CYNOSURE | RICHIE TOZIER

XI

"It knows us!" Eddie cried, "It knows where we are!"
"It always did." Bill stated, picking up his bike, "S-So lets go."
"Go? Go where?" Ben questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Neibolt."
Richie bolted upright, "I'm coming."
Bill nodded thankfully.
"After that?!" Stan exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yeah." Mike agreed, "It's summer. We should be outside-"
"I-If you s-say 'it's summer' one more f-fucking time!" Bill spat, turning around and beginning to cycle off, ignoring the shouts from his friends.
Bev faced Richie once again, "Come on, Rich. Think about this."
He pushed off on his bike, "I already have."

"You can't go in there!" Beverly pleaded as the group finally caught up with Richie and Bill outside the house she hated so much on Neibolt Street, "This is crazy! Richie, I get you're upset - I am too! - but this isn't going to fix anything. We need to go to the police!"
"And tell them what?!" he hissed, "That a giant clown leapt out of the wall, tried to kill us, and then kidnapped our friend? I don't think so."
"I-I-I..." Bev stuttered, unable to respond, "Maybe we could-?"
Bill turned to face the redhead, "L-Look, you don't have to come in with us, but what happens when another Georgie goes missing? Or another Betty? Or another Ed Corcoran? What about Eliza?"
Beverly averted her gaze, feeling too guilty to meet his eyes, but he continued to the rest of the group, " Are we just going to pretend it's not happening, just like everyone else in this town? Because I can't. I go home and all I see is how Georgie isn't there: his clothes, his toys, his stupid stuffed animals... but he isn't. So walking into this house, for me, is easier than walking into my own."
"Well said, Big Bill." Richie muttered as the pair turned back to face the house.
"Wow." Eddie exhaled. "He didn't stutter once."

Reluctantly, the Losers approached the steps. They didn't want to, but they knew it had to be done. Most of their summer seemed to be that way. They didn't know what it was, it could have been destiny or the rumoured big man in the sky, but it was understood that it was more than just a coincidence. The world had decided they were meant to be together. Neither Bill, Richie, Stan, or Eddie, could deny they felt something change when they biked Ben to the store after the incident with Eliza's older brother, or that day at the quarry when they couldn't stop gawking at two girls in their underwear. It was like puzzle pieces slotting into place. All eight teens knew that from the moment of the rock war, something had changed, and their unbreakable friendship had a purpose. It felt right. They wouldn't ever say it out loud, they didn't need to. They loved each other unconditionally, in a way they knew they couldn't ever love anybody else. That's why they had to enter that house. That's why they had to get Eliza back. They were going to kill It. Together.
"Wait!" Stan called, his fear made obvious by the quavering of his voice, "Shouldn't we have some people keep watch? Just in case something bad happens..."
Richie muttered something inaudible yet likely rude under his breath.
"I care about her too!" the quiet Jewish boy snapped, shocking all his friends, "She's my friend and I want her back just as much as you do. I already know I'm not going to be of any use - I'll get scared and freeze up - and getting ourselves killed is not going to help her. All I'm saying is we should be careful and take precautions."
Richie sighed and lifted his head to meet his glare. He'd never seen his friend so worked up before. "Sorry. You're probably right."
Bill studied the group in front of him, searching for volunteers, "Who w-wants to s-s-stay out h-here?"
From the grass, all but Bev rose their arms. There was a chorus of sighs as they glanced around at each other, waiting for someone else to either enlist or make any kind of useful suggestion.

It ended up being Ben's idea to draw straws. It was transparent that Richie and Bill would be going in, but Eddie was unfortunate enough to draw the shortest. Eddie shivered as he tip-toed through the doorway. Even the furniture seemed to be grinning at him. The sinister gloom sent shivers up his spine, and he didn't even need to look to know his pale arms were swarming with goosebumps. He gulped, imagining his mother's reaction if she knew he'd been 'playing' in here. He doubted he'd ever be able to see his dear friends again. 
"I can't believe I drew the short straw." he grumbled, prodding at a fallen photo frame with his shoe.
"You're lucky we weren't measuring dicks." Richie grunted, and as much as the boy's comment pissed him off, Eddie was glad his best friend was more of his usual self, and not the hateful youth that stood on the lawn just a few moments ago.
He held back his small smile and grimaced, "Shut up. Richie."
They walked further into the building, each holding their breath. Eddie's hand found its way to his inhaler, waiting for an accident to happen.
"I can smell It." He whined. The air was thick with death, and if despair had a scent, Eddie was sure it would be there too.
"Don't breathe through your mouth." Richie instructed, and he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"How come?"
"'Cause then you're eating it." the geeky-looking boy grinned, and after gagging, Eddie did too, glad to have a distraction.
The three spaced out as they explored, each looking for traces of either the clown or their missing friend. Richie pushed up his glasses as he entered a filthy room overflowing with spiderwebs. He furrowed his eyebrows as he reached for a piece of paper entangled in the silk among the leaves. His heart began to pound and his breathing quickened, becoming gruff and erratic. He slowly turned to face the now alarmed Bill and Eddie, shaking with perturbation.