A/N: Hello, everyone! I hope you all are having a great week so far. I'm sorry it's taking me a while to update. I actually had myself a small case of writer's block as I was stuck on a couple of scenes for this chapter. So, I took a couple of nights off to give myself some time to refresh and find inspiration.
I won't get into what's in store for this chapter, but I will say this. You may find yourself scratching your head. Everything will start coming to light in the upcoming updates. So, sit tight, my lovelies.
I'm currently working on Chapter 27, which is mostly complete but still needs some work. It may take me a little bit to post an update again, but I hope I will have 27 up by the end of the month.
Which, by the way, I'm finally nearing completion of this story with only three chapters left. So, now I'm curious, do you have any predictions of how things will end?
Anyway, enjoy the read!
Sorry if this sounds gauging, but reviews are always appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcomed, too. :)
… Another night slowly closes in
And I feel so lonely
Touching heat freezing on my skin
I pretend you still hold me
I'm going crazy, I'm losing sleep
I'm in too far, I'm in way too deep over you
I can't believe you're gone
You were the first, you'll be the last …
"Ruth?"
… Wherever you go, I'll be with you
Whatever you want, I'll give it to you
Whenever you need someone
To lay your heart and head upon
Remember, after the fire, after all the rain
I will be the flame …
"I will be the flame," she whispers softly, going unheard.
"Ruth, can you hear me?" A voice asks her.
She blinks, slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. Her gaze shifts from the plate before her to the four walls that surrounded Ruth. She's back at the Hanlon's and having a dinner that is more than appetizing but is battling her innards. Ruth is nauseous from the pleasant aroma of spicy fried chicken but dared not to say anything. She hates it when the people that care about her express their concerns and ask questions about her well-being. It has been this way since she decided to reside here.
Granted, Ruth likes it here, despite her ulterior motive. Ruth didn't want to sleep under their roof but figured it would be the best place to be to keep her sanity somewhat under control. The Neibolt House provides her some comfort but felt safe, nonetheless. Except without Pennywise near, it's not enough to keep her struggles at bay. After the near-death drowning incident today, her mind and body started duking it out like rivals battling for dominance. She has mentally grown weak in the eight months of living here. The only thing that occupies her attention is housework and farming.
Believe it or not, Ruth thoroughly enjoys getting her hands dirty. The physical labor helps her to focus on an actual task instead of drowning her inner thoughts with noise. Usually, Ruth listens to music, preferably seventies disco music and soft rock hits of the eighties with the occasional heavy metal bands that Reggie likes, such as Anthrax and Metallica, just to name a few. Of course, Ruth hasn't stopped creating a new masterpiece every few days and snapping photos of her new social life, the farm, and other places while enjoying a favorite song.
She has even taken up a new creative hobby that surprised everyone. Ruth loves writing short horror stories. Something she picked up a little after her miscarriage, which no one knows about still, not even Richie. Leroy is actually quite impressed at her chosen hobbies, the writing especially. Ruth got him, and Mike scared enough to start locking up doors, along with searching the shadows for any supernatural entities. She gets a good chuckle from their fright, despite not having a good laugh for a long while.
Ruth does all of this because she needs to keep herself, along with her chaotic mind, distracted. She can't have her head go silent for one moment. The lyrics she was singing in her head seconds ago were filling that void until that voice disturbed her.
No! Shut up, please! Go away!
"Ruth," the voice called to her again.
She slightly shook her head when Ruth felt a light touch on her shoulder.
Holy shit and Shinola, it's just Mikey.
Slightly shaken, Ruth directs her attention to him. "S-sorry."
"Are you okay?" Mike questions with concern rising in his voice.
He glances away from her briefly to see if his granddad is watching. Thankfully, Leroy is out of earshot and sight since he is on the phone. It rang moments ago, and Leroy was quick to answer since hardly anyone calls at this time of day.
"I-I'm fine, just a little tired."
"After what happened today, I wouldn't blame you. Although you did use Richie as a pillow since you took a nap on him."
