A/N: Hello, everyone! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe.

This will be the only update this week as I found myself two chapters from catching up in editing, fixing, rewriting, and proofing chapters. My next post probably won't be until next Tuesday night or two weeks from now. I keep finding myself working on scenes for future updates, plus I'm kind of stuck on one.

I made a few changes in this chapter, including some dialogue, some scene changes, and an additional scene. There is also one key detail I left out from the first draft.

Anyway, enjoy the read, and reviews are always appreciated, even constructive criticism.

It's been almost a week since Mike last spoke with Ruth.

The only time Mike saw her was when she and Richie nearly collided with one another. He noticed at that moment something was terribly wrong. Mike wanted to ask but decided to leave Richie alone with Ruth. It would have given them a chance to sort things out. However, that is not what happened. Richie approached him, along with Stan, about Ruth. He wanted to know what was going on because Richie saw bruises on her arms, along with a busted lip. Mike couldn't lie and told them everything. He didn't want to break Ruth's promise, but Mike felt cornered. Both Richie and Stan were disturbed by it all yet felt sickened. Mike pressured them to not say a word to the others.

It's something they had to keep to themselves.

It's kind of a good thing, too. The moment Mike, along with the others, stopped at Eddie's, shit went downhill from there. Bill was hell-bent on banding together and stop IT. Beverly backed him up and wanted to run towards something. Mike wanted nothing to do with it. He's an outsider and wanted to keep it that way. Stan didn't want to get involved either because he didn't want to die. Ben plans on moving out of Derry. He won't be around whenever IT returns. Richie didn't want to fight either. He got the piss scared out of him and didn't want to die like Georgie. Bill and Rich got into a fight after that.

Mike sighs heavily from remembering all of that.

Ever since then, Richie, Mike, and Stan increasingly grew disturbed about Ruth's sudden disappearance. She hasn't been around, and it frightened them. Richie has an inkling Ruth committed suicide but wants to remain optimistic. He wants to believe Ruth is alive somewhere and safe. Mike wants to have faith in him, along with Stan, but they all knew. They know something happened to Ruth and are suspicious that The Greyson's have something to do with it.

They also had to consider Ruth's stalker somehow involved. Her and the mysterious male were pretty chummy with one another at the fair. Mike thought that maybe the stalker finally snatched her and is holding Ruth hostage somewhere. Richie dismissed the notion right away because he saw how Ruth acted around the cute and nameless stalker. Even the guy was looking at her as if he liked her boldness. Richie even thought they looked cute together. The comment made Mike and Stan flip out and professed their feelings towards her. Richie smirked at them and called the Love Triangle a "Love Diamond" since another person is involved. They were not amused.

To be certain, Mike needs to visit Ruth's home before pointing his finger at the stalker.

Mike voiced his thought to Stan earlier, who highly advised against it. Richie even criticized him for how bad an idea it is when Stan called him about what Mike was doing. He knows it's risky, but Mike needs to know. He went against both Richie and Stan's urgent warning and came here. He can only hope Ruth greets him as she did before.

He stood in the driveway briefly, then eased himself off his bike. With a quick breath, Mike approached Ruth's home. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to not go, but his aching heart spoke differently. Mike cares deeply about Ruth. He has to know.

With a heavy exhale, Mike raps at the door. His heart jumped to his throat when a thought struck him. Mike saw the truck and the red car. Ruth's parents are at home.

Oh, fuck! What the hell am I doing? Leave, idiot! You're going to get Ruth in trouble, Mike screamed at himself.

Mike turns to leave but stops when the door squeaked open. An unbearable knot twisted in his stomach and stiffens.

"Who are you?" A female questioned, her voice fruity yet orotund.

Mike, who stood petrified, stares absently at the woman in front of him. She has Marilyn Monroe's flaxen blonde hair that came to her shoulders, dishwater blonde showed at the roots, and styled in subtle waves. The woman has these beautiful lush green eyes that reminded Mike of a dark and wet forest. He blinks, scanning the woman up and down. Whoever the woman is, she's relatively attractive. She has slender legs, fair in complexion, and tight full lips which are pursed. Mike noticed a dusting of pale freckles at her hollowed cheeks and nose, even a blotchy birthmark at the corner of her right eye.

