Disclaimer: I do not own IT or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way.
A/N: Once again I apologize for taking too long to update. What can I say that hasn't already in some way been said? I had some adult things to take care of but things are calming down now...thankfully. During my absence I've been keeping up with the filming of IT: Chapter Two based on what's been posted online. I gotta say I am super excited with on what I've seen. Pictures mostly. I saw a few on Instagram with some of the kid Losers. I saw a pic of Finn Wolfhard with Bill Hader and my heart nearly stopped from the excitement and happiness I was feeling. I mean, the two Richie's in one photo. If only Hayley Atwell was in there for Gwen Tozier ^.^
(Spoiler...I guess?)
Also, another thing that has me excited and a little sad (because I know the outcome of what happens to this new minor character) is that for IT: Chapter Two they are going to add the Adrian Mellon story-line from the novel. The mini-series didn't have this but I am glad they chose to add it with the remake/re-adaption. For those of you who haven't read the novel and have no idea who the character of Adrian Mellon is, I'll explain. He is a young man who lives in Derry and his boyfriend and him get attacked by a homophobic group. He is the first victim of IT after coming out of hibernation/hiding. Adrian's death, along with the other missing kids, is what essentially causes Mike to call the Losers in order to get them to come back to Derry as adults. Letting them know that IT has returned. That part in the novel with Adrian getting attacked by IT always disturbed and sadden me...but despite this I do have to say I am interested with seeing it finally being played on the big screen. Despite it being a disturbing scene I feel that it is needed. Like Georgie's death. It was sad and heartbreaking but overall it was needed because his death was what drove Bill and later on the others to find out just what's going on in Derry. I know for certain that Gwen is going to take a heavy interest in Adrian's death and would want justice for him, along with the other kids who have fallen victim to IT.
Now moving on from that, I've also looked at the casting again on the IMDB page and I'm happy with what I have seen. I think casting the actor Isaiah Mustafa as adult Mike Hanlon is such a good choice. I can totally envision him as an older Mike. I can't wait to see him interact with the other Losers. I know for sure Gwen is gonna be over the moon when she finds out that Mike has become the librarian at Derry's Public Library. At last...a librarian she will be able to get along with ^.^ They've also cast the actress Jess Weixler to play adult Bill Denbrough's wife Audra Phillips and the actor Will Beinbrink to play adult Beverly's abusive husband Tom Rogan. This makes me curious to know who is going to play the other spouses for Eddie and Stan. They haven't posted anything in regards to who is going to be playing them. For Eddie I doubt they're gonna have him stick with his mother like in the mini-series. I think, however, he will marry someone who resembles his mother a lot like he did in the novel. As for Stan...well I really want to know who is going to play Stan's wife, Patty Blum. Mainly because by now we all know what she unfortunately witnesses...although of course my story will take a different route. Also, all you Gwen x Stan shippers, it's gonna be full angst city for this lovely couple. But don't lose hope and don't panic...at least not yet.
Anyways...I've also updated my Stranger Things/IT crossover. So go check that out if you guys are following that story already.
*Warning: Please Read What's Done Below Here Before Reading This Chapter!*
This chapter (as well as the next one) contains subject matter that may trigger some of you. Therefore, I have a need to warn all of you that there is extreme violence in this chapter. As well as unwanted sexual advances, touching without permission, derogatory language/slurs, possessive behavior, verbal and physical abuse. Please, (and I stress this) read with caution!
"Sometime, somewhere, life always comes to a fight, and peace always comes to an end." ― Rachel Caine, Lord of Misrule
Chapter 22: Bruised, Bloody and Broken
Gwen Tozier never before this day noticed the color of Henry Bowers' eyes...and why the hell would she have?
Since from a young age Henry Bowers not only repulsed Gwen, but he made her feel a great amount of indignation. That mainly had to do with the way Henry treated others around him. These others included herself. If asked Gwen wouldn't have been able pinpoint the exact moment Henry started causing her trouble. He was just always around, a thorn in Gwen's side. An awful, lunatic of a prickly thorn.
There were a ton of incidents of Henry bullying her throughout the years that were suddenly playing in Gwen's mind. The first few dreadful memories stuck with her the most. From the time in kindergarten when Henry had cut a good chunk of her hair off with a pair of scissors. He claimed it to be an accident when confronted by their teacher. Gwen had been more embarrassed than angered with the incident. Unlike her mother who was completely pissed. Maggie had to cut Gwen's hair into a bob-style because of how uneven Henry had left it. That was the only time Maggie allowed Gwen to cut her hair short. The Tozier woman hadn't since then allowed Gwen to cut her hair that short.
Then there was the time the mullet wearing asshole poured a whole gallon of expired milk into her backpack in the seventh grade. That was fun. Besides ruining everything that was inside, Gwen also had to wash her backpack a few times in order to get that vile smell off. The following year during eighth grade, right after Gwen brutally rejected one of Henry's advances, the following words: Gwen Tozier is a massive dyke, were written on her locker and in one of the boys bathroom stalls with a red marker. It didn't take a genius to figure out who wrote that. Let's also not forget her all time favorite memory (sarcastically of course), was the time Henry purposely tripped her, causing her nose to bleed after telling him that he needed to stop bullying Richie. The list of physical and emotional torment doesn't end there. It went on and on.
None of those past situations (and the countless others) ever made Gwen notice his eyes...not until now. As Henry was now currently holding her at knife point, Gwen finally took notice of his blue eyes. They were a light shade of blue. Steel blue actually. The blood around his face certainly made his eyes pop more...but not in a flattering way. Usually the color blue calmed Gwen down. She admired the color because Chase's eyes had been blue―oceanic blue to be more exact. Gwen found no peace when staring into Henry's eyes. They made her feel the opposite of tranquility. Henry's eyes were nowhere near as beautiful as Chase's. Or Stan's, whose eyes were a light brown...said a voice inside her head. It was then that Gwen's nerves had caught up to her again. She silently continued the stare off between her and Henry.
Blood.
There was so much God damn blood on his face. Where had all that blood come from? Did he kill someone? Chills ran down Gwen's spine. She tried to discreetly swallowed the lump in her throat not wanting to show anymore nervousness than she already was. The answer was pretty damn obvious, wasn't it? Suddenly the hold Henry had on the back of her head tightened. Gwen winced. A distressed reaction she wasn't able to hide from Henry. Gwen saw his eyes twinkle at her discomfort. Now if it weren't for the knife that was planted right on her throat, perhaps Gwen would have worried more about the stitches that were located near where Henry was grabbing her hair. Even if they were now healed. The knife on her throat had all of her attention at the moment. And the blood on Henry's face.