Ruth smirks sheepishly, "He was comfy."
Mike scuffs, smiling slightly before a frown adorned his lips. "You scared me, you know that, right?"
She frowns herself, dropping her hands into her lap. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you or anyone else. I'm confused still of how that happened."
He screwed his lips sideways, "So, am I. At least your alive and here with us still," Mike pauses briefly.
Mike snakes his arm down, searching for Ruth's hand. He gingerly took her hand into his and gave it a light, comforting squeeze. A dusting of pink graced her cheeks, along with a faint bashful smirk. She gulps, glancing over at him with her smile spreading wider from their entwined fingers linked together.
"With me."
Ruth felt her heart lightly flutter, but her stomach continued to squirm from nausea. She clears her throat, gulping again to keep from giving him any real physical clues something is wrong. Despite the rocky start to her friendship with him and then the spurt of hatred for what Mike did, Ruth still harbored feelings for him. He was and still is the first person to consider her a friend before Ruth accepted him. Pennywise remains to take the crown for the fact is her first-ever real friend Ruth needed at the time.
After coming out of hiding, her relationship with Mike changed for the better. They talked things out, along with the incident at her previous home. It took Ruth a little bit to regain his trust, but when she did, something started to bloom between them. Him holding her hand is a good indicator that their friendship is turning into something more. If she were honest, Ruth is terrified about getting close to him. Ruth doesn't want him to gain any romantic feelings for her when the possibility of her next blackout could result in an untimely demise.
Before, Ruth was frightened of her harsh reality before everything happened. Now, it seems her better life is becoming a nightmare. It is all because of the darkness that resonated deep within her mind and soul, which Ruth can't escape.
She was silent for a brief moment then regarded Mike, feigning a small smile.
Neither of them could say anything when they heard Leroy said goodbye on the telephone then trumped back into the dining room with a sigh.
Ruth quickly became perturbed at the older man's body language as he sat down, even the hard sigh. She can also see it in his eyes that something is bothering him. Whoever it was Leroy spoke with caused this behavior.
"So," Leroy starts, picking his fork up and scooped a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "How was your day at the quarry?"
Her stomach flipped unpleasantly, gulping at the irritation in his voice.
"It was fun," Mike casually answers. "Bill got Ruth to laugh because he pantsed Eddie."
Leroy chokes a scuff, lightly smirking. "Oh, really now? Anything else I need to know about?"
Mike thought about it with a hum, "Nope, that's about it."
Ruth slowly glanced over at Mike, her eyes widening at his sudden reluctance in telling his granddad of what happened.
Is he nuts!?
Leroy glares before lightly clattering the fork onto his plate. "Don't you be lying to me, Michael Hanlon."
Mike blinks, frowning. "I'm not."
"Mike," Ruth urged.
The boy sighs heavily, deflating in defeat.
"That was Richie on the phone," Leroy started while glaring at the two. "He wanted to ask how you were doing, Ruth. Now, why would he go and do that?"
Mike glances at her, pleading with Ruth not to say anything. She doesn't understand his instance in refusing to tell his granddad about the accident, but Ruth will have a chance to discuss it with him later.
"I'm not sure how it happened, but there was an accident today."
Leroy opened his mouth to question her about it, even though he knows the answer.
"When I went to make the jump to join the gang, I somehow stumbled without my knowledge and fell into the water. Well, I ended up not resurfacing, which caused Beverly and Richie to act quickly in rescuing me. Long story short, I nearly drowned. If it weren't for the others carrying me and Eddie performing CPR to save my life, I would be dead right now. It was nothing but an accident."
Leroy sighs heavily, frowning at her with arms crossed. "Why didn't either of you tell me earlier? Or better yet, why would you lie about the incident, Michael?"
Mike opened his mouth to answer, but Ruth was quick to defend him.
