It Comes To Hawkins

Too Empty

Richie woke up to his room in disarray. The dresser was on the other side of the room, on the ground. His Walkman was surprisingly okay but it had some new scratches. His bed was broken and lying upside down with his sheets everywhere. Cigarettes were scattered on the floor, and his clothes were halfway out of the dresser. Looking around him, he noticed a perfect circle around where he slumped to the ground. Groaning, he remembered why he was in such a panic. Fuck. Shit. IT was here. And he was going to have to kill IT. Not by himself though. Definitely not by himself. Getting up, he lightly stepped over his things and shut his bedroom door behind him. Running to the phone, he punched in Bill's number. After three rings, someone picked up.
"Hello?"
"Big Bill!!"
"R-Ruh-Richie?!"
"Yeah it's Trashmouth! Sorry, I've been a bit busy to talk to all of you guys but I think Eddie told you guys I was alive?"
"Yea-yeah, he did. We've been mi-missing you a-a lot. It's too quiet without y-you. E-Eddie is trying to make mom jokes but i-it's just not the sa-same."
"Maybe I'll teach him a lesson on mom jokes just like I taught Geo... shit. Sorry."
"I-it's a-alright. J-just like you taught G-Guh-Guh- fuck. Georgie."
"Georgie was good at them too. It's because he had a good teacher."
"He most cert-tainly did not."
"Oh come on Big Bill!"
"All he would do is t-talk about f-fucking my mom! He wouldn't re-remember it was o-our m-mom! It was di-d-disgusting!"
"A boys gotta learn."
"W-What-whatever Trashmouth."
"Hey Bill."
"Y-yeah?"
"There's something I gotta say and you might not like it."
"W-what is it Ri-Richie?"
"You gotta promise not to laugh at me. Just... hear me out. Know that I wouldn't say this if I wasn't 100 percent sure."
"R-Rich... y-y-you're scaring me."
"I think... IT's back."
"W-w-wh-what? W-we killed I-IT!"
" I know, but what if we didn't. Listen I've been seeing things like balloons, Faint whispers, saw IT behind a tree. My powers are back... I don't know if that's why IT followed me or something but..."
"Powers?"
"Bill."
"No. Ri-Richie I don't remember any-...oh shit."
"The lab. My name. Fourteen. The tattoo. The scars. Remember it yet, Billy?"
"Yeah...w-why did I fo-forget?"
"Remember those pills you take every morning? Do you remember what they are for?"
"Yeah.. t-the... shit. Richie. Why are you telling me this? They're making me forget right? That's why?"
"...yeah. I'm sorry."
"Fuck. H-how are you holding up?"
"You mean besides a killer clown chasing me, my new family hating me, the fact that I have a new twin brother, and also the fact that I don't have control of my own fucking powers?!??"
"Wait- t-twin brother?!"
"Yeah. Mike fuckin Wheeler. He's the one who hates my guts, and apparently we are long lost twins. Makes sense 'cause the lab is in this shithole as well."
"The l-lab is in H-Hawkins?"
"Yeah. As if everything weren't as messed up as it is right now."
"Fuck Richie. Are you sure IT is in Hawkins?"
"Pretty fuckin sure."
"We'll b-be there by t-tomorrow."
"14 Maple street."
"G-got it."
"Thanks Billiam. I don't know if I could ever fight it again...without..."
"I know."
"Don' know wha I couldo withoucha!"
"Stay safe. We are on our way. Don't do anything stupid."
"Have I ever?"
"B-bye rich."
"Bye Big Bill."
Richie hung up the phone and looked down at his tattoo. At least they were coming to help him. He didn't have to do it on his own. But of course he wouldn't. They swore an oath. They wouldn't break that oath.
Not ever.
God. Why did this all fucking happen to him? As if abusive parents weren't enough. As if IT wasn't enough. As if the lab wasn't enough. As if LIFE wasn't fucking enough. Richie rested his head on his hands for a second before returning to his room and cleaning his mess up. No use in thinking about it now. He could rest in the assurance that the losers were coming. He would get to see everyone. He'd get to see Eddie.

Stepping back into his room, he looked once more before starting to pick up the pieces of his destruction.

                          - 4 hours later-

Richie lay on his broken bed smoking a cigarette, having been done with his work a couple hours ago. He decided he was going to tell the party when they came to the Wheeler's house. A door slammed shut, startling Richie.
Was it 2:30 already? Jumping up, Richie opened the window so the smoke could get out. If it was Karen, he doubted she would let him keep his lighter. Heading out of his room, he peered into the hallway and found Mikes friends. Lucas was there, surprisingly. It took Bill a couple weeks to even get out of his room after Georgie died. Keeping his cigarette in his mouth, after all there was no need to put it out if Karen wasn't there, he jogged over to the kids.
"Richie! Where were you?" Mike said.
"What do you mean?" Richie replied, utterly confused. He would have made a comeback but he was too baffled to think of one.
"Why weren't you at school today?"
"Why would you care? It's not a big deal."
"Yeah it kinda is! You can't just leave school! Mom was out looking for you all day!"
"What?" This made Richie even more confused. Why would she care? Why would she even spend a second looking for him?
"God. You're so self centered. You really don't think about other people, do you?" Mike got in his face and spouted that bullshit to Richie.  This made Richie really fucking mad.
"You know what?! Maybe I've just never had anyone related to me give a flying fuck if I were dead in a ditch somewhere or at fucking school!! So I'm fucking sorry if you think I'm self centered or some horse shit but fuck you! You have no idea what I've been through or who I've faced. I've never had someone to go home to without them passed out drunk or wanting to use me as a fucking punching bag!!" Richie walked closer to Mike and screamed in his face.
Then it hit Mike. The bruises on Richie's face seemed to make sense to him all of a sudden.
"Your parents... did that?" Mike asked. Richie looked him dead in the eye, moved the fabric over his throat, revealing the purple handprint like bruise and said, "this is the evidence that my so called father" he spit out the word as if it left a sour taste in his mouth, "wanted me in a ditch."
Mike and his friends flinched from the venom in his voice. They had encountered many horrors but none of them could imagine their parents wanting to kill them, not to mention, their parents acting on it. Richie looked at each one of their faces before blowing smoke at them and leaving. Richie stopped a few steps from his doorway. He turned back to Lucas.
"I'm sorry that your little sister died. I have a friend back in Derry whose little brother was killed by the same thing that killed your sister. He didn't leave his room for weeks. You're strong. But don't be too strong. Lean on your friends when you find yourself not able to bear the weight of her death. They will help you put yourself back together and find your center of gravity after losing your anchor."
With that, Richie stepped into his room feeling empty. Too empty.