DISCLAIMER: IT IS OWNED BY NEW LINE CINEMA AND WARNER BROS. STUDIOS! I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MY OC!
A/N: I know this chapter is also early! Once again going to a relative's house, so I can't upload tomorrow. But hey! You get another early chapter, so yay for you guys! And also, there is a horror trivia game going on at my town library tonight, and I'm participating! Wish me luck! :)
Anyway, one of the shorter chapters, I know, but I thought it turned out pretty well. This whole chapter is just one long scene, and it ends on... I wouldn't really call it a cliffhanger, but it ends on an emotional note, so you have been warned. GRAB THE TISSUES!
SuperSentai199: Thank you! That was the part of the story I worked the hardest on! And, I know. EDDIE WAS AWESOME! I'm just gonna go cry in my personal corner *sobs hysterically*
MissBeckyJolene: Me too! *cries even more* And that's nice that a tow of the traits of the couple are a part of you! Honestly, that goes for me, too. And you'll get to see what happens next here! Prepare yourself for the tears to come!
robinmuffins: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I loved how that scene turned out, and Steph's dream was my favorite part! And... *sighs sadly* Eddie, I MISS YOU! *cries so much more*
.2019: Thank you!
Connie Hooper: Thank you so much! And yes, I'm also happy they finally moved on. And... AGAIN, I miss Eddie ;(
MusicLover14: Girl, you need to make an actual account! We need to PM each other, but if you can't, that's okay. I'm so happy that you finally watched It: Chapter Two, and I cry every time I watch it! And, I'M SORRY about the cliffhanger. That is the last one, and this one ends on the closest thing to a cliffhanger, but it isn't one, I promise. And, yeah... that's pretty much how I reacted to Eddie's death :( Hope you enjoy this chapter! P.S. The second half of your review made me LMFAO! And on my story, "A New Family," if you look at the first chapter again, I have revealed the full cast of characters and the actors that portray them, INCLUDING EMILY!
Special thanks to SuperSentai199, MissBeckyJolene, robinmuffins, .2019, Connie Hooper and MusicLover14 for leaving a review on the last chapter!
Now, without further ado, here is the eleventh and very emotional chapter!
Chapter Eleven
In that moment, Steph's heart collapsed - where there was light came shadows, the pain coming and going and repeating like waves on frigid sand. She didn't even notice the streaming tears cleansing her dirty cheeks, but she could barely see anymore, as her vision was blurry from them. She didn't succumb to her emotions, but her entire world was gone. But she did know one thing: she was feeling grief.
Steph had never experienced grief this bad before. Sure, she had felt it when she lost her mother, and it was bad. She had also gone through it briefly with the loss of Stan. But this… this was on a whole other level.
"Richie…" Eddie muttered weakly, blood pouring from both his mouth and the wound that was formed in his torso. Just how his voice sounded at that moment made the tiny amount of hope Steph felt seconds before shrivel up and die. Just when she got over her guilt of her mother's death, reality had to come back and ruin everything again.
It suddenly used its claw to lift Eddie up into the air, making him grunt multiple times in agony. Steph couldn't scream anymore, already doing it to the point where her voice practically vanished in seconds. The moment felt like it lasted for an infinite amount of time, and she was sure it would repeat in her mind for years afterwards. She could hear everyone's cries of anguish and emotional agony, but one voice stood out.
"Eddie…" Richie whimpered, his tone one of surprise and trauma, and Steph's heart broke all over again, knowing that the two had been very close. She couldn't take her eyes off of the image of Eddie gripping the claw sticking out of his chest in a grotesque manner, and it made her earlier shrieks turn into wheezing and sobs.
"UH OH!" It yelled, very humored by what it had just done as it, very unceremoniously, swung Eddie's body around for everyone to see. It was as if It were treating Eddie like an actual piece of garbage, especially when It threw the man several feet to the left, making Eddie fall down a nearby tunnel.
"NO, EDDIE!" Bill screamed, his voice so hoarse by the time he was done, and Steph could see more tears leaking from his eyes.
"YOU FREAKING MONSTER!" Steph bellowed, her voice coming out croaky and whisper-like, but everyone else could hear her very clearly over all of the commotion. She got up and sprinted towards where Eddie had been tossed aside like he was nothing, Bill not even attempting to stop her. He instead followed her to the tunnel, along with the others, as Steph stumbled towards her best friend, not being able to see through her tears. But she managed to reach him without falling and knelt next to him, seeing that he was lying on his stomach.