"I'm not sure why he would, Mr. Hanlon, sir, but my only guess would be is that he didn't want to worry you. Besides, when is it ever a good time to tell you I nearly drowned. I certainly couldn't come home and outright tell you what happened. I know I can be blunt, but I'm certainly not subtle either. I should have told you about what transpired instead of you finding out the hard way. I apologize for not saying anything sooner."
Leroy stares at her, dumbfounded at her level maturity. Well, he can understand why Ruth is like this now. After everything that had happened to her, Leroy figured she would have to grow up quickly to adapt to her new way of living. He doesn't doubt her then adult boyfriend coached Ruth into the cultivated lifestyle and supported the young girl in whatever struggles Ruth faced. Leroy would like to thank the young man for being there for Ruth when she desperately needed someone when no one else would. Granted, she could have come here, but then again, Ruth wouldn't have learned who to love or trust in the first place. This Robert fellow gave her a reason to live anyway.
"Thank you, Ruth. I appreciate the apology and accept it for that matter, but please call me Leroy. You don't have to be formal with me, you know. Besides, it makes me feel old."
He smiled at her with a wink.
"And thank you for telling me. I didn't like hearing from someone else what happened to you. Remember, you're my responsibility now, sweetheart. I need to take care of you the best I can. Will you promise to tell me these things for now on?"
"Yes, I promise," she replies with a nod, smiling gently.
"Thank you, Ruth. And you young man," Leroy started in Mike's direction. "Lie to me again about anything concerning Ruth, it would be my thick belt snapping on your ass. I don't even care if you're a teenager now. Do you understand me?"
Mike straightened up, gulping tightly from the mild threat of an ass-whooping. "Yes, sir, uh, I mean, granddad." He corrected himself.
"Good," Leroy nods in approval. "Now eat up, your supper is getting cold."
The two males instantly started eating while Ruth stared at her plate. She eyed the crispy fried chicken, along with the homemade mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Her mouth watered from the sight, but the smell caused her nauseated stomach to flip unpleasantly. She gulps to keep herself from vomiting, sighing heavily from a slight chill. Her gaze scans to Leroy then at Mike, who are eating away. She grimaces, swallowing again.
She clears her throat and licked her lips, "I think I'm going to turn in early."
Leroy immediately snapped his attention on her, along with Mike, both expressing concern.
"Are you sure you're okay, Ruth? You look pale." Mike questioned worriedly.
"I'm feeling unwell suddenly," she moans then licked her lips. "May I be excused?"
The older man stares dumfounded still by Ruth's politeness. He observes her for a moment, noting Ruth's paler complexion and a light sheen of cold sweat. "You may."
She doesn't hesitate to push her chair away from the table then stood sharply.
"Thank you," Ruth managed to mutter, sophisticatedly rushing towards the bathroom.
Both Leroy and Mike worriedly watched her leave, unsure how or why Ruth is not feeling well.
Mike glanced at Ruth's untouched plate, considering something. He knows Ruth was acting strangely after the incident but couldn't figure out what. Mike started connecting the dots when he remembers seeing her and Richie sitting on the shore. She may have told Richie about what was going on but not him. This realization made Mike feel hurt that Ruth doesn't trust him enough with whatever is going on with her. Apparently, Ruth only confides with Richie about her personal problems.
His thoughts were disturbed when Leroy's voice boomed in his ears.
"Michael, is there anything else I should know about?"
Mike quickly shook his head, "I'm not too sure. I knew she was acting a little strange after the accident, but I couldn't figure out what or get her to talk with me about it. Ruth might trust me, but apparently not enough if she hid the fact she wasn't feeling well."
Leroy paused, his features hardening with skepticism. "You know nothing?"
"It's the truth, granddad. I'm sorry, I kept the incident back at the quarry from you. I guess I was worried you would yell at me for being irresponsible about her well-being. I realize now it's even more careless of me for lying. I'm sorry I lied."
Leroy sighed, pursed his lips as he eyed Mike. After a long moment, he gently nods.
