WHEEZY // an IT story

t h r e e

JUNE 4th, 1989

"i've pinpointed the location! there's no where else georgie could be hiding!" bill explained to richie, eddie, and stan, as they biked through the town of derry.
"after that, can we get ice cream?" richie asked, giving stan puppy eyes.
"fine. but you have to be good," stan answered, drawing his lips into a tight line. eddie rolled his eyes.
"the barrens are gross! they smell like shit!" he yelled.
"just like your mom?" richie teased.
"that's not funny!" eddie exclaimed, and sped up his pedaling so he was no longer next to richie.

finally, the boys reached the barrens.
"that's poison ivy, and that's poison ivy, and tha-" stan explained, before richie cut him off.
"not every fucking plant is poison ivy, stan!"
"where's the poison ivy?" eddie asked as the boys started to enter the mucky water of the barrens.
"there isn't any!" richie replied, stomping around in the dark water.
"well, i'm starting to get itchy, and-" eddie complained, before getting interrupted by richie.
"do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" richie asked.
"yeah, sometimes," eddie answered.
"then you probably have crabs!" richie teased. stan rolled his eyes at richie's immature joke, and eddie gasped.
"that is so not funny," he stated.
"aren't you guys coming in?" richie asked eddie and stan. eddie shook his head quickly.
"that's grey water," he told richie.
"what the hell is grey water?" richie asked.
"it's basically just piss and shit! so, i'm just telling you. you're splashing around in millions of gallons of derry pee," eddie explained, scrunching his nose up at the thought of even touching that water. richie picked up a stick from the water, and scooped up a piece of cloth.
"are you serious?" eddie asked. richie held the wet cloth close to his face, sniffing it.
"doesn't smell like caca to me señor!" richie joked, in a horrible spanish accent. eddie's face showed a look of pure disgust.
"okay! i can smell that from here!" he shouted.
"it's probably just your breath wafting back into your face," richie teased, giggling at his own joke.
"have you ever heard of a staph infection?!" eddie shouted again, getting more flustered by the second.
"oh, i'll show you a staph infection!" richie cheered, flinging the wet cloth at eddie.
"that is so unsanitary!" eddie scolded.
"you guys are swimming in a toilet bowl right now!" eddie continued to rant.
"have you ever heard of listeria?"
"are you retarded?" richie asked in reply, and eddie glared at him.
"you're the reason we're in this situation right now!" he yelled.
"guys!" bill, who had actually been searching in the sewer tunnel with a flashlight, interrupted.
"shit," stan swore.
"don't tell me that's," he continued.
"georgie wore galoshes," bill said, a childlike hope rising in his voice.
"who's sneaker is it?" stan asked, and bill flipped the shoe over to reveal a name.
"it's betty ripsom's," bill told the boys. betty ripsom was a girl at school who had gone missing a few weeks ago. kids always seemed to be missing in derry, several at a time, all the time.
"shit!" stan exclaimed.
"shit. oh god. oh fuck! i don't like this!" eddie ranted.
"how do you think betty feels? going around these tunnels with only one fucking shoe?" richie joked, while everyone else rolled their eyes.
"what if she's still here?" stan asked.
"eddie, come on!" richie beckoned, but eddie just shook his head quickly.
"my mom would have an aneurysm if she finds out we were playing down here! i'm serious!" he yelled.
"bill?" richie asked, looking at the taller boy for guidance.
"if i were betty ripsom, i would want us to find me. georgie too," he explained.
"what if i don't want to find them?" eddie questioned, letting his words hang for a few seconds.
"i mean, no offense, bill, but i don't want to end up like-" he paused for a moment before continuing.
"i don't want to go missing either," he concluded.
"i don't want to go missing either," stan stated.
"you too?" richie asked.
"it's summer! we're supposed to be having fun! but this, this isn't fun! this is scary, and disgusting!" stan exclaimed, fear lacing his voice.

before anyone could reply, a red headed boy came bounding down the tunnel, before collapsing on the ground. as the boys approached him, the realized he was covered in blood.
"holy shit. what happened to you?" richie asked.

sorry this chapter was lame. had to get it out of the way though. :(