Sad to say that those aren't the only deaths in this story...
The next morning, Richie was the first to wake up, which came as a surprise to him, and Eddie when he woke up. He sighed and kissed Eddie on the forehead and managed to get out of the smaller mans grip, and pulled on his shirt, before heading down stairs. He looked at the clock and noticed it was a few minutes after nine. Deciding to make coffee for everyone, he dug through the cabinets, figuring the owners of the house wouldn't mind considering he's making them coffee too. He sat on the counter as he waited for the pot to fill up.
"I'm surprised she hasn't called yet." He muttered to himself as he poured the coffee and then put a shit ton of sugar in it. He drank about half of it, standing in the kitchen looking out the window, and started to go in the living room when the phone rang. He made a face and picked it up on the third ring, putting the cup on the counter.
"Wheeler residence, Mike's twin brother speaking."
"Richie?" The voice of Sharon Denbrough asked.
"Mrs. Denbrough?" He asked, confused.
"Thank goodness, Richie. I called Beverly's house last night but Bill told me you were staying with your brother? Which I'm still confused about, but he told me you weren't feeling well. Are you okay now?"
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Why'd you call her house?" He asked.
"Something happened, Richie..." She said softly. "Are you sitting down?"
"Yeah." He lied.
"Okay, um, it involves your parents, Sweetie. They uh, yesterday, there was an accident involving a drunk driver. It wasn't them, another man." He swallowed and didn't say anything for a couple seconds.
"Are they okay?"
"Their car was completely totaled. They flipped multiple times until they landed upside down in a ditch." She said, as if that told him what he wanted to know.
"Mrs. Denbrough."
"They...They're dead, Richie. They died on impact."
He dropped the phone.
By the time Eddie, Mike and El woke up, Richie was long gone, and none of them knew it. He'd already crossed the county line and the Losers all had a bad feeling, plus Mike. When Eddie woke up, he had a weird, gnawing feeling in the pit of is stomach, and he knew it had to do with Richie not being in bed. He immediately got up and left the room in search of him. Mike and El were already making their way downstairs when he asked,
"Have either of you seen Richie?" They looked at him and shook their heads.
"No, not since last night." El said. Mike swallowed visibly.
"I have this weird feeling, though." He said quietly, as they continued down. Eddie smelled coffee, so he figured he was in the kitchen, so he called,
"Richie!" No answer. The three walked into the kitchen, and the first thing Eddie saw was the coffee pot and sugar, the second was the half empty coffee cup, and the third thing was the note next to it. They looked at each other, and he rushed to pick it up.
I'll be back in a few days. My adoptive parents are dead and I have to deal with everything like a normal adult. I love you guys and I'll be back as soon as possible.
Love, Richie
"Oh God." Eddie covered his mouth with his hand and handed the note over to Mike. El read the note over his shoulder and gasped quietly. Mike closed his eyes and sighed, and was about to speak but the phone rang.
"These goddamn phones ring at the worst fucking times." Eddie grumbled as Mike snatched the phone up.
"Hello?"
"Mike! Can I talk to Eddie or Richie?" Ben asked. Mike swallowed and looked at Eddie.
"It's Ben, he wants to talk to you." He gave him the phone.
"What's wrong, Ben?" He asked.
"Do you have this weird feeling? Like something's gonna happen soon? All of us do." Eddie sighed, running a hand over his face.
"Richie's gone." He said simply. "That's why. He's left Hawkins while we're supposed to be together."
"He left? What, why? What else happened last night?" Ben exclaimed.
"He left us a note and said his parents are dead. He's gone back to Derry."
"Did he say he was coming back?"
"He said a couple days. He left a note."
"What do you think he's gonna do?"
"He'll probably have the funeral as soon as possible and then come back. At least, I hope."
"What do we do until he gets back?" Ben asked.
"Well, stay together as much as possible, never be alone, and we wait."
Richie wasn't sure how long he stood on the front porch of his old home. It could have been minutes, hours, he didn't know. He did know, that within the time he stood there, mosquitoes had come out. The door was unlocked, he knew that much, but he hadn't stepped foot in, yet.
He slept on the plane ride, having taken some NyQuil before he boarded, and was only woken by a flight attendant. He'd gotten a taxi back to Derry and the further he got from Hawkins and his friends and family, the worst he felt, and he knew it wasn't just because of their deaths.
He couldn't really remember the last time either of his parents talked to him, willingly. Probably before IT showed up the first time, maybe. Maybe it was when Went finally got him braces (and put them on himself). Actually, the last time either talked to him without cursing was during the summer after he turned fourteen, and after that, they just got worse. He loved them, yes, but he definitely didn't like them, not one bit. He didn't necessarily hate them, he just hated the way they treated him and what they were doing to themselves.
He took a breath and took a step forward, and heard the boards underneath him creak with each step. Pushing open the door, he expected it to be littered with empty bottles. He figures they loved him, when he was young, before they started drinking. Maggie used to help him with his homework if he needed it, and Went was the main reason he started doing voices, because he did them.
The living room was spotless, like it had been recently cleaned. He wondered if Bill's parents maybe came over and cleaned up for him, maybe that's why. The furniture was the same, the entire living room was set up the same way it was when he left. The only difference is that there are pictures of him everywhere. It was almost like a shrine- Okay there weren't that many pictures, but there were a lot. Not just of him. He assumed that the Denbrough's gave them some graduation pictures, because there were three of them up on one wall. One of just him in his cap and gown, grinning at the camera, one of him walking across the stage, and the third of the entire group, sans Beverly.
He went into the kitchen next, as he couldn't bring himself to walk up the stairs. There were a few dishes in the sink, but other than that, it was just as spotless as the living room. He looked in the fridge and saw that it was filled with food and drinks, which was a shocker to him. For as long as he could remember, there had hardly ever been any food in the fridge at all, and even when there was, it was never this much. He shut it and let out a sigh, and walked over to the sink. He washed the dishes and hummed as he did so, in an attempt to distract himself.
It didn't work.