So I know Richie's explanation of Penny's' bitch ass is shit but I mean, if I was in Richie's shoes I wouldn't exactly word it right either so, ya know. Anyways, someone has an encounter with Penny next chapter, can you guess who?

P.S. I KNOW Mike didn't actually see Bob getting mauled, so let's just say he was a curious little shit and looked through the door, yeah?

"I'm still a little hung up on the fact that you write songs." Mike said, pouting a little as he turned around to look at Richie. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew. What do you think's in that little notebook I carry around? My deepest darkest secrets?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Now that I think about it it kinda is, but that's not the point. Yeah, I write a lot of the songs in our band but the other three help or write their own sometimes." Before Mike could reply, Hopper's voice came over the radio.

"Wheeler, you there?"

"How the fuck does he always know?" Richie mumbled. Mike gave him a look and answered,

"Yeah, I'm here, Hop, what's up?"

"I need you to come to the station as soon as possible."

"What happened?" El turned the car around.

"I'd rather not say over the radio, just get here quick, kid. Over and out." Mike sighed and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands.

"What the fuck. Can there be a day when no bullshit happens?" He grumbled.

"Do you think another kid's gone missing?" El asked, softly.

"Probably." Eddie looked at Richie, who looked right back at him.

"How many kids have gone missing?" Eddie asked.

"If it's what happened, then nine."

"How many have been found?" Richie asked.

"None."

"Holy shit." Eddie leaned forward and rested his forehead on the back of the seat.

"You alright back there?" El asked him as Richie put an arm around him, squeezing him gently.

"Derry was known for kids going missing a couple years ago." Richie told them, and neither Mike or El have seen him as serious as he is now. "None of the kids were found, and neither was the reason for them going missing. But it stopped." That obviously wasn't true, and he was doing everything he could not to tell them. They'd think he was crazy.

Oh yeah! A crazy demon clown that lived in the sewers was eating kids for lunch, and one of those kids was Bill's little brother. We went after it and put it to sleep for another twenty seven years!

"Richie." Eddie mumbled. "What if it's..." He said so quietly, Richie barely heard him.

"It's not, Eddie. It can't be."

"But..." Eddie looked at him, eyes wide with worry.

"It's not." Richie stated.

"It's not what?" Mike asked, eyebrows raised.

"Um-" Thankfully, Richie was saved from responding when El pulled into the station and Hopper was at the side of the car instantly. Mike got out quicker than anyone thought possible, and before he could even ask, Hopper answered,

"We found a body." Mike's breath caught in his throat.

"You found a body?" He repeated.

"Yeah, we uh, we were out walking and found it."

"Who were you with?" Hopper didn't reply. "Goddammit Hopper, who were you with?"

"Joyce and Will."

"Oh God." He pinched the bridge of his nose as he followed the chief inside. "Where's the body?" He asked.

"Look, kid, it's not a pretty sight. I don't want you to see-"

"I saw Bob." Mike said. "I saw Bob get mauled to death." Eddie and Richie looked at each other and noticed how El's shoulders fell. "Nothing will ever top that. I'll be fine." Hopper sighed and nodded. His eyes flickered to Eddie and Richie.

"What about them?"

"What about them?" Mike repeated. "They can just wait in El's office, unless you want her to take you home." He said, looking at the two.

"No, it's fine. We can wait." Eddie said quickly, knowing El didn't want to leave Mike.

"What about mom and Will?" El asked.

"They're in El's office. Joyce isn't doing too well right now." He said. Mike pushed past him and walked in, where Will and Joyce were sitting in chairs next to each other, Will having wrapped an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"Hey." Mike crouched in front of her and grabbed her hands. "You okay?" He knew she wasn't. She shook her head.

"It was worse than Bob." She whispered. "I don't want you to see it."

"Joyce... I need to."

"No, you don't." She shook her head again. "Not up close and personal like I did."

"I'll look at pictures, then, okay? Come here." He pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry you had to see it."

"Are you okay with Richie and Eddie sitting in here with us?" El asked. Joyce and Will nodded. "I'll take it from here, Mike, just go with dad." Mike nodded and stood up, giving Eddie and Richie an apologetic look and a kiss on the cheek to El, before following Hopper back down the hall. El sat at her desk and Eddie and Richie sat on the couch in the corner.

