Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray
And do thou, o prince of the Heavenly hosts, by the power of God
Cast into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits
Who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls
Amen
Carnation repeats the prayer over and over in her head as the group sloshes through greywater.
It's a quiet trek, minus the occasional remark from someone or another. Ben and Bev are practically wringing each other's hands at this point.
When they reach the door, each one of the Losers is flooded with a disturbing memory- or, more like small clips of memories, like they are watching a film about their life. Carn and Bill's are the same.
Bill was hiding in his room with Carn as his parents screamed at each other downstairs. His mother threatened to leave, and his father told her to bring Bill with him- but she insisted that she didn't want him. As if he wasn't just above them in their thinly walled house.
He was trying so hard not to cry, but he couldn't help it. His girlfriend wasn't making anything better with her turquoise puppy dog eyes. But she didn't want to sit there and pity him, so she grabbed a mixtape from his nightstand and shoved it in his stereo. Surrender by Suicide started blasting, and she lied down on his bed, grabbing his hands. He climbed on top of her, playing with her braids, and they made out until the mixtape ended. By then, the house was silent.
The memory ripples.
Carn ripped open a letter from her mother, eager to see if it was an apology. Instead, it ridiculed her, saying she didn't want a slut for a daughter, but was willing to babysit the innocent child. "It would simply be a business transaction. You'll hand the baby over to me and I'll take care of it. We don't have to acknowledge that we're related at all. It's a cute little thing."
She couldn't read anymore. Carn wasn't offended; she was pissed.
"Look at her! The nerve she has!" she held the letter up, shaking it. Bill grabbed it and started reading, a look of disgust on his face.
"You're not g-g-going to ac-accept, a-are you?"
"No. Screw her," she replied, grabbing it back and tearing it clean in half and then to shreds. "Her name is Claire, and you will never even come near her vicinity."
The memory ripples again.
Carn and Bill were sitting in the hospital waiting room, gripping hands. Claire was stretched out on chairs, her head on her mother's lap. Tears ran down the ten year old's face. She had migraines frequently, but they were usually gone after a minute or two. This one started when she woke up, and even made her puke a couple of times.
The doctor called them back. After asking questions, she diagnosed Claire with chronic migraines. There was no cure, only treatment with pain medication. They'd come about fifteen times every three months and could be long or short.
"S-s-so you're tuh-tuh-telling us th-that sh-she could g-get one during a d-d-dance recital, and it could luh-luh-last during her whole p-performance?"
"Yes," she replied, folding her hands. "They could come and go anytime and will be there her whole life."
"GUYS! SNAP OUT OF IT!"
Mike's voice is faint, but everyone is able to hear it. A couple people come back to reality, but Bev, Carn, and Eddie are still stuck.
"IT'S TRYING TO DISTRACT YOU!!"
Carn comes back next, and joins the others to wake the last two from their stupor. They catch their breath and open the door to... a motherfucking spider?
It would be an understatement to say this spider looks like Aragog from Harry Potter. It's easily as big as Bill's childhood home, if not bigger. It's disgusting and intimidating, but not... scary? And It's... a she.
"What the hell?" is the collective whisper from the group.
Bill steps up to her, preparing to begin the ritual.
"Look at me," he commands, without a trace of a stutter. He holds the bat up menacingly and takes a swing for one of her eyes.
And all of the sudden, he's floating. He's in an alternate universe, but it's completely empty. There's just this feeling of emptiness and... the lights. The deadlights.
I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!!! YOU HEAR ME??? I'M NOT FUCKING AFRAID OF YOU!!!
The lights begin to flicker, as if they're dying out. Bill shouts so deafeningly, but it's all in his head. But then, for the smallest split second, he loses faith. He's not a child anymore, and it comes through for that one second. He loses his hold on It and lays on the stone floor like a fetus. Disoriented, he pushes himself up, and his wife walks towards him. When he sees Carn, he can't help but grin.
Right when this all happening, as if life couldn't get more fucked up, the twins stroll into It's lair.
And every single pair of eyes sees what happens next.
Carnation reaches out her hand to him, but two hairy and disgusting arms of the spider wrap themselves around Bill's head and twist.
Crack
YOU ARE READING
Splendor//Bill Denbrough
Fanfiction"We're going to be okay, Bill." Bill and Carnation return to Derry and the Losers after twenty two years with the intention of ending It once and for all. Little do they know, their sons have the same plan. The third and final part to the Catholic...
