sunshine. // it 2017

xix.

Lola Duffey had never felt so cold. With the shirt of her boyfriend's buttoned comfortably around her shoulders, she descended the dirty rope with only that and her underwear on. She felt exposed, filthy. And she felt like she just wanted to let go of the rope, and fall. But she couldn't at that moment. Bill helped her into the hole in the well wall, Eddie quickly checking her for injuries.

"Stanley can you help her to the back?" Eddie spoke quickly and his voice was shaky.

And when Stanley didn't respond, Eddie's head whipped around to see the empty spot of a loser.

"Stan?! Stanley where are you?!"

One by one, they reached crawled through the dirty tunnel towards the disgusting water Eddie used to complain about.

"Stanley! Stan!" each loser shouted for their friend, growing deeper and deeper into the sewers.

Splashes of water flew into the air with each kick of their shoes. They were running out of breath with the yelling and screaming. Before their screaming wasn't their own.

Stanley Uris, Jewish boy.

The losers ran towards the screaming and cries for help. Stanley was by himself and in great danger. They promised not to leave him. Promises are always broken...right? A large metal door blocked their way. But, of course, that wasn't going to stop them. Pushing and pushing, they even toppled over each other.

"Stanley!"

"We're coming Stan!"

"Hold on!"

The metal door finally flew open with a creek and a slam against a brick wall. The boys and Lola had no time to stop for a breath, they had to find Stanley before it was too late. The clown had him. They all knew that. And to hear Stan's painful screams broke all of them. And to see the woman from the painting attacking him, almost swallowing his face whole, made them break even more. Lola's hand covered her mouth as the sobs flew out. She had never seen her best friend so broken, so...dead. Richie stood in front of Lola, arms out either side of him. He would do anything, anything, to protect her from this creature. It roared towards them before backing away to yet another sewer pipe. But out peeked the demon clown the losers had grown to hate so easily. The boys rushed to Stan's side while hushing his cries and screams.

"You're not my friends! You made me go into Nebolt!"

Lola stood back, looking at Stan's face. The blood that surrounded it was so fresh and so so red. This was like a nightmare come true.

"L?" Stanley whispered towards the shaking girl that stood by herself, wrapped in her boyfriend's shirt.

"I-I didn't mean for a-a-any of this to happen," she sobbed out, her hands crawling up to cover her mouth.

Richie stood to her side immediately, hands holding the back of her head, "none of this is your fault sunshine. Do you hear me? None of it."

"B-but if Henry didn't do that stuff to me...Stan wouldn't be hurt," she continued to sob and Richie pulled her into a hug.

She was one to always blame herself, apologise for things she hadn't done.

Each loser's head bowed in silence at the sobbing of their friend, their L. And the fact that their heads were bowed caused the perfect opportunity for their leader to run off, after that familiar yellow looking raincoat. Lola's head was the first to look after Bill's shadow.

"Billy! No!" she just ran. Out of Richie's arms and away from her saddened friends.

She was out of breath already, but she couldn't give up the hope that Bill and Beverly were unhurt. And that they could escape this place.

"Bill! Bill where are you?!"

Turn after turn, she grew lost in the dirty sewers. And couldn't run anymore.

She puffed and puffed, "...Richard!...Billy!...anybody!"

But she couldn't stand nor breath, causing her to fall into the dirty water, pacing out.

~

"Lola! Sunshine! Oh my god, where is she?" Richie's flashlight bounced around the tunnels.

And with no luck, he switched to a different tunnel. But Eddie still looked down it, double checking that Richie hadn't quickly looked over it without noticing anything. And Richie didn't even notice the body lying in the water.

"L!" Eddie called out as his feet slammed into the water while running to her still figure.

He was soon followed by the rest of the losers. And a very quick and scared Richie, who grabbed hold of Lola to place her in his lap instantly.

"Sunshine?! Come on, on you gotta get up for me," Richie held the back of her head out of the water, her hair wet and dripping, "come on sunshine. Wake up for me baby."

She hadn't moved a muscle, yet a pulse still beated in her neck and her chest still rose and fell.

"Eddie what the fuck is wrong with her?!" Richie was panicking. Of course he was losing his mind.

"She's just uhh...I uhh....I think she's dehydrated or something...low blood sugar levels from not eating for a long time," Eddie continued to ramble ideas of what could be wrong with his best friend.

But Mike, he couldn't listen to the rambling anymore. He cut through the group and picked her up, before turning back down the tunnel and walking away.

"We don't have time. She's still breathing, so we can find Bill and Beverly and then get the hell out of here."

"Hey!" an angry tone caused Mike to turn back around to see Richie walking towards him, "that's my girlfriend. Pass her over so I can look after her."

Tunnel after tunnel, they grew deeper and deeper into the sewers, soon finding the pile of children's belongings. Along with the floating, dead children, and a floating Beverly. They called out her name in whispers, staring also up at the children surrounding the peck of the toy tower.

"It's the missing kids. Floating," Stan stumbled over his words.

Ben, Mike and Eddie climbed onto each other to reach the girl. Eventually, her feet landed back onto the concrete with Ben's hands placed on her shoulders to keep her grounded.

"Beverly? Beverly wake up! Why isn't she waking up?! Beverly please!" his head fell into the crock of her neck while the losers once again bowed their heads in sadness.

It had become a common thing now. But without hesitation, Ben kissed the girl, a first kiss for both, but only one really there.

But somehow it worked, Beverly Marsh waking up with a gasp of dirty sewer air.

"January embers..." the first person she saw was Ben with that goofy grin.

"My heart burns there too."