Ben approached her and helped her take Eddie by the shoulders and turn him over. "Be careful, be careful," he warned her, and she listened, making sure to be gentle with the wounded man. She laid him on his back and took a good look at his injury; the second she saw it, she felt bile form in the back of her throat, and she was barely able to stop it as she gagged in disgust.
There was an extremely deep wound in the flesh of Eddie's chest. It was heavily oozing out dark, crimson blood and there was a bluish-purple bruise forming around it. Steph bravely reached out her right hand to examine it further, but pulled it back, afraid that she would hurt Eddie more. She could see a tiny bit of his exposed heart, which finally made her vomit everywhere, making sure to turn away from the others. With one violent contraction, more of the food she had eaten the previous night poured from her mouth and thudded against the rocky ground. Steph wiped her mouth, acidic residue forming a shiny patch on her sleeve, and she turned back to the others.
"COME OUT AND PLAY, LOSERS!" It bellowed, using its claws to try and break apart the cave the seven of them were hiding in. Richie shrugged off his jacket and placed it over Eddie's wound in hopes that it would help.
"He's… He's hurt really bad," Richie said in a panicked voice, making Steph turn to him. Her eyes widened when she saw that the man was covered in blood.
Eddie's blood.
"We have to get him out of here, you guys," Richie added as Eddie started gasping for air. Steph knew that her best friend was being desperate, and she felt the same way, but she knew that it would be impossible to move Eddie without hurting him further.
"How are we supposed to do that, Richie?" she asked in the most raspy voice she had ever used. She cringed in slight pain at how much her throat hurt at that moment, her left hand clutching it for a second. She then saw Ben move away from them, and she knew it was so he could help them find a way out. Steph turned back to Eddie, gently putting a hand on his bandaged cheek as she heard him speak through his blood-soaked lips.
"I almost killed It," he whispered. "In the pharmacy… I felt him shrinking… I made him small…"
Steph hung onto his every word as It kept obliterating the entrance to the tunnel, making her wince and cover Eddie so he wouldn't get hurt more. She pulled back slightly, looking into his dark brown eyes as she absorbed everything he said.
"He seemed so weak…" Eddie continued in a croaky voice. "He seemed so weak…"
And that was when Steph finally understood. If the Ritual of Chüd wouldn't work, then something else could… Something else that could literally reduce It to nothing… Something…
"The Shokopiwah…" Mike spoke up, eerily thinking exactly what Steph was thinking. "'All living things must abide by the laws of the shape they inhabit!'" Steph nodded quickly, agreeing with him instantly, believing him for real this time as she looked at the others. Her confidence slowly began to grow again when she saw them all nod, including Eddie.
"Guys!" Ben called to get their attention, and they turned to him. "There's a passageway through here!" He then pointed down what he was talking about and Steph caught sight of it, slowly perking up. Just then, she saw Beverly's eyes light up in realization.
"The tunnel!" she acknowledged. "Pennywise has to make himself small to get to the entrance of the cavern, right? Okay… So, if we get back there we can force him down to size! We can make him small… Small enough so we can kill him!"
Steph realized that Beverly was actually right, but the redhead also sounded uneasy as she said this. The blonde knew that it had to be done, and fast; if they didn't succeed in killing this monster, all of them were going to die horrible deaths. It sounded like a good way to kill It, and it would be the final thing to put an end to this nightmare once and for all. If Steph was going to get killed trying to finish the evil, then so be it. To be honest, she was ready, but not emotionally prepared enough to fight back immediately.
The area trembled again like an earthquake, the clown still trying to break its way in as It glared at all of them. "I can smell the stench of your fear!" It yelled, snickering as its claws kept penetrating the stone walls blocking the Losers from the danger that awaited them. A little more motivation building inside of Steph, she took a wobbling hand and pointed down the tunnel. "Come on, let's go!" she said quietly, but the others could still hear her and they nodded.
Ben helped Steph off of the ground, as her legs were still shaking from the shock she was going through. Bill and Richie gently grabbed Eddie by both sides and hoisted him up, carrying him as gracefully as possible as they all followed Steph through the passageway that lead around the side of the dome. She could see the demon still where it was earlier, trying its best to plow through the solid surface that had barely saved their lives. Luckily, for all of them, It did not see them as Bill and Richie put Eddie down against a rock, but out of harm's way.