Um, she's pretty. Who is she now? Mike asks himself.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house," Mike answers dumbly while still staring.

The woman cocks her head slightly. "Who are you looking for then?"

"Uh, the Greyson Residence."

"This is The Greyson Residence. What do you want, and who the fuck are you?" She snapped with agitation.

Could you be a little less hostile, lady? Jeez, Mike thought to himself.

He opened his mouth to answer when Jonathan came up from behind and laid a hand on the woman's waist. Jonathan glared daggers at Mike, his lips a thin line.

"Well, look who we have here. If it isn't Mike Hanlon, the Colored Boy. What are you doing in these parts, boy?" Jonathan grated.

"You know this kid?" The woman inquired, glaring at Mike still.

"Yeah, he came by here several weeks ago and returned some stupid library book Amber dropped."

The woman's eyes flickered, her head cocking in the opposite direction now. "Oh."

"Look, I'm really sorry to have bothered you. I just wanted to know if you had seen Ruth around." Mike directed this towards Jonathan.

"Why do you care? You shouldn't be around my daughter, to begin with." The woman sneered viciously.

Mike stares, befuddled. Huh?

"Your daughter?" He questions carefully, eyeballing the woman again, who sighed heavily.

"Yes, Amber is my daughter. I know I don't look like it."

Mike continues to stares, taken aback yet extremely confused.

Wait, this is Jordan? How come she doesn't look a little like Ruth then? Mike thought to himself.

"You're Jordan?"

Jordan rolls her eyes in exasperation. "Yes, I'm Jordan. Now, what do you want with her?"

He glares a moment longer before answering.

"I didn't know who she was at first since I'm an outsider and out of the loop on some things. I met Ruth officially several weeks ago to drop off her library book. I deliver meats to the butcher shops and usually see her around. For the last week or so, I haven't seen her. I figured I keep an eye on Ruth if she ever spoke to anyone when she shouldn't be. You know, help you guys out." Mike explained with a relaxed shrug.

Jordan observes him, reading Mike for any deception. Oddly enough, she saw no sign of dishonesty. Mike has perfected his storytelling. Jordan believes him.

"Oh, unfortunately, I haven't seen her around for about a week myself."

Jonathan watches Jordan and Mike, with confusing contorting his features. Jonathan remembers the conversation he had with Henry. He doesn't buy it. Mike rescued Ruth from getting hit by a truck and rode off with her. The whole looking after Ruth for them is complete bullshit.

"Really? From what Henry informed me, you saved our little girl from getting hit by a damn truck. The next minute you rode off with her, and who knows what happened after that. So, tell me, Mike, why are you really here?"

Jordan's features scrunched, glaring dangerously at Mike now. "Is that so?"

Fuck, not good, not good at all. I should have listened to Stan and Richie, Mike berated himself.

He went to answer but stops. Yes, he's caught in a lie. However, Mike noticed something peculiar about the Greyson's now that he's met both of them. Neither of them has traits that would benefit Ruth's appearance. He eyes Jordan again. Ruth looks nothing like her mother Mike was led to believe. On top of which, Jordan is shapely and sinewy, whereas Ruth is petite. He glances at Jonathan. He's noticing more features than the first time he saw Jonathan. The man is wiry, toned, and tanned. Working in construction made him a bronze god. Jonathan is attractive to a degree. He is intimidating with a square jawline, a Romanesque nose a lot like Jordan's, and a chinstrap beard with a goatee.

How are they, Ruth's parents? She doesn't look like either of them? Mike thought.

"Speechless, are we? You know, I don't like liars."

Mike gulps, observing Jordan now. He noticed her hand reach inside her pocket and snatch a cigarette. She pulls it up to her lips while glaring at him still. Mike does not like the looks of her. As he continued to stare, he caught something else. It stuck out of her pocket where she had the cigarette, a pocketknife. Mike flicks his eyes back on her, seeing her jaw square.

Who exactly are these people? Mike questioned to himself.

"What are you looking at, Mike?" Jordan asked him.

Mike doesn't flinch. In fact, he puffs his chest. He glares at her, his lips lightly pursing.

"Nothing, Mrs. Greyson. I'm sorry to have bothered you. Have a good day now." Mike answers, turning quickly.