"I told you, you were going to be mine this summer, Tozier." Henry sneered at her. The crazed smile he had on didn't go away as he spoke. "You should have taken what I said seriously."
Those haunting words Henry said to her on the last day of school came back to bite her. Gwen knew that she was in a life threatening situation. Any second now Henry could easily move the knife across her throat, resulting in her bleeding out and dying within seconds. She should be afraid...she was afraid. If she were to suddenly die now Gwen would never see Richie or any of the Losers again.
That was as terrifying as it was heartbreaking. Except what really got to Gwen the most was that if she were to die now, she wouldn't have the chance to make things right with her brother. And she didn't want to die while Richie and her were at not in good terms. Gwen steadied her breathing. I have to be brave. If not for myself, then for Richie.
Having those words play in her mind made Gwen not want to give this major fuckturd the satisfaction (anymore than she already had) of letting him know he was frightening her. Gwen tried her hardest now to appear unfazed. Gathering up all the courage she still had, she forced out a smile. The uneasiness she once had on her face disappeared.
"I'm not usually a serious person. Nor do I really listen to what people have say to me. Especially not when it's a mullet wearing asshole who is speaking." Gwen snidely replied back. That mouth of hers was sure having its time running along even despite the situation she was in. Her heart rate picked up pace when she felt the knife press even closer to her throat. She almost let out a noise of shock but kept it in. Despite this happening, Gwen's unruffled exterior demeanor didn't falter.
Henry's deranged smile fell after hearing her say all that. He frowned and Gwen admitted to herself that his frown was way more disturbing than his previous smile. "I'd watch out what you say to me right now, dyke." He basically hissed out. Gwen right there and then compared him to a snake ready to attack its prey. "My father said some unkind words to me prior and look how that turned out."
Gwen's forced nonchalant act almost vanished completely when he said this. Of course the teen knew who Henry's father was. Oscar 'Butch' Bowers. Now just like with Beverly's father, Alvin Marsh, Gwen didn't have the highest of opinions when it came to Henry's father. His father did have a better job than Beverly's, but that didn't automatically make him a better person...because he wasn't. Sure, Butch Bowers was a police officer in Derry, but he was an awful one. At least Gwen thought so, as did her father and Richie. Hell, even her mother Maggie agreed. By now, Gwen had lost count of the times Wentworth complained about Officer Bowers. Or as he preferred to call him (as did Gwen at times), Butch. And there was a reason why Wentworth and her mother couldn't particularly stand Butch Bowers. A good reason indeed.
About a year ago (before any of this madness happened), her father's car got vandalized pretty bad. All four tires had been slashed and the front windows were smashed, with glass going everywhere. Once the discovery had been made, Wentworth, being the concerned and irritated citizen that he was, immediately called the police. Unfortunately for him, Officer Bowers had been the one sent his way to deal with the situation. Officer Bowers took down his statement (lazily so might she add as she'd witnessed him doing so), and as a result nothing ever got solved in regards to who caused the damages.
Gwen remembered how enraged her father had been a few days later after the incident when Officer Bowers said no culprits were ever found. Gwen knew her father's anger had more to do with how Officer Bowers sounded when delivering the update. Just the way he presented himself when speaking to her father made it seem like he didn't give a shit. Which really Gwen should have known from the start that Butch Bowers didn't give a damn. He'd been so inconsiderate and also the small tight lipped smile he had on when speaking wasn't helping with Wentworth's annoyance. Gwen still remembered exactly what her father said to her mother right after Officer Bowers left their premises.
"He's scum, Mags. That son of a bitch is pure scum."
"I know he is, Went. I know."
Despite the situation, during that moment she witnessed with her parents, Gwen couldn't help but enjoy the fact that her mother and father were actually talking with one another. They even used those affectionate nicknames they had for one another. Gwen rarely ever heard her parents address each other that way anymore. At least not with so much devotion. If they were to say those same nicknames again they would sound plain, monotone. But at that moment...her parents acted and sounded loved by one another. It was also one of the few times her mother and father could ever agree on something. They both heavily disliked Butch Bowers. Maggie, much like Wentworth, had her own reasons for disliking Butch so much. It actually had more to do with the car incident that happened to Wentworth. Gwen didn't know the whole story but there was definitely history between Maggie and Oscar "Butch" Bowers. Adding to that history and car incident, Henry cutting her own daughter's hair didn't lessen the hatred she had for Butch Bowers and his son.
Now just like her parents, Gwen disliked Butch Bowers...a lot. There was a reason for this as well. It wasn't just because of his son. Although Henry did play a big factor. But no, overall the Tozier girl had such negative thoughts about Officer Bowers because he was one of the police officers that ruled Chase's death as a suicide. Never once questioning whether or not there was foul play involved. Which as Gwen now knows, there was. A tiny part of her brain had rationalized that maybe that evil energy that surrounded Derry got to his brain and fogged it up with wrong information...but something within Gwen told her that Butch Bowers didn't need any sort of bad influence in order to control his actions.
Gwen could tell now that Butch was bad, real bad. And that now that her mind was going over the place, maybe Butch Bowers did know who vandalized her father's car but chose not to say anything. Hell, maybe it had been Henry or Patrick. Or perhaps both. The car incident after all happened a few days later after she cussed them out. The Tozier girl had said some very colorful choice of words, letting her mouth get the best of her...yet again. Gwen could have asked but she found that ridiculous to do. What good would that do anyways? She had bigger things to focus on. Like getting the hell out of this deadly situation. Henry's knife at this point hadn't furthered away from her throat in the slightest.
Surprisingly, Gwen's gaze suddenly flickered away from Henry. From a distance she was now able to see the familiar blue Trans Am hiding within the tall grassy field. The reflection of one of the side review mirrors is what caught her attention. The gears in her head turned once taking notice of the vehicle. Now if the car was there then where the hell was Belch? Was he waiting in the car watching as Henry threatened her? Something within Gwen told her that he wasn't and she believed this feeling. Belch was a ill-mannered teen, but wasn't a raving lunatic like Henry. However, his absent presence made her nervous. Did that mean the burly sized boy suffered the same fate as Butch Bowers?
