IT - REVISITED AND REDONE
By Jules
CHAPTER FOUR - THE BARRENS
The rest of that school day passed relatively slowly for the loser's club. Bill and Richie had remained disturbingly quietfor most of the day, not even joining in the conversation at recess time in the cafeteria. The others could sense that there was something wrong but Bill wasn't normally the one to share his problems with anybody.
Another trait that would be retained years later and reappear in the personality of Lucas Wolenczak.
When school was let out, Bill and Richie said goodbye to each other and went separate ways that afternoon. Bill went with Eddie down to the barrens while Richie had promised his dad to mow the grass in the back ground so he could go to the movies on Saturday.
Next to doing voice impressions and jokes, Richie's favourite thing in life was going to the movies. It was through the scores of movies that he watched during his childhood that he got most of the material for his stand up acts and it was the actors on the large screen in front of him that he tried to hard to imitate.
Bill and Eddie went down to the Barrens on a regular basis. The area was nice and secluded from the prying eyes of adults. It was shaded by large trees all along the canal and in places there were a series of small running streams that came together into small ponds of water. It was at one of these such ponds that Bill and Eddie were at this day.
Neither of them were doing particularly much. There was still so much on Bill's mind from what had happened the day before. Eddie could see his best friend lost deep in thought.
The area leading down to the Barrens was a steep slope that came down from the main road. It was on top of this road that today's drama was about to unfold. From where Bill and Eddie were standing, they were blissfully unaware of what was occurring just above them.
Ben Hanscom had been trying to avoid Henry Bowers all day at school. If he saw Henry walking down the hallway at school, Ben quickly ducked into one of the unoccupied class-rooms before he was spotted. He heard Belch and Victor Criss talking to Henry as the three of them walked about the halls like they owned the place.
It was only long after he heard their footsteps that Ben crept slowly out of his hideout and headed in the opposite direction. By the time the bell rang at 3.00pm, Ben thought he would be able to successfully make it home without running into Henry at all today.
He knew that Henry was still sore at him about getting detention for a week even though it had been Henry's fault the whole time. With Henry you couldn't bargain. He was always looking to blame something or someone else for his problems.
Ben had made sure that almost everyone else was gone from the school yard before he stuck his head out the door to see if the coast was clear. Once he was satisfied that Henry or his goons weren't about he started walking to the front gate. He then paused slightly to look over his shoulder and then walked casually out the gate, hands in his pockets and whistling a tune to himself. He only had one thing on his mind at the moment………. BeverleyMarsh.
Ben had managed to walk most of the way home and had just walked past the path that Bill and Eddie used to climb down to the Barrens. If Ben had have been taking careful note, he would have noticed a silver bicycle leaning against a tree not far from the roadway.
Ben had been thinking about Beverley when he felt himself whirled around from behind. As he turned around, he swallowed hard as he came face to face with Henry Bowers. Victor and Belch were standing behind him ready to stop his escape route in case he could manage to out manoeuvre Henry.
"Well well, looky what we have here," Henry now said as he and the other two dragged Ben away from the roadway slightly. With what they were about to do, Henry didn't want any witnesses.
"You know I had to spend a whole afternoon in detention because of you, you big fat lazy pig," Henry Bowers spat at Ben. Henry had one hand on the front of Ben's shirt, Belch and Victor stood either side of the trembling boy so there wasn't much chance of an escape. Ben didn't reply to Henry's comment.
"Now what do you think I should do to you for that pig?" Henry said almost politely in a sarcastic way.
"Leave me the hell alone," Ben said as he finally got the courage up to say something to Henry and his thugs about what was happening to him. He started to struggle against the hands that were holding him to try and get away.
"Oh no you don't porky," Henry shouted as he tightened his grip on the front of Ben's shirt to prevent his intended victim from getting away. "That's not the right answer either fat guts."
Henry pulled one of his hands free that he was using to hold Ben and placed it into the pocket of his jeans, doing it slowly enough that Ben and the others could see what he was doing.
To Ben's horror Henry brought out a small pocket knife. Even Victor and Belch looked warily at each other when they saw the small sharp instrument. Surely Henry didn't actually intend to use it they said silently to each other.
Neither of them wanted to get involved in using knives on people. The usual bullying and teasing that they did when they hung around with Henry was enough excitement for them.
Ben started to struggle again as his fear started to multiply as he tried to think of all the possibilities that could be drawn from Henry holding a knife in his hand. The struggling was a lot stronger because of the fear factor and he was beginning to think that he might just be able to break free and run for his life.
"Will you two lame-brains hold him still," Henry barked at Victor and Belch as he felt his one-handed grip slipping.
Victor and Belch complied, not really wanting to cross Henry themselves and suddenly become the object of his attention instead of Ben.
"Your not really going to cut him are you, Henry?" Victor finally voiced worriedly as Henry extended the folded blade and held it against Ben's bare and very white belly.
"What does it matter to you?" Henry shouted back angrily.
"You protecting him or something Victor?" he accused the boy.
"No I just thought………………," Victor tried to say in his own defence.
"Think. I didn't ask you to think. Just do what your told or I give you a little bit of what I am going to give him," Henry now said into Victor's face.