Steph was still trying to figure out what to do, not wanting to leave Eddie's side for what she was sure to be his final moments. She wanted to be there to comfort him and assure him that he would be okay, but she had a feeling deep down inside her that he most likely wouldn't be. And it made the pain envelop her emotions and invade them entirely, and she was barely able to keep them at bay for a while. As she saw the others try to lure the clown to them, she heard Eddie speak again as only she and Richie stayed by his side.
"Richie… I need to tell you something…" he murmured. Steph detected that his energy was slipping by the seconds that were passing, and she didn't know what to do as she saw Richie listening to Eddie intently.
"Yeah, what's up, buddy?" Richie asked him quietly. There was a long silence, a pregnant pause as Steph could see Eddie gathering his last bit of strength to tell Richie the important thing he needed to tell him. Personally, Steph didn't want him to waste it, but she also didn't want to make him irritated. So, she let him speak.
"I… I kissed your mother," Eddie answered and he started to laugh. But when he started choking on the blood building up in his throat, neither Steph nor Richie found the joke funny at all. The blonde woman lowered her head solemnly as she heard the clown chasing the others to where they wanted It to go. She took Eddie's left hand and squeezed it gently to offer him more comfort and solace. She didn't leave to follow the others, staying with Eddie.
Until the very end.
"Steph…"
The woman looked back up at Eddie, seeing his brown eyes locked onto hers as she leaned closer to hear him better. "What is it, Eds?" she asked softly, trying to stay as calm as possible.
"Mike, you got a plan B? What do we do now?!" Ben yelled desperately from behind Steph.
"Die! That's what you do!" It snarled as Steph heard its thudding footsteps, presumably approaching the other four aggressively. She winced, praying that they wouldn't die in their moments of courage; she didn't need to lose anyone else.
"I need… I need you… to promise me something," Eddie whispered so only Steph could hear him. She nodded, tears filling her eyes as she lifted the hand she was holding and pressed it to her right cheek in a consolating manner. She didn't stop nodding her head for several seconds as she stared into his eyes, the vivid blue color that complemented her own offering him more of her assurance.
"Anything, Eddie," she muttered in response.
"I am the Eater of Worlds!" It bellowed, but Steph couldn't see the look of pure rage on the clown's face.
"Not to us you're not," Mike said confidently, making everything, even time itself, fall silent. Steph froze, but not before holding up a finger to make Eddie be quiet for a moment, her ears hearing everything now. She was even sure that her tears stopped flowing for a second as she waited for something else to be said… to slice through the silence and make the quiet disappear for just that moment.
And, luckily for her, Mike broke through the stillness after about ten seconds.
"You're just a clown."
Steph turned around, and not even the flickering lights that dang near blinded her could hide the fact that she saw Its appalled expression at those words. The clown froze, slightly backing away, almost as if It were shocked that Mike would say something like that to it. If she were able to, she would've laughed at the absurdity of it, but she couldn't find the emotional power to do that as she turned back to Eddie.
"Okay, Eds… what do you want me to promise you?" she asked. "You can talk now…" She couldn't hear Eddie, mostly because he didn't speak for a second, but also because he was struggling to get the words out. He was becoming weaker and weaker by the second, and it saddened Steph more and more as each of them passed. But, when he finally did open his mouth again, she leaned closer to hear him better.
"Steph… promise me… that you'll take care of them… be there for them…" Eddie pleaded in a frail voice. "For me…"
More tears cascaded down Steph's face as she pulled back with a sigh. "Eddie, you don't need to waste your energy… just rest for a second, okay? I'll be sure you live, don't worry."
Eddie shook his head, squeezing her right hand that was holding his left. "No…" he choked out. "Just freaking promise me… please take care of them… protect them with all you've got…"
"You're a… a headless boy!" Ben yelled at the clown, and Steph could barely hear It backing away from the four Losers that were facing it fearlessly; she was solely focused on Eddie as she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to say the dreadful words.
"IMPOSTOR!" Bill screamed at It.
