A/N: Hello, everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend. Sorry that it's taking me a little longer than usual to update. I keep finding myself going back and forth with later chapters to write out certain scenes and not focus on the current. Initially, this was going to be a long, too much going on installment but decided to tone it back and stop at a particular point in this story. You'll understand soon enough.
Chapter 25 is nearly completed, just have two more scenes to write out. So, there will be another update soon. I say about a week from now.
05/12/20 Update: I went back and fixed a few things, along with a few additions.
Anyway, enjoy the read! Reviews are always welcomed, too. :)
When Victor returned to the Neibolt House the next day, he knew right away, something was wrong.
Victor stood in the front entryway with apprehension. The house sat eerily quiet with no sign of either Ruth or Robert in hindsight. His eyes dart from every corner of the house that he could see. Over on his left, the small den sat mostly empty except for the telescope and stool. It pointed in the direction Victor came. To his right was nothing in the adjacent room.
He eyes the stairwell, listening to any sounds that could originate from above him. Alas, nothing, only silence. Victor shakily sighs then started towards the supposed kitchen, hoping to find one of the two in there trying to rig the stove again. Victor tried it once but ended up getting black soot in his face.
Victor was several feet away from the room when there was a loud reverberating crash.
He yelps and jumps back with a stumble. Victor ended up losing his footing and fell with a grunting thud. He pants from the startle, laying there for a moment to calm his racing heart.
"Holy Shinola, what the hell was that?" He questions while staring at the ceiling.
Silence befalls the house again, but it was brief. New sounds erupted after the loud crash Victor heard seconds ago. Listening carefully, they sound like scratches or maybe even dragging. Following these natural noises was a low growl from down the hall.
Victor quickly became frightened. He scrambled to the wall, cowering with a girly whimper.
"Who," Victor started with a stuttering struggle. "Who's there?"
No one responded except a low growl that seemed closer than before. Victor started to hear something else, clicking and chirping with the sound of hooves pounding on the floor. The hairs on his skin stood on end, and a cold shiver ran down his spine.
"What, what the fuck is that?"
The low growl got louder and seems so much closer than a second ago. Victor sat on the floor with his back to the wall but close to the spare bedroom. He looked up and down the hall, trying to figure out where the sound came from.
From beside him, emerging from the spare room is an elongated skull with empty sockets. The creature's head stops a foot outside the hall due to the antlers flaring behind like a bare tree in winter. The thing snorts, puffing a stream of hot decaying breath from its nostrils.
The snort alerted Victor that something is right beside him. He didn't want to look, but curiosity got the better of him. Slowly Victor glances over his shoulder, trembling uncontrollably and whimpering. Once he regarded whatever made the terrifying sounds, Victor stared and gaped.
This thing that Victor doesn't know what the hell it could be stared at the boy. It makes a grunting, trilling noise, the monster is laughing. Victor's fear is raw and oh, so delicious. The creature's bottom jaw hinges, its breath reeking of a thousand corpses rotting in the sun. The last thing Victor expected to come out of it was a satisfying shrieking roar.
Victor screams, then bolts. The thing behind him makes a grab at the boy only to miss. It lumbered out into the hall and dashed after Victor, who proceeded to scream. His escape route is the front door, he had to leave. The distance he put between him and the creature is decent. Victor can escape unscathed. He grins happily as the door is now several feet away. His high hopes diminished when the beast roared, jumped clear over him, and blocked his exit.
Victor skids to a halt with a disappointed yell. The next place to run for safety is in the basement. The thing won't follow him down there, considering how monstrous the creature is. He remembers a way out of the house from there. Victor can knock out one of the windows and crawl out.
Yeah, I'll do that, Victor says to himself.
He whirls around, dashes towards the open door, which he found odd once he came close. However, Victor didn't care. He must run away. Like an Olympic swimmer, Victor dives inside before the creature could clamp its large jaw on him. Victor tumbles and crashes down the steps, crumbling at the bottom.
At the top of the stairs, the beast roars in defeat, retreating back from which it came.
