sunshine. // it 2017

xviii.

The losers shuffled towards the house once again. Lola stood silently behind, her arm reaching out with Richie's only for her hand to fall from his. Richie turned to see Lola with tears glistening her eyes.

"L? We all have to go," Eddie spoke with a shaky breath.

Stanley moved to stand next to her, "but I don't want to go in either. Remember what happened last time?" everybody's eyes trailed to Richie, everyone except for Lola, she still had her eyes on the house, "what if something worse happens? What if one of us don't come out? What if all of us don't come out?! What are we gonna do then?! Huh Bill?!" Stan's voice was angry, the first time to hear the boy angry for most of the losers.

"We'll be okay," Richie's hand leaned down to reconnect with Lola's.

"B-Beverly was right. I-If w-we stay together, we'll w-win," Bill spoke about the Marsh girl like she was the last thing on Earth.

Lola's breath shook as she drew out another breath.

"Let's kill this fucking clown."

Lola spotted everything she had seen before, the cobwebs hanging from every piece in the house, the broken and rotten floorboards and the smell of shit in every wall and piece of flooring. She kept hold of Richie's hand tightly, even when walking down the stairs into the disgusting basement, spotting the brick walled well. Her throat was tight and she felt dizzy. What if they didn't come back up? What if they got separated and something happened? Anything was possible in those moments.

"Beverly!" Ben called down the well. The silence and the echo, it was scary to them all.

"How do we get down there?" Lola couldn't tell who said it, but she had the same question. They couldn't climb down the side, they would die instantly.

Everybody scanned the room till Lola's eyes landed on the gym-looking rope tangled in the corner. Why would it be there? It seemed weird that it was just placed there.

"The rope," she spoke through the silence, like breaking down an invisible wall.

The losers untangled in before sending it flying down the well, of course the other end being clipped on to the top of the roof. Now, just who goes first.
"I'll go last," Lola said standing back.

"Yeah fuck no!' Richie shouted while grabbing onto her arm, eyes with fear and determination, "what if something happens?! What if that 'thing' gets you while you're here by yourself?!"

"I'll stay with her," Mike interrupted them both from starting an argument, "I've got the gun and I can protect her."

Richie was still unsure, but Lola had already hidden into the back on the group and away from the well. Richie got into Bill's face as his hands grabbed hold of the rope. Bill Denbrough had never been strong enough to hold himself up but this time he had to be.

"Listen Denbrough," he pointed to Lola, who shock with her arms wrapped around herself," if she dies, you die, got it dipshit?" Richie pointed his finger into Bill's face. Bill looked into Richie's dirty glasses. He couldn't let anything happen to his friends, not again.

With a smirk and a glint of a tear in his eye, Bill whispered, "beep beep Richie."

No words spoke as they all descended down the grimy well. Eddie almost vomited at the state.

"Second last one," Lola muttered to herself as she grabbed hold of the rope.

But before she knew it, the sound of Mike yelling out her name sounded behind her and she felt hands rip her back.

Henry smashed Lola to the floor of the dirty Nebolt basement, tugging at her skirt that she immediately regretted wearing. Mike laid, clenching his bleeding head, trying to regain his focus. Lola's screams filled the losers' ears as they kneeled in the hole in the side of the well. Richie's eyes widened and pushed through the other losers to look up from dirt filled hole.

"Lola!! Lola come on baby!!! For fuck sake...Bowers get off of her!!! You sick bastard!! Mike!!" Richie yelled from the well, eager to get up there and kill Henry for what he had down to his girl.

Henry ripped off the girl's skirt. Her shirt was thrown to the side, like a rag. The young girl continued to scream as Mike threw the rope back down the well. Richie pulled on the rope and climbed fast. As he reached the top of the well, Mike outstretched a hand for him to grab hold of, pulling him up. His eyes looked to his broken girlfriend, her body bruised and her clothes scattered over the gross floor. It drew Richie to breaking point. He grabbed Mike's gun off the floor and walked behind Henry, who was still busy trying to get the underwear off of Lola. He placed the gun just behind Henry's head and pulled the trigger. His body fell to the ground, his eyes still were open. The kid's hearts seemed to beat out of their chest. Richie speed to Lola's side. His arms tangled around her as she cried. He's never seen her this broken. She held her hands in front of her bra as Richie pulled away from her. He pulled off his Hawaiian shirt to reveal a plain white t-shirt, placing it around her shoulders and buttoning it up, covering her exposed body. She still whimpered as Mike looked on in shock of what happened. Her arms continued to wrap around herself for some type of protection. She still felt his touch, he still felt Bowers hands grabbing at her like a hungry dog. She continued to shake as his hands cupped her puffy cheeks.

"Sunshine?! Sunshine it's me! It's Richie! Richard! Come on, answer me!"

"Richard..."

"Yeah. Yeah it's me baby. What do you want me to do to make it better? What do I do?"

"...make it stop."

"What? Make what stop? Sunshine what do you want to stop?"

"...everything," he knew what she wanted, " Make everything stop."

His eyes showed sympathy, a tear rolled down his cheek as she sobbed louder. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her into his chest for comfort. Richie's eyes moved to Mike's as he stood near the top of the bricked well. Nobody had ever seen the soft side of Richard Tozier. Not till Lola came along.

"You listen to me Lola," he placed both of his hands on her cheeks once again so he could get a good look of her puffy hazel brown eyes, "Don't ever say that you want everything to end. You are the strongest cutest person I've ever laid eyes on. You invented adorable," his voice trailed to a whisper as tears and a grin laid on his face, "You're my sunshine. My Lola."

Lola sobbed again, burying her head into Richie's chest. His fingers ran through her dirty hair. Her fists balled pieces of his white shirt, trying to bury herself into his chest as much as possible. He felt comfort in that state, where she would look to him as her blanket.

"It's okay, I'm here. I'm always here."

(three more chapters to go!)