The library door creaks slightly as Erin follows Don inside. She brushes her fingertips across the worn spines of Derry's history and taps the one she recognizes. She slides it from its place and drops it on the table with a bang, getting unimpressed looks from the other library users. Don smiles awkwardly and hides his nervous hands in his pockets.
"This one." Erin flicks the pages, one after the other till her hairs stand on end and shivers under a false breeze. "This page." An image, an innocent image. But one pivotal factor, Pennywise. She points without a word and Don looks over her shoulder,
"Is that?"
"The clown."
"Why is he like that?" He pushes his hands further into his pockets,
"I don't know. But this is definitely IT." Her hand instinctively rips the page from the glue and Don panics silently. People stare with angry eyes, Erin, oblivious and not bothered slams the book shut and readies herself to leave. Folding the page neatly so the face is visible. Don stands frozen as she walks out, he smiles again and does a weird little gesture as he trots up behind her.
"What? What was that?"
"What was what?" She asks innocently as she makes her way to the car,
"You could've taken the book out? And. And not slammed it down like that- and not closed it like that... and you could have maybe not ripped he page out-?"
"Don."
"Yes?"
"This- this is a matter of life and death. Do you want to dabble with the devil while having a 400 pound book in your bag?" He shakes his head, even more confused than before, "what I thought. They're not gonna miss one page outta that stupid picture book." She spins on her heel and opens the car door, "besides, I don't live here anymore so I can do whatever the fuck I want." She smiles and he follows into the car.
"Fine. Fine. But where are we going?"
"Don't know. I need a gun-"
"Wait what!" He startles
"Jesus. Don. You gotta remember we are fighting a killer clown! Not a duckling-"
"I didn't need that image-"
"I need a gun for defense, and you need to learn to use one!"
"I don't need that burden!"
"Don we have a lead- an opportunity to save countless lives! We murder that clown, everyone is safe." She drops her attitude a little
"God. I didn't know you actually had emotions."
"Bitch!" She smiles as he chuckles to himself.
"Fine a gun. Fine. Where are we getting one... two..."
"An old friend."
"Wow. Very fucking mysterious." He pouts as he belts up and drives off, leaving an upset librarian behind. Erin directs him to an odd building with a door buzzer and dark windows, one round on in the roof that is barely visible. She gets out and jams her finger into the button as it screaches a few times,
"Who is it?" A deep voice rumbles through.
"Erin."
"Erin..."
"Yes. Jesus. Now let me in!" The door switches and opens with a jolt as the magnet releases. Erin, unphased, steps in and begins climbing the gloomy stairwell. Don stomps behind her, pouting again, this wasn't his idea. They get to another door and she knocks in pattern, it opens slowly. Don's arms prick with goosebumps. All of a sudden it swings open and a tall dark man stands behind...
"Erin... is it really you?"
"Yes. Now I need your help."
"Again."
"Mike..." he stops and sighs.
"Okay. Come in." He lets them inside and Don stands around, examining this guys collection. "Why did you come back?"
"I dunno. Just did." She stands in the window, looking over the town, "this stupid place sorta, calls to me. Also as soon as I turn up the fucking clown murders someone!" Mike's heart drops.
"IT?" Erin nods. "I thought-"
"IT was dead? Well, no. I saw it on the riverbank under the funfair flyover. The guy who was murdered was Don's boyfriend."
"Hey..." he gives a short, uncomfortable wave. Mike returns one. Erin scoffs, all of this lot are the same.
"Did you see IT?"
"Yes." Don sniffs,
"Remember what it looks like?" He nods, "good."
"I found a picture in the library, one that Ben showed you years ago." She hands the page over,
"You tore a page from a library book?"
"That's what I said!" Jesus. They are all the same... she rolls her eyes and points,
"Look."
"That's him- I. I got an image like that." Mike digs about his stash and pulls out another book, this one has a lot of loose papers and notes. He takes an old circus poster and unravels it on the desk, another innocent image. But the same face... there. Staring uncontrollably out of the ink.
"That's it." Don stands by them. "And that." He takes another loose page. The same guy.
"Three things with the same picture... this thing must be centuries old, this book alone is from the 1900s." Mike splutters,
"Do you think people tried to kill it before you did?"
"Wait. He tried to kill it already?! Why are we trying again when they clearly failed!" Don panics,
"Because we were kids." Mike exclaims,
"And they didn't have guns." Erin looks up at Mike.
"No no no. I am not giving you a gun." Erin frowns and holds up her hands,
"Fucking hell Mike! Can't you tell I'm trying to help? I want this thing dead more than anything, I'm not gonna pull a fast one and pop some lead in your chest any time soon!" Don and Mike glance at eachother. "I won't kill anyone, or anything, but that sewer dwelling monster." She slams her hands on the desk, "if we want to have a chance at murdering that thing we gotta at least hold live ammo." She calms herself and stands up straight.
"Okay. One 9mm ruger each. That's it."
"Fine." Erin folds her arms.
"That's all I got!" Mike grumbles and goes to the back of the room and opens a cabinet, that isn't all he has got. He hands them both a gun each with a few rounds of bullets. Dom shakily stuffs them in his pockets while Erin hooks the pistol in her belt.
"Right. You coming?" She takes her picture and Mike shakes his head,
"I can't yet. I have to make some phone calls to make."
"Okay." She nods slowly,
"Sorry."
"We can't attack it, just the both of us..."
"I know. But if you wait a little longer, we will all be back. You, me, Richie, Bill, Stan-"
"That lot?"
"Yes! They're the best hope. We know that thing the most-"
"I get it." She sighs. "I'll wait." She smiles and pushes Don out of the door, who is still shook at the fact he has a gun. She looks back and raises her eyebrows, "thanks Mike. Genuinely... we might actually have a real chance now." She smiles and he does the same before they leave. Don unlocks the car shakily so Erin snatches the keys, "get in the other side." He frowns, "get in. I'll drive." He does so and she takes him a little way out of town, somewhere she can teach him how to use a gun. She parks on the floodplains and gets out while loading a blank she stole from the desk,
"Are we going-"
"I'm not wasting live on your nerves." She chuckles and tosses a few blanks over,
"He didn't give you these..."
"I know. Stand here." He does as he is told and she smiles sympathetically, "Don, you're a part of this now, weather you like it or not. We need your help. This thing feeds off of literal fear, and if I can condition you to it's bullshit then we actually have a chance." She takes the image from her pocket and watches it closely, "this thing is loose again, which means we have a serious problem. And we need all the help we can get." Erin smiles evilly at Don, he shudders in response. She fires a blank out and turns to him, "pucker up pretty boy, shit is about to get real!"
YOU ARE READING
Bowers Has A Girlfriend? 27 Years.
Fanfiction"Yep. And she's even more psychotic than he is." "I've heard that sh-" "No. We can't have this again, can we? They're under my control now... I tell them what to do. If you would so kindly leave! I'll hold my nerves, try not to murder you on the way...