The longer Gwen thought this question the more obvious the answer became. She wouldn't put it past Henry to do such a thing to his supposed buddy. Especially not after he just admitted to killing his own father. She hoped to God (or whoever was this benevolent supposed being was and if they even existed), that Victor hadn't been there when Henry completely lost it. Even if the sleek white-blonde haired boy told her he wasn't hanging around Henry, Gwen still hoped he had kept his distance today in particular. If Belch was dead like Henry's father, like she assumed he was, then she inwardly begged Victor wasn't. Her concern for Victor momentarily went away and her full attention returned to Henry with what he maliciously said next.
"That Trashmouth of a younger brother of yours and your Loser friends aren't here to save your ass."
This time at the mention of her younger brother and friends, Gwen couldn't hide her reaction no matter how much she wanted to. A sad gleam passed through her eyes and Henry was quick to see it. He caught the meaning that lurked behind those dark eyes of hers. "Aw, what's this? Did you guys have a falling out? How sad." Henry's face contorted into mocking sadness before a smirk appeared on his blood covered face. "Although that works perfectly well for me. Not even that bird loving freak is here to protect you this time. Not that he actually would be able to. What a weak pathetic little shit he is."
The sadness that entered Gwen's system went away and anger soon replaced it. She without any ounce of fear gave him a heated glare. "Don't you dare talk about Stan." Gwen snapped at him. She couldn't help reacting this way. The Tozier girl absolutely did not like hearing Henry talk smack about the boy she cared immensely for. The boy she had come to realize was in love with her...and has been for a long time now.
Besides her verbal outburst, Henry noticed the emotional flare that passed through her eyes at the mention of the Uris kid. This made him let out a humorless laugh. "Well, it looks like the dyke does have a crush on the Jew." He churlishly said to her. His steel blue eyes didn't falter from her own dark eyes until he gazed down and saw an item that immediately caught his attention. Her ring. Displeasure and annoyance grew within Henry once taking sight of the jewelry piece. The diamond the ring had didn't look like the expensive kind but the price of the jewelry piece didn't really matter to him. Just the fact that she was wearing the ring angered him to his core because he had a strong guess as to who gave her the ring. He clicked his tongue as he lifted his gaze back onto her face again. "I bet that little shithead gave this to you, didn't he?"
Gwen's face morphed into aggravation from hearing Henry call Stan by that awful name. That anger soon went to the side once she thoroughly analyzed what he just told her. Gwen's gaze quickly flickered down towards where she was wearing her ring. It had never really occurred to her before now that Stan was the one who gave her the ring. Except after hearing Henry say that she felt like slapping herself. She was such an idiot. Of course Stan was the one who gave her the ring. Her stomach did a flip as she reached to touch her precious ring but her movement stopped midway when Henry reached for her hand. Rather harshly too. Within seconds, using the hand that had been once holding onto her hair, he pulled the ring off her finger and then without a care threw it away from them...away from her. Never once did the knife he had on her throat move. Gwen could only watch with a dispirited expression as the ring she had come to love disappeared somewhere along the dirt covered ground. Her heart broke a little from seeing this. Her ring was gone now...because of Henry. Her heartache was soon replaced with anger once more. Oh yes, the Tozier girl was incredibly pissed off now. She felt her cheeks start to warm up due to her irritation.
Henry saw the redness in her cheeks and felt content knowing he was getting to her. "So what? You've finally moved on from that Campbell boy?" He asked, continuing his heartless taunting. The smirk on his face expanded. "I thought he was the love of your life." He said mockingly. He knew mentioning the Campbell boy would affect her (just like it did when mentioning Stan), but he didn't gave a damn. Henry Bowers hated Chase Campbell with everything he had. Even now when he was dead. When alive, Chase had been Derry, Maine's golden boy. Mr. Perfect. Growing up, Henry shared a few classes with Chase, and as the years passed by his hate for him grew. And that hate wasn't just because Chase captured Gwen's undivided attention. Henry also loathed the way Chase was viewed by the others at school. How he was well liked and easily accepted by everybody.
That's why when Henry learned of Chase's suicide he hadn't been bothered by it at all. In fact, he was rather happy about it. What made it even better was that Henry used what happened to Chase as a way to further torment the Tozier girl. Just like he'd done on the last day of school. The reason being because it would get a giant reaction out of her. Like it was right now. Plus it was always fun to torment her. In his eyes the uppity bitch deserved it. Just like how she deserved everything that was about to happen to her right now. However, before he proceeded there was something he wanted to know. He suddenly became somber as he looked harshly into her dark eyes. His expression was a mixture of pensiveness and vexation. "What does that Jew have that I don't?"
Gwen blinked several times, thoroughly puzzled. Was he seriously asking her this question? Now of all times? When he was holding a freakin' knife to her throat? She would have laughed if her life wasn't in danger due to how ridiculous this all was. However, Gwen knew that if she laughed right in his face the results would be ugly. Besides, Gwen realized that she could use this to her advantage somehow. Gwen quickly thought of something, a plan. She had no doubt that what she was about to say would anger him and put herself in even more risk, but it was what was going to give her the chance to escape the hold he had her in.
"Personality, for one." Gwen finally said answering his question, all while maintaining a cool persona. "But more importantly..." She drawled, her voice and facial features hardened with what she said next. Dropping her previous careless attitude for an impassioned one. "Stan's more of a man than you'll ever be. You pathetic bastard." Gwen fiercely told him, emphasizing the word that she knew would do the most damage...and it did.
In return those words really pissed Henry off. His blue eyes inflamed with pure rage just as she had expected them to. The knife against her throat pressed harder against her and Gwen knew he was close to slicing her now. Before that happened, Gwen decided to act out the plan she had plan. Morphing her facial expression into one of relief, she forced her gaze away from Henry. She needed to look not scared again in order for things to work out her way. The plan she had was silly but it was the only plan that came to mind. And Gwen had the movie Back to the Future to thank for this plan of hers. She was about to use the Marty McFly tactic. Except when she yelled she didn't say Marty's famous catchphrase of "What the hell is that?!" but instead yelled "Help!" in the same over dramatic tone Marty did in the movie. That certainly did the trick.
Seeing her eyes widened the way they did automatically made Henry think that someone was there behind him. That made him move the knife slightly away from her throat. He was completely unaware that she was playing him. When he glanced over his shoulder, that was when Gwen knew she needed to continue her plan before he realized there was no one there to help her. This was her chance to escape. Since there was now some little space between her and the knife, Gwen carefully and without any mercy kneed Henry between his legs. Right where that sorry excuse of a man part he so proudly like gesturing to was at. The hit had taken him by total surprise. He let out a loud groan of pain and it nearly had him falling over. Although he didn't fall to the ground, the sudden hit did make him drop his knife as he covered his man parts. As this happened, Gwen debated reaching for the knife but she ultimately decided to just run and get the hell away from him. That was a decision she would regret.