Steph opened her eyes again to look at Eddie, and the look on his face finally made her relent. The sturdy walls around her subconscious crumbled into nothing when she saw the pleading expression in his eyes, and she knew she couldn't refuse him, as much as she truly wanted to. She didn't want to say goodbye, but she knew that time was fast arriving, and it made her sob a little as she finally broke. So, she pried her lips apart and said the words that would ruin her forever:
"I promise…"
Right after she said this, Richie went to go help the others, leaving her alone with Eddie in his final minutes. She sat down next to him and softly put her left arm around his shoulders; she kept letting the tears flow, although she was sure to not let Eddie know this. Her breathing was as calm as she could have it be, but she was wheezing very silently as she watched the other five approach It. To her surprise but elation, the demon was getting smaller and smaller, and she couldn't help but let out a slight laugh.
"You see that, Eddie?" she said proudly, choking back another sob. "They're beating him up…. Eds?"
She looked to her left and saw Eddie's eyes fixed on the floor and they looked vacant and blank. Steph let go of his hand, and it plopped to the ground as she put her free right hand on his bandaged cheek. She turned his head towards her and saw the truth at that moment. It was a revelation that she didn't want to come to terms with at all, and her eyes widened, a small sliver of her sanity gone for a long period of time.
"EDDIE!" she screamed in sorrow, her voice cracking several times in that half a second. She released her arm from around his shoulders, lifting his right hand, and felt that it was still warm, but it was fading very quickly. Eddie's arm was limp and it fell back to the ground like dead weight. Steph sobbed even more, repeating the word, "No," over and over in whimpers; her sadness threatened to take over as she pulled the man into her arms.
"No…" she cried out faintly. "Don't leave me, Eds! Please!" Her body was shaking with each sob she let out, her arms tight around the man as she held him. She couldn't believe what was happening, her
eyes widening slightly at what she was seeing as she heard Greta exit the pharmacy behind her.
"Y-Y'all okay?" Bill asked in a kind voice. Steph nodded, the worry in her eyes never dissipating. "We're fine," she replied softly. "What's wrong with you?" she added.
"None of your business," Stan replied sharply. Steph raised an eyebrow at him, as he had never acted so rude to her in their years of friendship. But Eddie, fortunately, answered her question.
"There's a kid outside. Looked like someone killed him," he said, panic in his voice.
Steph gasped. "Is he alright?" she asked. The three boys nodded.
Steph, Bill, Beverly, Ben, Richie, Eddie, and Stan biked to Ben's house. Everyone but Stan let their bikes fall and they went inside as the latter put the kickstand on his bike, as expected. When they entered his room, they could see him hastily putting some of his things away. Steph looked at him in amusement, completely relating to him as he shut his closet door.
"Don't freak out, just tell us," Eddie said, worry evident in his voice. Steph shook her head at this as the others entered the room.
"Called it!"
"Shut the heck up, Richie!"
They pulled away from each other quickly just in time to see someone ducking behind one of Steph's bushes. She laughed as she shouted, "Come on out, boys! You can't hide now!"
There was a few seconds of silence before they saw Richie and Eddie step into their view, looking embarrassed. But Richie also looked very smug with himself. "So, I see that Bill gave you a goodnight kiss. Aww!" he teased.
Steph rolled her eyes playfully. "Beep beep, Richie," she replied simply.
"You can't what?" Eddie asked, picking up on Bill's words. Luckily, the two were able to jump apart before he looked at them.
Bill looked at the germaphobe. "Umm, I s-s-said that I can't un-understand the time t-tr-tr-travel."
Eddie chuckled slightly. "It's okay, I can't understand it either," he assured him.
"Oh, come on!" Steph exclaimed a little louder. "I can perfectly understand it. It's sort of a paradox and…" She thought about it for a minute before shrugging in defeat. "Okay, maybe it doesn't make sense," she admitted.
All five of them laughed as they turned back to the movie.
Steph's mind couldn't comprehend what she was witnessing as she pulled back a little to look at Eddie's empty eyes. She then leaned forward and gave him a platonic but loving kiss on the forehead. She didn't move for what seemed like forever as her tears dripped onto Richie's jacket that still covered Eddie's wound. And she finally came to accept the horrific and saddening truth:
Eddie Kaspbrak was gone.
