Demon 🔥 Reddie

2

The alarm clock in Richie's room was shrill and loud. It pissed him off and he slammed his fist on the snooze button before throwing his covers over his head. It had been it a rough night for him. Every time Richie closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep, all he heard was the shrill screeching that came from Sonia Kaspbrack's house.

"Rich? Are you up yet, sweetie?" came a gentle voice from the doorway to his bedroom.

Richie took the blankets off of his face and saw his mom, Maggie, standing in the door frame. She had a sweet smile on her face, the one that made Richie feel the safest.

"Can't I stay home?" Richie whined, trying to convince his mom.

Maggie raised her eyebrows, giving Richie the look that made him groan and get up. He knew that look all too well. It was the 'don't ask for shit that's not going to happen, Richie' look.

"Fine, fine, I'm getting ready," Richie mumbled, pulling a shirt out of his drawer and a pair of clean pants.

"Breakfast is downstairs. Better be quick or dad's going to be gone before you get down there," Maggie said with a smile, closing Richie's door.

He heard her footsteps recede down the stairs and pulled off the oversized shirt he slept in and threw on his normal attire: black jeans and a T-shirt.

Richie walked down the stairs after throwing on a pair of shoes and grabbing his backpack. He hadn't finished his piece of the project he and Bill were partnered on, so he figured he'd miss first period and hide in the janitors closet and finish it.

"Didn't sleep well?" Maggie asked, handing her husband, Wentworth, his car keys for work.

Richie shook his head, grabbing a pancake from the stove and placing it in his plate.

"What happened?" Wentworth asked, looking at his son with concern written on his face.

"Just nightmares, I guess."

Maggie and Wentworth exchanged a nervous look.

"Honey, we can always get you back into counseling if you need someone to talk to," Maggie said.

"I'm fine," Richie responded instantly. "Uh, this is a random question, but what do you two know about Sonia Kaspbrack?"

Maggie gave Richie a confused look and Wentworth picked up his briefcase from the ground.

"I know she's antisocial and doesn't like talking to people," Wentworth said, kissing Maggie on the cheek and clapping his hand on Richie's shoulder. "I'll see you both after work."

"Bye, dad," Richie said, taking bites of pancake as he packed his bag for school.

"Why are you interested in Sonia Kaspbrack?" Maggie asked, completely confused.

"No reason. She has weird tendencies is all. It doesn't matter. I'll, uh, see you after school?"

"Are you coming back here or going to Bill's?"

"I'm not sure," Richie responded honestly, running his hand through his hair. "Are you going to be okay, mom?"

"I'll be fine, sweetie." Maggie stood up and hugged Richie, who stood a bit taller than her. She looked up at him proudly. "I'm so proud of the man you're becoming, Richie."

"I haven't graduated yet," Richie said with a chuckle. "See you later, mom."

As soon as Richie walked out the door he felt guilt overwhelm him. Every day he worried about his mom, but he couldn't stand staying with her all the time. She broke down crying a few times each day, and Richie was scared she'd fall back into the depression she had been in a few months before.

Maggie had been pregnant, but miscarried. She got sick and the doctors tried to save the baby, but they couldn't. Maggie sunk into a depressive state after that, not speaking for weeks to Richie, who tried to be there for her as much as he could.

When Wentworth finally got her to speak and got her into counseling, she slowly came back to her family. It took a long time, and while Richie finally had his family back, a part of him died when his unborn sibling did.

Richie had always used humour and jokes to cover up his fears and when he was uncomfortable, and they only seemed to increase when Maggie was sick. He had stayed at Bill's for nearly a week at one point, and he only spoke to make crude jokes. When he went back home, Maggie got Richie an appointment to talk to a counselor, but Richie hated going. He felt judged and didn't want to talk about what was actually bothering him.

Richie knew Stan and Bill would just feel sorry for him if he let them know the counseling wasn't helping, so he said it had been helpful and he was recovering.

That didn't stop Bill from hearing Richie's cries when he stayed the night, whether it be nightmares or fear for his family.

To add to the known stress and fear, Richie's stress often led to him forgetting things and covering up his vulnerabilities with unnecessary distractions.

Sonia Kaspbrack's schedule was one of those distractions. Or, it had been, until Richie heard the screech from inside her house.

Now it was an obsession. He wanted to know what the hell was going on.

As Richie walked past the house, he stopped, glaring at the windows. He wanted to see something. He wanted to know what the sound was. It was eight in the morning, so Sonia hadn't left yet. If she had, Richie would've been tempted to walk inside and take a look.

"Don't be stupid," Richie whispered to himself, trying to bring himself to walk away.

That's when he heard it again.

Not a screeching. It was similar, but not the same as the one from the night before. It almost sounded like scared whimpers, like some kind of injured animal.

Richie couldn't ignore the helpless sound.

Despite everything in his head telling him to stay away and walk to school, Richie walked straight up to Sonia's front door. He hesitated before knocking on it, the whimpers still there but fading.

All of the locks clicked and the door opened and the large woman walked outside. Sonia focused on Richie, a confused glare on her face.

"What do you want?" she snarled, anger in her eyes.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Richie said, regretting his choice to approach the house. "I, uh, I heard something and I thought someone here might be hurt. I'm, uh, I'm sorry."

Sonia's expression softened slightly, before she regained her angry look. "You're the Tozier boy, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Sonia scoffed. "Of course you'd be coming to my door then. Beggars, all of you. Looking for handouts, boy?"

"I was concerned for your wellbeing, actually, but now that I've met you, I really don't give a fuck. Have a nice day. Or a shitty one." Richie shrugged, turning to walk away. "Doesn't affect me either way."

Sonia glared and marched back into her house, slamming the door and locking all of the locks behind her.

Richie rolled his eyes and continued his wall toward the school. As he was about to turn down the street, he looked back at the house that Sonia Kaspbrack resided in.

"I am not a beggar," Richie said to himself, before continuing on the path to school.