where we left off

8

(content warning for violence and blood)

It would be another two weeks until the losers, minus Mike, would travel to New York.

The Riots had left an impressionable mark on the usually quiet town and everyone seemed slightly paranoid. Richie,Eddie and Stan were going down to the supermarket for snacks on the way to movie night at Bev's.

Richie and Stan looked at the snack aisle as Eddie navigated towards the dried fruit, all the way across the supermarket.

Stan grabbed a bottle of cola and Richie threw packets of chips in the basket. Then,they heard screaming and someone yelling,

"Bitch, you better give me that money!"

"Fuck. Richie,get down." Stan hissed,grabbing the other boy's sleeve.

"No, what about Eddie?"

"This is a dangerous situation and Eddie can take care of himself."

They could hear someone running towards them and Stan yelped and the masked shooter ran towards them.

"Give me your wallet!" He pressed the gun into the side of Stan's head before slowly turning around and pulling the gun away as Stan fumbled for his wallet.

As soon as Stan passed his wallet to the man, he walked towards him with the gun loaded which forced Stan against the wall.

The shooter cocked the gun and pointed it towards Stan's chest. Stan wrapped his arms around his stomach as tears streaked his cheeks.

Right as he was about to shoot, Stan saw a purple and denim blue blur run headlong at the man,knocking him to the ground as the shot went off.

The man shook Richie off himself and stood up, right before Eddie smashed a frying pan over the man's head.

Richie was still lying motionless on the floor as the shooter crumpled next to him. A brilliant red stain was dampening the tiled floor.

"Oh fuck! Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!" Stan yelled as a young woman tied the shooters hands together.

Eddie held Richie's head and brushed the hair gently away from his face.

"It'll be ok, the ambulance will be here soon." He said.

The ambulance arrived and whisked Richie to hospital. Eddie and Stan stayed in the waiting room and Eddie cried. They'd called the Toziers and the rest of their friends, who were driving over to the hospital. A nurse came over to the two boys.

"Richard was shot in the spleen, we are just sewing him up. He's very lucky that it didn't get any closer to his other vital organs." Pity laced her voice. "He'll be awake in a couple of hours."

"Thank you." Stan spoke for Eddie, who was slumped forwards slightly.

"Eddie! Stan!" Ben ran over to them and sat down. Bev,Mike and Bill followed.

Bev hugged Eddie and Mike patted his knee, when the Tozier's arrived.

Maggie and Wentworth immeadiately rushed over to hug all of them. They asked nurses to see Richie.

"Only immediate family for now." Apparently, Richie had had an allergic reaction to something they gave him and was "out of it".

After multiple hours of sitting on sweaty plastic chairs and eating the meager contents of the vending machine, they were allowed to see him. Only now, Stan realizes the disheveled state they were in. He and Eddie were smeared with blood, Bev's hair was unbrushed and tangled, Bill was wearing one sock, Mike and Ben had absorbed the clean scent of the hospital.

Richie was propped up and grinning sloppily.

"Hey... I had the craziest fucking dream. I'm in an airplane and sitting next to me is Spock. The pilot is a stuffed dog and the-" He was cut off by Eddie suddenly yelling at him.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL SHIT WERE YOU DOING. YOU COULD HAVE CREPT BEHIND THE DUDE OR-" Eddie's anger melted away at Richie's snigger.

"I'm fine, SpaghEdward. I've evaded death as a preteen,I'll evade it as an adult." He patted an area near his legs, motioning for Eddie to sit down.