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Chapter 17

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Blinking up at the sky, Eddie shrunk down as soon as he started feeling cold, wet drops hitting his skin. Of course it would happen to finally rain when he was literally tied to a tree outside in the dark. It was already cold too, even before the rain.

This was just his luck... Not only was he cold and injured, hungry, thirsty, scared, sort of dizzy and disoriented by this point... tied uncomfortably to a tree in the middle of the dark woods... but now on top of all that, he was going to be all wet.

Closing his eyes and exhaling tiredly, Eddie shifted under the ropes, trying to loosen them. They were tied really, really securely around him, forcing the angry red welts on his back to press painfully against the hard, scratchy bark of the tree. He could barely even manage to struggle by this point either. He felt so drained. Every movement was an uphill battle.

With a painful swallow, Eddie blinked his eyes back open and stared ahead into the darkness when he swore he heard something moving in the distance. Leaves rustling, twigs snapping.

Eddie let out a small, muffled noise under the tape as he narrowed his eyes, trying to see what might be making the noise. He hoped it wasn't a dangerous wild animal... He hoped it wasn't anything else either though.

Eddie flinched, and would have screamed too if his mouth weren't taped, when he saw the clown pop out from behind a distant tree. The frightening man grinned wide and waved a very small, very subtle wave.

Shaking his head, Eddie pressed himself further back against the tree. He squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn't be real... The clown wasn't real, right? It couldn't hurt him... But it hurt Georgie... And Betty Ripsom...

When after a minute, nothing happened, Eddie opened his eyes again, staring out into the darkness. The clown wasn't there. Nothing was. Maybe he was imagining it... Maybe all the stress was making him see things that weren't really there. Maybe the clown wasn't there in the basement earlier either.

He almost believed that... until the terrifying creature popped out from behind a different tree - a closer tree. He was still smiling, perhaps an even wider grin now, blinking slow, weird blinks, maybe trying to be creepy in how bizarre the entire appearance of him was.

With a sharp wince, Eddie shook his head and pressed his back painfully against the tree he was tied to. He couldn't exactly distance himself from this thing... He couldn't move. He couldn't even speak to ask it to leave or to call uselessly for help.

Eddie swallowed nervously as the clown ducked back behind the tree, disappearing again. After a few seconds, it popped out from behind another, even closer one.

Eddie sniffed back tears as he shook his head, cowering down. He couldn't even say anything this time. He couldn't ask it to leave or yell out and hope by some miracle someone would hear him and help him. He couldn't do anything but stand there, completely immobile. Completely silent and vulnerable to whatever this horrible creature chose to do with him.

"You change your mind yet, Eddie?" Pennywise quipped as he finally stepped out from behind the closest tree to the boy, taking a few steps forward and putting his gloved hands on Eddie's shoulders.

Eddie shook his head back and forth as he tried to shrink down.

"You think the mean boys are all done with you now?" Pennywise offered a wide grin and a quick nod of his head.

Eddie could feel himself trembling as he swallowed and stared back.

"I'll bet not." Pennywise narrowed his eyes and leaned forward with a quick, strange sounding laugh. "The tall one could come by any minute now. Finish what he started. You know he's not satisfied... He got really close... He's probably thinking about you right now. He won't forget you until he gets what he wants... Maybe not then either... Might move you to his basement and keep you around."

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He tried to twist his lips under the tape so he could speak. He wanted to tell the clown to get the fuck away. He didn't need this horrifying monster to tell him to be scared. He was already fucking scared.

"Oh, Eddie..." Pennywise stuck his lips out in a mocking pout, shaking his head as though sad and ashamed. "That big, mean, scary boy was really going to hurt you... So much. So horribly. He still might. Do you think the other one left you tied to a tree all alone in the woods so you could go home?"

Eddie swallowed nervously as he stared back at the clown.

"Or do you think he left you tied to a tree all alone in the woods so his friend could find you again?" Pennywise cocked his head to the side as he put his gloved hand against Eddie's cheek, running his fingertips down his jaw.

"Can't talk with this tape here, huh?" The clown went on, tapping one of his fingers over Eddie's lips. "Patrick will take it off. I know what he'll stuff into your mouth afterward too." The clown made a disgusted face and shuddered. "Nasty, big, mean boys... So determined to hurt you just for fun... How could they find fun in that, Edward? I think he's threatening you with the worst things he can think of just to be mean. Don't you?"