For some reason, this heartbreaking fact gave Steph the motivation to stand up and walk over to where the other Losers were, her sadness briefly replaced by blinding rage. She entered the branch-like structure again and saw how small It looked in the form of Pennywise, but it really didn't matter to her. The only two things that resonated in her mind at that very moment were how brave her friends and husband were being together and her longing for revenge. She wanted that freaking monster to pay for killing both Georgie and Eddie… and all of those other kids; to name a few, Betty Ripsom, Matthew Clements, Edward Corcoran, and Veronica Grogan. All she wanted was to pay them respect by killing the demon that had killed them all those years ago.
So, snatching the arm Richie had ripped off of It, Steph raised it above her head and started stabbing, hearing the chanting behind her: "CLOWN! CLOWN! CLOWN!"
Her screams of fury echoed through the lair, bouncing off of the walls and ground and reverberating in everyone else's ears. Over and over again, Steph brought down the clawed arm, making the creature cry out in pain as she did so. She did this dozens of times, these words ejecting from her mouth each time she did so.
"YOU'RE A FREAKING MURDERER! YOU'RE A KILLER! YOU'RE JUST A DUMB FREAKING CLOWN!"
She felt like she wasn't going to stop stabbing It and, to her relief, nobody stopped her at all. The Losers were shocked at how angry she really was, but they just let her pour out her anger to the demon that was cowering in front of them. All the while, they kept chanting and taunting the clown.
"YOU KILLED MY FRIEND, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO KILL YOU!" Steph bellowed, her courage and rage breaking through her pained vocal chords as she brought down the clawed arm one final time. This time, she made sure to twist the arm so she could deliver more pain to the creature. As she gasped for air, she jerked the arm out of Its torso, tossing it aside, which made her grunt with the effort. Unlike the last time she did something similar to this, she didn't collapse due to exhaustion; instead, she remained standing, glaring at It, a fire kindling in her eyes as another memory pierced her subconscious.
Then, It turned its head to Steph,
(you'll float too you'll float too you'll float too YOU'LL FLOAT TOO YOU'LL FLOAT TOO)
and her eyes widened, knowing what was about to happen with her.
(it's gonna show me my fear again i'm not stupid it's gonna do it again god help me help us make it stop make it freaking stop)
"I've seen your mind, Steph… I know what you're truly afraid of… Losing those that you love… Being alone in this dark and scary world..."
And Steph's mind was immediately filled with visions of the corpses once more. All of the Losers… Her mother… Her whole family…
And, most importantly… Bill…
"It will come true, Steph… They are all going to die today… And it is all your fault… Because you couldn't protect them..."
At that moment, something within Steph snapped. She glared at It, a fire kindling in her dark blue eyes. She walked up to the creature as it grinned at her menacingly, the frying pan gripped tightly in her fist.
"Nobody's going to die today. Do you hear me? Nobody! My friends are right here, by my side. And they are not leaving! We'll never give up. And if they do die, it'll be no one's fault… They're not going to die… But you will!"
Steph bellowed in fury, taking her frying pan and hitting the clown a dozen times over the head. The others watched on in shock and pride as she kept beating the life out of It until she had backed it up to a large hole.
She collapsed from exhaustion, and Bill gently pulled her up as It began whimpering in horror. He looked at the demon, bravery written all over his face now.
"That's why you didn't kill Steph and Beverly…" he said, finally understanding. "Cause th-th-th-th-they weren't afraid… And we aren't either… Not anymore…"
It continued to whimper, finally seeming to give up.
"Now you're the one who's afraid… Because you're gonna starve!" he finished, a small smile forming on his face just as Stan handed Steph the pole he had.
It immediately backflipped into the hole, trying to hold on for dear life. "'He thrusts his fist against the post...'"
Steph turned to Bill and held out the pole to him. He took it from her, but as he did, his fingers brushed against hers and lingered there for a moment. Steph closed her eyes and shivers ran up and down her spine at his touch. But it only lasted for a moment as he took his hand off of hers, holding the pole up.
"'...and still insists he see the ghost. He thrusts his fist against the p-p-p-p-post."
It was now mocking Bill, which made Steph's face contort into an expression of anger just as said boy raised the pole higher.
It let go and slid further down the hole, still trying to hold on. All of the Losers gathered around the hole's entrance… just as Its head started breaking apart into dust. It stared up at them just as Steph put a hand on Bill's arm, gently forcing him to lower the pole.
Right at that moment, It finally let go, sinking down into the abyss. But before it did, Steph could have sworn that she heard one final word emit from the demon.
"Fear."
"You're a clown…" Mike said, bringing Steph back to reality. "...with a scared beating heart."