Within seconds, Gwen had gotten a good distance away from Henry. Except much to her misfortune it didn't take long for Henry to recover. Pushing passed the pain Gwen had inflicted on him, he got up and with all the determination and anger he had in him, Henry ran after her. His loud angry steps entered Gwen's ears but she didn't stop running. If anything she started to run even faster...but so did Henry. Curiosity got the best of her, and wanting to check just how close he was, Gwen without stopping glanced over her shoulder. To her shock he was right there, a sneer on his blood covered face. Before she was able to face forward again, Henry tackled her down to the ground. Gwen landing on her back, now laid on the ground with Henry straddling her. All of his weight was on her and she hated the feeling. It felt wrong. She let out a startled cry when one of Henry's fist connected with her face, well, her nose to be exact.
It didn't take long for her to feel a warm fluid start to run down. Gwen didn't need a mirror to see what it was. It was pretty obvious. When it went into her mouth she recognized the taste. Blood. This would now be the second time Henry has made her bleed from her nose. Despite the pain and gushing blood, Gwen knew she couldn't dwell on it. She had to keep fighting. With an angry cry this time. Gwen punched Henry back, hitting him on his right cheek.
This retaliation somewhat startled Henry, but he quickly recovered. He wasn't about to be shown up by her again. It was her time to suffer. Stupid bitch. Glaring down at her, he used one of his hands to hold down both of her hands before using his other hand to backhand her across the face. After doing that he leveled his crazed eyes onto hers again. "I don't need my damn knife to kill you! You're just a stupid weak girl." Henry taunted as he continued to fight to remain on top of her. Despite having her hands pinned down, Gwen wasn't stopping her fighting. "Stay down!" Henry shouted. Immediately after he said this, Gwen stopped her fighting. Due to this, Henry expected to see her cry and hear her beg for mercy, but that wasn't the case when he stared into her eyes again.
Gwen's face stung from the hit she received but she didn't allow him to see the amount of pain she was in. At the moment she stopped her fighting but it wasn't for the reason he thought. Instead of crying, it was her turn to glare at him. It was such a heated glare that Henry was even taken back by the fervent emotion that radiated from it. Pure hatred could be seen in her dark brown eyes. Stay down my ass. I'll show you who's stupid and weak. Since both of her hands were being held done, Gwen straight out head butted him, ignoring the pain that erupted from doing that move. This was a life and death scenario and she wasn't about to die.
Henry was not expecting her to do that. Dazed, he got up and staggered back. His balance was shit as he tried focusing his vision. He touched his forehead. "You fuckin' bitch!" He thundered once he was able to somewhat compose his vision. By now Gwen was already on her feet again. Her stance was unsteady as she silently scrutinized him. Blood kept dripping down her nose and her head hurt like a son of a bitch but she couldn't focus on her either of those things. She had to focus on getting the hell away from Henry again.
The option of running again was there but in order to get to town where there was people, Gwen had to pass by Henry. Unless she ran in the opposite direction, leading into Barrens. The idea of hiding inside the clubhouse Ben made for her and the others popped into her head. Gwen, however, immediately got a bad feeling. Something told her that wouldn't be such a good idea. If she did that and Henry caught up with her, she was fucked. Plus he'd know where the location of the clubhouse.
Sadly before Gwen was able to come up another idea, Henry moved forward (sloppily) and tried tackling her a second time. Gwen having already anticipating the move, got out of the way. However, because she was just as dizzy as Henry, she wasn't as fast as she wanted to be. He was able to get a hold of her left wrist. At first the hold was barely there but once having it in his grasp, Henry's hold became unyielding.
Henry doing that caused Gwen's composure to fully return. She right away used her free hand to grab onto where Henry was holding her. She then using her strength swung her arm to grab onto his own wrist. This unexpected move had Henry falling onto his knees as she started to push him down. At the last second he managed to grab some dirt with his free hand and threw it behind him, going right into Gwen's eyes. She immediately let go when her eyes began to sting due to the dirt. Once she let go of him, Henry was quick to throw another punch her way. This one aimed at her stomach. This time Gwen couldn't hold back her scream. As she bent over holding her stomach, Henry used the opportunity to kick her in the face. More blood started to come out, this time from her mouth. Another kick was delivered to her left side of her body, resulting in Gwen falling to her knees.
It only took a single push for her to be on the ground again. Her eyes still stung but the blur was passable. She was able to see Henry when she felt him start to straddle her again. This time his movement when on top of her was more lecherous than before. Her heartbeat started to pick up when she felt him start to press against her. Even with clothing on Gwen was still able to feel it and she wanted to throw up.
The same gross feeling of when Patrick had been spying on her changing in the locker returned. She felt violated...actually she was being violated. Gwen wanted this to stop now but she knew Henry wouldn't...not without a fight.
Henry smirked at seeing her finally look so defenseless and underneath him like he had always wanted. Seeing her bleeding and bruising face made him very feel happy. He licked his lips as he pressed himself against her even more. "Oh, I'm gonna have so much fun with you even after you're dead."
Gwen shuddered once she understood what he meant by that. He was sick in the head. Despite being unnerved by this, when she felt him press against her again, the disturbance she felt moments prior turned into exasperation. Gwen's mind took a sharp turn. I'm not gonna let his fuckturd take advantage of me! Fuck that! Her glare from before returned. Not needing another second thought about what she was going to do, Gwen lifted both of her hands and with a scream she started scratching Henry's face.
"Fuck!" Henry shouted as Gwen started to break his skin. He had to use one of his hands in order to block his eyes. That's where he knew she was trying to aim most of her scratching. Due to him shielding his eyes, Gwen was left to do more damage to the rest of his face. She left full on scratch marks, really doing harm to him. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to get Henry to back off. A few more seconds passed before he finally got the upper hand again in the situation. With a crazed look in his eye, Henry, managing to ignore the pain from the scratching, began to mercilessly squeeze her throat. The chant from the television when he killed his father replayed over and over again in his head as he did this. Kill them all, Kill them all, Kill them all!
The sudden force on Gwen's throat started to make her wheeze, causing her scratching to come to an end. She instead tried getting Henry's hands off her throat but it was nearly impossible. He had such a hard grip on her throat. Her face was slowly beginning to turn a light shade of purple because of the lack of oxygen. Since she couldn't pry his hands off she tried again to scratch at his face but it was to no avail. Suddenly at the very last second, just when she thought she was going to pass out for good, something happened.