Now that he's met Jordan, Mike has a firm belief that The Greyson's are not who they appear. One of them is not a parent to Ruth, maybe even both. He's going to talk with Stan and Richie about this discovery.

"Your name is Mike, isn't it?"

Mike looks back, glaring at her with a determined glint. "Yes, Mike Hanlon, the Homeschool Kid."

Jordan puffs her cigarette, frowning deeply. "Well, Mike Hanlon, the Homeschool Kid, I'll let Amber know that her friend came by. That is if she ever turns up again."

Mike didn't like the sound of that. What does she mean by ever turning up? Something is not right here.

He thought about leaving it alone, but his mouth wouldn't stop. "You know, I may have met Ruth once, but she has strawberry blonde, almost ginger hair. Why is it none of you do?"

From this short distance, Jordan's gaze hardened. "That is none of your damn business, Mike." She viciously snarls.

He opens his mouth to retort, only to close when someone else came on the scene.

"MIKE!"

Mike stiffened slightly, but he turned to the voice. He saw Stan coming towards him, looking frantic.

"What are you doing? You can't be here," Stan approached, grabbing Mike by the arm.

"And just who the hell are you?" Jonathan demanded with a snarl.

"Don't answer that," Mike whispers urgently, following Stan.

"What the hell is the matter with you? You just got Ruth in deeper trouble, Mike."

"HEY! I'm talking to you, you little shit!" Jonathan came up from behind and snatched Stan at the collar, yanking him back. Stan yelps, cowering.

Mike snapped. He turned on his heel and clocked Jonathan in the jaw. The man staggers back, releasing Stan's shirt. Stan almost fell with the man, but Mike was quick to stabilize him. He held him up before stepping in front of Stan protectively. An intense fire burned in his coal-black eyes at Jonathan from laying a hand on Stan.

"You listen to me, you sum bitch! You don't come after one of my friends like that ever again. If you so much as lay a hand on him or me, not only will I tell my granddad of what happened, I will go to the police and have your short-tempered white ass arrested. You hear me!"

Jonathan glared dangerously at Mike then. "You should not have struck me, boy."

Stan stood behind Mike, mouth gaping and eyes wide. He watched as Mike stood up to the large man, frightened to the core. Stan doesn't like the fact Mike went against his warning and came here. He can't believe himself for coming. Well, Stan had a bad feeling Mike disregarded his advice. He needed to come here and stop Mike. So, he's glad Mike came. Stanley is glancing from Jonathan to Jordan suspiciously. They do not look anything like Ruth.

He watched as Jonathan advanced on Mike, getting ready to strike. Except, Jordan intercepts and wrangles him in.

"Enough!" She bellows at him, rage blazing in her forest-green eyes.

Jordan glares at Jonathan, her lips pursed angrily. "Restrain yourself this instant. Striking the boy will draw unnecessary attention. We don't need that. Now calm the fuck down."

Jonathan glares at Mike then at Stan, frowning. "Fine, sure. If I see either of you two back here again, I will put you in an early grave."

"Did you seriously just threaten us?" Stan boldly questions, his fist trembling at his side.

The male towers, glaring at the teenager with malice. He inches forward, forcing the two back. "Yeah, yeah, I did. You got a problem with that, flamer?"

"Back off, Jonathan," Jordan growls, pulling him away from Mike and Stan.

She glares at him for a moment then towards the boys.

"You boys best get off my property before I call the cops on you for trespassing. If Amber ever does come home, I'll point her in your direction, Mike. Now, leave."

Mike stares at Jordan while Stan pulled him towards their bikes. He sees it in Jordan's eyes, fury. Coming here was a mistake. He can see that now. Mike has an inkling that something horrible is going to happen now. He forced himself to move, following Stan. Mike doesn't take his eyes off Jordan or Jonathan as he climbed on then rushed down the road with Stan in tow.

Jordan watched Mike and Stan rush down the road, scowling angrily. Her fingers twist, snapping the cigarette in half. She turns to Jonathan, pushing him towards the house. Jordan makes one last glance at the street, then entered the threshold where Jonathan started freaking out.

"Son of a fucking bitch! That little slut has been talking! They know!"

"You need to settle the fuck down, Jon. I highly doubt she knows anything."

"How do you know for sure? You saw the way those little punks were looking at us."

