being in shock from blood loss - or from that spur of the moment thing Eddie had pulled.

There was a feeling of tightening in her chest as her temple throbbed while it was bent against Stan's upper arm. Her muscles contracted even further whenever one of the others would shift in their place. And now her eyes managed their way down to Eddie, who furiously dressed the repulsive wound on her shin with jagged breathing. He abruptly yanked the gauze that was whirled around his hand, aggressively against her leg. She opened her lips to shout at him, but no sound even made it past her throat and settled for a roll of her eyes.

If she ever saw that damn clown again, she may just drive a rod through its head.

Eddie sucked in a breath as he restlessly readjusted the gauze around her shin as it seemed out of place no matter how he arranged it.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he sputtered out in a flash of annoyance, his fingers twitching with agitation as they skid over the gauze.

"W-We have to g-go there," Bill only murmured once Eddie had resorted to merely scrunching his forehead in his state of unrest.

"To where?" Beverly's voice was barely audible in the stiffly quiet garage as she cast a questioning glance to the boy. Yet, she appeared nervous for the answer once she did.

"We have to go t-to the Neibolt Ho-Ho-House. W-we need to help h-him, guys," Bill claimed with his stutter worsening on every word and his thumbs circling around in his perspiring palms.

"Nuh-uh," Eddie was the first to oppose the boy's statement as he raised his head just as quick, "She almost just fucking died because of that damn clown. If he had taken her, that would be entirely on you, Bill. And I-I would've gone out my goddamn muh-muh-mind if she ended up like Georgie. No more. It's all over now."

"He's right, Billy," Stan muttered, a jitter to his leg now as it bobbed against the ground, "We can't risk that."

"It's fucking summer and we're running around Derry like the Scooby Doo Gang," the words flowed out all of Richie's emotion as he groaned and halted his pace.

"I-I-I don't cu-cu-care," Bill cried out in confession and jostled past Ben and Mike, "I-I'm going there and fuh-fuh-finding my br-brother."

"Bill, no," Beverly's eyes kindled with concern for him and she strode partially out of the garage after him, "This is what it wants - it wants us to follow so it can get to us all. This is insane!"