Use your legs. A voice (one that she would later realize was not her own) rang in her head.
Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that sooner? The idea was now planted in her mind. Since her hands were failing her it looked like she needed to use something else...her legs. With skills Gwen didn't even know she possessed, she quickly yet slyly wrapped her legs around Henry's chest and squeezed her thighs together with all the strength she had left. When doing this, Gwen now was able to remember watching some old fighting movie where the of the main characters explained how thigh strength could be very useful when fighting an opponent...and even deadly if used against someone in actual self-defense.
And it appeared that her counter attack was working.
Henry was now the one grunting in pain, and wheezing as he was beginning to lose oxygen. This ultimately caused him to lose grip around her throat, but before he was able to fully let go, he was suddenly thrown off her.
As soon as his hands were off her throat, Gwen took a deep breath. Her eyes widening from relief. It worked. The light shade of purple that resided on her face started to slowly fade away as she started desperately taking in more air. There was no doubt that the dark marks on her throat caused by Henry would go away any time soon. Despite taking in air like a person drinking water after almost dying from thirst in the desert, Gwen was still able to see what or should she say who had thrown Henry off of her. And was she ever surprised to see who it had been.
Victor.
Gwen couldn't believe her eyes at what she was seeing. The sleek white-blond haired boy was okay. He was alive...and he was currently pummeling the shit out of Henry. He was on top of him throwing punches like there was no tomorrow. All of his punches were hitting Henry's blood covered face. Blood that now just wasn't from killing his father but from the scratch wounds that Gwen gave him. The Tozier girl wanted to get up and help Victor but her body was betraying her. She felt too weak. No matter how much she tried, Gwen couldn't push pass the choking and the beatings she had received from Henry. Blood was still escaping from her nose and mouth. Her eyes still stung as well but her vision wasn't as blurry as before. However, the metallic taste of her blood invaded her taste buds, and it disgusted her. All she could really do was intake more air as she tried gaining her strength again. Somehow she was able to turn to her right side, and silently watched as Victor continued his bashing.
Despite having his back towards her, Victor still sensed the Tozier girl's gaze. Without stopping his hits on Henry, he found his voice. "Gwen go! Get the hell out of here!" He vehemently yelled out. Victor knew that she must have been in a world full of pain but he wanted her gone...now. She needed to run while he still had the upper hand against Henry. Victor knew that he wouldn't be able to keep Henry down for long. Not with his hits. Henry had always been stronger than him. A fact that Henry always like rubbing in his face. At the moment though it appeared that Victor was the stronger one and he knew why. Victor's need to protect Gwen was the reason for this...but he also knew this sudden unexpected strength would come to an end. So Gwen needed to leave.
It had been pure luck that he was even able to cross paths with them. Although deep down Victor knew it had more to do than just luck. There was like this unexplained force of some sorts telling him he needed to go a certain way and to hurry. Once this unusual feeling appeared he followed through, not at all caring about the consequences. A voice inside his head just kept repeating the same thing over and over again: Get to Gwen. Find her. She needs help. And before even witnessing Henry choking the life out of Gwen, Victor knew that she was in deep trouble.
That voice in his head told him so. Victor had no idea as to why Henry was trying to kill her. Nor did he know why his face was covered in blood, but he didn't care to ask for any sort of explanation. He reasoned that Henry just lost his damn mind for good this time. When running towards them, Victor had noticed the familiar blue Trans Am hiding in the grassy field. He briefly wondered where the hell Belch was and why he was letting this happen. And then it suddenly struck Victor once pushing Henry off of Gwen's body that perhaps Belch was dead...and saying that even in his head dismayed Victor. Despite keeping his distance, Victor still considered Belch a friend. Realizing that Henry killed him, hurt Victor. Except not only had Henry killed Belch but now he was trying to kill Gwen. Henry killed one of his closest friends and now he was trying to kill the girl he loved. And that's right, now of all times did Victor finally admit to himself that he did love Gwen. Which only made him want to stop Henry even more. The strength he had suddenly increased, making any doubt he had disappear. Maybe he would be able to stop Henry for good...but alas, things were about to take a drastic turn.
If Gwen had been able to she would have screamed with what she saw next. A horrific image that would be implanted in her mind and invade her upcoming nightmares. But for the life of her she couldn't find her voice. It was like it was being purposefully held back. She even tried to get up but it was like a force of some sorts pushed her back down to the ground. What was only able to come out from her mouth was just too low, and it sounded like sand-papery whisper. Her throat hurt so much with just that attempt. It felt like it was on fire now. Despite not being able to express the frightful warning she wanted to give Victor, her face sure showed it. However, that did nothing on account of Victor not facing her. Gwen was still able to witness the shining item that was close to Henry...and him grabbing it. Gwen's blood ran cold when she realized it was the knife from before. Her heart nearly stopped. That was impossible. The knife hadn't been there before...how did it get there?!
Poor Victor had been so distracted in hitting Henry, thinking that he was about to win for good and save the girl he loved, that he did not at all expect what happened next. Henry without any ounce of regret jabbed the knife into the side of Victor's neck. The sleek white-blonde haired boy eyes widened in shock as a horrible painful sensation erupted from where Henry had just stabbed him. His punches immediately stopped as his hands were now trying to stop the bleeding but it was no use. Blood just kept coming out from the wound Henry caused, and Victor somberly knew he was seconds away from losing his life.
And he was. Victor Criss ended up dying trying to save the girl he'd come to love. A girl, who although never returned those same feeling, had come to care for him...and with that peculiar mind of hers in someway (even when she was an adult and away from Derry with a foggy memory of her childhood) would remember the sacrifice he had made. She wouldn't remember everything but she would have bits of pieces floating around in her mind. Now Victor's last few thoughts before dying were the feeling of Gwen's lips upon his own when they had kissed, the color of Gwen's dark brown eyes, and how he hoped they would continue to shine brightly after getting out of this horrific mess.
Something that he hoped she would get out of...
When the life in his own eyes finally went away, Henry threw Victor off of him as if he weighed nothing. Tossing the sleek white-blond haired boy as if he were nothing but trash. This not only did this emotionally wound Gwen (after seeing Victor die that way), but seeing Victor's lifeless body caused a fire to grow within her. She had to get up. She needed to. Gwen forced back the tears that wanted to escape her. Victor, I am so sorry. She cried in her head. You did not have to die this way...you didn't have to die, period.
