Just a dare - Byler

Chapter 7 🥀

Mike's pov:

I spun around in the forest close to Will's bike. I was devastated, maybe this was all my fault? Lucas and Dustin started shouting around with me, Bev was somewhere.

Hang on. "Where's Bev gone?" I asked the boys.

We stared at each other and ran back to the tunnel but she was no where to be seen, in neither of the directions. Great, not only have I lost Will, but now some strange young girl too.

I hung my head low, falling to my knees in despair. No, now was not the time. I got up off the floor and started heading to the tunnel end.

But just as we was about to leave the tunnel, I had tiny footsteps coming our way. It sounded like Will's. I looked in the direction of the steps and levitated towards them, the boys close behind. The footsteps stopped and we waited for  them to start up again, which they did but they were not footsteps, the feet were running quickly. I held my breath, I was scared because it might not have been Will or Bev, it could have been something else.

"Don't talk" I whispered to the boys.

Then silently, we stepped around the little corner from where the footsteps were and right in front of me was a boy. It was Will!

"WILL! YOU'RE OKAY!" I grabbed ahold of him and hugged the boy tightly. "I'VE MISSED YOU!"

Will hugged back, he cried his eyes out. Lucas patted him on the back and Dustin was happy he had returned.

"Where have you been buddy?" Dustin asked as we started walking towards my house.

"Oh you know, just hanging around in Castle byers." he smiled brightly. "Happy to be back"

"We're happy too!" Lucas exclaimed.

It was silent on the way home until I remembered something. "Did you happen to see a young girl roaming around in the tunnels, head shaved?"

"No, why?" he questioned.

"Oh its nothing, she found us when we was looking for you, her name is Bev"

"No, I didn't see anyone."

"Oh that's alright. Anyway, I'll see you boys tomorrow, I've got to talk with Will"

Dustin and Lucas headed home while Will and I headed down to my basement.

On the sofa, I pulled him on to my lap and started kissing him. "I've missed you soo much!"

He kissed back, he was more eager that before. It was sweet and passionate, it was the best kiss of my life except our first one.

We laid back on the sofa, Will cuddled into me, his head rested on my chest.
"How's my mom?" he suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure, I've not been to see her. We'll go tomorrow, I bet she will be thrilled you're back"

"Do you think? Nobody really misses me"

"I missed you, the boys missed you, don't be silly" I stroked his cheek in a comforting way.

"Try and get some sleep, I'll take you home tomorrow. Goodnight, William." I kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight" he whispered back and that was the last time I heard him.

...

The next morning, I awoke to little pecks all over my face. I opened them up to see Will's face leaning over me with a smile.

"Morning!" he squeaked with a kiss.

"Morning. What time is it?" my eyes were squinting at the clock.

"Half five, why?"

"What have you got me up early for?" I asked sitting up, annoyed.

"What we doing here at this time?" Lucas groggily asked as he came down my basement stairs.

"I thought we could all go on a trip, but early in the morning because its quite far!" he replied with a happy tone.

"Where the hell is it?"

"Derry!"

"Derry? Isn't that in Maine?" one of us asked.

"Yes! Hurry, I know a quicker to get there" he started to run to the door and left, waiting for us.

"If you know a quicker way there, then why are we leaving early?! And why the hell are we going anyway?!"

"Oh come on! It'll be fun!"

Each of us groaned as we walked outside and started to follow the enthusiastic Will to Derry.

"Was he always this enthusiastic?" Dustin asked confused.

I shook my head. "Might as well go, he won't be complaining then"

"Guys come on!"

Soon enough, we had come to an opening. It wasn't a tunnel, it was worse, a grate.

"Not going in that! Not a chance!" Lucas protested, the rest of us agreeing.

"Don't be pussys!" Will snarled as he jumped in through the grate. "Oooh, it smells funky"

"Staph infection is calling for us" I quietly said as I followed on down.

Splashing in dirty sewage isn't what I had in mind for the day, but if this was 'the quicker way' then why not. I avoided the water as often as I could by walking along the little path at the side, at times I would squeal because a rat touched me, or because Lucas squealed first. It was so silent the only thing you could hear was our shoes in the splashing around and the scurry of rats.
I still wondered why Will would take us this way, wouldn't it be faster on a train?

"How is this a fast way, by my calculations it would take at least fourteen days to walk to Maine?" Dustin was furious he had to walk all these miles.

"We'll be there soon, trust me"

And sure enough, we were. Lucas checked his watch and it said we had been walking for a least three hours. It was now half eight.

"How is that possible? Is he magic or some shit?" I asked while Will was ahead.

"Here's the clearing guys. We're here!"

We walked out of the grate and there stood in the middle of no where was an old rickety house, definitely haunted with smashed windows, broken paths and dead, scary trees.

"What is this place?" I was intrigued by it. It was amazing. "What are we doing here? Why have you brought us here? How did you get us here in three hours?"

"Why so many questions Michael? Anyway, this is where I live now. I ran away from home."

"You said castle byers. That's where you went"

"This is castle byers." he walked to the door with a grin on his face. "Well come on in, don't be scared. Nothing is going to hurt you here"

So we did, trusting the boy. The three of us got into the house and stared around the room, curious. We didn't half expect the door to slam shut and for it to lock and for the windows to also close.

We tried to leave but we was distracted by the high pitched scream from upstairs.

Someone else was here.