"Who is Bob?" Eddie asked.

"He uh, he was an old boyfriend of mine." Joyce told them. No one said anything for a few minutes after, and eventually they heard Hopper say,

"Kid, I told you it wasn't a pretty sight." It sounded like someone gagged and they knew it was Mike.

"You didn't tell me the bottom half of her body was missing!" He exclaimed. "It'd have been a lot easier if you mentioned it."

"Betty Ripsom." Richie muttered, quiet, but loud enough for the others to hear.

"What about her?" Eddie asked.

"I...me and Bill...we saw her." He told him quietly. "Half of her body was missing too."

"Oh my God." Mike was loud again. "This was Holly's best friend. What the hell, Hop? How am I supposed to tell her her best friend is dead? This is like Barb all over again, but this time she was actually found!"

"Who's Barb?" Eddie asked.

"She was Nancy's best friend." Will told him. "She went missing right around the same time I did but she was never found." They went silent and just listened to Mike and Hopper speaking a couple doors down.

"Is this a balloon?" Hopper asked. Mike looked at the picture closely and saw that there was a string wrapped around her wrist, a popped balloon connected to it.

"Yeah but why...Wait." He paused and looked at Hopper. "Fuck. El!" He yelled. She got up quickly and met him in the hall. "I need you to call mom's house and talk to Holly. Ask her if that guy had a balloon that day, because I think he had a balloon and it popped."

"Richie..." Eddie said, hesitantly.

"It's gotta be a coincidence, Eds, it can't be. It's only been seven years." Eddie just took a deep breath and nodded, listening as El walked back down the hall towards her office. She sat at her desk and picked up the phone, dialing the number quickly. A couple seconds later, Karen answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Karen, is Holly around? I really need to speak to her."

"Of course, hold on." She heard her call Holly and then said, "She's coming downstairs now."

"Okay, thank you."

"Here she is."

"Hello?"

"Holly, hey, I have an important question."

"What is it?"

"That day you and Mike were looking for Dustin's cat, that creepy clown guy, did he try to offer you a balloon?" Eddie's breath caught in his throat and he squeezed Richie's hands tightly.

"Yeah, it was a red balloon." Holly told her. "He was really creepy. Did Mike tell you what he looked like?"

"No, he didn't, what did he look like?"

"He had a big head and red hair." She said. "And his costume was really dirty and he had buck teeth and like, yellow looking eyes."

"Yellow eyes? What else was weird about him?"

"He was slobbering and that's gross."

"Yeah, slobber is gross."

"He also said beep beep Richie to Mike."

"Why would he say beep beep to Mike?"

"I don't know, Mike cursed at him and then he disappeared."

"Beep fucking beep." Richie growled and El looked at him, alarmed. "Goddammit, mother fucker!" He exclaimed, standing up and kicking the trashcan next to him.

"Thanks, Holly, stay inside okay? I'll call you later." She hung up before Holly could respond. "Richie, what the hell?" Mike and Hopper came in then, Mike was a little pale.

"What's going on in here?"

"Why didn't you tell me about the clown?" Richie demanded. "Why didn't you tell us it said beep beep Richie?"

"I didn't think it was important? What's wrong, Richie?" Richie sat back down next to Eddie and gripped at his hair, mumbling under his breath.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Eddie, what're we gonna do?"

"We need to tell everyone else." He said simply, like only moments ago he wasn't terrified.

"What the fuck is going on?" Joyce, shockingly, spoke up. "Don't just freak out over there and then not tell us what's wrong."

"I'm sorry, we just... You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Eddie told her, and then looked at everyone else.

"You'd be surprised." Will said, raising an eyebrow.

"That clown..." Richie said, looking up at them. "That clown shouldn't be here. It should be back in Derry's sewers, fucking hibernating for the next twenty years." Everyone around him looked completely and utterly confused. "It's a demon from some other dimension, that feeds on fear and children. It's what killed all those kids we talked about earlier, killed Bill's little brother. Tried to kill us. It would turn into your biggest fear." They stared at him for a good two minutes, before Will said,

"Yep, not the strangest thing we've heard."

"You believe me?" Richie asked, surprised.

"I was stuck in another dimension for a week and then possessed by a monster, so I definitely believe you."