Behind the Clouds ✔️

007

Vague screams were heard as four bicycles headed toward town. Ben, on the back of Bill's bike, turned and heard the screams, in fear for his friend.

"I think it's great that we're helping the new kid, but we also need to think of our own safety," Eddie started, "I mean, he's still bleeding from his nose and his knees and you guys know that there's an AIDS epidemic happening right now as we speak, right? My mom's friend in New York City got it by touching a dirty pole on the subway. And a drop of AIDS blood got into his system through a hangnail. A hangnail!" He yelled the last part, as though the others couldn't hear.

Before Eddie could continue any further, they reached the pharmacy and placed Ben on a wooden box in an alley. Ben tried to get up, but his ankle felt wonky and he fell back onto the box.

"No, forget me! Help Violet!" He yelled at them. Bill looked at Ben curiously.

"Where is she? W-what happened?" Bill asked aloud. Stanley and Eddie were ready to go grab supplies for Ben's injuries, but stopped when they heard him.

"It was Bowers. He planned on carving his name on my stomach, but I kicked him and ran off. I left her there. I can't believe I did that," Ben began to cry. Bill grabbed his bike and left the alley. The other boys called out for him, but he was long gone.

Bill traipsed through town, looking for Violet. He couldn't bear anything happening to her. Ashton would have nothing left.

All the way on the other side of town, Ashton Hockstetter sat on his mother's bed with her, coloring.

"Mama," Angela Hockstetter said nothing, "I drew a picture of Violet, Billy, Georgie, and I. What do you think?" He held the picture up for her to see. Angela's face was glossed over and her eyes were empty and emotionless.

Ashton's smile faded. He might only have been seven years old, but he too knew she was gone. Just like Georgie.

Ashton grabbed his crayons and papers, hopped off the bed, and raced down to the living room. Patrick was out and Violet was at the library, leaving Ashton on his own for the afternoon. He pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a red crayon and began to color.

Twenty minutes into his coloring, the television static turned on. Ashton looked up, nerves settling in as a green mist began to coat the room. The mist changed forms into an unidentifiable man. Ashton reached out to touch it.

"Ashton, my poor baby," a voice called out, scaring Ashton. He recoiled his hand from the mist.

"W-who is it?" Ashton asked softly. The green man waved at Ashton as he got sucked into the television static. The television screen turned on, to show a man Ashton had barely ever known.

"Daddy?" The man on screen smiled widely at Ashton and held out his hand. Ashton walked closer to the television and placed his hands on the screen. He wanted to hug his late father, but the screen was just that. A screen.

Ashton began to pound his fists on the screen in hopes of it breaking like a mirror. Tears filled his eyes as he hit the screen, harder and harder.

"Come with me, Ashton," Emmett Hockstetter's voice called to him, "You'll never have to grow up here. It can be you and me, forever."

With a shout, Ashton brought both his fists down on the screen and fell right through. He closed his eyes in fear, when he couldn't feel the cold screen beneath his fists. Two arms wrapped around him, in closure.

He opened his eyes and looked straight up into his father's eyes.

"Daddy!" He truly embraced his father, before seeing a sort of pink goop stuck to himself. He tried to let go of his father, but couldn't. He continuously shouted out for his dad, not seeing the figure in front of him change.

"Come on, Ashton! Georgie's here!" Ashton hiccuped and fell to the ground. A clown with white face paint, red hair, and a ruffled costume stood in front of him at a grand height of six feet. Ashton crawled backward in fear.

"You're lying! Georgie's dead! I'll never see him again!" Ashton yelled, trying to be brave. The clown walked toward him, with a deadly smile glued to it's face.

"Oh, but you will. All you have to do, is float!" With that, the clown ran toward Ashton with fangs sticking out of it's mouth. Ashton screamed and tried to exit the television, with no success. The clown grabbed hold of Ashton's legs, right as Ashton saw television static covering his living room.

"Lettie!" He screamed, the feeling of falling overcame him and everything went black.

Violet's mind finally came to, seeing the worried face of Bill Denbrough hovering over her.

"Violet? Violet?" She tried to sit up, but fell back in pain. "D-don't move." Bill bent down and scooped her up in his arms, bridal style. Violet winced in pain, as she noticed Bill's bike not that far away from them.

"Your bike," she muttered.

"I'll c-come back for it. Y-you're more imp-portant." Every step was excruciating for Violet, whose stomach and shirt were coated in so much blood. She groaned and leaned her head on Bill's shoulder, in comfort.