Victor groaned, struggling to stand on his feet after the horrible tumble. He winces and grasps his chest.
"Damn, that hurt," he grumbles.
After a moment, Victor regained composure and stood to his feet. At the bottom of the stairs, he stares at the ceiling, unaware of someone lurking in the shadows.
It came out of nowhere, the attack.
Victor is struck in the jaw that sent him backward and landed flat on his back with a grunt-like groan. He scrambled to get onto his feet to avoid the confrontation, only to get a rattling punch to his cranium. Victor covers his head, cowering as the assailant barraged him with punches. He gets one to the face, then another and another. He staggers, struggling to stay upright. There is ringing in his ears and vision slightly blurred. Victor can see someone in front of him but can't make out who it is. His bloodied mouth opened to speak only to groan from a kick to his groin. He doubled over, coughing. Victor made an attempt running but failed. His attacker kicked him harshly at the ankles, bringing him down. He collapsed onto the floor, turned on his stomach, then frantically crawls away with a whimper.
"Stay away!" He shouts.
They weren't going to stop at his request, though. They advanced forward and harshly grabbed him by the collar, throwing him against the well with another punch. He grunted from impact and chanced a glance at his attacker. Victor doesn't get a good look when he is shoved backward and held down at the hips.
Victor screams and shouts, struggling to grab onto something.
"Stop, please stop! Please let me up!"
A voice then fills Victor's hears, a recognizable one at that.
"Aw, what's the matter, Victor? Am I frightening you?" She questions in a sinister yet sickeningly, sweet playful voice on the last bit, then cackles.
"What the hell? Ruth, what, what are you_?"
Victor stops when an unnatural growl sounds in the well then heavy scrapes of claws. He stares into the darkness, hoping to see what caused the creepy sound. There is no definite shape, but there is something in there with him. Whatever it is, it growled hungrily then proceeded up the well.
"Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Ruth, let me up, please!"
Ruth reveals an unnatural Pennywise-like grin, pleased at the sight of his terror. She does not answer him. Instead, Ruth tauntingly slides her hands down his thigh, causing him to shift downwards. He yells, struggling to grab at the well to keep from falling headfirst.
"Ruth, stop!"
"Why? I find this quite fun. Don't you?"
He screams when the growl sounds again and getting closer to his thrashing form.
"Ruth, please! I thought we were friends here!"
"Oh, just because I've been chumming with you, Vic Vic, doesn't mean we're friends. We haven't completely forgiven you after what you had done the night of VG's birthday."
"What? That, that was three months ago!"
She lets him slip from her clutch, gripping his jeans at the knees.
He screams and thrashes, hoping to throw Ruth off but to no avail.
"It's been six months, you bloody moron! Can you not count?" Ruth's voice changed in tone.
Victor yells, oblivious to the voice as whatever is crawling up the well is getting closer. He hears a snarl and a hiss.
"Ruth, please! I'm sorry for everything," he screams.
"Well, that's certainly a start. What else do you have to say before we let you drop like a hot meal?"
"What, what?" Victor stutters, growing lightheaded from hanging upside down.
"Are you going to apologize for striking Ruth yesterday, Victor?"
"Huh?" Since when does she speak about herself in third person? Victor questions himself.
She lets him drop a little, holding him by the shins now.
"Ah! I'm sorry, Ruth! Really, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you! Just please, pull me up!"
Ruth hums, considering with a purse of her lips.
"You know," she paused for dramatic effect. "I don't think so."
"RUTH! PLEASE! What the hell do you want?"
"She doesn't want anything, Victor. You weren't supposed to find out about him."
He yells, tears falling from his eyes now. A gleeful shriek sounds in the well.
"Okay, okay! I don't know anything! I swear! Just please, please let me up!" Victor wails.
Ruth lets him slip from her fingers, dangling him by his ankles now. Victor screams and cries as whatever is in the well with him crawled towards him and extended a black leather-like arm with gnarly claws.
"Ruth! Please, stop! You're scaring the shit out of me!"
