14

19th December, 1985

Mike couldn't feel his nose.

Or any of his extremities, for that matter. A biting wind cut through the lot of them, despite the heavy winter coats that they'd stolen from a charity bin somewhere around Montreal.

`Mike, I'm cold,' Holly said, tugging on Mike's hand. Her fingers were frozen in his.

`I know. Me too,' Mike answered, automatically picking her up and breathing on her hands to try and warm them up. `We should be there in four days.'

`Canada,' chattered Lucas. `We had to cut through Canada in December.'

`Quit whining,' grumbled Max, elbowing him gently. Lucas calmly flipped her off.

`Lucas!' Snapped Mike, looking pointedly at Holly. `She's already started to swear because of you lot.'

`Jesus, weirdo, you're not her dad,' Max said whilst rolling her eyes.

`Yeah? Well, that's what it feels like most of the time.'

They were trekking through the forest. The leaves sheltered them from the snow, which was a blessing. The charity bin had only contained a single pair of wellington boots, and they were too big for Holly and too small for the teenagers. Mike was getting increasingly worried he'd drop Holly- his hands were really numb- so he put her down. She immediately tried her luck with getting Will to pick her up.

The six kids all looked worse for wear. Every one of them were filthy, considerably skinnier than when they'd started and were beginning to smell. It was getting pretty unbearable to sleep in such close quarters.

Four more days, Mike thought to himself, letting the thought surround him. Four more days until I find El.

He briefly forgot about the cold and the griping hunger pains, imagining their first meeting, when there was a sudden blast of hail that lasted for five minutes. The moment of forgetfulness was gone as quickly as it started.

0

20th December, 1985

Beverly walked into her grandma's house.

`Gran! I'm home.'

Mrs Marsh sidled out from the living room, her jowls quivering. A remote control was clutched in one hand, three rings on her fingers.

`And where have you been young lady?' The words were breathed and without pause. The rings clicked against the remote.

`With friends.' Beverly tried to walk past to get to her room. Mrs Marsh hissed another word at her back when she was halfway up the stairs.

`Murderer.'

`What did you call me?' Beverly whipped round.

`You heard me of course you heard me.' Her voice sounded oddly warped. `My son is dead because of you.'

Fury and shame burst in Beverly's chest. She stalked down the stairs. `Your son tried to rape me. And you know it.'

Mrs Marsh's hand shot out and grabbed Beverly's hair, twisting the short strands around her rings. Beverly gasped with pain; hissed words and silent, condemning looks, that was as far as the old woman went. Not this.

`No one will believe you,' she taunted, her eyes glowing orange and black, tar-like substance starting to melt off one cheek. `And you'll be locked up and it will all happen again, Bevvie girl, just you wait!'

Mrs Marsh yanked her head back again, and Beverly screamed again; her jugular was fully exposed.

`BITEY BITEY!' The old woman screamed in a voice not her own, chewing at the soft skin on Beverly's neck with the tips of sharp, jagged teeth that protruded impossibly far out of her mouth.

Not her. It.

Eleven had been right.

Beverly wrenched herself around, knowing that It intended to kill her, spill her blood all over the cream shag carpet of Mrs Marsh's hallway. The hallway with a candelabra, just in reach.

Beverly's hand shot out and grabbed the candelabra. There was a horrible crack as she brought it down on the old woman's head.

0

20th December, 1985

Max jumped off of the lorry first. Mike passed down Holly then jumped off himself.

`Where are we now?' Asked Dustin sleepily, yawning in the streetlights. Will peered at a sign.

`Uh… Victoriaville.'

`High-five, cut a day off!' Crowed Dustin, groggily smacking palms with Will and then Lucas. `Thanks!' He shouted after the lorry driver, waving.

The driver spat out of the window onto the pavement and sped off, tires squealing.

`Git,' Max muttered darkly.

`Least he gave us a lift,' Dustin replied fairly, shrugging. Then he turned onto the most avoided subject. `So, guys. We have three days until we get there. And one day there until Christmas Eve.'

Everyone else refused to acknowlege his gaze.

`So?' Asked Mike, determinedly staring at his sneakers as he did them up again. There were several nasty blisters on his feet. One might even have been infected.

`So, remember what Holly said after that car hit her?' Dustin persisted. He began to count on his fingers. `Eleven. We know who that is. Richie. Mike, let's just assume she meant Wheeler. And PennyRiddle.' He paused, and looked about the four other teens, who were all pretending to be absorbed by the most mundane tasks. `Guys, avoiding the topic won't help.'

