Chapter ten

Summer 2009 Derris Maine

The bridge still stood where he last left it… as did the smell, thankfully Tony had been around enough dead bodies to know how to hold breathing through his nose and take shallow breaths through his mouth.

But it didn't stop the old memories resurfacing and chocking him. Sasha was still lingering in his thoughts, more then lingering it was like she was stomping all over his mind bringing back everything she did from the age of three to six years old.

The tears had tampered off but the heartache still throbbed from the lose and pain he had felt all those years ago.

Tony remembered the day Sasha's broken body had been brought back to the house, he had been dozing when his mothers screams woke him. He stumbled down the stairs only to have a heavy hand halt him before he could race to see what had turned his mother into a screaming wreck.

To Tony's small form police chief Clancy Myers was a bear of a man towering over him, his usual happy and relaxed face was pinched and grey. Tony didn't understand then but Myers had spared Tony from a sight that would have no doubt sent him insane.

Later when his mother had been sedated and his father travelled too and from the hospital then the police station Tony had watched his father drink and drink and drink until he passed out leaving Tony the only one who remained awake that night and early morning.

It was also that night he was sure he could hear Sasha's cries from the bathroom until he slammed the door shut and buried himself under the covers.

Tony straightened away from the bridge clenching his jaw against the raw emotions. Because he had forgotten, because he had to forget he was sure his father and mother always just treated him the way they did because it was how boys were meant to be raised.

He didn't blame Sasha for that nor did he blame Derris and he couldn't even really blame that strange turtle that had guided them all.

No Tony hated and blamed IT… because IT stole Sasha from them and Tony wanted to make IT pay.

"Tony" a voice called causing Tony to glance around him, in the dusk light he was alone on the bridge. The few cars that did drive past not even bothering to glance at the lone figure standing on the bridge, it was Derris after all and the adults learnt a long time ago to ignore things they didn't understand or even want to know.

"Tony it's dark down here" the voice called again as Tony turned slowly to look over the bridge his hand going to the butt of his gun knowing it was a reflex Gibbs had embedded in him.

There half way along the straightest part of the lake that you could have swum in years ago stood a lone figure. What was most disturbing about this figure wasn't the fact that it was standing on top of the water it was the fact that it had bushy orange hair, a sliver clown suit and floppy red shoes.

Tony couldn't help but let his eyes travel from each orange puffy oversized buttons to see the painted white face with an over sized painted red smile. Tony couldn't remember how to breath or when his grip on the bridge railing became so tight that his knuckles popped and groaned to give way.

"No" he muttered as IT walked calmly towards him with his smile growing in an unnatural way.

"Oh Tony boy you came back… now the fun can really begin… Sasha's here, all she wanted was a balloon. They float down here Tony, do you want to float" IT's voice carried clearly across the distances so clear enough that Tony felt the sweat rolling down his back.

Tony shook his head feeling the fear build up in his legs that he was sure he couldn't run even if he wanted to when that clowns gloved hands reached up and grabbed his foot.

"Don't say I didn't warn you Tony Boy… you came back but your never leaving again none of you are… pick a spot Tony, quickly now places are filling up… why I've gave one spot up today already" IT mocked as Tony pleaded and willed his fingers to pry loose of the railing and for his legs to move.

IT had covered half the distance in what seemed like no time… Tony was sure he didn't blink not once.

Tony could see the single balloon IT was carrying… in big letters Tony could read 'You'll never leave' and in those words Tony found his magical reprieve.

"Sasha was six years old you son of a bitch… she was four when she first laughed… she was four when I won her that dolly… she was five when she scraped her knee… she was five when she crept into my room because of the lighting storm and she had just turned four when she called me her hero" Tony was sure he sounded and looked like a mad man hanging over the railing screaming till his face turned red.

But to him it didn't matter all that mattered was the fact that IT was no longer moving forward instead it was flinching back, it's red painted smile never falling but it's mouth was already moving back to snarl at Tony.

"She had a red jumpsuit that my father brought her when she was five… she made me braid her hair once when she was four… she asked me to help her clean up the bottle of nail vanish from moms vanity… she kissed me on the forehead when I bought a new bottle" Tony screamed and screamed until IT vanished with a pop. IT didn't fade and slink away IT just vanished with a pop and it took a few moments for Tony to steady his breath before bolting from the railing straight in to his car and speed away before his door was shut and locked.

He didn't dare to look over his shoulder or in the mirror until the bridge was just a speck but when Tony did dare look back he could see a small speck of orange floating above the bridge… a balloon, it was a balloon and with a pop Tony thought he could hear it was gone.

Tony didn't think about IT nor the bridge even as he arrived at the library nor when he parked the car and hurried to the heavy doors leading the main hall of the library. All he was thinking was about the three years he had spent as the best damn brother he could ever think to be.