Demons | Bill Denbrough

9. Welcome To The Neibolt House

The four kids entered the old house, the air was muggy and it reeked like dead bodies-that probably was the smell.

"I can't believe I pulled the short straw," Richie sighed. "You guys are lucky you're not measuring dicks."

"You probably have the shortest one," Katherine tried to lighten the mood.

"Either way, I'd know you want it, Kitty-Kat."

"I'm good-"

"Guys, shut up," Eddie told them before looking around, the smell intensifying. "I can smell that."

"Don't breathe through your mouth," Richie spoke.

"Home come?" Eddie asked.

"Cause then you're eating it."

The smaller boy gagged before digging in his fanny pack for his inhaler and taking a deep puff from it.

Richie walked towards a large spider web of garbage, pulling out a paper, staring at it frozen. Pulling Bill by the hand, Katherine followed Richie. "What is it, Rich?" she asked.

"It, it says I'm missing," Richie gulped.

Katherine looked over his shoulder to see it was a missing poster with his picture along with his name and physical description below.

"Y-Y-Y-You're not missing, Richie," Bill tried to calm him but it only made him panic more.

"Then why's it say it there, it's my shirt, that's my hair, that's my face..."

Bill grabbed the poster. "Calm down, this isn't real."

"That's my name, that's my age, that's the date!"

"This isn't real, Richie."

"What the fuck?! It says I'm missing! Am I missing?! Will I disappear?!"

Katherine pulled her hand from Bill's to grab Richie by the shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself!" she yelled. "Calm down!" This caused the boy to relax slightly. "Take it easy. Look at me, Richie. Look at me. This isn't real. The fucker is playing tricks on you. You're here with us. You're not going anywhere any time soon."

Richie was trying to calm his breath as a feminine voice upstairs called, "Hello? Hello?"

Katherine looked to Bill. "Billy, that sounds like-"

"Help me please!" she cried.

Katherine grasped Bill's hand again as they all walked towards the stairs as the calling for help got louder. The stairs creaked loudly, as if ready to give out under them.

The reached the top of the stairs, turning down the hallway to see a girl in a doorway coughing with blood on her face. She turned to look at them.

"Betty?" Bill asked.

"Ripsom?" Richie questioned.

Suddenly the girl was pulled from the doorway as if being dragged by something. Katherine gasped, backing away from the boys, leaning against the wall.

"Katherine..." a voice called from a room, earning her attention. "You're where you belong."

Though everything in her protested going in there, her feet moved into the room. As soon as she stepped in the middle of the room, glass crunched under her sneakers.

She looked down to see it was a broken dirty syringe.

The room was large and there was almost no furniture.

Katherine turned towards the door about to walk out when it slammed closed. She banged on it, pulled on the handle but it didn't budge.

"Bill! Eddie!" she called.