We all went to exit The Jade of Orient when we were stopped.
"Hey Richie." I little kid greeted
Richie looked at him in shock.
"How do you know my name?" He asked the little blonde boy
The boy smiled and said "The fun's just beginning right?" He laughed a little
Richie crouched down and grabs the kids shoulders
"You think this is funny? Do you think this is some kind of game? WELL FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU IM NOT AFRIAD!" He yelled at the kid
The kid looked confused at him and then looked at us all.
"The fun's just beginning. It's an line from your act dude." He explained I felt relieved and tried not to laugh at the situation Richie just caused.
He pointed at a family and asked "Are those your parents?"
I didn't think this situation could be funnier but then Richie had to say
"Do you want a picture?" He asked the kid with a smile.
I was biting my tongue fighting the laughter that was trying to come out.
"No, I think I'm good." The kid responded leaving with his parents
We all begun to walk out as well
"Jesus Rich, you don't know the lines from your own show?" Ben questioned
"I don't write my own material." Richie stated walking out faster
Eddie stopped and yelled
"I FUCKING KNEW IT, I FUCKING KNEW IT!"
We made it outside and all stood there while Bev tried to call Stanley's home. We all were surprised when a woman answered.
"Hello, Mrs Uris, my name is Beverly Marsh. I apologize for calling but I'm an old friend of your husbands."
My uneasiness grew more and more and I started unknowingly biting on my nails.
"You lied to us. That's not okay." Eddie told Mike stepping away from him
"Yeah, the first words out of your mouth should have been "Hey man, you wanna come to Derry and get fucking murdered". If you said that I would've said no." Richie states in a very unhappy tone.
"Oh...H-he passed." My heart stopped completely. It was like everything just went mute.
"When did it happen?" Beverly asked her
"Yesterday. It was awful the way he died." Stans wife begun.
"His wrists. Cut. In the bathtub." I looked at Beverly in slight shock when she said "in the bathtub" the same time as the woman. Like she already knew about it.
"I'm sorry, I-I have to go." His wife says sadly sounding like she was about to break.
"We're all very sorry." Beverly told her. The woman thanked her and Bev hung up the phone.
"Pennywise knew. He knew before we did" Eddie stated while meeting everyone's eyes.
"We have to stop him. I have a plan--" Mike said, but never got to say it due to an angered Richie
"I got a plan. Get the fuck out of here, before it ends worse then one of Bill's books" Richie harshly said, pointing to Bill.
"Who's with me?" He asked as he raised his hand
Eddie raised his as well.
"We made a promise to each other!" Mike argued to Richie.
"So let's un-un-make the promise!" Richie argued back.
"Richie, other people are gonna die" Ben stated
"Other people die every day man! We don't owe this town shit!" Richie said becoming a ball of rage
"Plus, I just remembered I grew up here, two hours ago so--I'm fucking leaving! Fuck this!" Richie told us before walking away
"Sorry, I'm with Richie" Eddie told Mike, heading to walk away.
"Eddie please" Mike begged walking up to him
"Listen, what? We stay, we die, that's it"
"I'm gonna go back to the inn, I'm gonna pack up my shit and I'm gonna drive to my home. I'm sorry man, good luck!" Eddie then walked away as well ignoring Mikes pleads for him to stay.
Mike looked over to me but I was still in shock from finding out about Stan.
"Stan..." I said almost below whisper
Bill walked up to me and put his hand on my back trying to comfort me.
"We know Stan was your best friend but we need you with us." Mike said knowing how much I was hurting
"I'm fine." I said quickly
"I have to go." I then almost ran away to my car to head back to the inn
"Okay, so what do you mean you saw all of us die!?" I stopped at the first step of the stairs and turned around to make my way to the bar to join the others
"Yeah, cause I've got to be honest. That's a pretty fucked up thing to drop on somebody." Richie stated
I made my way in there and crouched next to Beverly so I could comfort her.
"Every night since Derry I've been having these nightmares." Beverly told us all
Her pained expression made my heart crack.
