Autophobia ♡ r.t

Chapter Twenty-Three

They had almost gathered the entire group at this stage. The only person they were currently missing was Eddie, who bill had called minutes earlier.

Caroline was sat anxiously next to Riley on the sidewalk, her head resting on Riley's shoulder as the two girls sought comfort in each other.

Not a word had been spoken between the two, but they had silently decided to move past their petty argument; now realising how easily they could loose eachother.

"I think we should g-g-go without him, we can't waste anym-m-more time" Bill insisted.

Caroline's head whipped around to look at him, eyes wide and pleading.

"Just 2 more minutes! He wouldn't just leave us like that Bill!" She begged, looking around at the rest of losers for back-up.

"She's right. I wouldn't" a small voice said from behind her.

No one had ever seen Caroline move so fast in the whole time they had known her. Before Eddie even had a chance to think; she was up and running towards him.

She practically tackled him off his bike with her embrace, squeezing the boy as tight as she could, trying her best not to cry. She pulled herself back to look at him, staring him straight in the eye.

"You are never, and I mean never, allowed to leave me alone like that again!" She scolded, although she was smiling slyly as she did so.

"Sorry! I'm sorry! I won't! I promise!" Eddie defended himself frantically, causing scattered laughter to sound off from the losers behind them.

"I missed you" Caroline said softly as she walked back over to her bike that was laid out on the footpath, hearing Eddie return a quiet "you too" as she did so.

Having everyone back together seemed to lift Caroline's spirits slightly. She was going to neibolt, and she was determined! She was getting her friend back!!

•••

The kids zipped down neibolt street once again, everyone seemingly suited up for battle; which they could only presume was coming.They stopped in the front yard, dropping their bikes harshly to the ground as each of them looked around for some sort of defender.

While most failed to find anything, bill picked up some old broken spikes from a fence while mike simultaneously loaded up his bolt gun.

Caroline heard a faint rattling from beside her, looking over to see Eddie having thrown away his fanny pack of medication and standing triumphantly as he looked into the overgrown yard where it now lay.

Her attention was snapped back to the rest of the losers with a loud smashing sound as Richie tried and failed to break a glass bottle to use as a weapon, quickly tossing away the neck of the bottle which still remained in his hands.

The group stood for a moment, looking at the derelict house in front of them. They knew that once they entered,they were going to leave completely different people, and that was quite a terrifying thought.

"So~" Riley spoke up "I suppose this is the part where we go in."

"Yeah, I suppose it is." Stan replied, the two sharing a look of uncertainty.

Wordlessly, Bill started towards the front door with everyone else following suit. Each teen walked up the steps slowly and carefully, Stan lagging behind slightly.

As they crossed of the threshold, entering once again into the dingy and dirty house, Riley looked behind her and noticed,much to her dismay, that stan was still outside.