Autophobia ♡ r.t

Chapter Five

The group of kids talked, or more accurately shouted, amongst themselves as each got dressed again. Each kid dusted the dirt off their clothes, listening to Eddie rant about all the diseases they could get as they did so.

Caroline buttoned her purple sundress up the front before plopping down on the ground to put on her shoes and socks.

As she finished tying up her right shoe and began putting on her other sock, Richie picked up her left shoe, attempting to throw it at Eddie but missing by a long shot with the shoe barrelling off into the nearby wooded area.

"Richie are you kidding me?" Caroline groaned as she stood up

"I'm sorry, I'll go fetch it for you my love!" Richie said in a mock-heroic voice, picking Caroline up by her waist and spinning her around as she kicked her legs about and squealed.

"It's whatever! I'll just go get it" she insisted with a smile, skipping off into the forest once Richie placed her down.

She walked a small bit in before she came across her shoe. She could still hear her friends from where she was but she couldn't see them anymore. She took her shoe in her hand before letting herself fall back against a nearby tree.

She relaxed for a moment, a sweet smile pinned across her face. She couldn't help but smile. She had always dreamt about having friends but she had never thought it would be this amazing.

It was mostly silent where she was now, she had originally been able to hear the shouts of the others, but they had began to fade further away despite the fact she was no longer moving. She kept her back pinned firmly to the tree and tightened her grip on her shoe, an uneasy feeling washing over her.

"Guys? Is anyone there? Hello?" Caroline called out, willing herself to move away from the tree, yet there she stayed. Frozen.

All she could hear was breathing, breathing so loud that it was almost deafening; but it wasn't just hers. She looked slowly to her right, seeing a clown standing maybe a foot away from her.

Caroline let out a small squeak of terror and jumped from the tree to face it, looking at the clown wide eyed. Her stomach twisted into to the most painful shape it could.

The clown tilted its head ever so slightly, leaning closer to her. She willed herself to move once again but it's like her body wouldn't respond.

"Hello there Caroline. I'm Pennywise. Pennywise the dancing clown" It told her, staring her straight in the eye, smiling an unsettling smile.

She stared blankly at the clown. She didn't know what to do. Her chest began rising and falling faster than it ever had before. Her head was spinning. She felt like she was going to throw up.

"What's the matter Caroline? Where are all your friends?" It continued, it's face changing rapidly from a smile to a frown, it then began to mimic the sound of sobbing "did they leave you? Did they leave you just like mommy and daddy did?"

Caroline stood in a frozen state of terror. She couldn't breath. Oh god she couldn't breath. She couldn't move. She didn't know what to do.

"It's ok Caroline! I'll be your friend" the clown chirped, taking a step towards her "no one else wants to Caroline, they don't want you. But me? I do! And so do all my friends! Come float with us Caroline! We all float down here!"