If asked to describe what a clown was, most people would share their descriptive words. Some would say they were goofy and entertaining with their big shoes, fake flowers, and a smile literally painted on their faces. Most people, however, would describe them as terrifying and creepy with something dark about them. Ponyboy Curtis used to be part of the former group of people. Despite what the majority of people thought, he used to love clowns. He didn't know why he never was scared of them. He had an overactive imagination that usually made things much scarier than what they were.

Perhaps he wasn't scared of clowns because his parents used to take him to a circus often as a kid and he had the opportunity to watch them perform marvelous tricks. He remembered watching as lions left through rings of fire and the performers who walked on tightropes or twisted their bodies in a way that made them look like crumpled paper. He remembered how he had laughed and cheered with excitement rushing through his veins. Or maybe he wasn't scared of clowns because he was just used to seeing them at their town's fair, blending into the attractions there.

It didn't matter that he loved clowns in the end anyway. Because his thoughts on them changed one summer when a boy, George Denbrough, went missing.

He remembered the day it happened because of how many cop cars were pulled in front of the Denbrough's house. He passed by it every day when he walked or biked to school. Since then, a few months had passed, but Ponyboy could still clearly see the teary faces of George's parents through their living room window.

He hadn't known the Denbrough's personally. He knew that they had another son that was his age though. In school, he was a grade under him since Ponyboy had skipped one. If it wasn't for that, they would have probably shared a few classes. Ponyboy felt a lot of sympathy for the Denbrough's because he knew what it felt like to lose family members. His parents had died in an auto wreck not that long ago. George (if he remembered right, they called him Georgie, but he wasn't very sure) had disappeared while his parents passed away. That was the difference. However, it must still have felt heartbreaking, especially as time passed and the chances of finding the young boy alive became slim to none. At least with Ponyboy, he reached closure. The Denbrough's wouldn't for a long time. Georgie also was part of an onslaught of disappearances that set a county-wise curfew.

Ponyboy hated that there was such an early curfew. Seven o'clock wasn't even late enough for it to become dark because of daylight saving time. He understood it and all, but he couldn't help but feel exasperated by it. He already had a strict curfew set by his eldest brother, Darry. Now, it was even earlier, leaving Ponyboy with almost no time to go out and watch a movie after school or something. Darry wanted him home by dinner and not later. Otherwise, he would get grounded until he graduates from his school.

Ponyboy, himself, wasn't too worried about getting kidnapped. He was more worried about being jumped by the Bowers gang or other gang out there. Actually, he needed to make a correction on that. He would rather be jumped by any other gang in the world if it meant not interacting with Henry Bowers and his lot. At least those gangs didn't have any psychopaths in them. Henry and his gang probably were the ones who were making the kids disappear. One time when Ponyboy was strolling around with his head lost in the clouds, he saw Patrick Hockstetter stuff a dead cat in a rusty refrigerator. Maybe he got bored of animals and went straight to humans. Ponyboy didn't want to be the one to find out.

Anyway, Ponyboy didn't think he would get involved in the recent disappearances. Maybe he was just being naïve for thinking he was invulnerable and invincible. Unfortunately for him, he ended up being in the center of it all with a group he never thought he would get close with.

The first time he was in danger of disappearing, he didn't put two plus two together until much later. He was in track practice when it happened. He had been taking a quick break on the turf when some upperclassmen decided to pick on him.

"Hey, isn't that the kid whose parents died in an accident?" one of them said loudly, not even trying to hide the fact that he was talking about him. Ponyboy sighed. He hated when people talked about this.

"Yeah!" another chirped in, side-eyeing Ponyboy. "What was his name? Horseboy?"

The group of upperclassmen busted out in laughter and Ponyboy felt his ears heat up at that. Yeah, his name was weird and most of everyone made fun of it. He hated his name. He wished that his dad picked something normal or at least cool like Soda's name. Not Ponyboy. Could he have thought of a worse name for him? It was so embarrassing, and everyone made fun of him for it. As soon as he gets a chance, he was going to change it. He swore to himself on that.