Gwen's apologetic thoughts came to a halt when Henry's crazed eyes landed onto her bloody and bruised form again. That same force from before tried keeping her down but her sudden anger from watching Victor die overpowered whatever dark energy that was. Gwen with a fierce expression stood up...ready to attack Henry again. The Bowers boy only watched with a wicked smirk as she made her way towards him. That caused Gwen's blood boil and her need to end Henry once and for all tripled. Why did he deserve to live after everything he's done? Gwen had never once in her life wanted to kill another human being...not until now. But Henry Bowers was pure evil...and he needed to be stopped.
Before she was even able to reach Henry, out of nowhere Gwen's vision turned dark. And when her vision became clear again she was met with an eerie smiling and frightening Pennywise towering over her. Her dark eyes widened in absolute horror. She opened her mouth and just like before nothing but a short sandy whisper was able to escape. The last thing Gwen remembered before her vision went dark again was IT wrapping those white gloved hands over her throat and squeezing tightly.
As the confrontation between Henry Bowers and Gwen Tozier occurred (the same confrontation that sadly lead to Victor Criss' death), Bill Denbrough got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling of warning of some sorts (one would say it was the same feeling Victor had...but it was different in a way). The feeling was not exactly the same one he got when Georgie happily said goodbye on the afternoon he had gone out to play with the boat Bill had made him. The feeling was strong enough to cause him to feel trepidation.
Evidently the feeling could not be overlooked...and Bill didn't want to overlook it. He feared something awful would happen if he ignored this feeling...and he didn't want anything else horrible to happen. So as quick as he could go, Bill was out of his house grabbing his bike from his front lawn. Without faltering his pedaling, Bill headed towards where his gut was telling him to go first. Beverly's house. The Denbrough boy didn't need to worry about what his parents would think about him leaving so abruptly. Not that they would even notice him being out of the house...they never did anymore. Not since what happened to Georgie. Thinking about his younger brother made Bill pedal his bike faster.
When Bill arrived at the Marsh's residence he was thoroughly muddled to see the run down apartment's front door slightly opened. Still, out of politeness (but mainly wariness), Bill knocked on the door before slowly pushing it further open. The old door creaking loudly as he did this. An unsettled feeling passed through him when there was no response. Not from Beverly, nor from her father. Not that Bill wanted to speak with him...he did not like Alvin Marsh. The man caused uneasiness and animosity to arise within him every time he laid eyes on the older man. Despite his immense dislike for the older man, Bill found it odd that he hadn't answered. There was the possibility that maybe he was out doing a job...but Bill wasn't convinced by this thought. And even so, why wasn't Beverly answering him? Was she out? If so, why did she leave the front door open? No...something was not right.
Out of chance, Bill called out Beverly's name again as he stepped further inside the apartment. He was able to hear something now. Bill's ears perked up when picking up the noise. It sounded like a low groan...and it was coming from Beverly's bathroom. Bill's heartbeat started to speed up. The last time he had been in there was when he and the Losers (minus Richie) had cleaned the blood. Bill knew the blood wasn't there anymore but hearing that noise did not make him feel any better. Bill's leadership persona though told him he needed to check what that noise was...he had to...so he did. Gathering up his courage, Bill turned the hallway's corner that led towards the bathroom. At first he saw nothing but when Bill got closer to the bathroom's entrance that's when he saw it. There was blood...but it wasn't like last time. This time the blood was coming from Alvin Marsh, who was faced down on the floor. Blood pooling from a head wound.
To say Bill was shocked would be an understatement. Besides the shock, Bill also felt concern because he had no idea where Beverly was. Questions began to go through his head. Had she done this? If so why? Even with the questions, Bill didn't think the worst of Beverly. Bill knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't have attacked her own father (no matter how much of a creep he was) unless there was a reason to. And Bill knew that there had to have been a reason...and it had to have been a bad one. Backing away from the bloody scene, Bill rushed into Beverly's room. Maybe Beverly was hiding in there and was afraid to come out because of what happened with her father, but man was he wrong. When Bill stepped inside Beverly's bedroom he was instantly met with the frightening message that was written in blood on her wall that said: YOU DIE IF YOU TRY.
One look at that frightening message and Bill instantly knew why Beverly hadn't answered when he came in. IT had taken Beverly. There was no doubt about that. None whatsoever. The beautiful red haired girl he had feelings for had been taken and Bill now needed to find her...but he knew well enough that he wouldn't be able to do that on his own. He needed help...he need the others. So that's why he ran out of the Marsh's apartment with resolute. He needed to gather up the rest of the Losers. Except as he rode his bike a rather unusual thing occurred. That strange strong feeling from before returned. And like before the feeling told him to go in a specific way. So Bill did without any issues and he soon found himself near a grassy field.
There was nothing out of the ordinary at first glance. The grassy field was empty, with only the wind blowing through the grass, making them go back and fourth. It was a rather peaceful sight which ironically just didn't sit right with Bill. This left him puzzled and on edge because he figured this strong feeling of his would have meant he was going to find something intense as he did at Beverly's apartment...but there was nothing. Just as he was about to ride away to continue on with his mission to save Beverly, a sudden glimmer coming from the ground caught his attention. Using his bike, Bill pedaled to where that shine had come from. He nearly fell off his bike Silver when he was close enough to see a dark stain on the dirt covered ground...blood.
Blood...just like he'd seen in Beverly's bathroom. Only this time there was no body to indicate where the blood had come from. But there was something else...an item that immediately clued Bill Denbrough in to whose blood that most likely belonged to. His palms started to get sweaty from panic when he saw the familiar diamond ring next to the blood stain. He full on panicked because Bill knew for sure who exactly that ring belonged to. It was Gwen's ring. He was aware of this because Stan had confessed to Bill the day after his Bar Mitzvah, when he ran into him, that he bought her the ring that was displayed on the jewelry shop's window and left it on her front porch. When his curly haired friend told him this, Bill had been overjoyed. Despite their friend group breaking apart, and him feeling terrible for missing Stan' Bar Mitzvah, he was able to surpass his guilt and felt happiness that Stan still felt close enough to share that secret with him. And even though Stan left the gift anonymously, Bill was still felt proud that Stan gave the ring to Gwen. The gift showed how much he liked the older girl. Bill wished he was brave enough to leave something for Beverly the way Stan did for Gwen.
