tag, you're it again. r.tozier. act ll.

alternative ending | it'll all be alright!

TAG, YOU'RE IT AGAIN!

-

THE ADULTS ALL followed Richie and Sydney back into the cave, seeing that Richie crouched in front of Arianna and Eddie, Sydney sitting on her knees next to them.

"Hey! Hey, how you doing, gorgeous?" Richie asked Arianna with a hopeful smile, and he looked over to Eddie with a hopeful smile, too. "Hey, Eddie, c'mon we're going to get you out of here."

Sydney's eyes were glued to Eddie, who was very still as he sat limp against the wall - a little too still.

"Eddie." Richie spoke, shaking his shoulder, expecting the shorter man to look up at him. When he didn't, he only shook his shoulder again.

Kaitlyn, who sadly watched, had tears in her eyes as she covered her mouth, for she knew all too well why Eddie wasn't responding to Richie.

A rumble sound erupted, but they all ignored it.

"Richie," Sydney quietly spoke, her voice caught in her throat, "Richie, I don't think Eddie's awake."

Richie furrowed his eyebrows, looking back at the man, shaking him some more. "Eddie, c'mon, stop fucking with me, man-"

"R - R - Richie," Arianna was able to whisper out, and Richie immediately looked at her, grabbing her bloody hand.

"Yes, gorgeous?"

Arianna smiled a sad, weak smile, as tears formed in her eyes. She placed her hand on his cheek, examining his facial features. "So precious, you're so p - precious, Rich." She mumbled out, and Richie's bottom lip started to tremble, but he sucked in a breath and put on a soft smile.

"You're going to be okay, Ari, I promise." Richie softly smiled at his wife, leaning his face against Arianna's bloody hand that rested on his cheek.

"Richie Tozier," Arianna got cut off by a nasty, hoarse cough that escaped her lips, but she continued to smile at him with tears in her eyes. "Tell Riley and N - Noah th - that I lo-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, Ari, please," he whispered, tears escaping his eyes as they started trailing down his cheeks.

"That I love them so, so much-"

"No, Ari-"

"And I'll miss them, too,"

"Stop, Ari, please." Richie spoke, a sob building in his throat as Arianna continued to ramble.

"And I'm so, so sorry that I wasn't able to watch my babies grow up-"

"We'll - We'll get you out of here, okay! We're going to get you out of here, Ari!" Richie spoke. "We'll get Eddie out of here, too-"

"Richie," Beverly quietly sobbed out, trying to hold in her tears as she blinked at Richie, "he's gone."

Richie quickly shook his head, looking at all of the adults that stood behind him, who were all crying. "No! He's alright, he's just hurt! We gotta get him our of here, we gotta get them both out of here! He's just hurt, okay? We gotta get them out of here, Bev."

The rumble sound erupted again, and the adults knew that the caverns, the sewers, and the Neibolt house were going to fall apart. They needed to leave.

"Wait," Sydney's shaky voice said, and everybody looked at what she was looking at. Arianna's injuries were slowly starting to shut on the outside, and Arianna weakly looked down at them.

"What's happening?" Arianna muttered out, slowly looking up at all of them.

"Nothing lasts forever." Mike recited, and he realized what was happening. "Guys, think about it! We couldn't kill It in time to save Eddie, but Arianna was still alive after we killed It. It ended before she was able to go, she still has a chance!"