"People in pain, p-people dying... people." I gave her a hug in an attempt to calm her down like I used to do back in college.
"So you have nightmares. I have nightmares. People, they have nightmares. Th-that doesn't mean that your visions are true." Eddie tried to come up with a logical explanation but wasn't really going anywhere
"I've watched every single one of us..." she trailed off
"It's alright Bev." I consoled her trying. To get her to at least smile
"You've watched every single one of us what?" Bill asked suddenly appearing
I quickly turned around and met his eyes for a bit before I looked away
"To the place that Stanley wound up." She said
I quietly gasped and backed away a bit.
"You've watched us all-" I couldn't finish the sentence but Beverly nodded
"That's how we end." Beverly told Bill
Everyone's voices soon became more disoriented as I tried to put together how she could see that happen. Then out of no where it dawned on me.
"The deadlights." I blurted out
Everyone turned to face me confused and shocked
I went over too the bar and poured myself some whiskey trying to get rid of some of the stress.
"T-the deadlights. She was the only one of us that got c-cau-caught in the deadlights that day." Bill stated
"We we're all touched by it. Changed. Deep down, like an...infection. Or a virus. Do you understand?" Mike explained to everyone making my stomach turn
"Growing slowly"
"The virus, It's been growing for twenty seven years. This whole time, metastasizing" Mike continued to explain. "It just got to Stan first because--" Mike was interrupted yet again
"He was the weakest" Richie stated
I slammed my glass on the counter causing everyone to look over to me. Enraged I got up in Richies face.
"Don't you dare fucking call him that. That boy went through so damn much that summer and yes he was scared beyond belief but it doesn't mean he's fucking weak." I snapped at him
He was wide eyed and speechless.
I took a couple breaths and calmed down.
"What Beverly sees, it will come to pass. It will happen to all of us if we just leave. Unless we stop IT." Mike explained again
"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" Eddie asked him frantically
"The ritual of Chüd."
"And you expect us to actually know what that is?" I asked pretty rudely
"The shagapwa. The first ones who fought it. They have a saying. "All living things must obeyed by the laws of the shape they inhabit" Mike explained
"Tribel ritual!" Richie let out a laugh.
"Alright, There's gotta be another way. This things come back every, what? Twenty-seven years? Let's keep the kin down the road and do it then" Richie said
"Wait, will be seventy years old asshole!!" Eddie pointed out using over dramatic hand gestures again
"It doesn't work that way. None of us make it another twenty years... and the way it happens." Beverly said sounding so heartbroken
It was almost like someone shot a bullet into my heart whenever I see her cry but this is 100 times worse.
"Oh god." Is all I said putting a hand to my mouth
"So if we don't beat IT then..." Ben began to trail off not wanting to say it.
"We die." Bill finished
"Horribly." Eddie added not really helping the situation with that.
"Yeah, I don't need the horribly part." Richie told him
"I didn't say it, she did, not me." Eddie said turning to look at Richie
I sent him a glare and took another drink believing that drinking could fix this.
"Alright guys, look, I've seen wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what he's talking about. And I-it's all t-true." Bill told us all not really helping with making us calm
"It's the only way."
I look over to him, my eyes meeting his. I took a breath and nodded silently telling him that I'm in.
"If we want this ritual to work-" Bill got cut off my Mike blurting our
"We have to remember."
"Remember what?" Richie asked raising his eyebrow in confusion
"Yeah our memory is kinda in wonderland Mike." I say pointing at my temple
I looked down at my drink and swirled it around.
'I wish you were here Stan.'
Tears were threatening to fall down my cheeks, I quickly grabbed the whiskey bottle and headed upstairs for the night.
YOU ARE READING
So Maybe It's Still Like That (Bill Denbrough x Reader Book 2)
Fanfiction27 years since Derry Y/N L/N is now a well known painter using the dreams she has as inspiration. One night she gets a call which sends her down a path that hasn't been in her memory since 1989. It turns out that more than just her memories came bac...
