REDITUS | BILL DENBROUGH [2]

four | remember

Once Beverly let out the secret that she has seen everyone's death, Layla stood there silently. How was she supposed to process that information? There was a sound of something banging down the stairs, and Layla turned her head to see Eddie coming down with two huge suitcases.

''Okay, I just got to grab my toiletry bag and then we can go.'' Eddie stopped once he saw the spooked looks on everyone's faces. ''What'd I miss?"

They were all sitting down in the common area, and Eddie was pacing back and forth. ''Okay. So, what do you mean you've seen us all die?"

''Yeah,'' Richie added. '' 'Cause I gotta be honest, that's a real fucked up thing to drop on someone, especially Layla.''

Beverly wiped away her tears, ''Every night since Derry, I've been having these nightmares. People in pain. People dying. People . . .''

''So, you have nightmares.'' Eddie shrugged. ''I have nightmares. People have nightmares. But that doesn't mean your visions are true.''

''Stanley's dead, Eddie.'' Layla whispered. ''That vision came true.''

Beverly's eyes were glossed over again, like she was going to have a breakdown. ''I've watched every single one of us . . .''

''You've seen every single one of us what?" A voice asked.

Layla looked up and saw that Bill was standing there with Mike. Layla jumped up and ran towards her husband, hugging him as tightly as she could.

Bill could feel her shaking slightly, and hugged her even tighter. ''Honey, what's wrong?"

But Layla had no words for him, no explanation, no nothing. She let go and looked at Beverly, making Bill think that Beverly had the answers.

''At the place where Stanley wound up,'' Beverly said. ''That's how we end.''

''Okay, how come the rest of us aren't seeing that shit? I mean, what makes her so different?" Richie asked.

''The Deadlights.'' Mike answered.

''The Deadlights.'' Bill repeated. ''She was the only one of us that got caught in The Deadlights that day.''

''We were all touched by It.'' Mike said, ''Changed. Deep down, like an infection. Or a virus. A virus,'' Mike grabbed onto Eddie, ''You understand. Slowly growing. That virus, has been growing for twenty-seven years. This whole time, metastasizing. It just got to Stan first, because . . .''

''He was the weakest,'' Richie replied.

Layla gave Richie the most disgusted look, ''What the fuck, Richie? Are you serious?"

Richie shrugged it off, ''Just saying what everyone else is thinking, Layla.''

''I don't care. God, you can be such a dickhead sometimes.'' Layla snapped, her eyes becoming glossy again.

''What Beverly see's, will come to pass.'' Mike said, certainty in his voice. ''It's what'll happen to all of us eventually, unless we stop it.''

''How the hell are we supposed to do that?" Eddie asked, raising his hands up.

''The Ritual of Chud.'' Mike concluded. ''The Shokapiwah. The first ones who fought it, they have a saying. 'All living things must abide by the law of the shape it inhabits.' ''

Richie scoffed, ''A tribal ritual? Are you fucking kidding me man?"

''Richie,'' Layla started, ''A fucking clown is killing children and has been for a long time. This motherfucker hibernates for twenty-seven years at a time. Why is a tribal ritual the only thing concerning you?''

''Because it sounds even more fucking crazy than this clown. There's got to be another way. This thing comes back, like what, every twenty seven years? Let's kick the can down the road and do it then.''

''Wait, we'll be in our seventies, asshole.'' Eddie added.

''It doesn't work that way.'' Beverly spoke. None of us don't make it another twenty years, and the way it happens,''

This news causes Layla to take a shot out of Richie's hands and down it. The burning sensation in her throat not even bothering her in the slightest. 

''If we don't beat it this cycle, then..'' Ben trailed off.

''We die.'' Bill said.

''Horribly,'' Eddie added.

''Yeah, I don't need to know the horribly part.''

''I didn't say it, she said it, not me.'' Eddie defended himself.

Bill let out a sigh, ''All right, guys, look. I've s-s-seen what he's talking about, and it's all true. It's the only way. If we want this ritual to work,''

"We have to remember.'' Mike nodded.

As much as Layla wanted this to be all over, remembering is what scared her the most. Those awful memories that stayed here while she went somewhere else and made happy ones. Those horrible memories that she wanted to bury here, but now she had to dig them up again. But deep down, she was scared. Scared of those memories resurfacing.

a/n:

hello, I finally updated!!! I know I've been MIA, but here is a new chapter, and another one is coming up soon. also, I never realized that kate siegel actually would be a good adult version of layla.... oops.