Richie sighs as we make our way into the house with Bill. We all drew to see who would have to follow him on his suicide mission.
Eddie, Richie, and I look around the house while Bill steps forward.
"I can't believe I pulled the short straw." Richie shakes his head. "You guys are lucky we're not measuring dicks," He turns to me before saying, "Or whatever you have."
I scoff and kick a piece of plywood, as Richie and Eddie exchange words that make Eddie gag.
I kneel down to pick up a small hair ribbon when I hear Richie speak in a scared tone I never heard him use before. "It says I'm missing," I turn to where Bill and Eddie are walking over to him and do the same. The spectacled boy is holding a missing poster, looking like he's seen a ghost.
It's him. The boy on the poster is him. Richie begins to go into hysterics as Bill tries to calm him. Eddie and I wear the same helpless expression.
"Look at me, Richie, look at me," Bill grabs the boy's arms and tries to steady him. "That isn't real. I-it's playing tricks on you." Richie starts to calm down when we all hear a voice echo from upstairs.
"Hello?"
My blood runs cold and I turn to the boys. "You guys heard that right?" I ask, just in case I really was losing my mind. Bill nods and we all start to ascend up the stairs.
The voice calls out again.
"Hello? Help me please."
We hear shallow breathing and gagging the whole way up. We reach a plateau in the stairs and walk down the hall towards the voice.
There, at the end of the hall is Betty Ripsom.
"B-Betty?"
"Ripsom?"
Suddenly the girl is pulled away from the doorframe. Her scream makes me jump, sending chills up and down my spine. Richie and Bill start slowly making their way to the room she was in. Every bone in my body is telling me not to but I did not want to be left alone by any means. So I follow them reluctantly.
We enter the room and see no one. "She was just here!" Richie exclaims. "Where the fuck did she go?"
Suddenly, we hear the door slam behind us. I turn and don't see Eddie, but I hear him on the other side. Rushing to open the door, Bill and I find we can't.
"Eddie!" I yell, my heart pounding in my chest. "Open the door!"
"What's going on?" Bill yells to him. We receive no response. I press my ear to the door and hear nothing. "Bill, I can't hear him, he's not there!"
I turn to find something we can use to open the door when I hear another slam. I look up and don't see Richie. "Richie!" I rush to the door that he's trapped behind as he pounds on it, demanding I let him out.
Then I hear it.
"Lorraine!"
I turn in the direction of the bedroom. I see a flash of green. Charlie's sweater. I fight with myself and ultimately whisper, "I'll be right back Rich."
I walk quickly into the bedroom and see her there. It's not the distorted Charlie from the bathroom. It's her. The real Charlie, flesh and blood. I run to her and hold her in my arms. "Charlotte!" I exclaim, tears filling my eyes. She doesn't hug me back. I pull away to look at her.
Her skin is paper white, I can see all the veins in her face so clearly. Her eyes are bloodied and her lips are blue. Her sweater is tattered and bloody. I whimper and start to crawl away, but her hands wrap around my ankles with a steel grip. I kick and scream, my life flashing before my eyes as she drags me into the darkest corner of the room.
