Arrival (Pennywise x OC)

Chapter 2

Ana had no idea what time it was as she walked down the sidewalk, only that it was night. The darkness was peppered with the flashing lights of emergency vehicles rushing to their destination, and she quickly realized that the fire was somewhere downtown. It was an area of Derry she had visited only a handful of times previously, but being that the quaint town only really held one business area, she was able to navigate her way there without issue.

The closer she got to the source of the commotion, the more worried onlookers she saw on the sidewalks and in the streets. By the way people were rushing around, she knew that the catastrophe was still taking place. Citizens of Derry were crying, holding each other, screaming. Ana's heart dropped as she neared the source of their anguish; the elementary school was completely consumed in flames.

She approached a young couple that was standing and watching silently, not wanting to disturb any of the bystanders that were so distraught that they were wailing nonsensically and therefore probably knew someone who had been inside. "What's going on?" she asked quietly as she came to stand next to them.

The woman didn't turn to look at her as she replied, her gaze fixed upon the fire. "The spring concert was tonight. Something exploded in the auditorium."

Ana's hand covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my god..." She didn't know what she could possibly respond with, and abandoned any half hearted attempt at trying to make light of the dire situation.

"We just know that they got some people out. But a lot of others are missing," the woman continued, her tone void of any emotion whatsoever. Her companion was staring at a middle-aged man that had fallen to his knees and was screaming, the people surrounding him doing what they could to offer comfort. Ana took temporary solace in assuming that Heather and Ronnie were now grown and had no reason to be in that building. But then she realized that if 27 years had passed, there was a possibility that could already have school-age children of their own. She had no reason to think that they had gotten out of Derry once they reached adulthood, as most of the town's citizens stayed for the remainder of their lives. Panic started to set in.

She left the couple without saying a word, heading towards the school, her focus now on trying to make sure her 'family' was safe. But the scene was chaotic, and the police and firemen had much more urgent issues to deal with than the people clamoring to make identifications of the bodies that were still being pulled from the building. Ana joined the group that was crowding the emergency vehicles, trying to see the faces of the rescued children that were being loaded up into the ambulances.

Then she caught sight of the sign that was at the edge of the school's parking lot, the one that announced the children's concert that had promised laughter, singing and unending cuteness rather than the tragedy that had taken its place. It read, 'Elementary Spring Concert 2026, 7pm.' She and Pennywise hadn't been sleeping for twenty-seven years as she had been anticipating. It had only been ten.

Her mind started to race again, trying to grasp that her fake niece and nephew weren't adults yet; relief began to wash over her knowing that they were teenagers, making it more unlikely that they had been in school tonight. Knowing that standing there in the mass confusion was helping no one, she decided to head to the house that she hoped still belonged to Cassandra and Derek. Maybe she would catch a glimpse of the family of four, and then she could sleep knowing at least they were alive.

She was walking away, nearing the end of the line of ambulances that were taking up most of the parking lot, when she heard a child screaming. It was coming from the rig parked at the very edge, and as she rushed towards the sound, she saw a paramedic running towards it as well. Ana reached the back of the ambulance, finding a girl no more than five or six years old, trying to hide herself in the corner of the vehicle.