"Again, they don't know jack shit! If my nuisance of a daughter did say something, the police would be here by now. Now shut the fuck up!"

Jordan approaches the phone, angrily grabbing it. "She should have listened to me."

Jonathan grew nervous when he saw Jordan on the phone. "No, no, I can't go back there, Jordan. I can't!"

"You are not going anywhere," Jordan affirms calmly.

"Fucking shit, Jo! I don't care if I have to take out a couple of cops or those two boys to not go back to that fucking hell hole. It will be an electric chair for me!" Jonathan frantically screams, pulling his hair.

"What did I just tell you? You are not going anywhere, dear brother. I'll make sure of that," Jordan reassures.

"How? What are you going to do, Jo?" Jonathan screams again.

"You need to pipe it down. Can't you see the phone in my hand?"

Jonathan glares, "Who the fuck are you calling?"

"Shut up," Jordan instructs harshly while rotating numbers.

"Jo," Jonathan growls, inching towards her.

"Shut up," she grounds.

"I'm warning you, Jordan. Don't you dare call him!"

"What?" A male voice demanded.

Jordan, without any effort, collects herself.

"You need to work on your phone etiquette, Butch." Her voice is soft and low.

"Ah, Christ! What the fuck do you want?"

"Butch, I know we didn't leave on the best of terms, but I need your help."

"Aw, hell! What sort of trouble did you get yourself into this time?"

"It's not me who is in trouble. It's Ruth."

He snorts, "What about the little skank?"

"I know you don't like her much, but I'm worried. She's missing."

He chokes, spews liquid, then a clatter of beer cans follows.

"What the fuck? She's missing? When?"

"Yes, she's missing. Ruth hasn't been home for almost a week. I'm starting to worry something has happened to her, but I really don't want to think the worse. Has Henry, by any chance, seen her?"

"HENRY!" Butch yells loudly.

Jordan flinches from his booming voice, tears burning her vision.

"What?" Jordan hears Henry call.

"Where is she?"

"Who?"

"You know who, Ruth. Where is she?"

There is a short pause before Henry stutters. "I haven't seen her for almost two weeks!"

"Bullshit! I know you've seen her around."

"Yeah, several days after she punched me in the fucking nuts!"

"Oh, boohoo! Now, where is she?"

"I swear! I don't know! The guys and I have been looking all over for her! We can't find her anywhere!"

Jordan grew rigid, her eyes hardening, and lips tightened.

"Butch," Jordan inquires gently.

Butch groans, "God, fuck damnit if you are lying to me."

"I'm not, dad! Call The Cris's or even The Huggins' if you like to confirm, but I have not seen Ruth."

"Butch," Jordan calls again.

Butch sighs, "Fuck. I'll file a missing child report for you. We'll find her, Jo."

"Thank you, Butch. Do me a favor and ask Henry to continue searching for her. If he finds her, have him bring Ruth home. I miss her terribly." She sobs lightly.

Jonathan watched Jordan, biting his knuckle to keep himself quiet.

"Will do, Jo. Take care now, and don't fret. We'll find her." Butch replies solemnly.

"Thank you, Butch. We'll talk soon."

Jordan immediately hangs up then turns to Jonathan. He busts up while she grins proudly.

"You deserve an Oscar for that performance, JoJo," Jonathan compliments.

"Oh, stop," Jordan continues to grin then started for the master.

"If you weren't whoring around with the Cop and Big Shot and were fertile at the time because you didn't use protection, you would not have gotten pregnant, you stupid bitch."

"I slept with Rutherford, or Mr. Big Shot, as you put it, was because he was handsome," Jordan replies, as she brought a cigarette to her lips.

"And freaking loaded to the teeth," Jonathan adds.

"Yeah, that, too."

Jonathan studies Jordan for a moment as she lights her cigarette. "You do realize we are both in trouble here, right?"

She glances at him, her features slacked, and showed no emotion.

"I know that."

"So, you know if Amber finds out the truth about anything, we are fucking done."

"I realize that."

"So, why don't we go wherever the dough is stashed and get the fuck out of Derry?"

"It's not that easy," Jordan answers with a ribbon of wispy smoke leaving her lips.

Jonathan glares, "What do you mean?"