"What a terrible name! I would have killed myself if I were named that!" one student said and Ponyboy wanted the earth to swallow him up. "It must be so embarrassing for him. His parents must have hated him!"

"I heard he was in the car too. You know, the one that his parents were in when they died?" one added, eyes chilling like ice. "I bet he was the one who killed them. He was probably mad about his name and steered the car to their deaths."

Ponyboy's blood instantly went cold. He gulped, saliva not soothing his dry throat. He didn't kill them! It wasn't his fault! It wasn't his fault that they died!

"Man, he must be crazy. He's probably after his brothers too! He wants to kill them."

No, he would never want to kill them. The thought of his brother's dead bodies caused his stomach to curl, and he had to swallow down the little bile that rose up to his throat.

"He totally does! He's probably going to kill his friends too," one of them said.

"If he even has friends," another jabbed, laughing.

That was when Ponyboy snapped. He shot up from the turf, hands curled into fists to hide their shakiness. He marched over to them, red crawling across the edges of his vision.

"Take that back!" Ponyboy barked with a glare. How dare they joke about this?

"Take what back?" one of the upperclassmen asked nonchalantly as if they hadn't done anything wrong. "The fact that you don't have friends?"

"Not that! About me wanting to kill my friends and family!"

They cackled again and Ponyboy failed to see what was so funny about it. He felt like he was about to explode. If he were in an animated show, steam would have been pouring out of his ears. "Why should I? It's the truth. There's nothing wrong with telling the truth."

"It's not true!" Ponyboy denied. "Take it back or I'll—"

"You'll what?" one of them challenged. "Tell us. What could you possibly do to us?"

Before Ponyboy could even think better, he threw a fist forward, connecting it against one of the student's bony face. The student fell to the turf, holding a nose that was now spurting out blood. Ponyboy was breathing hard as the other students went to pick their friend up from the ground. It took Pony a while to process what exactly he had done, but, when he did, he looked down at his shaky fist which had small dots of blood on it.

Oh no…

"Curtis!" the coach screeched and Ponyboy flinched, knowing full well that he had fucked up. "What did you do?!"

"I…" Ponyboy stammered, unable to form any words. Panic had wiped his brain clean, and he unclenched his clammy hands to be able to hug himself. It gave him no comfort. Unfortunately for him, the other kids knew exactly what to say.

"He just came over here and started to punch at us!" one of the students wailed overdramatically. If possible, Ponyboy became even paler. He was so doomed. "We didn't even do anything! He just rushed at us!"

The coach whirled around to glare at Ponyboy who could only shake his head in denial. Where were his words when he needed them?

"Curtis, is this true?" he asked, voice low to become almost a growl. That was when Ponyboy was sure that nothing could convince the coach otherwise. Still, he tried because at that point he was desperate.

"They were calling me names and saying that I killed my parents, and that… and that I was going to kill my brothers too!" Ponyboy explained, finally able to find something to say. He swallowed thickly.

The coach practically ignored his explanation, giving him a bored, flat expression. It was just as he thought. He was doomed no matter what. "You know, they warned me about this. They told me that you were reckless and shouldn't be placed in a team setting. They told me you were more trouble than you were good, and that you wouldn't be worth it."

Ponyboy didn't know who they were but the comment slugged him in the gut. He wasn't like that at all. Who would say that about him? When his parents were alive, he was practically invisible. Now he had a target on his back that was flashing neon lights that brought all attention to him. When people found out about the incident, they pushed to find out more about him. It was easy to find out who he hung out with and who his brothers were. Soon, they were making up stories that spread across town like wildfire. Ponyboy chewed on his inner cheeks. "I'm sorry…"

"I should call your guardian about this."

For the second time that day, Ponyboy's blood ran cold. He rapidly shook his head. Darry couldn't know about this. He would have his head. He didn't know what Darry would do to him if he found out he punched someone or, worse, got suspended. "No! Please, don't call him! I didn't mean to do it! It won't happen again so, please, don't call him."

He knew he sounded pathetic—like someone begging for his life. In a way, he practically was. Darry terrified him. His icy eyes stabbed him like daggers and everything about him was so incredibly intimidating. He was big, fit, explosive, and controlling. Part of Ponyboy wanted to believe that he would never hurt him, but Darry was so threatening that it was terrifying.

