Nyctophilia 🌪 Reddie

xxviii

Richie woke up to his hands and arms being in terrible pain. They were above him and aching. Richie glanced up and realized it was because he was chained against a wall. He blinked, his vision blurry since his glasses were gone.

"Richie?" a voice called out.

"Stan?" Richie asked, able to see the outline of his friend against the opposite wall. "What happened?"

"I woke up here and we're both chained up. I don't know what happened, and Eddie isn't here. I have no idea where he is," Stan said.

Richie's heart dropped. His memories came flooding back. He looked down at his shirt, hoping it was a dream, but the blood smeared on him proved it had been real. Richie tugged his knees to his chest and tried to stop quiet sobs escaping his mouth as tears built up in his eyes.

"Richie? What's wrong?" Stan asked, concerned. He had been knocked out most of the time, so he had no idea why Richie was suddenly crying.

"Eddie got shot," Richie sobbed, his tears making wet spots on the knees of his jeans. "I don't know if he's alive!"

Stan didn't know what to say. Eddie was among his best friends, and was obviously connected to Richie. He didn't know how to comfort Richie or know if Eddie was alive.

"Rich... I'm sorry," Stan said quietly. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say."

"He can't be dead! I said we'd get out alive! I promised him, Stan! And now we're trapped here and Eddie's gone and the world is going to end!"

"We don't know if he's dead, Richie! Come on, stay positive," Stan pleaded, though his wording surprised himself. He was the last person to stay positive in situations like these, but Richie needed the support more than anyone.

"Fine, I'm positive he's dead and we're all fucked! Even if he's alive right now, it won't last long," Richie yelled back, slamming his hands into the wall. There would be bruises for sure, based on how hard he was punching the wall, but he could barely feel the pain. All of it was centered in his heart and gut.

Stan didn't know how to help. Richie was angry crying, terrified he had lost the love of his life. That's when the door to the room opened and Dr Brenner walked inside, closing it silently behind him. He sat at the interrogation table in the corner of the room, watching Richie sob and noticing Stan's venomous glare.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Richard," Dr Brenner said, though his words held no emotion.

Usually Richie would've shot an insult back at him, screaming threats and hateful words. This time, however, as soon as Brenner spoke, Richie's lip trembled and more tears began to fall.

"He's dead?" Richie asked weakly, coughing and sniffling.

"Not necessarily," Brenner said, humming to himself. He walked over to the door and opened it, beckoning someone inside.

Richie walked in horror as Eddie walked in obediently, not saying anything or putting up a fight. He stood still, eyes blank, almost as if he was in a trance.

"What did you do to him?" Richie asked, realizing the boy he was looking at was not the Eddie he knew and loved. He was an empty shell.

"Eddie is much to smart and resourceful to get rid of, so I simply did to him what I did to Eleven. It was harder, since he put up a fight and he doesn't have abilities so we had nothing to use against him, but it worked out. Essentially, we made him void of emotion. An empty shell, committed to following my orders and mine only." Dr Brenner paused and handed Eddie a pistol. "If I told him to kill you, he'd do it without regrets."

Eddie looked to the doctor, before pointing the gun at Richie. He didn't react or seem like it was any trouble for him. He was just waiting for the command to end Richie's life.

"I don't want you dead yet, Mr Tozier," Dr Brenner said, and Eddie lowered the gun. "But you won't be alive for much longer. Once we begin our take over, I'll send Eddie back in here. He'll kill you, and I'll pull him out of his trance long enough so he can see what he's done, then I'll kill him too."

Richie screamed out in rage and pulled at the handcuffs in him, yelling obscenities at the doctor for hurting Eddie, for making him without emotion. The doctor simply smiled mockingly in response, handing Eddie the gun again.

"Make him suffer," the doctor said, nodding toward Richie.

Eddie nodded, but he didn't point the gun at Richie.

He turned and aimed it at Stan.

Before Richie could scream for him to stop, Eddie had pulled the trigger.

"Stan!" Richie screamed. He saw his friend breathing unevenly, an open wound on his chest.

The doctor smirked and left the room, Eddie following behind him.

Stan was gasping, surely in pain. He looked at Richie with hooded eyes, tears falling from them.

"Richie?" he asked, unable to put any pressure on the wound. "I'm going to die here, aren't I?"

"No. No you're not," Richie said firmly, pulling at his handcuffs. "I'm not letting that happen, Stan. We're going to get out and find Eddie and break him out of his trance, then destroy this place and those dogs. Then, once they're gone, we're going around the world on a trip."

Stan nodded, smiling and tears streaming down his face. "Tell me the truth, Richie."

Richie stared at him before gasping out a sob, watching as Stan lost more and more life. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Richie cried. "I can't stop it."

Richie hated that had to watch his friend lose his life. Someone who had protected him and showed him a family. Stan was one of his best friends, and he was going to die, and then he'd be killed by Eddie, who wouldn't know the difference.

"R-Rich?" Stan asked, his skin lightening and his speaking weak.

"Yeah, Stan?" Richie asked, the metallic smell of blood spreading through the room.

"If you escape and save Eddie, don't tell him he shot me. He's like a brother... I can't... I can't let him-"

"I won't tell him if that's what you want," Richie said in a small voice, but Stan still heard it.

Stan smiled. "For a bit there I thought we'd pull it off. Please tell Bill I'm sorry. He... didn't want me to go."

Richie nodded, and Stan leaned his head back on the cool concrete wall. There wasn't much life left in him, and Richie hated that he couldn't save him.

"Rest easy, Stan," Richie whispered when he saw Stan's eyes flutter shut and his chest move only slightly. "You've done good."