"Meaning, Ruth is the sole heir to Rutherford's inheritance, which includes a substantial amount of money and some beach house. As long as Ruth is alive, we can't touch it."

Jonathan stares horrified. "You've kept the little slut alive this long. Why?"

"It states in Rutherford's will: once Ruth comes of age fourteen, everything goes into her name. Her birthday is tomorrow, you know."

"So," he inquires, stalling.

"If we are going through with this, we would have to make her death look like an accident."

Jonathan bounces on his feet excitedly, grinning madly. "We're going to be filthy rich!"

"Don't get too excited, though. If, for whatever reason, Ruth puts up a fight, Butch will know she was murdered."

"The girl is scrawny, to begin with. What kind of fight can she put up?"

Jordan smiled suddenly, where her dingy whites show, "You never know about people until they are pushed to their limits."

When Jonathan scowls at her, she swiftly turned away and into the master to stare wistfully at the Hidden by Nature poster again.

He watched her leave, hearing her mumble something but couldn't figure out what. He knows this, though, his sister Jordan wished she never met Ruth's father.

Both him and Jordan committed heinous acts. He was already in trouble and was on trial facing multiple accounts of manslaughter. Of course, this was before Jonathan got sentenced to life imprisonment at Shawshank. He heard about Jordan auditioning for a starring role in a horror-thriller film. He would have gone to see it for the sake of his only family then.

Their mother left them high and dry when they were kids. They had a deadbeat father who could care less about them. Jonathan had to step up to the plate and take care of his twin sister Jordan. That was great a burden at such a young age.

They were almost decent kids, too. Jordan excelled in her studies and became one of those popular girls. Not the cliché kind where she is the head cheerleader dating the school's star quarterback. That was not Jordan. Jordan was a popular nerd and had a tremendous gift for acting. She was also considered the school's slut, which caused a lot of break-ups. Apparently, she was a good lay as one of the boys Jordan slept with put it. Jonathan was happy to knock their teeth out of his skull.

Jonathan was the silent, observant introvert who was extremely protective of his sister. Whenever he beat up a boy, everyone assumed it was the other guy. They never suspected him. Of course, it caught up with him when his father laid hands on Jordan. Jonathan beat his father to the point of killing him. The authorities would have arrested him if he and his sister hadn't fled the city of Portland to come here. From there, things looked up for them.

Unfortunately, their luck ran out by the time they were in their early adult years. Jordan got her part in an upcoming major film while he got arrested. Other than his father, Jonathan, killed other people. He went to Shawshank with no hope of parole or bail. Jordan was whoring around with the cop when she met Ruth's father. The guy had money. Jordan figured she would sleep with the guy, get his help, and use that money to bail Jonathan out, not that he needed it. He couldn't get bail, even if he wanted. Shit went downhill from there.

Oh, well, Jordan will get the revenge she wants soon. I, for one, desire it more, Jonathan thought.

He stalked towards the master. A metaphorical lightbulb went off, and an evil grin surfaced, "Oh, Jordan."

Jonathan sees her from behind the door, watching Jordan lightly cry.

"Baby sister," he calls.

Jordan looks his way, her eyes brimmed still with tears. She gulped, trembling under his intense gaze, and took a step sideways further into the room.

She knows how her brother is whenever Jonathan has that look in his eyes. He's plotting something that will surely go south. The thought of losing her brother again frightened Jordan. Jordan is a different person when he is not around, and she fears that side of her. She is certain Jonathan is not the same without her, either. They are like Ying and Yang. So, when Jonathan was incarcerated, Jordan did everything she could to get him back. Her sleeping with the Big Shot to weave into his pocketbook was one of them. Siblings stick together, no matter what they do to get there.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Jordan complained with a pout.

"I know, but, technically, you are the youngest."

"Yeah, by thirteen minutes."

Jonathan groans and rolled his eyes. "Does it really matter how far apart we were? Look, you're my baby twin sister, and I still have a sense of responsibility for you. We need each other."

Jordan stares at him briefly with a small frown, and eyes fell to the floor.

He heaves a sigh then approaches his twin. Jonathan encases Jordan in his arms, embracing her tightly. She returns the gesture with a small sniffle and pecks a kiss on his shoulder.

"You know, I love you, right?"