"It won't happen again?" The coach hummed in thought before he sighed. He probably didn't want to do extra work. "Well, because you're fast, I don't want you off the team. I'll make a deal with you instead."

"Anything." Ponyboy could have cried out in relief.

"To not be suspended, you will have to…" He thought for a second before continuing. "You will have to run for two miles without stopping after practice. Also, you will clean up after everyone by putting all the hurdles and other equipment away."

That would probably take him past curfew since practice ended so late. He was sure to get yelled at by Darry, but that was better than facing the consequences of being suspended. He nodded his head. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Good. We're done here then."

"What? That's it?" the student that was punched gasped. "You can't let him get off that easily! Look at my face!"

"Do you want to run too?" the coach challenged with a glare. The upperclassmen all shook their heads. "Then drop it and go to the nurse. She should still be here."

And, just like that, the conflict was over. After practice, Ponyboy swiftly cleaned up after the students. By the time he put carried the last stack of hurdles away, he was drenched in cool sweat that gleamed under the rays of the sunset. He huffed, wanting to sit down but knew he couldn't waste any time. He went straight to running his laps. The faster he got done, the better. It was better to be one minute late than an hour after all.

Ponyboy's feet pounded against the track, pacing himself as best as he could so he wouldn't stop running. He evened out his breath, hoping that it would help prevent future cramps from forming.

He loved to run. It was one of his favorite things to do even though a lot of people hated it. Running made him feel free, unshackled by the troubles that were piled high on his shoulders. It helped prevent the intrusive thoughts and images from forming in his head which, in response, soothed his stomach. When he was running, he didn't have to see the images of his dead parents that were scarred into his mind, haunting him wherever he went. He didn't have to see their hunched over, mangled bodies with their cracked open heads and their brains exposed and splattered across the dash. He didn't have to see his mother's head halfway out the windshield with blood covering every nook and cranny of her face, glass cutting open her once delicate skin.

He pushed himself harder, now going into a slow sprint. Just keep running and those thoughts will never reach him.

When Ponyboy finished his first mile, he was already exhausted. His legs screamed for him to stop, calves burning like his lungs. Still, he continued to run because he wanted to get home as early as possible. He looked towards the gym, wondering if he should just claim to the coach that he had done his required laps. He decided against it though, not wanting to get into more trouble. His vision fell back in front of him when he saw a figure standing at the fence, watching him.

It was a clown.

Its face was painted white, and its nose was red just like its hair. It bore a creepy smile, one that sent a shiver down Ponyboy's spine. It stood there in a worn clown suit, holding a red balloon. When Ponyboy ran past it, its eyes followed him. Ponyboy watched too, unable to tear his eyes away. What was a clown doing there?

Suddenly, the balloon popped. Its sound resonated throughout the field so loudly it was like a gunshot had gone off. Ponyboy flinched and involuntarily blinked. But when he opened his eyes again, the clown was gone.

Weird…

Shrugging, he turned around but came to a screeching stop, so much so that he fell onto the track on his butt. The clown had moved, now standing a few feet in front of him with that creepy smile.

What in the world…

"Hiya, Ponyboy," the clown greeted, voice high-pitched.

"Hi?" Ponyboy greeted back, although confused. He looked around to see if anyone else saw a clown on the track, but nobody had stayed behind after practice. It was just him and the weird clown that somehow knew his name. "I'm sorry but do you need anything? I really need to get back to running so I can go home."

"You want to go home? Do you need a ride?" The clown asked, head tilting to the side ever so slowly, its smile curving at the ends. That was when Ponyboy noticed a putrid smell. The clown smelt like shit! Literally! It was like the whole town had drowned it in their piss and shit. He tried his best not to pinch his nose, switching to breathing out his mouth. "I can give you a ride."

Ponyboy knew better than to accept rides from strangers—especially from stinky, mysterious clowns. Besides, he wasn't about to step a foot in a motorized vehicle again. Not after his parents had passed away. It had been almost a year since it had happened, but he still refused to go back in one unless it was an emergency. That was why he walked or biked to school every morning. He gave the clown a strained smile and shook his head. "No thanks. I'll be fine. Thanks for the offer though."