However, seeing the ring next to a blood stain (one that looked fresh) made Bill's stomach turn. Just like with the scene he had seen at Beverly's bathroom and bedroom, Bill knew this was not good. The Denbrough boy also knew another thing. Bill had no doubt that IT had taken Gwen as well. The bloody message on Beverly's wall was the indicator that she had been taken and leaving Gwen's diamond ring on the ground was another indicator.
Bill felt his stomach drop when he picked up the ring from the ground. This was ITs own sadistic way of letting him, and eventually the others know that IT was ready now...ready for them. Despite the Losers getting out of the Neibolt House alive (thanks to Beverly injuring ITs eye), Bill knew IT wouldn't back off that easy. Sooner or later IT would return again...and IT had. Except much to the Bill's distress the evil entity had struck them in a way that IT knew would get to all of them the most...by taking two of their most beloved members. Two of his closest friends. The girl with the dark eyes who Bill had come love like an older sister, and the girl with the flaming red hair who he harbored romantic feelings for. Bill had to tell the others about Gwen, just like he was going to tell them about Beverly.
And Bill knew exactly where to go now...he was just nervous to do so. Those feelings of determination he had faltered a little when he rode his bike to the arcade. The place where he knew Richie would be at. Bill was nervous to speak with Richie and for good reason. The Denbrough boy still felt incredibly guilty and awful for punching him in the face. He even tried to apologize to his bespectacled friend the following day after the argument between them and the Losers, but sadly Bill never got a chance to even say "I'm sorry" because Richie had kept the interaction short between them. Everything about that conversation went to ruins rather quickly. Bill still remembered how their conversation went and it broke his heart having to replay said memory in his head.
...
"I know you're m-m-mad at me, but can you p-p-please listen?" Bill begged as he was standing next to Richie's left side. The Tozier boy didn't bother to look at him as he continued his video game playing. Bill let out a sigh at seeing Richie's lack of response but he continued to speak. "When Georgie went missing Gwen was there for me. Sh-She was like a sis―"
That had been it. That got a reaction out of Richie. A rather nasty reaction. Richie knew exactly what Bill was going to say and he snapped before he was able to think things through. "She's not your fuckin' sister!" He angrily shouted finally turning to look at him. Behind those over-sized glasses of his, Richie glared accusingly at the Denbrough boy. Tears were threatening to escape his eyes but oddly enough his anger kept them from falling down his face. "She's my sister! And you took her away from me!"
That left Bill shocked, slack-jawed. It felt like forever before he was able to find his voice again. "Richie, I-I-I didn't take her away from you. She's been there f-f-for you all along!" He retorted back...but the damage had already been done.
...
After the bespectacled boy said that, and after Bill's rather fierce response, Richie had stomped away. Leaving behind Bill, who felt even more guilty than before. Now that Bill had time to think things more clearly, he couldn't fault Richie's behavior. Not really. Gwen meant a lot to Richie. Bill knew that Richie's and Gwen's parents barely paid them any mind. It wasn't in the same way that his parents viewed him (or rather didn't view him), but Bill knew the relationship between them and their parents wasn't a very strong one. So it made sense as to why Gwen and Richie relied on one another. Richie especially towards Gwen. They were all that each other had. So when Bill started to get closer to Gwen after Georgie's disappearance, of course that affected Richie dearly. Bill just hadn't noticed it...not until that dreadful argument. And Bill just made it worse with punching Richie in the face. He hadn't wanted to hit Richie, but after he mentioned Georgie with saying that he was dead...things took a wild turn, but how Bill wanted to reverse time in order to make things right.
Well, maybe he could still fix things. Despite his first attempt at apologizing going bad, second times a charm...right? He was about to find out. The arcade was located next to the movie theater. When Bill had been making his way to said area, he briefly read the title of the main movie the movie theater was currently screening: Nightmare On Elm Street 5. If it weren't for the grave situation, Bill would have bitterly laughed just from reading the movie's title. Why go see a movie like that when he and his friends were already living a nightmare?
After getting off his bike and leaning it against the arcade's entrance, Bill, with a fixed determined stride made his way inside. There were other kids in there happily playing video games, completely unaware of the evil that resided in the town of Derry. Bill's attention didn't linger on those individuals who were spared from that horrific knowledge. No, his gaze went towards where the Street Fighter game was located. As expected there was Richie Tozier playing the game as if there was no tomorrow. For a brief moment, Bill lost his composure again from just seeing Richie. The memory of their last encounter entered his mind. Bill couldn't let this get to him. No matter how much the guilt and regret ate away at him. He had to think of Gwen and Beverly...they needed help. And Richie needed to know about Gwen. Bill mentally prepared himself because telling Richie the horrible news about Gwen being taken wasn't going to be swell. Richie was going to panic...and Bill would need to be ready to comfort and reassure his friend for the emotional pain he was about to express. Taking a deep before, Bill steadied his emotions before he walked over towards where Richie was at.
It didn't take long for Richie to notice Bill's approaching figure. When he came to a halt on his left side, Richie nearly rolled his eyes. "What do you want?" He questioned flippantly. "See that guy I'm hitting?" He continued on talking discourteously as he delivered yet another punch to his video game opponent. "I'm pretending it's you."
Bill decided to ignore that jab and instead focused on the important matter. He tried to steady his voice, but he already felt his stutter before speaking. "IT t-t-took them." He straight out said to Richie, hoping the sentence would stick with him...it didn't.
"What are you talking about?" Richie asked without care, not at all understanding the gravity of the situation. To him what Bill just said sounded like a bunch of gibberish.
Bill was quiet for a few seconds, the angst within him growing. "IT, Richie." He said finally finding strength to talk clearly this time. No stuttering whatsoever. "IT has Beverly...and Gwen."
The air surrounding them suddenly became cold. Ice cold. Which was weird considering it was summer and it was in the mid-nineties on this specific day. A day the Losers would remember but slowly and surely they all would forget as time ticked by. But for some unexplained reason inside the arcade it was now cold...at least to Richie it felt that way. Processing the words that Bill just said made him stop his playing, letting go of the video game controls. He glanced towards his arms and right away saw how goosebumps were covering the both of them. He then swiftly looked up towards Bill, his mouth dry as ever.