The argument between Victor and Henry was all that Ben needed to escape. Whilst Henry's attention and gaze where diverted for a few seconds, Ben brought his knee up and with all the force he could muster kicked Henry painfully between his legs.
The result was what he was looking for as Henry suddenly roared with pain. Bowers fell to the ground and was grabbing at this crotch area with both hands whilst rolling around on the ground writhing in agony.
Victor and Belch were trying to assist Henry and also let go of Ben. This was his opportunity. He knew that after what he just did, he had to get as far away from Henry as possible. If was even possible he might have to emigrate or something because he knew that Henry would be now out for nothing less than blood.
Ben didn't know in which direction to run, so he tried behind him down into the Barrens. The slope was steep and slippery due to the green grass that had sprouted from the recent heavy rain.
A couple of times, Ben fell painfully to his knees, and almost fell over on his face twice. He didn't dare look back to see where Henry and the other boys were, he had no doubt that they would soon be following him.
"GET HIM!" Henry roared, still with his hands over his rocks. He had never felt such agonising pain in his life and he was damned sure that the fat kid was going to feel a bit of that pain. "GET THAT FAT SON OF A BITCH!"he repeated and painfully got to his feet to follow Victor and Belch who had followed Ben down the slippery grassy slop towards the Barrens.
Once Ben reached the flattened out ground of the barrens and the area that surrounded the sewer he started to look for a place to hid. He didn't have unending energy to keep running from his chasers and knew that sooner or later Henry and the others would catch up with his ungainly run.
He sent a prayer upwards as he spotted an old abandoned cement piece of pipe laying but a few meters away. He could hear the shouts from Henry and his friends as he climbed into the slime covered hideout. There was something strange feeling on the bottom that felt all gooey but he didn't have time to try and find a nicer feeling hiding place.
He hide inside and waited in silence for Henry and his friends to come running past. His heart was pounding inhis chest and his breathing so hard that he even put his hand over his mouth in case they heard him.
When Ben had stumbled his way down the grassy slope, he was too busy in running and keeping his butt safe that he failed to see that two other people did see where he hid in the cement pipe.
It was Eddie Kaspbrak and Bill Denbrough.
The crew from SeaQuest were also there in their silent form and had listened intently to the two friends as they talked about various topics. They felt a little guilty learning more about Lucas this way but by the same token they were completing fascinated with the other side of Lucas that they had never seen or should have ever known about.
As they listened to the two friends talking, they found out some deep dark secrets that Lucas had been suppressing all this time. Lucas explained to Eddie how he had felt about his brother's death and murder.
About how each day he came home from school to find his parents sitting another few feet apart from each other, slowing drifting further and further away themselves over the loss of their son George.
And Bill was left standing in the middle of them both. He tried to reach out to them and show them that they still had one son who needed love. But the more he tried to reach out, the more he found that he couldn't seem to get any closer. With the death and loss of his younger brother, the Denbrough's had forgotten that there was another son that needed love and understanding.
The SeaQuest couldn't help but think of the similarities between Bill's relationship with his parents after Georgie's death and that of Lucas with Lawrence and Cynthia Wolenczak. Although the physical abuse wasn't there, the lovelessness and distance was frighteningly the same.
When Ben Hanscom had stumbled down the embankment and hidden himself away in the cement pipe, Bill and Eddie had stood nearby not knowing what it was all about. They had been startled by the noise of Ben's fall behind them. They could see that he was running from somebody. It wasn't a few minutes later that they understood why the chubby boy was running so hard.
Bill Denbrough saw Henry Bowers, Victor and Belch come stumbling down the embankment into the Barrens in a similar fashion to Ben. Eddie had almost gasped out loud in shock at the older and much bigger boys coming at them. He quickly moved to stand behind his friend Bill just in case.
Bill felt Eddie's trembling grasp on the back of his t-shirt was determined to defend the smaller boy if necessary. Henry and his friends had been as surprised as Bill and Eddie to see someone else at the bottom of the grassy slope. Henry had seen the fat boy talking to Bill and his friends at the cafeteria yesterday and the day before.
Maybe he could bully them into telling him and his friends where the fat kid had gone.
"Well looky what we have here," he said in an over-exaggerated voice as he and the two other boys walked towards Bill and Eddie.
Henry made sure that he was only standing about a foot away from Bill when he asked his question. If the kid even looked like lying, he was in striking distance to deliver a punch for his deception.
"You see a fat kid run by here?" he now asked Bill. The question was directed at both boys, but Eddie was too busy burying his face into the back of Bill's stripy shirt. Eddie could start to feel his chest becoming tight from his fear. He pulled his hands off Bill's shirt and started rubbing at the area to try and get his breathing back to normal.
"I said which way did he go?" Henry now roared and grabbed Eddie by the front of his shirt, pulling him out from behind Bill and making him stand in front of them as well.
By now, Eddie was wheezing so badly from his asthma that he wouldn't have been able to answer Henry even if he wanted to.
"L-l-leave h-him alone," Lucas dared to say to Henry. Although he was a little intimidated by the three of them together, he wasn't about to let them bully around a sick kid. Eddie was his friend.