He tried to walk past the clown, ignoring the eyes that lingered on him to the best of his ability. But with each step he took, he could hear the clown take a step behind him. Its shoes squeaked like a rubber duck.

Step.

Squeak.

Step.

Squeak.

Step.

The squeaking stopped.

Step.

A rolling sound started behind him, becoming louder and louder by the second. Curiously, Ponyboy turned around but, when he looked over his shoulder, he found that the clown wasn't there. He sighed in relief.

He was about to turn back and start his jog again when his foot caught on something small with wheels. It rolled behind him, taking his foot with it and sending him falling face-first onto the track. His knees and elbows scraped against the rough surface, scratching away his skin and leaving behind lines of red. Small beads of blood poked out, dotting his skin like a connect-the-dots sheet. If he felt burning before during his run, he was definitely feeling it now. Ponyboy hissed in pain, cradling his stinging wounds with dirty hands.

What the hell? What did he just trip on?

He twisted his body around and saw a small toy car on the ground. It was a replica of a clown car. It looked innocent enough with its bright colors and polka dot design, but it also had some weird features to it. The front had a mouth painted on it, showing jagged teeth and lips curled up in a smile. Inside the car was a minute clown doll that had seen better days. But there was something else. Inside the car, it seemed like there was a note. Ponyboy peered into the plastic window to see what it said.

Don't you want to ride with me?

As soon as he read the last word in the sentence, the toy started to violently shake in his hands. The headlights flickered to life despite there being no signs of a place to insert batteries. The clown inside started to giggle, head spinning rapidly on its shoulders like a top.

"What the!" Ponyboy yelped. He instantly dropped the toy, letting it roll a bit away from him. Then it started to get bigger and bigger in spurts. It didn't take long for it to get to full size. The once toy car became a much real vehicle, and the clown doll switched to the clown he had seen. The clown honked the horn a few times, triggering the teeth design to come to life. They were once painted on the car, but now they looked like they were the real deal. The jagged teeth looked like they were sharper than razor blades as they chomped. With each time it opened its mouth, the fiery engine was revealed.

At the sight of it, Ponyboy's eyes boggled out of his head and practically all of his muscles in his body became so tense that it felt like his very insides were going to pop out and switch with his skin. His mouth dropped, instantly becoming dry like a dead man. He had to sense to stand up and get away from the jagged teeth and roaring engine that was like a monstrous cry, but his legs felt like lead. His body was turning to stone as if he was staring straight into the eyes of Medusa.

The car suddenly sped towards him, giving Ponyboy enough incentive to scramble to his feet and start running away. His feet pounded against the track again as he pushed himself into a sprint.

The clown giggled behind him, etching into his brain right next to that of his dead parents' corpses. The car honked, letting out a melody that should have been fun and happy (like an ice cream van) but was but ended up being eerie with how it sounded like it was dying.

Move legs!

The car stayed right behind him. It probably could have run him over but enjoyed tormenting him. It chomped away, scorching Ponyboy's back with the heat that came from its flaming mouth.

Move! Move! Move!

Ponyboy ran as hard as he could. He was running so fast that it felt like his legs were going to run out from under him. Yet even though he was running so fast, it still felt slow to him. Why was he running so slow? It wasn't because he was scared. Fear was supposed to make him faster.

Somehow, he managed to push himself harder, ignoring the cramps that were crumpling his stomach into a tight ball. He ran down the track, wondering briefly why he was still on it in the first place.

Screw his requirements!

He wasn't about to become chopped liver for this!

He hopped the fence, running straight out of the school in his gym clothes. He left his backpack at the school, which he would later be upset about, but that wasn't important at the moment. What was important was saving his own butt from the jagged teeth that had just about shredded the back of his shirt. He got himself into town, the clown car following closely behind.

He swerved around corners, pushing past people who were looking at him strangely. Ponyboy didn't care if he looked like he was running from cops. He just had to get away.

Got to get away! Got to run!