Jonathan smiles softly. "I know. I love you, too, sis."

"Does my big brother have a plan to get rid of the gnat?"

"Ohh, he does, and I believe it's a solid, flawless plan."

Jordan bobs excitedly in his arms with a girly giggle. "Tell me, tell me."

Jonathan chuckled and picked Jordan up to carry her to the bed. They sat on the mattress like the two used to do when they were kids, conspiring on how to kill Ruth.

Sunday, July 20

Twenty-four hours later, around 7:30 p.m.

It's an hour before twilight. The sun blazed a golden yellow as it gradually settled to the west—the sky a warm blue and cloudless. A flock of songbirds chirped nearby in the trees, greeting the approaching evening. The air smelled of moist earth and fire from a neighbors grill. It's dinner time anyway. The thought of sizzling hot dogs or juicy burgers grilling on an open flame made Ruth's mouth water.

Damn, I'm hungry, she thought to herself.

She had been out of the house, and at a time, Ruth is not used to. Usually, her runs are in the mornings, not late in the afternoon. Except, Ruth had to go into town, and without being seen, for some nonperishables. The three bags at her side are full of boxes of fiber cereals, cans of vegetables, salty meat sticks, bottles of water, toiletries, and a few sugary snacks. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it will provide Ruth with plenty of meals until her next run, which will be five days from now. Of course, Ruth wouldn't have bought all of this if she hadn't taken Jordan's tips and Jonathan's bonus. Not that she should have stolen from them, but they hardly notice when the money is gone. The goods left Ruth enough money to grab tools later and do some repairs around the house. She already rigged the upstairs bathroom to full functionality and found a mattress in excellent shape for a bed. Ruth could use a box spring or even a decent platform to keep her off the floor.

Ruth could inquire about some assistance from her stalker now that she ran into him today. She was glad, too. It was getting to the point Ruth needed some sort of interaction with someone other than Pennywise. Not that Ruth is complaining or anything, but she desired a real conversation with someone. He inquired about the bags in her arms upon seeing her and wondered what the occasion was. Ruth revealed that today is her birthday and needed some things for her private party. The stalker surprised Ruth when he started singing Happy Birthday to her in Swedish. She shyly smirked during the duration of the song, even flattered. The last thing Ruth expected was his lips touching her forehead in a sweet and tender kiss, causing her to nearly faint because she was touched. The contact also gave her this strange and electrifying charge down her spine and tingled her in places Ruth never thought possible. She wasn't going to say anything about it when he whispered in her ear how happy he was to see her.

He openly admitted that he was concerned about her since the guy hasn't seen Ruth around lately. Ruth was quick to reassure him that everything is fine and is just staying out of the public eye. She could have left out the part of hiding from her parents, though. Ruth remembers the expression he had when she revealed this, along with everything else. He seemed deeply saddened and guilty about her situation, even angered that Jonathan touched her. Ruth feels he understands her pain and wants to do something about it but is afraid of the outcome if he tried.

"I really hate that you're going through this, Ruth," his voice whispered in her mind.

Ruth even remembers his fingers brushing her cheeks as if to comfort her in some fashion.

"And I wish there was something more I could do to help."

"Why can't you?"

He couldn't give her an answer, but Ruth knew. It was the look in his eyes. Someone he knew went through a similar experience, or maybe even him, and something happened that scarred his heart. It would answer the cold detachment, and sadness Ruth saw that day at the fair. Ruth then couldn't help but relate on an emotional level. She can tell just from their interactions they are a lot alike, like kindred spirits.

Maybe instead of asking for his help, Ruth should find him and just get the hell out of Derry with him. They can run away together, but that would cause problems for him. The police will think he abducted her and press additional charges against him. Ruth doesn't want that. She already likes the guy and would hate for anything horrible happening to him.

Ruth has to stay here and protect her stalker despite their strange relationship and until Pennywise hibernates. She wants to spend as much time with the clown and build a firm friendship with Pennywise. It seems he could use a friend like she does. Well, so could her stalker, who still won't give Ruth his name.

Why don't you want me to know about you? Ruth sadly thought to herself.

To rid herself of swarming thoughts, Ruth started to sing.

"Gay go up, and gay go down," she sang out loud.

It was her way to fill the silence while she walked back to Neibolt with a frown.