`Fine, Dustin,' snapped Lucas, turning round with his arms crossed. `What do you want us to do? Huh?'

`Theorise.'

`Okay. Can anyone remember the name Riddle, or the name Penny? No? Well, then.' Lucas refused to speak. But then Mike had to ruin it all with an idea.

`Holly, can you remember what- PennyRiddle looked like?'

Holly's face drained of colour in seconds. She hesitantly nodded.

`Could you please draw us a picture of it?'

She shook her head violently, wrapping her hands together behind her back. Mike knelt down in front of her. `Please?' Holly chewed on her lip with her small, far apart teeth. An internal struggle seemed to be taking place in her head. And then she nodded. Affection swelled in Mike's stomach for Holly, his annoying little sister who'd better not get caught in the crossfire of whatever was coming on Christmas Eve.

Dustin looked around for anything Holly could draw with and came up with a little stone. He passed it to Holly. She crouched on the pavement and started to scribble, long white lines scratching into the concrete.

There was about five minutes of intense concentration, with Holly's tongue sticking out and her forehead wrinkled. Then she leaned back.

`Finished,' she said, dropping the stone. The others crowded round to look at what PennyRiddle looked like.

`Shit,' Dustin mumbled.

`That is what we have to fight?' Max asked incredulously.

`Yeah,' half whispered Mike, staring at it's face. One side looked almost… melted, and it's body was horribly twisted and warped. `We need to speed up. We'll arrive on the twenty third. That's cutting it too fine.'

`Agreed,' nodded Will. `That thing is gonna be in Derry, isn't it.'

`Yeah,' answered Holly through her thumb. `We need to go quicker.'
It was the longest sentence to come out of Holly's mouth since the end of November. So they decided to listen. After a short debate they threw caution to the wind and started walking along the highway. Mike walked at the head of them, his thumb stuck out. All of them were on red alert for any car that even resembled a police patrol.

Another hour passed without anyone stopping. Mike rubbed his eyes and checked his watch. Nine thirty p.m.

`When was the last time we ate?' Groaned Dustin to the group at large, kicking a small stone ahead of him. Another car zoomed by without stopping.

`Er… three p.m,' replied Will in the same run-down tone. `Yesterday.'

`If someone doesn't stop soon and have food, I'm eating Holly.' Then Dustin frowned to himself. `Hey. Can you guys hear that?'

`Hear what?'

`Shh!' Dustin held up a finger. Over the noise of cars was a song playing. It got louder and louder. `Isn't that… Highway to Hell?'

A yellow van sped down the motorway, windows rolled down, weaving in and out of traffic and accompanied by a symphony of angry honking. It skidded to a halt in front of them, and a girl with an afro jumped out.

`You guys wanna ride?' She asked.

Smoke wafted out of the interior. Mike hesitated. Then thought of reaching Eleven, and Derry, a day too late.

`Yeah. Please,' he said.

`Mike!' Hissed Lucas. `This might not be safe.'

`Yeah,' added Will, his face worried. `I mean, they could be axe murderers.'

The girl raised her eyebrows. `We can hear you. And I promise we've never killed anyone. Who didn't deserve it, anyway.'

`Lucas. Will,' muttered Mike out of the corner of his mouth. `We need to get to Derry.'

A range of emotions conflicted over the two boys' faces. Then Will climbed in. `I trust you.'

Lucas paused, then sighed. He clapped Mike on the arm.

`I guess I trust you too.'

They all crammed into the van, where it was even harder to breathe on the inside. Mike started having second thoughts, but then the driver pulled away, dodging minivans and beetle cars.

`Hey, uh, could you stop smoking? And roll down a window?'

`Sure,' said another girl with a headband. She lazily opened a window and tossed her cigarette out. The smoke started to thin.

`Thanks. So what're your names?'

`Mick,' said the girl who let them in, pointing at herself. `Dottie.' She pointed to the chain smoker. `Axel. Call him Grease if you're pissed.' A mohican-wearing boy flipped her off. Finally Mick pointed to an enormous man. `And Funshine.'

`Hey,' he said, raising a hand.

`Didn't you forget someone?' Asked the driver, flicking off Highway to Hell. She slowed down, before looking twisting round briefly to look at the hitch-hiking fourteen year olds. `Hi. I'm Kali. We're headed to Derry. What about you?'