Chapter 2: Into the Night

Her room was dark and quiet. The alarm clock on her nightstand showed half an hour till midnight and everyone at home should be asleep by now. However, Madeline wasn't. No matter how hard she tried to lay peacefully and simply give in to the tiredness she felt, the sleep just wouldn't come.

Too many thoughts were now swirling in her head. After the incident on the Kissing Bridge she went straight home and during the whole evening she's been trying not to think about it. But now that she couldn't escape her thoughts, the mysterious man's words kept resounding in her mind. She's never seen him around here before, so he probably wasn't from Derry. And if not, what has brought him here? The festival? Maybe. But then why was he under the bridge instead of the town center?

'There are many other fun things to do around here...'

Madeline could visualize his lips moving just as they did while he was pronouncing those words but it all seemed so surreal to her now. Was he even truly there? He disappeared so quickly... She touched the deep scratches on her elbows. They were the only visible proof that the conversation between her and Robert really happened. The scratches and the white string, which now rested at the bottom of one of her drawers.

What would've happened if the balloon didn't pop? Would his eyes just swallow her up whole?

Suddenly Madeline felt a desperate urge to get out, get out and go... somewhere. Anywhere but her small, darkened room, otherwise her head would explode from all those unanswered questions.

She quickly put on something suitable enough and crept out of her room, then quietly made her way down the hall and to the front door. The wooden floor creaked lightly under her every step. No one will notice. She thought. I won't be gone for long.

She opened the door and stepped outside where the cool night air enveloped her. It already felt better. But where was she supposed to go now?

'Everyone is at the festival. Aren't you going?'

Now she knew where she wanted to be.

She was going.

Her room was dark and quiet. Only the ticking of the clock broke the silence. She wasn't there, breathing heavily in her sleep. Madeline wasn't there at all when It came for her.

Once It felt the sweetness of her fear, It knew It will have her no matter what. And if not that damned kid, the girl would be already under It's power...

That stupid, insolent brat and his toy! One could hardly imagine the rage It was feeling towards the boy.

He would be next.

The small room was filled with her scent. She smelled of sunshine, of hope, of... youth. And for a brief moment It began to wonder why would such a pretty little thing be as sad as she was when It found her. But no, that thought had quickly vanished before It's murderous instincts took control again.

Now or never. It will have her this very night and nothing would stop It. Nothing.

The creature followed Madeline's fading scent out of the house and into the night.

The empty streets seemed desolated and dead, as if no one has ever inhabited the town. There was no wind and the full moon hung bright and lonely in the pitch-black sky, which only made the surrounding stillness the more evident... But she liked it. Madeline felt safe in the silence. No one could judge, no one could point fingers, no one could make stupid jokes at her.

She could hardly ever feel that way since one of her closest friends has spilled certain facts about Madeline's mother to probably everyone. And that was a long time ago.

Funny, right? To bully someone because of their parents' choices.

But this night could be different. She wanted to do something exciting, have some fun.

Just a few turns separated the girl from the park, in which all the festival's attractions were placed. Each year, the biggest park in Derry was turned into a local theme park with all the fun slots and rides. The workers were supposed to remove the structures and settings tomorrow, so she had more than enough time left.

Madeline didn't hurry. She was taking her time and observing all the surroundings like if she was thrown into some otherworldly place and everything was just fine...

That is, until she noticed a couple of unfriendly shadows, dimly lightened by the smoke from their cigarettes.

"Hey!" One of them called. "Hey you! Yes, you, girly!"

She clenched her jaws and fought the urge to look back at them. They can't be talking about me. She thought, but then realized that, of course, the streets were completely empty.

"Oh shit, isn't that Maddie?" She heard another voice and this one seemed familiar.

"Yeah, I think it is. Maddie! Where are ya going, Maddie?"

Madeline speeded up her pace immediately. That voice she knew all too well. It was Dave.

"Oh, come on! Is that how you say 'hi' to your friends?" It didn't take much effort to guess that they weren't sober. Maybe if I just ignore them, they'll leave me alone. Please, let them just leave me alone...

"Ah, don't be like that, Maddie! We don't bite... hard." She heard Dave call after her again and as she was getting further and further from the group, their laughs echoed behind her back. Luckily, they weren't following her. Or so she thought.

It was hard to believe that Madeline and David were close to each other once. Just a few years ago she considered him one of her dearest friends. But when they started getting too close, she rejected him and so the fight between them began. Well, it wasn't technically 'a fight', since it was only Dave who was being aggressive towards Madeline.

