IT31 || 31 days of IT

1- Grave Robber

Thank you  GoreBabe 
for being such an incredible co-writer!

"Hey, guys! Look at this fuckin' thing will ya?" Richie snorted and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"What? Look at what?" Eddie called out gently. He carefully stepped around the headstones that marked where each lifeless body laid just underneath their feet. Richie lifted up a little black box. 'Don't open' was written on the top in faded white ink. 

Eddie, Bill, and Mike finally met up with the curious boy. They surrounded him and looked at the black box along with him. The box had a little lock on it and could only be opened with a key. It was as small as a ring box. 

"Wonder what's inside" Richie mumbled. He grazed his teeth over his bottom lip and looked at his friends.

"Where-.. Where did you f-find that?" Bill reached out to take it from Richie but Richie was too quick to pull his hand back.

"On that headstone over there. Don't touch it! It's my find!" Richie shoved Bill's hands away and lifted the box to eye level. 

"You can't just steal from someone's grave" Eddie gasped and crashed his elbow into Richie's side. Richie grunted and stumbled slightly to get away from the shorter boy.

"Not like they'll be needing it" Richie mumbled and ran his finger over the rough material of the box. "I want to see what's inside!"

"Curiosity killed the cat, Richie" Mike quickly took the box from Richie's hands and placed it back where it once belonged. "Leave it alone"

"You guys are no fun" Richie sighed. Bill, Eddie, and Mike just shook their heads in unison. 

"Come on, we've got to be headed back. Stan's probably done with dinner" Mike suggested. The rest nodded and they walked back toward the car. Richie stopped and looked back over his shoulder at the little box. Without a second of thought, he reached down and swiped it quickly. He shoved it into his pocket and dashed across the lawn to catch up with his friends.

After dinner with the losers, Richie went straight home and up to his room. As soon as his bedroom door closed behind him, his hand fished out the little box and his eyes examined it. He smirked to himself and shook it gently close to his ear. A small rattle came from within the box. 

He smiled wide and quickly grabbed a pair of scissors from the mess on his desk. He opened the scissors and shoved one side against the line that showed where the opening would be. He struggled a few times and even sliced his finger once when the scissors slid along the line. 

"Fuck" he muttered. He pulled his hand back and placed his finger to his lips to lick away the blood. He didn't give up. Just a few more tries and the box snapped open. The part that held the lock ripped away from the rest of the cover. It was officially broken.

Richie grinned with victory and placed the scissors down on his desk. He carefully opened the box and looked inside. All there was, was a small stone. Richie's eyebrows lowered and his lips curved downward. 'Really? A damn stone?' he thought to himself. He rolled his eyes and shoved the little box across his desk. "Fuckin' worthless"

He turned in his chair and lifted himself up from it. He quickly stripped off his clothing, down to his boxers. He stared into the mirror over his bureau for a few seconds before turning away from his reflection. He turned the light out, jumped into bed, and soon enough - he was asleep.

"Richie...Richie...Oh, Richie.." deep whispers came from the air around him. Richie slowly opened his eyes and looked out into the blurry darkness of his room. The light from the moon poured in across his floor and across his messy sheets. 

"Hm?" Richie moaned and looked across the moonlit areas for any shadows. Nothing. "Dad?" he muttered but got no response. "Hm... Fuck dreams" he sighed and let his head fall back down onto his pillow. 

"Richie" the whisper was back as if someone had whispered directly into his ear. Richie quickly turned over onto his back and sat up. He reached over, turned the lamp that sat on his nightstand on, and looked around his bedroom. Nothing.

"What the fuck?" he quickly grabbed his glasses and placed them on his face. A few blinks to adjust and the room was finally clear for him. Still, he saw nothing. One slow scan around the room and all he could find was a reddish glow coming from his desk. His eyebrow raised. He carefully moved the sheets back from his body and got out of bed.

He walked over to his desk. The glowing light was enough to illuminate Richie's bare skin with a red hue. It was coming from the little box he had stolen earlier. He slowly reached out and opened the box. The small stone he had seen earlier now had a crack down the side of it.

"Hi Richie" a high pitched whisper came from the mysterious stone. Richie's eyes doubled in size. He quickly pulled his hands away from the box and backed away from his desk. He backed into his bed and jumped from the contact. HIs breathing was quick and his fingers trembled. 

"I must be dreaming...or-or something" Richie pinched at the back of his arm and bit his bottom lip until he could taste blood. "Wake up you idiot!" he hissed at himself. A high pitched giggle came from his desk and he watched as the little box started to shake. The red glow grew brighter; it stung Richie's eyes to look. The front of his body suddenly felt warm. He squinted past the glow.

A tall figure stretched free from the stone. The figure had long crooked limbs and its skin was white as snow. Richie's head tilted back as his eyes followed the figure's growth. The figure's spine bent to allow the creature to fit inside the room. It towered over Richie. Its eyes sparked like flames.

Richie's whole body trembled. He was speechless. Was he even breathing? 

The gasp for air that crashed past his lips answered the question. His body fell to the floor and he quickly dragged himself back past his bed and to the wall. He glanced over toward his bedroom door to find that it wasn't there. Instead, a red fog covered the area from floor to ceiling. 

"RIIIIIICHIE" the creature screeched and threw itself forward over Richie. He slid down to a laying position to dodge any contact with the thing's body. His breathing hitched and lips quivered. He tried to scream but no sound would form.

A long crooked finger touched Richie's cheek and traced its way down to his pale quivering lips. The long bloody nail that grew from the tip left a thin scratch across Richie's pale cheek. Richie could barely feel it as fear took over every one of his senses.

"Puh-Please!" tears stung at Richie's eyes as he begged for his life. The creature let out a cackle before exhaling thick red smoke into Richie's face. It smelled like roadkill that had rotted under the sun for days. 

Richie gagged and waved his hands in front of his face to escape the smell but to no avail. 

"Gooooood-Niiiiight!" the creature happily squealed as Richie's sight turned to black.

"Thanks Mrs. Tozier!" Beverly called as she ran up the stairs and walked down the familiar hall she had visited plenty of times before. She walked straight for Richie's room and pushed the door open. The door swung open and the room was empty.  

Beverly's eyebrows lowered as she took a few steps inside. She looked around the room to investigate. "Richie?" She called out gently. She noticed a small box sitting on his desk, locked shut. As she turned around to go question Mr. and Mrs. Tozier, she noticed the reflection in the mirror. She looked in the mirror and noticed the words 'set me free' on the wall behind her that wasn't there when she first walked in. As she got closer and looked at the full reflection, she froze in fear. 

There, by the bed, laid Richie Tozier. Lifeless and glowing red.