More Than The Upside Down - An IT (2017) & Stranger Things Crossover

Chains - Part 2

Bill

Bill slammed the door behind him and Eddie, haunted by the images of seeing their friend roll on the floor, screaming and changing in an excruciating manner. The mere thought of what they had witnessed broke Bill's heart but he pushed forward, determined to get the others to safety.

Cassie bolted from the sofa from where she had sat, "What's wrong with Richie?"

Eddie was beginning to have an asthma attack now. "He's turning into things that don't even fucking exist," He maintained between wheezes.

As Cassie was about to reply in utter disbelief, a clawed hand burst through the wooden door leading to the bathroom. They all shrieked or squealed as they jumped back. Richie's entire body burst through the door, accompanied by a series of animalistic growls. Splinters rained onto the floor like rocks from a cliff from where he had burst through the door.

Whatever had taken over Richie's body stalked slowly towards them. Bill felt his entire body begin to tremble and his chest grow tight. He could barely breathe but he focused on Richie, staring directly at his vivid yellow eyes.

Richie circled around them, growling loudly at them and baring his teeth. Bill looked away for one second to see where the others were, but that was one second enough for his friend to leap at him. Bill flew out his hands in front of him instinctively and something pulled in his head.

Large, decaying hands burst out of the floorboards, grasping at Richie's ankles. The boy stopped in his tracks and stared down at the hands with a strange curiosity. The rest of the body was pulled out of the ground and Bill almost vomited at the sight of it.

The body shielded him from Richie, thankfully, but he could see a huge chunk of skin missing from the back of its skull, showing bone and dried blood beneath. Thin wisps of white hair stood weakly where there were patches of skin. The body placed its bony hands on Richie's chest revealing the same thing that was on its head.

The body turned his head to look at Bill expectantly, as if waiting for instructions.

"Bill, why the fuck is it looking at you?" Eddie whispered beside him.

He didn't answer, instead, he commanded the body, "Hold him until I tell you to stop."

It obeyed and Bill reached out his arm again, attempting to summon another body. After a few moments, the same feeling of something pulling in his head appeared again. His ears began to ring and he felt his temples pulse rapidly.

Another body burst from the ground, this one being of a young woman who had a hollow, bloody wound on her chest. Bill instructed her to do the same as the other body but before she could, Richie swiped a claw at the first body, knocking it down. He glared at Bill with hungry eyes as he again stalked towards them.

"No!" Cassie cried out, reaching her out her own hand.

Thick tree branches shot up from the ground, wrapping themselves around Richie's legs. He again attempted to escape, but there was no success this time. More branches flew out of the ground and enfolded themselves over his arms.

Cassie looked at Bill and Eddie. Her usual green eyes were now glowing unnaturally. "Okay, somebody needs to tell me what the fuck is going on here!"

Bill swallowed nervously, "He-He began to t-t-turn into things that aren't even real. At f-f-first he g-g-grew wings, the-then his eyes went completely white and he grew s-s-scales. Th-Then he turned into that."

"So you're saying he shapeshifted?" Stan asked in utter disbelief. "This is fucking insane."

"Stan, we have been stuck in an alternate dimension for the past few days. I can control things with my mind and Richie has a doppelganger. Nothing is insane anymore. Heck, if Big Bird burst through the door right now I wouldn't be surprised at all!" Eddie argued.

"Guys! Enough with the bickering!" Cassie interceded. "We can figure this all out later but we need to figure out how we're going to get Richie back to his normal self."

A small whimper erupted from Richie, making all of them face him again. He stared at them with utter confusion before going, "Bill? Eddie? What's going on?"