"To ring the bells of London town."

Ruth hummed the following lyrics but slowly stops.

She stood in the middle of the road, her eyes fixated on the empty curve that led to the house less than a quarter-mile away. A chill trickled down her spine, gooseflesh covered her entire body, and muscles tensed. Her breath labored as a sensation pricked at the nape of Ruth's neck. It felt like the tiny needles of a tattoo gun designing cryptic letters at her skin.

Something is wrong.

Ruth peered over her shoulders then behind her for a visual clue of what could trigger this strange warning.

Nothing, at least, not yet.

Ruth has a limited window.

Without second-guessing herself on what to do, Ruth darts to an overly weeded shrub that looks like an ordinary bush needed trimming, but no one really cared. How can anyone complain when it's not obstructing someone's view or an eyesore? It is just there. This is actually the perfect place to make an emergency drop. She and Pennywise took some time to designate drop-offs if something happened when Ruth was out and needed to stash her things quickly. This is one of those occasions. Ruth swiftly moved twigs from her vision and dived deep to uncover a worn and dingy igloo cooler. She flips the lid and rapidly stows the bags, which fit perfectly. With a quick snap of the top, Ruth stood to recover the hole and towards the street.

Another thing Ruth and Pennywise did was have hideaways not too far from the drop-offs. There is one right across the street. All she has to do is make a quick dash into the tree line, find her spot, and watch the road. Once Ruth knows she is in the clear after five minutes of waiting, she will grab her things and make her trek to Neibolt the backway. That is one of the other things she and Pennywise discussed if something like before happened again. Come in from the back.

Ruth sprints. She glances towards the direction she came to check if anyone was coming but saw no one. Ruth then turned to her left, expecting nothing but an empty street. Her hopes of anyone not being there are crushed. Ruth stumbled to a stop in the middle of the road. She stood stationary with jaw slacked when her eyes land on a recognizable car turned the corner. Her vision blurred, and heart plummeted to her stomach, growing sick as Belch's car speed towards her.

Ruth can't run and hide now.

She's been caught.

Pen, Ruth said his name in her head, hoping that Pennywise will come running if he were anywhere near.

If she had her stalker with when he inquired about escorting Ruth back to her safe place, he would most likely stand in front and protect her. He does give off that bodyguard vibe and would do just about anything to ensure Ruth's safety.

The tires screamed as Belch screeched to a jarring halt, snapping Ruth out of her head.

Henry is the first one that came into her line of vision and started forwards with purposeful strides and a determined glint in his eye.

Ruth snarls and begun to back away with a finger pointed at him.

"You stay the hell away from me," she demanded.

"You're coming with me," his voice more commanding than hers.

"I'm warning you, Bowers. You stay the fuck away from me."

He continued to press forward despite the authority in her tone.

"Jordan wants you home. Now, let's go."

Henry grabs at her but is surprised when Ruth punches him in the face. He stumbles back, slightly stunned but is swift to snatch Ruth when she tried to run.

"Let go of me!"

She fought with him because Ruth knew it would wear Henry out. Ruth connected several elbows to his stomach and stomped on his foot.

"Ow! Fucking bitch!"

Ruth's fist collides with his mouth.

"We looked everywhere for you, sweet cheeks," Victor replies as he approached Henry, who is struggling in subduing Ruth.

He watched as Henry tried to hoist Ruth off the ground despite the injuries.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Ruth screamed, twisting in his arms.

"Henry, please stop," Belch pleaded.

He stood to the side, watching Ruth struggle to get free. Belch wants to step in and help but knew what would happen if he did. Ruth glanced over at him, begging for aid. Belch doesn't want to jeopardize his relationship with her, nor does he really want to reveal anything about Ruth's situation. However, he can't idly stand by watching her fight off Henry.

Screw this, Belch says to himself.

Belch stomps forward with fists balled at his side.

"Damnit, Henry, let go!" Ruth yells, fighting to get free still.

Henry pops Ruth in the mouth, stunning her, stoops to grab at her thighs, then flung Ruth over his shoulder.

"You son of a bitch, let me down!"

Ruth punches and slaps at his back, growling.

"Let me down!"

"Put her down, Henry," Belch growls as he got close.

"Fuck off," Henry retorts and roughly shoves Belch out of his way, who stumbles.