Her pulse hadn't eased out until she saw the high fence surrounding the park ahead. Finally. All was quiet again, and she kept on walking until she stood directly in front of the gateway. Obviously, it was closed, but getting in wasn't a problem for someone as frail as Madeline. There was just enough space between the closed entrance and one of the rails for the girl to get through. First her head, then shoulders, then chest (she had to hold her breath) and after a moment she found herself on the other side.

While swiftly straightening her clothes, she glanced around with wide eyes.

Oh wow, they did really do their best at preparing the festival this year. Before her, a whole new world consisting of many colorful tents, carousels, fun slots and many hidden paths stood unveiled and ready to explore. There were stalls with popcorn and cotton candy machines standing all over the place and a lot of dappled decorations were hung in between tree trunks.

Madeline imagined how wonderful it must've looked during the day, with dozens of children running around. The joyful sound of their laughter resounded in her head, and she could almost hear the enchanting melody somewhat muffled by all the noise;

"Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's

You owe me five farthings, say the bells of St. Martin's..."

She was sure she has already heard it before.

"When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey..."

But it was only her imagination. The melody grew distant, as if it was carried away by the wind and Madeline was brought back to reality. The hollow theme park, lightened softly by moonlight welcomed her and the girl smiled in excitement.

He gazed dully at the cigarette in his hand. It's only been a couple of minutes since he told his buddies he's finished messing around for the evening. That was a lie in which they didn't believe but none of them had the courage to question his words. And where did he go? Firstly, he went for another drink. At the age of seventeen, he's already been on rehab twice and it brought no effect whatsoever. The remains of a shattered bottle were still sprawled somewhere on the ground. (But it wasn't always like this, was it?)

Then, he followed her of course. The bitter taste of alcohol on his lips wasn't even close to the bitterness in his heart. What was she even doing outside at this hour? To his knowledge, she never left home after it got dark.

He chuckled under his breath. If only the ones, who were spreading those nasty rumors about her knew what a good girl she really was...

And how did 'he' know that? Well, David knew many things about her. Maybe even more than he should. More than several times he's been circling her house at night, wanting to do something, anything to show her that one didn't just get away with turning him down like that. It was not even about her anymore. But he just wasn't determined enough then.

And yet tonight he felt he couldn't keep it going any longer.

She didn't even look back at him. She didn't take the time to turn her head, but completely ignored him. Ignored him!

David let his anger and the alcohol burning in his veins lead him. And it led him towards the park in the town center.

Madeline's bright eyes peeked through a heavy curtain. At first, she got very confused but then, as she realized what she was looking at, the corners of her mouth curled up. A maze of distorting mirrors! The girl got inside the tent without hesitation.

The inside of the tent was as dark as a tomb, so she began to search for a light source, even though she could barely see a thing. No wonder, she didn't notice a tall figure lurking within the darkness. In fact, she was perfectly calm, clueless even, and after a while her fingers scumbled across a cable and then a switch. She pressed it and an incredibly long line of electric lights illuminated the twisted paths inside the maze and before she knew it, a lot of her own, grotesque reflections surrounded her.

Madeline went in deeper and deeper, gazing enthusiastically in every possible direction, to see which version of herself was the most bizarre. The mirrors showed her as unbelievably tall or ridiculously short, with a giraffe neck or hips three times their size, but when she saw herself with a gigantic head, she just couldn't hold a laugh.

And as she laughed, the lights flickered.

Her laugh abruptly stopped, caught in her throat as her eyes went wide cautiously.

Which one was the way out? She should find it just in case something bad happened...

Suddenly, a hasty rustle could be heard, and she caught a quick movement to her right. Or was it just the mirror?

Madeline spun around hopelessly, not knowing where to look or where to hide. But what was she hiding from? Did anyone see her getting in the tent?

Panic started to rise in her. Crap! She shouldn't have turned on the lights in the first place.

And just as the thought crossed her mind, the lights flickered once more and then went completely off.

The girl just stood there, in the middle of the maze, frozen in fear, waiting for what was to come. She did not make a single move, but focused on her hearing, hoping she'd stay unnoticed.

Time was passing painfully slow. Madeline was counting the seconds and wondering how many were yet to pass until the danger is gone, when at last her ears registered a repetitive sound.

Footsteps. They were footsteps.

Now she could really start to panic. Whoever was there, was definitely getting at her, so she had to think of something. A way to get out of this mess. The heart in her chest was pounding desperately loud, and she just couldn't think clearly. The footsteps were getting close way too fast. It seemed that the person knew exactly the way...

Madeline had no other choice. She ran. But what she didn't realize was that instead running away from the danger, she ran straightly towards it.

Her body hit against something big and firm, and she would've fallen to the ground had someone's strong hand not caught her by the wrist. It was then she saw a pair of bright eyes staring back at her.