IMPULSE {Richie Tozier}

33

"I'll feast on your flesh as I feed on your fear...or...," the clown holds up a single shaky finger, "you'll just leave us be....I will take him. Only him, and I will let you all live. I'll have my long rest and allow you all to grow and thrive and lead happy lives, until old age takes you back to the weeds."

"I can never be happy without Ivy." Richie interrupts, taking everyone's attention to himself. "What did you do with her? I know she isn't dead, you piece of shit."

The clown swallows a lump in his throat.

"Fine," it utters, "she is living. You will find her floating in the tank of water, located behind my performance space."

"A tank of water?!" Bev shouts, looking at the clown incredulously. "She can't fucking breathe in water, you dumb fuck!"

"It's her worse fear!" Eddie adds, beginning to feel his stomach knot up.

"She can so long as I allow it." The clown corrects, bill quivers in his arms. "She'll breathe until I snap my fingers."

"Leave." Bill says, everyone looks at him in shock. "I got you all into this. I'm sorry.."

As much as Richie wants to drop everything and save Ivy, he knows he could never leave Bill. He decides that he better kick this clowns ass quick and save his girl. Bill owes him big time.

"I told you, bill. I don't wanna die. It's your fault!" Richie strolls back and forth, listing all the things Bill's done wrong, "you punched me, made me walk through shitty water, dragged me through a crackhead house, kissed my fucking girlfriend!....And now..I'm gonna have to kill this fucking clown."

The clown falters.

"Welcome to the losers club, asshole!" Richie shouts before taking the baseball bat from the ground and storming towards Pennywise.

The losers break into action, taking swing after swing at the clown. Pennywise has no choice but to let the boy go and defend himself. He shifts into many different forms, attempting to strike fear in their hearts. As the continue fighting him however, they are no longer afraid.

In the midst of all the fighting, the creature could feel itself getting weaker and weaker.

As his form his the leper, he gags and throws up all over poor little Eddie. Eddie stands still, and everyone freezes. They're more afraid of Eddie than the clown now.

"MY MOMS GONNA KILL YOU!" Eddie screams before smashing and object over the clowns head.

Finally, on its knees, the creature shifts into one last form.

"Hey, Bevy, are you still my little—" his sentence is cut short with a rod being shoved right down his throat. The rod disappears down the creatures throat, causing everyone to disgustedly back away.

"Holy shit," Richie can't help but utter.

The clown weakly lifts his hands up, causing everyone to stare at him confusedly. Then, he snaps his fingers.

Richie's eyes widen.

"We're not afraid of you. You're gonna starve." Bill growls, walking towards the creature. Skin rises off the beasts face and begins to disintegrate. Pennywise stumbles back, muttering the same rhyme Bill once used in an attempt to stop his stutter.

"—fear." Is the last word it utters before it stumbles back into a pit of darkness.

The losers stand quietly, showering in their accomplishment.

"I know what I'm writing on my summer essay." Richie jokes light heartedly.

"Ivy!" Eddie suddenly remembers, "we forgot about Ivy!"

Quickly, the losers rush towards what the monster deemed as his, "performance space". As he had said, the tank is there. The girl is inside, unconscious. If they didn't get her out soon, she would die.

"What do we do!?" Stan panics, not knowing how to get her out of the large tank.

They all talk over each other, but are interrupted by the loud sound of Richie banging his crowbar against the glass on the tank. It cracks.

"Watch out!" He calls before smashing down on it one more time. Finally, the glass breaks, water rushes past their legs and Richie catches Ivy before she can hit the ground.

Her face is pale. Her lips are purple. She is soaking wet and cold to the touch.

"Oh god–oh god.." he stutters, "please wake up..."

He lays the girl back and begins to perform his best shot at CPR. The losers gather around, desperately hoping for her to wake up.

After about five minute, they begin to lose hope. She isn't waking up. She isn't moving. Bev can't help but let out a small cry, and Mike doesn't even try to hide his tears. Eddie is sobbing loudly, genuinely afraid to lose his friend. Bill is blank mostly, and Stan is too. Ben hasn't given up hope as he leans over to try and help Richie.

She's strong. She always had been.

Ben reassures himself.

Richie keeps pulsing at the girl, doing his best. His hands begin to shake, and his eyes are spilling tears again.

"Please, wake up," he begs again, "I need you more than anyone else on this entire planet could possibly ever need you. I need you to take care of me, to put up with me, and most of all to love me. 'Cause I love you."

His voice shakes with tears as he says those words.

He needs her so bad, he never knew he did. He regrets all those years of avoiding her.

He stops pulsing. He lets his hands rests on his sides, and he finally begins to cry with everyone else. Ben cries too.