Belch scowled at Henry and started after him if Victor hadn't stopped him.

"Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"We can't take Ruth home, Vic."

"Why the hell not?"

"Look at her, man," Belch motioned towards Ruth is fighting still. "Why do you think Ruth is fighting the way she is? If we take her home, she will die."

Victor seemed disturbed at this. He turned his gaze towards Henry, who carried Ruth to the car. A sickening feeling suddenly developed in his gut. He sees something in her eyes that Henry failed to notice. Ruth is terrified.

What is she afraid of? Aw, crap, I don't like this, Victor thought to himself.

"Damnit, Henry! Let me down! I'm not going back there! I won't!" Ruth screams, desperately slapping and punching his back.

"OW! Fucking shit, bitch! You're going back, rather you like it or not."

He approached the car, shoving her in. Ruth fights still, kicking and punching him away. She tries to escape, but Henry prevents her from doing so. He crawls in after Ruth, cramming her towards the back. Henry situated himself close to Ruth and wrapped an arm around her.

"Argh, damnit Henry, let_."

Henry slaps a hand over her mouth, muffling her shouts.

"Shh, you'll draw attention," he purrs in Ruth's ear, stroking her neck.

Ruth violently shakes, her lips tremble from underneath Henry's hand. She wants to cry and will. A few tears rolled from her eyes as Henry continued to trail his fingers down her neck.

Henry turns to Belch, who stood outside the car. "Get your ass in and let's go," he starts. He eyes Ruth again, caressing her arm now. "We need to drop off the precious cargo."

"I'm not doing anything, so fuck you."

Henry snapped a furious gaze on him. "What did you just say to me?"

"What, are you deaf? Or is your mullet clogging your ears?"

"Fuck you, man! Now get your ass in this car!"

"The hell I will. Now let Ruth go!"

"Get in the car, NOW!"

Belch helplessly stares at Ruth, who eyed him from afar. She doesn't want him to give in, but Ruth also doesn't want Henry to attempt something. It's a double-edged sword here. He'll be damned if Belch refused to get in the car and damned if he did. What would be the worse fate? Be killed by Henry, who already is losing his sanity, or by her parents? Although Belch does have another option. Victor could help him in overwhelming Henry so Ruth could escape.

Hmm, now there's an idea, Belch thought.

He would have put it into motion if Henry hadn't clamped both his hands over Ruth's mouth and nose. Her muffled scream snapped Belch back into awareness.

"Alright, okay, fuck! Just please don't hurt her!"

"I knew that would get you moving, you lump."

Belch reluctantly follows his instruction with a frightened frown. He quickly climbed in, then turned his guilt-ridden gaze on Ruth from his rear-view mirror. The best Belch could do to reassure her is an apologetic glance. Ruth understood quickly and wouldn't hold it against him.

With a sigh, Belch regards Henry. "I'm not going anywhere unless you remove your hands from her," he instructs.

Henry glares daggers. "Excuse me?"

"I don't give a shit if you're the leader, but this is my car. Now, get your hands off her."

Henry eyes the two for a moment with a sneer then removes his hands from her. When he did, Ruth kicked him far away from her and shoved herself in the corner. Henry would have retaliated but thought the better of it.

He watched Ruth for a moment with a scowl, then turned his attention on Victor, who stood outside the vehicle.

"Yo, what the hell Vic? Get your ass in here, man."

Vic remained to stay where he was, fear ebbing through his veins like wildfire.

"I don't think we should take her home, Henry."

Henry glared, "I don't give a flying fuck what you think. Now get your ass in here!"

"Henry, please hear me out. I think," Vic begins to argue, the sickening feeling intensifying.

"Shut up! You don't think! You don't even tell me what I should do. Now get in the car, and let's go!"

Victor watches Henry, defeated. He sighs then moved towards the car. Once inside, Vic glances over at Ruth, who stares at him in fright. He knows they should not take her back home.

"Move it," Henry ordered towards Belch.

With a heavy sigh, Belch reluctantly listens to Henry. He makes a final glance at Ruth, who stared down at the floor. Belch hates this for her.

I'm so sorry, Ruth. I should have done more, Belch thought to himself.

He then drove her back home of which will be Ruth's soon-to-be grave.