The Losers and I

The projector

Bill put the screen up and it showed the map of Derry. He readjusted it until it lined up. We sat down and looked at the screen. I stood behind Stan and Richie.

"Look, that's where G-Georgie disappeared, there's the iron works, and the Black Spot. Everywhere It happens, it's all connected by the same sewers and they all meet up at the-"

"Well house." Ben finished his sentence for him. But he wasn't wrong. Of course, it had to be there.

"It's the house on Neibolt street." Stan told us. I feel like his voice was more high pitched then normal.

"You mean, that creepy a** house where all the junkies and hobos like to sleep?"

"Yes, Richie, that creepy a** house." I told him and he smiled and nodded at me. Eddie took a hit of his inhaler. I reached over the boys and put my hand on his back.

"I hate that place. It always feels like it's watching me." Beverly informed us all. Yeah, it was that house of Derry.

I picked my hand up and walked around Stan and knelt by Eddie. I scratched his back while he hyperventilated.

"Eddie, breath, okay?" 

"That's where I saw It, that's where I saw the clown." Eddie told the room.

"T-T-That's where It lives." Eddie took another puff of his inhaler.

"I can't imagine anything ever wanting to live there."

"That's because it's not like anything we know." I told Stanley. Eddie jumped up.

"Can we stop talking about this? I-I-I-I can barely breath-this is summer where kids-I can barely breath, I'm having a f***ing asthma attack. I am not doing this." He ripped down the poster.

"What the h***, Eddie? Put the map back." Bill told him.

"Mn-mh." Eddie sternly shook his head.

"Eddie! Listen to me, if you need to get out of here, but put the map back." 

"You're not being put in danger either!" We were stopped by the machine clicking and switching slides. With nobody touching it.

We looked back to the screen. It was a picture of Georgie and Mr.Denbrough in baseball gear. It was when he was coaching Georgie's team. I snapped out of the gaze.

"Edward, sit you a** down right now." It came out as more of a threat.

"What happened?" Bill asked, about the machine. It switched to a picture on an amusement ride, another one, another one. More and more all pictures with Georgie. The others were talking but I couldn't hear them. 

Bill and I holding Georgie in the hospital, pictures of us standing in front of the school slowly growing up.

Stan and Eddie grabbed my shoulders but I planted my feet. I dropped down to one knee. The boys kept there hands on my shoulder. I felt the one tear fall down my cheek

Mike tried to turn off the machine. He was trying everything, but it was to late for me and Bill. We'd already seen enough.

But it stopped at a picture with the four of the family. Mrs.Denbrough's hair was all over in her face. It kept zooming into Georgie's face. I felt the two boys slowly backing away in fear.

I couldn't hear anything as it kept zooming in. Then it went up to his mother's face, with her hair scattered in the front. The hair slowly moved out of the way, only to reveal the clown. Two more tears fell but I was frozen in fear and sadness mixed with anger.

There was screaming, yelling, scattering, holding. But I stayed on my one knee. The tears slowly falling down my face.

The projector fell and we were surrounded by darkness. That's when it came up on the wall next to me. I started to slowly back away when the picture went from clown to no clown. But that's when the clown went full 3D. 

I jumped to my legs with my hands buried in my face. I backed into a corner and bumped into another human. It was Beverly. We immediately went to covering each other's faces and holding each other close. We listened to the boys scream.

"Serene!" Beverly screamed from my side.

"Bev, I'm sorry." 

We saw light come out. It was gone. They had opened the garage door. Beverly walked to the boys but I stayed frozen staring at the wall.

"Serene?" The voice came from behind me. I didn't need to look. There hand gracefully landed on my shoulder. I turned around and gave a few more cries out into his shoulder.

"Stanley, it was so real."

"I know, I know. It's okay, your okay." Richie ran over.

"F***, Serene!" Stan let go of me and Richie barreled into me.

"F***ing B****, this is the second time in the last two f***ing days I thought I was gonna lose you." 

"Isn't life crazy?" I asked him. Eddie walked over and I gave him a hug after Richie. We walked back to the others. Bill gave me a small hug.

"Side b-b-b-b-by side."

"Til the end of time." I quickly finished his sentence.

"Seeing h-h-him that was-"

"Bill, I know. But right now we have other things to do." He nodded his head and we looked back to the horrified children looking back at us.

"It saw us and it knows where we are." Eddie frantically told Bill.

"It always did. S-S-So let's go." Bill walked out of the garage to the bikes and I followed him. Nobody else moved.

"Go?" Beverly asked.

"Go where?" Ben asked but I wasn't sure if he sounded happy or scared.

"Neibolt. That's where G-G-Georgie is." 

"After that?" Stan asked.

"Yeah, it's summer, we should be outside-"

"Seriously, Rich?" I asked.

"If you say it's summer one more fff***ing time." Bill warned and we grabbed are bikes. Only to not be followed. 

They called are names and told us to wait. I wasn't gonna stand there in the first place. But there was no way in h*** I would let Bill go in there alone.