Eddie stared back, feeling his lip trembling. He didn't know what the clown might do... He was completely defenseless against whatever it might be, and just the fact that the clown was talking so much about Patrick and what Patrick was trying to do with him made Eddie want to throw up.

"He might just really like you, Eddie." Pettywise smirked.

Shaking his head, Eddie shrunk down, trying to stop himself from trembling, trying to stop his lip from shaking and his tears from falling.

He couldn't deny that the things the clown was saying were very real fears in his mind. Henry left him tied down, tethered to one spot with an obvious landmark nearby. He really could have told Patrick where he left him... so Patrick could finish what he started earlier, where Henry's dad wouldn't accidentally hear anything. Patrick could kill him after - it would be easier to clean up outside than in Henry's basement.

Eddie kind of felt like it seemed like Henry was feeling some degree of remorse or guilt... but was he really capable of that? Was Eddie being ridiculous assuming Henry could possibly have any humanity in him? It seemed like he felt bad for what Patrick had done - even for some of what Henry had done... But did he really? Or was it all a trick, so he could bring him here, leave him for his friend to come and find...

"I don't want them to hurt you, Eddie... I know what you know - that they want to really, really make you suffer. I don't want that. You don't either." The clown shook his head as though very saddened by this. "Wanna come with me instead?" Pennywise offered another large grin as his fingers continued petting Eddie's face in a mock-comforting gesture.

Eddie shook his head, trying to ignore the clown's hand touching his face. He squeezed his eyes shut. It didn't matter that Henry might not really be through with him. It didn't matter that Patrick might come back and hurt him more... Pennywise was not his way out of this. The clown was terrifying. He was a trickster, a killer... Eddie couldn't listen to him. He couldn't let himself believe this horrible monster disguised as a rather terrifying children's character would save him from anything.

"I can take you to my house. It's warm and cozy. Out of the rain... I've got a soft bed, just for you. You don't even have to share it." Pennywise shook his head. "Unless you want to. Maybe with your friends? Your kind, gentle friends. Richie. Mike." He nodded excitedly. "Stanley and Ben... Bill and Beverly. They can all come. They can hug you and protect you. Make you feel safe and warm. We can cook something tasty. Fluffy pancakes. We can make 'em blueberry or banana... Whatever you like, Eddie!"

Eddie shook his head again. None of these offers were genuine. He whimpered a frightened, muffled noise and flinched back as he felt the clown's large, gloved hands grab onto his own smaller, bound ones.

Opening his eyes and breathing in and out small, shaking breaths through his nose, Eddie stared at the clown's eyes, which looked slightly unfocused, slightly off-center.

"I promise to keep you safe, Eddie. Richie will keep you safe. He's your favorite, and he'll be there to hug you and protect you. No big boys allowed." He smirked.

Eddie shook his head and squeezed his eyes back closed, pulling his hands away what little he could. He shrunk down and squeezed his eyes shut tighter, determined not to open them again. Not until the clown was gone.

His ears perked up when he could swear he heard someone call his name. Was that Richie? He opened his eyes, but immediately saw Pennywise leaning in very close. With a soft gasp, he closed his eyes again, shrinking down as much as the ropes allowed. Was the clown trying to trick him? Was Richie's voice really there?

After a moment, Eddie slowly realized he didn't feel the clown's hands on his anymore. He didn't hear its voice... Didn't feel its presence...

But he did still hear something... Someone making noise nearby. Not too close, but not too far either. Someone was maybe yelling his name? Was that what it was? Was it Richie? It sounded like him... But it could be the clown trying to fool him.

Eddie's ears perked up again as he opened his eyes, looking nervously around. The clown was gone. He didn't hear anything now... Had that been real? Was someone looking for him? That was his name he heard, right? It had sounded so small... so unclear. Maybe it didn't sound like Richie after all. Thinking back, he couldn't even tell now if the voice was male or female. If it was a kid or an adult... or a scary clown...

With a trembling lower lip and tears brimming in his eyes, Eddie shrunk down and squeezed his eyes shut tight. He hoped it wasn't Patrick looking for him... But there was really no way for him to do anything about it if it was.

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