"Thank you for apologizing. Just to clarify, I would not yell at you for being irresponsible about Ruth's well-being. We both know she's a big girl and can handle herself in most situations. However, we also know there's something not right with her, and it saddens me she won't talk to either of us."
Mike frowns, "I know. I guess, with a little more time, maybe Ruth will open up."
"We can only hope. Have you had any luck in locating this guy Ruth was with?"
He shook his head, "No. I wish I could, though. Ruth really needs him at this point because, apparently, we don't know how to help."
"Or guide her. If you can't find this Robert guy, then we'll figure it out ourselves, Mike. We just have to do the best we can to support her."
Mike knew his grandfather is right. If there is any way they can help Ruth through whatever it is she's facing, they will have to figure it out.
Upon entering the bathroom, Ruth hung over the sink, breathing raggedly. Her nausea became stronger the moment she stood from the dinner table, along with the lightheadedness which followed. She wets her lips and gulps, trying her best not to empty her stomach into the basin. With another hard breath, Ruth turns the facet to splash cold water on her face.
The moment Ruth gathered a handful of water and shoved her face into it, her mind went blank. It's the one thing Ruth told herself not to let happen. However, she savored the brisk coolness as it washed away the tension that formed in her face, neck, and shoulders. She allowed the water to slowly drip from her hands back into the sink before reaching for more. Ruth rubs her hands against her flesh this time, sighing heavily from the wave of ease.
After the third rinse, she shudders a heavy sigh and grips the sink rim. Ruth gazes down into the dark drain. Despite the refreshing water, her head spun still, and vision started to blur. Her stomach makes an ungodly flip and salivated. Ruth groans, her legs trembling, and knees buckling. She reaches back to rub the nape of her neck where a long pink scar ran along the curve. Ruth rolls her head, cracking it with a groan.
"Knulla," Ruth cursed in Swedish with a sigh. "Lugna ner dig, tjejen."
Ruth shuddered then reaches up to yank the mirrored cabinet door open. Once she did, a decayed hand emerges from the glass and snatches Ruth's wrist.
Startled, Ruth cries out then glances up into the mirror. Her widened, terrified gaze lands on her reflection. Instead of seeing herself, though, all Ruth sees is the decayed face of her mother. Jordan's heavily soiled hair molded to her skull like thick ganache, her eyes absent and sunken, and cracked lips stretched back in a blackened toothy snarl.
"You're a worthless waste of skin!" Jordan seethes, yanking Ruth forward.
Ruth slams against the mirror, screaming and struggling to pull away.
"Go away!"
"You will kill them all, nuisance!" Jordan roars.
She pulls Ruth forward, pressing her cheek onto the cold mirror harshly. Jordan's other hand appeared, gripping and pulling at Ruth's hair in hopes to suck her daughter into the nothingness of which is behind her.
"NO! Get out of my head! GET OUT!"
"You will die!"
"NO! Stop, please!" Ruth whimpers, struggling to pull away. "Let go of me!"
"You don't deserve happiness!"
Ruth screams, desperation sinking into her bones as Jordan wrenched Ruth forward, submerging her through the glass as if it were water. She thrashes with eyes clenched shut, daring not to stare at the woman's sunken evil gaze or into the darkness.
"No! Get out of my head!"
Ruth slammed her forehead onto Jordan's, causing the decayed woman to grunt and groan.
"You can't stop me!" She snarls.
With a struggled groan, Ruth yanks herself back from the cold blackness, the glass reverting to its original state.
"Stay the fuck out of my head," Ruth growls through clenched teeth.
She slams her head on the mirror with a crash, shattering the glass with a cry.
"DON'T YOU DARE FIGHT ME!"
Ruth does it a second time, yelling.
"Stay out!"
"DON'T FIGHT ME!"
Ruth screams then viciously slams her head onto the mirror for the third and final time, breaking the cabinet upon impact.
"STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD!"
The bathroom sat silent, minus the heaving pants coming from Ruth's mouth.
"Just stay out," Ruth murmurs, her legs trembling to stay grounded.