Got to—

Suddenly, he ran straight into a firm chest that was rounding a corner. He cried out in shock and almost fell down again. That would have been embarrassing—falling three times that day.

"Whoa!" came a familiar voice and Ponyboy sighed in relief. Finally, someone that would help him! "Ponyboy? Why are you out this late? You're supposed to be home right now!"

"Two-Bit! We have to hide somewhere!" Ponyboy creamed, pulling at Two-Bit's wrist to urge him to run. Two-Bit didn't budge an inch. Instead, he challenged him, which wasn't something that he normally did. But, then again, Two-Bit probably wanted to get him home so that Darry wouldn't blame him for his tardiness. Darry was a scary person. Nobody wanted to mess with him, not even Two-Bit.

"Why? What's going on, Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy didn't have long to explain. He knew the car was going to catch up to him in a few seconds. So, he kept it brief and hoped that it was enough. "A car's chasing me. It's going to kill me if we don't run."

Two-Bit looked over him, raising an eyebrow. "What car?"

"The car that's chasing me, it's right—" But when Ponyboy turned around to point it out, he found that the car was no longer behind him. There was no sign of it chasing him at all. The only thing the chase left behind was the people around him who had stopped to stare at him like he had grown another head. What the hell… He knew for a fact that he was being chased. He gaped like a fish, pointing in front of him. "It was there. I swear I was being chased by a clown."

"A clown?" Two-Bit repeated, placing a hand on his forehead. "Are you feeling alright? You're seeing things. Do I need to talk to your brothers about you hallucinating? You're not on something, are you?"

Ponyboy shook the hand off, still looking around. "No! I'm not on something and I'm not sick either."

"Okay… Then why are you still in those clothes?"

"I…" Ponyboy stammered, still looking for the car. But it just wasn't there anymore. He sighed. He should have felt relieved it wasn't chasing him, but he couldn't. Not when Two-Bit was staring at him in concern. Ponyboy turned back to Two-Bit, shaking his head and forcing a smile on his face. He should just drop it to save people from worrying about him. "It's nothing. I was just excited to get home. Let's get going. I think Darry is making lasagna today."

Two-Bit instantly lit up at that, wrapping an arm around Ponyboy's shoulder to steer him towards his house. Ponyboy let his mind wander. Had he imagined all that? No… It felt too real. No matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, he was sure there was a clown that was chasing him.

Man, he hated this town.

o-o-o

This chapter is just an intro so there wasn't much going on. There will be more dialogue in the future chapters. Also, I need to answer a few possible common questions about this story to ease some confusion.

Q. 1) Where does this story take place?
A.) This story will take place in Derry, not Tulsa. Much of it will be up to interpretation though. You can think of it as Derry, Oklahoma if you want to. I will describe the area to be more like Maine though.

Q. 2) When does it take place?
A.) This is also up to interpretation. I will not be putting any timestamps in this story. So, terms and technological references will be minimal. For example, I will not be using the words Soc or Greaser. Instead, it would be referenced as upper and lower class. You can clearly tell that some people are Socs by how I will be describing them though. In this chapter, I referenced them as upperclassmen. Ponyboy is also thirteen and a freshman in this. For reference, most of the Losers are the same age.

Q. 3) Why did you change parts of The Outsider book?
A.) In order to fit the theme of IT, I made changes to some characters. In this chapter, it was said that Ponyboy was in the car that killed his parents and thus made him terrified of being in cars. In contrast, in the book, Ponyboy wasn't in the car and still loved to ride fast in them. This was just to give him more fears. Another change is his fear of Darry. This still ties to the book, but I also wanted to tie in how the adults of Derry suck. There will be more to come.

Q. 4) How will this tie into the IT story?
A.) This story will be in Ponyboy's POV all the way through. It will also tie in closely to the IT movie storyline. Of course, since Pony's there, a lot of interactions will be different. There will be recognizable scenes and parts that are entirely new to him and the Losers. Even though it's supposed to follow the movie, there will be areas where Ponyboy is getting close to the Losers and stuff like that. Once in a while, I will place in familiar scenes and lines, so you know where the story is altogether.

If there are any other questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer them to the best of my ability!