The claw-like hand reaches up, the growl right in front of him. From the light of day illuminating from nearby windows, Victor finally saw what it was that hunted him from within. It's black leathery, elongated skull gleamed, and a small mouth extended from its open maw. It hisses in excitement, ready to strike.
"Oh, god," Victor whimpers, terrified of the hideous creature.
Victor gaped and stared, horrified at the alien creature. He hates that thing. After seeing Alien, Victor grew fearful of the creepy and ferocious extra-terrestrial being.
Am I gonna die, he thought.
The creature screeched and lunged.
Victor screams. His untimely death upon him.
Or maybe not.
With a yank, Ruth quickly starts pulling him up. The hand snatched air, shrieking in anger.
He proceeds to scream as the alien crawled after him despite Ruth slowly dragging his ass back and out of the well.
"Ahh! Pull me up! PULL ME UP!"
Victor thrashes, punching at the alien as it continued chasing after him.
"Go away!"
The alien shrieks, swiping at Victor, which nearly caught him if Ruth hadn't yanked the boy harshly. It makes a final cry before descending in the shadows.
Victor raggedly breathes as Ruth pulled him back, returning him to his feet. He wants to thank her but lost the chance when Ruth threw him back on the ground. He made to scramble onto his feet, only remained grounded. Victor moved his arms, nothing. His legs, the same result. There is even an unsettling cold encircling around him and Ruth.
What, what the fuck?
Somehow, an unseen force held him down while Ruth descended and straddled him. Victor's mind short-circuited when the pretty ginger shimmed her hips with a playful grin. He's not sure if she's toying with him or adding more insult to injury. At the same time, though, Ruth looked absolutely mesmerizing. Her fiery, cascading hair blazed like fire from the sunlight behind her. The peridot green v-neck sweater Ruth wore is a little snug since it conformed to her waist and enhanced her figure. Victor even saw a bit of cleavage.
Oh, boy. She's hot but crazy as hell!
While he was caught by her natural beauty, her nimble fingers gently yanked his shirt up, exposing his heaving stomach. She smirks at his white flesh and eases her pocketknife from the back pocket. Her neck rolls and audibly cracks, while panting quickly with short breaths.
"Stop," he hears her whisper with a shudder.
Ruth collects herself with a light hum, then flicks the blade open, and examined the gleaming metal for Victor to see.
"What, what are you _?"
Victor couldn't finish. He yelled when the cold metal pierced his skin shallowly. He wants to writhe and squirm out from underneath her, but his limbs wouldn't budge. Instead, Victor glances down and watches Ruth slowly glide the blade on his stomach, carving an "R" to engrave her name.
"Ruth! What, what the fuck?"
She flicks the blade away from his flesh, snapping it to his cheek in which he fell silent but whimpers. Her eyes flashed oddly, and her lips pulled back in a vicious snarl.
"Like your friend, Henry did onto that fat boy, Ben, I'm carving my name on your stomach," Ruth growls deeply.
Victor tried to crawl out from underneath her again, but this unseen force kept him still. He noticed Ruth lightly shaking her head and mumbling in another language. He opened his mouth to speak, only to shut up from her blade, sinking into his cheek.
"Shh," she shushed.
He saw it then, the evil glint in her eyes and a malicious grin. Victor dared not to speak, truly frightened of what Ruth would do to him if he did. Something is terribly wrong with the girl. He's not sure what it is, but this is not Ruth by any means. Yes, Ruth can be frightening if angered, but this is a whole other level. Victor even noticed the jarring hesitant movements.
"Let that "R" be a warning," Ruth starts with a broad grin, and voice seems different than before.
What the hell?
Victor opened his mouth but stops from the knife, sinking further. Blood oozed from his wound, trickling onto the blade. Ruth retracts her pocketknife briefly to hover over his throat.
"I could kill you, you know. However, it will draw unwanted attention and place suspicion towards her. You will not say a word to anyone of what happened here today. Do we have an understanding?"
He quickly nods his head in agreement.
Ruth grins toothily, shaking her head. "No," she starts, leaning forward, and rocked slightly while straddling his hips still. "I want to hear you tell me you understand. Can you do that for me, Victor?"