Ruth hears two sets of footsteps urgently approaching the bathroom. Ruth reacts quickly and locks the door, desperately wanting to keep them out. They can't see her like this. She can't have them know what's wrong. She doesn't want to be judged or labeled for being crazy and be submitted to a psychiatric ward. Ruth doesn't even want to talk with Jonathan's doppelgänger of a doctor, who is only making her emotional state worse.
"Ruth!" Leroy's voice booms.
She whimpers, glancing away from the floor to the mirror. Her hand remained to grip the knob of the cabinet, the mirror untouched and still intact. Ruth blinks, trying to make sense of what just happened. A grimace graced her lips then lightly wept, holding back a sob.
I'm going crazy.
"Ruth," Leroy calls again.
The doorknob rattles followed by a frantic knock. "Ruth, honey! Talk to me!"
It took her a moment, but Ruth eventually answered calmly. "I-I'm okay!"
"I heard you shout. What's going on?"
"N-nothing, I just saw a spider. Sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you."
"Want me to come in there and kill it for you?" Mike's voice sounds from behind the door.
Ruth coughs a sigh, raggedly breathing. "No, no, it's okay. It's gone anyway."
There is a pause, something Ruth doesn't like for some reason, especially the whispers between Leroy and Mike.
Please, don't talk about me when I'm right here.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Really, I'm fine," she moans, her stomach painfully tightens.
Ruth felt it then. With a groan, she quickly unlocks the door before rushing to the commode, expelling stomach bile.
"Ruth," Leroy gently calls.
She coughs and spits.
"I'll be okay," she murmurs, lightly sighing before another wave of sickness hits her.
There were whispers from behind the door before someone rushed off. Ruth had hoped both had left her alone, but apparently not. The door creaked open, followed by heavy boots thudding lightly to the sink. She hears water running before they approached her. They sigh, gently touching her shoulder as to not alarm Ruth.
"Here I thought my cooking was good, but instead, it made you sick," Leroy comments.
Ruth opened her mouth to say something but couldn't from another spurt of sickness. She leans deep to the point of her hair falling forwards. Thankfully, Leroy was there to pull it back while comfortingly Ruth by rubbing her shoulder.
"Phew, that smells something awful," Leroy paused, crinkling his nose. "It's not even supper either. What exactly made you sick?"
She coughs, dry heaving now. "I've felt sick since the accident today."
Leroy frowns, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't want to worry anyone," she pauses, coughing. Ruth clears of her throat before continuing. "Before it was just a headache, now I'm sick to my stomach and lightheaded."
Leroy observed Ruth for a moment, lightly pressing a damp cloth on the nape of her neck then forehead.
"Not to sound like Dr. Malcolm here, but you really need to start opening up about what's going on, Ruth. I can tell you're not yourself and feeling sick all the time. Were you like this when you were around your grown-up boyfriend?"
She thought about it carefully, remembering only two moments when Ruth was with Pennywise did she feel sick. But those were moments when she did something Ruth barely recalls doing.
"Only a few times, but those were stomach bugs. So, no."
Leroy hums and screwed his lips while massaging Ruth's neck. He opened his mouth to say something when Mike returned with a glass of water in hand.
"Hey, you do know you're holding up the only bathroom here, right?" Mike lightly joked with a sympathetic smile.
"Haha, very funny, Mikey," Ruth chuckled hoarsely.
He continued to lightly smile as Mike settled himself against the wall. Mike caught a glimpse of the nasty vomit in the toilet water before flushing it down with a sickening grimace.
"Damn, girly, what did you eat?"
"Nothing really," Ruth groans.
"Well, it looked like you upchucked chicken broth."
"It doesn't taste like it, though," Ruth begun, pausing from a dry heave. "It's freaking sour like a lemon drop."
Mike grimaces with a stick of his tongue while Leroy chuckles softly at the boy.
From the corner of her eye, Ruth noticed him handing her a glass of plain water.
"Swig, swish, and spit," Mike instructed.
She heaves a sigh then did as instructed.