"What?" Richie asked, his voice wavering with emotion. Mostly with fear. He was scared...scared of Bill to repeat what he had clearly just told him. The Tozier boy couldn't rightfully accept hearing such a response...he was in denial. And he kept rejecting such news until Bill showed him the one item that changed everything. Gwen's ring. As soon as Richie saw that piece of jewelry he felt his stomach drop and his breathing went to shit. The arcade felt like it was getting smaller and smaller, and his breathing was erratic. Was this how Eddie felt when he was having one of those supposed asthma attacks? If this was how Eddie felt every time he had one, that sucked. Richie did not like the feeling of not being able to control his breathing. He realized that this wasn't an asthma attack. No, it was a fuckin' panic attack. He tried to stay calm but learning that Beverly and Gwen had been taken by IT was too much. Everything became to much for him to handle. He was losing all of his senses.
Richie started shaking his head. "No, no, no." He managed to mutter out. Behind those huge glasses of his, Richie's eyesight was getting cloudy because tears started to form. By now his sudden distressed appearance, along with his chanting, had caught the other kids' attention in the arcade.
Bill didn't waste another second. He carefully and gently took a hold of one of Richie's arms. The Denbrough boy realized that his friend was having a hard time breathing. Richie needed fresh air and he needed it now. Once outside in the open, Bill put both his hands on Richie's shoulders. "Richie, look at me." He said without stuttering. His voice held such comfort of authority that Richie had no difficulty in doing what he had told. Still, his breathing was all over the place and his face held an expression of utter distress.
Bill had to put a stop to Richie's panic. "Richie, try to breathe slowly. In and out, okay? One, two, three..." He said keeping his voice calm. His stuttering had yet to come back but he was too focused on stopping Richie's panic attack to even pay attention to that detail.
And just like when they were in the Neibolt House, Bill was able to calm down Richie. Within a few minutes, Richie was able to get a hold of himself again. However, just because his breathing was better, that didn't mean he wasn't fully alright. He wasn't...he was still freaking out. Bill removed his hands from Richie's shoulders as soon as the bespectacled boy started pacing.
"God, why was I such an ass to her?!" Richie threw his arms out. This time tears were going down his cheeks. "She's gone and it's all my fault!" He cried out. "If I had just been more observant...if I hadn't left her alone..." He suddenly stopped pacing and turned to look at Bill with a broken expression. "I told her I hate her." He felt like having another panic attack again. He was so close to freaking out the same way he had when inside Neibolt―or the crackhead house as he preferred to address it as. His expression then became one of shame. "Bill, how could I have said that to her? I don't hate her...I could never hate her." He emotionally rambled out, his cheeks heated up from his crying. He felt like a mess and he probably looked like one but Richie didn't give a damn on how he looked like at the moment. His older sister had been taken and by some evil entity. What if Beverly and her were already dead? A sharp pain erupted in his heart at that thought alone.
His words left a heavy impact on Bill. The fight between them replayed in his mind. Bill knew that he needed to apologize right then and there if they were going to move forward with their rescue. His genuine emotion resulted in his stutter to return. "R-R-Richie, I'm s-s-sorry for punching you." He said causing Richie to look right into his eyes. The Tozier boy could see genuineness in them. "I know you must hate me for d-d-doing that but we have to look past that." He told him. "We have t-t-t-to stick together in order to g-g-get them back. And I-I swear to you that we will."
Richie's crying came to a halt after Bill stopped talking. The Denbrough boy was right with what he said. They needed to stick together and look past what happened between them. More so Richie because he was the one still holding onto the anger than Bill. An earnest expression appeared on his youthful face. He appreciated Bill's apology but now it was his own turn to be the bigger person. "I don't hate you, Bill." Richie softly said, and that was the truth. Bill was one of his best friends. Richie had known Bill since forever (at least it felt that way). Bill Denbrough not only meant a lot to Richie, but he meant a lot to the other Losers as well. Bill was their leader. Bill was the one who held everyone together. And Richie felt like an imbecile for letting his jealousy get the better of him. He realized now that he shouldn't have been jealous of Bill in the first place for spending time with Gwen. No matter who Gwen spent time with, she was always going to be his sister. If only he'd controlled that mouth of his during the argument they had. Richie wanted to go back in time and stop himself from saying that hurtful comment he made about Georgie. Bill did not deserve that. Except Richie couldn't do that...but he did the next best thing. He apologized.
"I'm sorry for what I said about Georgie." Richie said quietly but sincerely. "I really am."
Bill wasn't expecting for Richie to apologize. It surprised him but that didn't mean he didn't appreciate the apology. The Denbrough boy did appreciate the apology, he really did. Bill softened his stare on Richie before he patted one his shoulders. A clear sign that he accepted his apology.
And just like that their friendship was repaired. The two of them couldn't see it but to their blind eye a power (the same power that Gwen had yet to realize she possessed) flowed through the air. It was the same power that would eventually aid them in getting rid of IT once and for all. Key word being eventually. They still had a long journey ahead of them. A journey that included both horror and heartache.
"We need to call the others." Bill said once bringing his hand down to his side. His stutter had gone away again. The leader in him was starting to rise more to the surface.
Richie nodded his head as he adjusted his glasses. "We'll call the others and tell them where to meet up. I still have some spare quarters. We can use the payphone that's here and call them. Then after we're done doing that we'll go to my house."
Bill got a puzzled expression filled with anxiousness. "What for? We can't t-t-tell any adults." He warned him causing his stutter to return at the last second. There was no way any adults residing in Derry would be of any use to them. No, this was something only Bill and his closest friends were able to do. Adults be damned. They would never be able to understand them.
"No, not for that." Richie hastily reassured him. "I just need something." His eyes took an earnest route as he now spoke evenly. "I need Gwen's baseball bat." Richie's mind was all over the place with images of him beating the shit out of that ugly ass clown. That entity had no idea who IT was messing with. An angry Tozier was not someone you wanted to deal with...and Richie was beyond pissed off. That clown was so fucked...IT was so fucked.
After hearing Richie confirm his answer, Bill had no trouble nodding his head and finding his voice again. "Let's go then."
And away they went.
The two of them were on a mission. A mission that would soon be joined by the four other remaining Losers. Eddie, Stan, Mike, and Ben. They would all meet up and make their way to save their friends. And Richie Tozier would be on his way to save his older sister.
Hold on, Gwen. Richie thought wholeheartedly. We're on our way. I'm on my way.
A/N: I know you guys must have a lot of question. I'm assuming the main one being: Where did Victor and Henry go? That question, along with the others you guys probably have we'll be answered in the remaining chapters. Also, buckle up because chapter 23 and 24 are going to gruesome chapters. In the next chapter her scene with IT and is not going to be pretty...seriously I'm warning you guys now, as I will again next time in the author's note. Read with caution!