"Yes, I understand. I won't say a word, promise."
Her smile pulls back even further in a sultry, devious grin, showing off her pearly whites. "That's a good boy."
Victor whimpered, his fear escalating into sheer and utter terror from how different Ruth is acting. He's not sure if it is theatrical or for real. Her smile suddenly drops, and eyes darkening menacingly, they even seemed to glow. Ruth's neck rolls with a groan and cracks.
"The next time you put a toe out of line, I will carve the rest of my name on your belly," she growls. "Understood?"
He robotically nods frantically, eyes growing wide at the threat.
Ruth suddenly backs off, giving him the opening he needed. Victor scrambles to his feet, not realizing the unseen force lifted. He hears Ruth cackle evilly as she watched him escape.
That was the last time Victor ever saw Ruth. He won't return here under any circumstances.
Ruth sighs shallowly as a strange and pleasurable sensation, overwhelms her body. It felt like an electric charge mixed with rainwater touching her skin. It's the same feeling Ruth felt when she unknowingly threatened Beverly on the bridge. Victor's fright charged her senses to the point of laughing. She never felt this light or thrilled in her life.
She pleasurably moans and lets her head rest against the well. The high surge grounding her into obliviousness and sheer delight.
"Ooh, that… feels… good," Ruth breathes with a wide smile. "Fear truly is invigorating."
Ruth doesn't hear the low growl behind her as Pennywise slowly crawled up from the dark.
I'm hungry, was all Pennywise could think about.
The smell of Victor's fear was delicious. He craves the essence of which children inherited since their birth. Fright is primal, and so is hunger. It coursed through him, giving him energy, and clouding his senses. The sound of laughter filled his ears, which only made him angry.
No one should laugh at fear.
He growls deeply, directing his attention to the only soul around him. Pennywise, the Eater of Worlds, must eat. He hasn't had his fill in weeks, and the one-child that he and the girl frightened into submission escaped.
I must eat.
Slowly, his morphed body slipped out from the well, tasting the tarnished innocence of the unsuspecting girl of his objective. He doesn't care if she isn't frightened of him. Pennywise must and will eat to keep him satisfied. Silently he returns to his clown form, his mouth curled into a ravenous snarl. He went unnoticed by the child as his feet softly touched the basement floor, stalking her like a lion after a hyena. Blood pumped in his ears, and a haze clouds his vision as he got closer.
Pennywise lunges, partially aware of his actions. He recognized the tiny girl's fiery red hair, but his primal instinct to eat prevented him from backing off.
"I will never hurt you." He had said once before.
His large hand grips her throat, stopping the girl from laughing. Every fiber of his being attempted to tear away and recoil, but his stomach growled angrily, beckoning him further. A low growl leaves his lips and forces the girl down harshly.
Stop.
Ruth grunts from impact, snapping her out of the strange high she was in. She blinks into awareness, confused, and found herself underneath Pennywise, whose eyes are bright, menacing gold.
"What, what the hell are you doing?" Ruth blurts in confusion.
His lips pull back to expose his piranha-like yellowish teeth with a growl.
"Pen," Ruth squeaks, struggling from underneath him.
Stop!
She watches in horror as his eyes twisted and rolled into the back of his head, extending his mouth.
"Penny," she sputters. "Stop it!" Ruth hollers, struggling out of his harsh grasp.
His mouth expands, and fingers pressed around her throat tighter, choking Ruth. She gags, squirms, and scratches at his gloved wrists. Her feet scramble to gain leverage despite his tall frame towering over her. Ruth whimpers as her fear escalated into sheer terror.
"Pen, please stop! It's me!"
Her voice doesn't reach his ears, Pennywise can barely hear her anyway.
She screams and thrashes when her eyes caught a glimpse of the three pulsing orange lights. Ruth quickly looks away, trembling.
"PEN!"
Behind her eyelids, his maw extends to his chest. Pennywise is about to swallow her whole.
STOP!
A/N: Just so you are aware, there is a subplot/plot twist interweaved throughout the story. So, please don't let this chapter deter you from what's unraveling. So, please stick around. :)