The Hanlon's stayed by her side while she waited out the sickness. When Ruth was sure she was done vomiting, Leroy gently scooped her into his arms and carried Ruth into her bedroom. She needed the rest anyway. He tucked her in like any father would when their child was sick and brushed the fine hairs away from Ruth's eyes. Leroy grew to love Ruth like a daughter, and he hates seeing her in this weakened state.
He stares down at her, frowning sadly as she got comfortable underneath the sheets. Leroy's brows furrow once he noticed the bloody nick on Ruth's forehead. He is curious about how she got it, but he won't question her right now. Leroy wants Ruth to take it easy.
With another heavy sigh, Leroy turned to leave as Ruth's started for her headphones. Apparently, she doesn't want to talk with anyone for now. Or maybe Ruth needs some music to help fall asleep. He went with that possibility. Before she could place them on her ears to drown out the silence, Leroy touched her cheek one last time.
"If you need anything, anything at all, you holler, okay?"
Ruth gently smiles, her eyes fluttering from sleepiness. "Okay, thank you, Poppop."
The corners of his mouth curved in a smile touched at endearing term. "Your welcome, sweetheart. Good night, Ruth."
He turns away as Ruth curled on her side, listening to Cheap Trick's "The Flame."
Fifteen minutes later, Mike came into the room. He has a small glass of apple juice in hand for Ruth to sip on to calm her stomach. Mike would have stayed with her for a while if Ruth didn't have her headphones on. When he checked on her to see if she were awake, Ruth was already fast asleep. He wouldn't blame her, though.
He sets the glass on her bedside table, eyeing Ruth sadly. Mike doesn't like seeing Ruth like this either or the fact she's drowning out the silence around her with music. He can hear music still playing, something Mike wondered how Ruth could with the thick padding on her ears. Mike took it upon himself to slowly and gently remove the headphones from Ruth's sleeping form. Curious, Mike held one of the earpieces to his ear, hearing heavy metal music and not her usual disco or soft rock. He cringes from the frantic bounding of drums and guitar riffs, even the screaming blur of song lyrics from the singer.
"How could anyone listen to this?"
Mike pulls the earpiece away from his head with a shake and lightly sets it beside her cassette player, turning it off with a simple push of a button. He watches Ruth for a moment, attempting to smile, but it turned into a worried frown. With a heavy sigh, Mike turns to leave only to stop when from catching sight of the bloody knick. He hovers over Ruth to gingerly wipe the blood off her forehead. Mike stares briefly, admiring Ruth's soft and serene features. Acting on a strange impulse, he leaned further and placed a gentle kiss on Ruth's warm to the touch skin. She doesn't stir, which Mike is glad about because Ruth could very well take it the wrong way. He eyed her a moment longer before pulling back while letting his fingers caress her arm.
Mike was a foot away from the bed when she softly moaned in her sleep and mumbled.
"Please, don't leave me," Ruth mutters lowly.
He furrows his brows, wondering who she is talking about. She might be talking about him, but Mike doubts that, though. Mike believes she could be talking about Robert. They didn't leave on best of terms, and Ruth feels responsible for Robert's disappearance. He felt a strange pang in his heart when Mike realized something. He and Ruth may have something going on between them, but she will never love him the same way she does Robert. Mike has seen some of the pictures of the two together, and they looked absolutely happy. He wonders still what could have happened that would draw them apart. Hopefully, Mike will find the guy and reunite the two, so they can patch things up. Mike likes Ruth a lot, but he feels Ruth needs Robert in her life more than he does.
With a saddened huff, Mike turns away, choosing to ignore the sounds she's making. He knows Ruth needs the rest after throwing up earlier, along with the near-death experience from almost drowning.
He just hopes nothing like that ever happens again.
The environment around her is dark and lacked any life or signs of affection. The dining room light barely pierced the blackness, engulfing Ruth in cold shadows. Ruth's legs are numb with pain as she struggled to crawl away from someone, who advanced on her like a wolf about to pounce on a lamb.