And, sure enough, Steph could hear a heartbeat thunder in her ears; but it wasn't hers. It was the clown's heart, and it made her confidence skyrocket to a new record. She grinned maniacally as she heard the whimpers and whines of It echo in her mind and, if she were able to look at herself in the mirror, she would've thought that she had never looked more insane in her life. She watched as Mike stretched out his hand to where he assumed the heart was, a little understanding at why he was doing it slowly.
This was because, seconds later, It lunged at Mike, making him yell in shock. But It gave up and fell back against one of the alien branches. Mike reached further and started digging his hand into the clown's torso; the entire time, It was trying to hold him back, but was not mentally or physically strong enough to do so. It screamed in pain when the man finally got a hold of his heart and forced it out.
Bill opened his mouth in confusion, but Steph put a hand on his arm to shut him up. He didn't need to ask any questions at a time like this; Steph just needed him to roll with it.
Mike pulled out the heart and held it up to the others, and Steph wasted no time in putting her hand over his. Bill followed suit immediately, as did Beverly, Richie, and Ben. They all held the heart in their hands, ready to destroy it for good. They were all prepared to bring peace back into their lives, to their souls…
And, most importantly, to Derry itself.
"Look at you…"
Steph turned and locked eyes with the demon that had tortured her teenage years and had taken away so much of her innocence. The demon that took away her husband's little brother, all those kids, and her best friend. Knowing this fact filled her with more hatred and loathing as she saw It laugh proudly.
"You're all grown up."
The blonde woman chuckled a little, her eyes burning with revulsion as she turned to the others. Steph nodded once, as did the others, and she squeezed her right hand tightly around the quickening beating heart. Her husband and her best friends followed her movements, crushing the organ with their bare hands, a new hint of courage consuming them as they did so. The whole ordeal was silent, as it rightfully should have been, and Steph felt the weight of the world being lifted off of her shoulders and the terror she had sensed leaving her heart.
They opened their hands after it was all over, and the blood lifted from them and the Deadlights began to fade to blackness above them. Steph turned back to the monster that had ruined her childhood and saw a satisfying sight.
It was crumbling into dust, just like it did 27 years ago; but, this time, its whole form was dissolving into nothing, and another smirk etched slowly into Steph's face at what she was looking at. She closed her eyes in contentment, sighing with relief.
It was over.
It was finally freaking over.
The blood oath that the eight members of the Losers club created was fulfilled once and for all.
It was finished… for good.
The second this piece of information settled inside the six Losers that remained, all of them felt some sort of peace as they embraced one another. Bill immediately went to Steph and threw his arms around her. She hugged him back tighter than ever, and she couldn't help but giggle slightly when her husband's arms encircled her waist and she was lifted off of the ground. It made her cling to him more fiercely, not wanting to let him go in her moments of solace; she buried her face into the crook of his neck as she combed her fingers through his hair.
They then pulled apart, Bill still holding Steph a few feet off of the ground. They stared into each other's eyes, forgetting everything that was going on around them for just a moment in their victory. Steph rested her forehead on Bill's, their breaths mingling with each other as they closed their eyes.
"I love you so much," murmured Steph, finally registering the presence of their friends behind them; she could honestly care less about that for the time being.
"I love you, too," Bill whispered in response; and they did nothing else but hold one another, even if it was just for a minute. They were lost in each other, just like they were all those years ago when they were in Steph's house and dancing.
"Eddie…" Richie said, concern lacing his voice. "Eddie…" He then moved away from briskly and walked back to where Eddie was lying. Tears immediately clouded Steph's vision again as Bill gently lowered her back to the ground. Despite this, he draped his right arm around her shoulders while he helped her walk on her injured left leg.
"What's wrong?" he asked her. She looked at him as she sniffed, but instantly looked back down, feeling guilt consume her.
"I… I couldn't save him…" she whimpered, a sob escaping her lips as she rested her head on his shoulder. "It's my fault…"
Bill shook his head, tilting her chin up so she could face him. "It is not your fault if he's gone," he demanded. "Do you hear me? None of this is your fault. Don't blame yourself!" Steph stared at him in shock for a split second before relenting and nodding. She had the sense that his stutter was finally gone and, although a part of her missed it, she was comforted by that fact.
"Eddie?"
