Red Drops (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 19

On the 'surface' the both of you went up another flight of stairs, this time to get to the second of floor of the building. You left the warmth of Bill's embrace to take a look at the history books Mr. Hanlon had said. There were all piled up in a corner with the inclusion of some inside the beginning shelfs of nearby rows.

Noting all the information in front of you, took your mind away and out of the anxiety from earlier. You rushed to the books and started looking for the ones that appealed to your research theme best.

"I'll help you with the rows" you nodded absentmindedly, getting the books that caught your eye.

Bill disappeared into the first rows, while you kept approving and discarding books. The library was silent, and even if the place had to be like that, it felt eerie and cold.

Your paranoia came back, the hairs in the back of your neck stood and shivers, hot and cold, went down your back. You even felt some cold sweat on your lower back. You tried pushing the thought of eyes behind your back, all the way to the end of your mind. Thinking that it you wouldn't acknowledged the thought maybe it'll leave you along with it's horrible sensation. But it wouldn't wash away, it felt like a stain.

Still you acted as though nothing was going on, your flesh didn't had goosebumps, your whole body didn't felt cold. Maybe if you tried hard enough it'll leave you, so you out on a brave face and turned around to place the books on a nearby table. Near the railing of the second floor.

You finally looked up, but saw no one actually looking at you. People were around, in their own little worlds, hanging out, studying or reading just for fun. But still the eyes lingered at the back of your skull. With a bang the books were dropped into the table in front of you, eliciting various shhhs from the surrounding people. Bill looked a bit embarrassed, but just for as second, before he regained his cocky attitude.

"Bill!" You screamed whispered and he eyed you with a smirk, sitting down at the opposite side of the table.

"Sorry, love, cant help it" he acted like a brat from the high school or freshman years.

"Behave, Mr. Denbrough, I wouldn't want Mr. Hanlon to chase us out of here" you opened the book and skimmed through the paragraphs and pages, while Bill admired your devotion.

In his mind, you looked adorable. The way your nose twitched every time you sniffled, the small gasps you made when you read something of importance and the way your small frame trembled from the excitement and the thrill of mystery. He looked at you intently and in a couple of seconds you raised your head in discomfort, meeting his enchanting eyes.

"Can you read to me?" He requested with a certain gleam in his eyes, curiosity.

"You want me to read this, old thing to you?" Your hands rose the book a little higher, gesturing at it with your face.

"Would I be bored?" His eyes wandered around.

"Maybe...yes, you probably know everything about this book. I mean with you being a prince of chaos and all" he arched an eyebrow and it made you fluster trying to hide your face deeper into the book. He snickered

"Don't trouble your little head, toots, I'll let you read it to me if you want to, if it'll make you happy. Isn't that what humans do? They make these small sacrifices for the ones they love?" He stated with such innocence, but at the same time he believed every word.

"Mr. Denbrough, I'm not like the others, you can feel free to tell me if you don't like something. I wouldn't dare pushed you into something you don't want to do" your time was soft as if comforting of teaching a child "How about this? You go inside those rows and look for a book that you think you'll like and I'll read it to you"

His eyes brightened even though he didn't smiled. Bill stood up and went inside the rows, getting out of sight. Your heart fluttered at the though of reading a book to him. You never thought something so big and scary would have such innocence.

Never minding, the thought, you continued to read the books at hand. You took notes of every little detail that seemed interesting or relevant to the case you were making.

Out of the corner of your eyes, a ghostly movement caught your attention. You ignored it. Same mentality as before, perhaps if I don't look at it it'll be gone for good. But the thing kept insisting, flickering itself in an erratic manner, making you look. It was a dark stain in your horizon line. A ghostly figure that seems to be there and at the same time flickered out of existence. Your heart got caught up in your throat as you heard it beat in your ears, at a crazy speed. The thing kept moving on the same spot and in a matter of seconds it ran through you making you gasp loudly and take cover behind the book in your hand.

"Get down of the ceiling" it said with an eerie whispery tone.

You opened your eyes and saw nothing. Everything was as you left it the last time you looked. Surely, I must be losing my mind with all this stress and everything. The thought seemed logical and you were ready to leave the place with a couple of books. Bill could help you and you could read the book he'd pick in much more comfortable place. One were he could be himself and not apologize for it.

Standing up you gathered the books you rejected and made your way to the shelves, placing them back. Coming back, you noticed a small note on top of the approved books, it read "Book 3, page 9, where truth and fiction intertwine".

Your eyes watered and your throat dried at the thought of someone actually watching your every move. So, you took the note and crumbled it into a tiny ball putting inside one of your pockets. It might be important, you thought.

You gathered the approved books and just in time Bill came out of the rows with a book in hand.

"I found one" he said somewhat excited, showing it in his own way.

"Good, lets take it home" you whispered to him with a warm smile and went to walk towards the stairs.

Bill's hand shoot out and grab your shoulder, making turn around to look at him.

"I thought you like this place" he inquired with a tone you didn't liked.

" I do, Mr. Denbrough, but I don't feel comfortable here, now" you shot back almost venomously, shaking his hand off your shoulder.

But he insisted, grabbing unto it once more, roughly. Your turned exasperated and glared at him.

"Don't you want to know what I picked? Maybe you know about it" his hand didn't left your shoulder while he asked with playful voice.

You gave him a half defeated sighed and took the book he was offering. You eyed the cover and your blood ran cold. Your eyes widened at it. The cover was all black with the exception of the gold letters and the small explosion in the middle. It was tittled 'The Glowing' by Bill Denbrough.

The book slipped out of your hands and the world moved in slow motion as a terrible realization dawned on you. It cannot be a coincidence. You lifted your eyes to meet his and saw only a red-yellow blur, before the hand that had kept you in place, pushed you into the railing with force.

Your body broke the wood and went flying down the second floor. All the books in your hands went flying about with all their pages in the process of burning. You fell with a thud that echoed through the whole building. A crack sounded in your ears as vignette effect started appearing at the corner of your eyes. Took you a couple of seconds to noticed that the low and raspy breathing was yours. Your vision was starting to fade and before it all went black the last thing you saw, was "Mr. Denbrough" waving at you slowly with an unnerving smile.

😳welp that just happened. Hey guys I hope you like this chapter, in still thinking about writing about the other themes that I mentioned before. So if anyone would be interested, let me know which one you'll like more.