"What did you say, mushmouth?" Henry now asked, making fun of Lucas's speech impediment.
Eddie was now feeling around in his pockets for his inhaler. He needed it really bad and was having trouble remembering which pocket it was in.
"I said did you see a fat kid run by here?" Henry now said in annoyance, realising that if the fat kid had kept running,that his little detour and talk with Bill and Eddie would have put a fairly good distance between them and him.
"N-No," Lucas now said, helping Eddie with his inhaler. The younger boy was having trouble calming himself down enough for the medicine to be of any benefit.
"You better be sure about that," Henry warned. "A fat kid all mussed up" he added, noting that Ben would be covered in just as much mud and grass from the hill and they were.
"I-I'm sure," Lucas now said, hoping that the boys would soon leave so that he could help Eddie. The longer they stayed around to harass them, the more scared and upset Eddie was going to get.
"I'll be keeping my eye on you, mushmouth," Henry warned Lucas.
Henry and the other two boys now took off down the other end of the Barrens that would eventually take them back to Witcham Street.
With Henry and his friends gone, Lucas now focused his attention on helping Eddie. "Y-You alright E-e-eddie?" he stuttered
"Thanks, Bill," Eddie said as his voice slowly started to return as the medicine started to help his breathing. For the next few minutes Eddie just sat on the ground breathing deeply in and out, trying to get his breathing back to a normal pattern again.
Bill had been too busy worrying about Eddie to hear any footsteps approach them.
"Are they gone?" Ben now asked sheepishly as he stood beside Bill and Eddie.
Lucas looked up quickly as though startled. He relaxed and even had a smile on his face when saw it was only the new kid standing there and not Henry Bowers coming back to ask questions again.
"Yes-yes, their gone," Lucas replied. He was still pre-occupied with Eddie who was still having trouble getting his breathing under control.
"H-how about I-I go and g-get a some of w-w-water?" Bill asked his friend. Eddie nodded his head in agreement but couldn't find his breath enough to say the words.
Bill didn't want to go and leave his friend Eddie lone, not even long enough to get the water bottle that was neatly tied to his bicycle. He looked at Ben standing there with a box full of candy and saw an opportunity.
"C-can you stay here with my f-friend while I g-go get some water?" he asked Ben. "M-my bicycle is on top of the h-hill. N-not far," he added.
"Sure, I stay here with him," Ben said, but not really knowing what he was going to do if the other sickly looking kid started to gasp and labour for air.
Eddie and Ben both watched Bill race up the hill towards his bicycle. Both knew although he wanted to get up there quick, the slippery grass and steepness of the hill would soon slow him down.
"So whose the other guy?" Ben now asked, indicating Bill. He had seen both Eddie and Bill around the school yard as well as a few other kids with them but he had always held back and been too shy to go up and ask them who they were or if they wanted to play with him. Ben spent most of his school lunch times in the library reading.
"Bill?" Eddie said at first making sure Ben was talking about Bill. "Bill's my best friend. He's a really great guy."Eddie said in appreciation. Bill had always been there for him for when he needed him. Like just right now when Henry Bowers and his gang came scrambling down the hill after Ben.
Bill was coming back now and about half way down the hill when he called out to the other two down below, "I-'mm b-back" he said and held up the water bottle in his hand to show he had succeeded in his task.
"Does he always stutter that much?" Ben asked, not wanting to pry, but the stuttering was hard to ignore after a while. He had even noticed it when they had been in class. The kid could scarcely put two words together without stumbling over himself.
"It's worse since his kid brother died," Eddie admitted sadly. "Somebody killed George. Pulled one of his arms off just like a wing off a fly. I just wanted to tell you because if you want Bill to be your friend, it's best not to talk to him about George. He's all messed up about it," Eddie said.
"I would be too," Ben replied but didn't know what it would really be like because he was an only child.
"W-would be too what?" Lucas now asked as he rejoined the other two and handed the water bottle to Eddie.
"Oh nothing," Eddie replied and quickly took the cap off the bottle and starting drinking before Bill asked any more awkward questions. Neither he nor Ben had heard Bill come up behind him. Eddie just hoped that he hadn't heard any more of the conversation than the last sentence.
"Do you guys play down here all the time?" Ben now asked hopefully, changing the topic of conversation to something more cheerful.
"Y-yeah, Eddie and me, we are trying to make a d-dam," Bill said excitedly, happy to share with the new kid what the two had been doing before Henry and his bunch turned up.
"Want to come here tomorrow and help out?" Bill now asked, noting that it was now late afternoon and they all should be making tracks for home very shortly.
"Sure," Ben said thrilled that he had been asked to come and play. Because they had only just moved to town he hadn't made very many new friends. He was normally somebody who didn't attract many friends anyway.
With the sun beginning to set, the three new found friends said goodbye to each other and made plans to meet down at the Barrens the following day. Each promised to bring some food to share.
The SeaQuest crew found themselves following silently behind Lucas again as he travelled home. Each day they couldn't help but be amazed at each new part of Lucas's life that they learned about.
to be continued...
JULES