Steph looked in Richie's direction, seeing him kneeling in front of Eddie, trying to get his attention. A long moment of silence made the blonde woman unable to prevent more tears from flowing, but another thing made her look up.
Not only was the branch-like structure falling apart…. The entire room was presumably destroying itself. Her grief and sadness was temporarily replaced by determination. Determination to get her husband and friends out of there as fast as possible.
"Richie…" she murmured, but her hoarse voice was barely audible.
"He's gone…" Bill choked out, and Steph could tell he was starting to cry as well. She turned to him, and her suspicions were confirmed after one look; it made her sigh in distress as she looked at Richie again, her heart breaking at how desperate he was sounding.
"No, he's fine," Richie said frantically. "We gotta get him out of here. I need help, guys." At his tone of voice, it was difficult for Steph to breathe through her tears, but she was somehow able to. He sounded so worried, and it killed her internally and she wanted to die right there. But she knew that she had to pull him away from Eddie.
"Richie…" Beverly muttered, her voice cracking and slightly muffled because of her own tears. There was another pregnant pause, where everyone was frozen as everything around them broke and snapped apart.
Richie then finally turned to Beverly. "What?" he said bitterly, his tone one of extreme irritation as he spoke the word.
"Honey, he's dead," replied Beverly as she sobbed. Even though those words were the final nail in the coffin, Steph was focused and a new wave of bravery swam through her heart as she reached her arms out to Richie. "We have to go," she whispered to him.
"We gotta go, Richie," Bill said, doing the same thing Steph was doing as the woman saw Richie hug Eddie, not wanting to let him go.
"Come on, we gotta go, man!" Ben yelled. "Let him go!"
"No… no, no, we can still help him, guys! We can still help him!" Richie screamed, struggling against Bill and Mike as they pulled him away from Eddie's corpse. As they ran out of the room, Steph soared one last glance at her best friend before leaving him to stay in his permanent tomb.
I'm so sorry, Eddie. I hope you are resting peacefully, she thought to herself sadly as she went through the passageway with the others.
Mike climbed up the hole the came down from first, throwing open the circular door and jumping out. He extended a hand to Steph and she took it instantly so he could pull her up, before helping him pull Bill out seconds later. The three of them pulled Beverly, Ben, and a fighting Richie out of the hole and they all jumped back into the sewer water as stones and garbage splashed into the water. Steph had to cover her head multiple times to avoid getting hit by random things that fell.
All six of them ran through the sewer tunnels, screaming at each other to hurry and to catch up. Steph grabbed Bill's hand and pulled him along, urging him to run faster, and he did what she said.
Somehow, they were all able to climb out of the well when they got there, Bill helping Steph as they did. He held her close to him as they ran through the hallways of Neibolt house, dust and rocks flying behind the six. Rooms started to explode into nothing, making them more set on getting out quickly. Another eruption of wood and rubble blew through the entry hall and it missed Steph by millimeters; if it didn't, she would've died on impact.
After multiple more explosions, the six of them finally got out of Neibolt house, Richie and Ben being the last of them. They raced to the street ahead of them, stopping there for a few seconds before turning around to view the house that was literally collapsing in front of them, making Steph's jaw drop.
"No, no! EDDIE!" screeched Richie, trying to go back inside the now destroyed house, but both Ben and Mike held him back. Steph started sobbing loudly at how distressed and panicked Richie was sounding at that very moment. Bill pulled her to him and ran his hands over her back to comfort her as her body shook.
"We gotta get in there and get him, he's still in there!" Richie cried out, still struggling against Mike and Ben. Steph cried even more, now screaming as more tears left her eyes, knowing that Richie's pleads were going to echo throughout her soul forever.
"EDDIE! EDDIE!" Richie bellowed one final time in pure grief.
A/N: Well... okay... I can deal with it, I'm tough... I don't cry, I don't cry... I DO CRY SOMETIMES! *cries hysterically until the end of time*
So, anyway... THAT was emotional! I hate the fact that Eddie died, mostly because... you know.
RICHIE AND EDDIE FOREVER! REDDIE! R + E! Sorry, I'll calm down now.
So, thoughts on this chapter? Did you cry or not? Let me know! Was it emotional?
There will be three more chapters after this one, so just letting you guys know!
Once again, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Gotta go try and win that horror trivia as well as write the next chapter! Have a great day, and until next time!
- Hermione Romanoff