Her attempt to escape proved futile as they continued to drive their blade into her already bloody leg. Ruth soundlessly cries out as her attacker snatched her hair, slamming her head against the tile floor. Her vision blurs, and ears rang, her breath caught in her throat.
Ruth can feel them weigh her down at the hips, straddling her.
"I'm going to kill you nice and slow," Jordan's voice sing songs into Ruth's ear.
The woman pulls back to hover low over Ruth, her pocketknife gleaming in the faint yellow light. Her flaxen blonde hair fell past her shoulders, blanketing her features in shadows. Ruth can't see it, but the woman's eyes gleamed with glee and smiled broadly where her pearly white teeth showed.
"Tell your daddy I said, "Hi," for me," Jordan lowly growls. "Oh, I almost forgot," she paused, eyeing Ruth with her malicious yet evil grin.
"Happy Birthday, Ruth."
Without a second's hesitation, Jordan plunges the blade into Ruth's chest.
Ruth's mouth gaps open to scream, but nothing could come out. Ruth watched as Jordan's blade came down on her again, feeling the cold metal sink into her chest, yet no yell could leave her lips. Ruth tries to move her arms to block Jordan's blade but couldn't. They laid helplessly at her side. She laid defeated as the evil woman continued to stab her to death.
With the final blow to her heart, Ruth strangled a scream as she bolted up from her mattress. She panted heavily with a hand feeling around her heaving chest to rub away the feeling of being stabbed. She sat there for a moment in a cold sweat, violently trembling from the nightmare. A strangled sob left her lips as Ruth glanced over at the bedside table, her teary gaze landing on the apple juice. From behind the glass, her alarm clock showed twelve o'clock on the dot. With a shaky breath, Ruth reached for the drink that was left behind, disregarding the slight warmth and drank the liquid in seconds flat.
She sighs from the gulp, glancing around the room for anything out of the ordinary, nothing. Satisfied nothing was there, she fell backward and just cried. Ruth's sobs and muffled wails were loud enough to wake the Hanlon's from their slumber, but they won't wake. She has learned over the months Mike and Leroy are heavy sleepers. She wished they weren't because at least one of them would come in and give her comfort Ruth desperately craves.
The moment Ruth and Pennywise split, her nightmares of getting murdered resurfaced. She has dreamed of Jordan killing her almost every single night since Ruth came out of hiding. Ruth hates it so much that it drove her insane and to the point of committing several suicide attempts. Once, she tried taking one too many pills of Tylenol, which resulted in Ruth vomiting it up, thanks to Mike catching her. The second time she tried, it was a sickle on the back of her neck, which prompted Leroy to act by having Ruth go to a therapist.
Two weeks ago, when she was with the Losers, Ruth unknowingly stepped in front of a train barreling down the tracks close to the Barrens. Ruth had no clue what was going on around her. She occupied herself with a song playing in her mind and didn't hear the train coming. Bill was the one to pull her out of the way in the nick of time, saving Ruth. He was also the one to hug her tightly when Ruth broke down, crying at how weak she's becoming and losing her sanity.
Ruth heaves a sigh, struggling to keep herself together. She glances towards the door, contemplating going to see Mike. She desires comfort after the nightmare and who better to go to than him. Ruth sat up once more then slipped into her house shoes. She is still fully clothed in her high-waisted cut-off jeans and candy apple red and white striped tank. Apparently, when Leroy carried her to bed, he thought it was best if she dressed whenever Ruth woke.
With another sigh, Ruth lightly walked out of her room. His room is right next to hers. When she approached, Ruth gently tapped at the slightly ajar door.
"Mike?" She calls in a whisper.
No answer from him, of course.
Ruth wanted to call out to him again when a thought occurred to her. Staying here with Mike by her side won't help to keep the nightmares away. She will just have more of them, and Ruth doesn't want to disturb Mike's sleep. No, there is a place that is much suited to repel the darkness that resides in her mind.
The Neibolt House.