sunshine. // it 2017

x.

"Look, you don't have to come in with me...but what happens when another Georgie goes missing? Or another Betty? Or another Ed Corcoran...or one of us? Are you just gonna pretend it isn't happening like everyone else in this town? Because I can't. I go home and all I see is that Georgie isn't there. His clothes, his toys, his stupid stuffed animals, but he isn't. So walking into this house for me...it's easier than walking into my own."

"Wow..." Richie stared shocked as his best friend turned to the creepy house's door.

"What?" Beverly questioned.

"He didn't stutter once," Lola answered for Richie, her hand still tight on Richie's.

Lola began to walk towards the front porch of the rundown house. But, of course, Richie wasn't having it.
"No. No way!" his eyes burned into hers, "you are not going into that house!"

"We have to! Losers stick together," she reasoned, and her hand slipped from his as she walked away. In that moment, the sinking feeling returned to Richie, he same feeling with Lola and that picture.

"No Lola! I'm not letting you!" the anger built up in Richie finally let out, "I won't let you get hurt!"

"Good thing I did not ask for your opinion," she muttered under her breath as she strolled into the house, her shoes creaking on the floorboards.

"For fuck sake," Richie swore as he jogged up the steps to keep up with her, Eddie and Bill followed Lola into the house.

The cobwebs surrounded most of a small room off to the left but Lola still investigated, a missing poster tangled in the mess. Pulling the crinkled paper out, Lola could fully see the writing a picture printed. Richie Tozier's missing poster.
"Sunshine? What did you find?" Richie immediately walked to her side and took the paper from her fingers. And the sight in front him caused him to panic.

"W-what is it R-Richie?" Bill and Eddie followed in suit.

"It-it says I'm missing."

Bill then looked at the paper being passed between one another. The nicely combed hair, the coke bottle glasses and the shit eating grin. It was Richie Tozier's missing poster.

"You're not missing R-Richie."

"That's my hair, that's my face, that's my name, that's my age! That's the date! December 6th! No it says! It says! What the fuck?! Am I missing? Am I gonna go missing?!"

Not just yet.

Lola walked to him once again, hands gripping at either side of his face to look at her and release the paper from his grip.

"Richard, you aren't missing," that British voice, "I won't let you."

Her hand regripped onto his sweaty hand. And their eyes connected at last. The fear swimming within his mud brown eyes swarmed into her own, like a disease. Until, a cry from help. A girl's voice.

"Hello?" it sounded like it was coming from upstairs, "help me please!"

And of course, like the kids they were, they headed towards the danger, climbing the broken and dirty stairs till a sight that would scar them was presented in front of them. Betty Ripsom, lying on the dirty ground, looking like she was almost drained of life in her body. Lola hid behind Richie, her grip on his hand tightening.

"Betty?" Bill croaked.

"Ripsom?" Richie finished for him.

That was until Betty screamed as she was dragged away. The four kids in the hallway stepped back, terrified. They knew that they might not come out alive.

Bill lead the three other forward, but Lola was straggling behind, looking at every crack and peeled wall. It seemed like it was one hundred years old to Lola.

Suddenly, a scream rang out from behind Richie, and his hand grew cold. Lola had been dragged away.

The door shut behind her and she was now alone in the dark filled room. A voice spoke from around her as she pushed against the wooden door. The other side was Richie banging against it, yelling and screaming her voice.

"Lola?! Sunshine, you okay?! Come on, talk to me!! Lola!"

Her eyes scanned the room as much as possible. Nothing but darkness.

"Five fears sunshine. Let's count down together," soon enough the room seemed to fill with water, growing higher and higher by the minute.

"Number five, drowning."

The voice chuckled. Her head was going under and her breath was hitched in her throat. She didn't want to die. Not yet. The water seemed to disappear around her. She fell to the floor, but she wasn't wet.

"Number four, vines."

Green, spiky vines grew around the girl and curled around her legs. She screamed for Richie through crying. On the other side of the door, Richie put his forehead against the wooden door, tears rolling down his cheeks as he sobbed. His glasses had tear droplets covering them. Something the boy always hated but now, he couldn't give a fuck. The vines reached the girl's neck and tighten till she was almost out of breath, letting her drop to the floor once again.

"Number three, the dark."

She stood still, hearing the sounds around her. She shut her eyes as her heart beated wildly.

'It's okay. It's going to be okay.'

Richie's voice replayed in her head, almost like a song. She screamed in pain as something cut open her forearm. She whimpered and span in a circle in the middle of the room, looking for any way out.

"Number two, clowns."

The darkness grew brighter, a neon light near a wall. Pennywise himself stood there, a scary grin on his face.

"Your fear. It's delicious."

He rushed towards the girl as her body fell to the floor, he picked her up by the neck and dangled her in the air like a rag doll.

"Number one, the grand finale," he spun her around in his hands so she faced the door, "losing someone you love the most."

The wooden door creaked opened to see a still crying Richie lying on the dirty floor, clearly in pain. He smiled weakly at the girl struggled in the clown's hands. His glasses were smashed and his Hawaiian shirt dirty, Eddie and Bill nowhere in sight.

"I love you sunshine. I'll never stop loving you."

Her mouth hung open as he was dragged away, out of her sight.

"RICHARD!!! RICHARD PLEASE!!!"

She was dropped to the ground, her tears mixed with her screams as she kneeled on the wooden floor, the only light coming from the now open door. Pennywise had disappeared along with Richie.

"I love you too Richard," she whispered out.