Chapter 6: Midnight Visit
That's what they did, wasn't it? Humans. They walked each other home. But did they follow one another afterward? Did they watch from the other side of the rusty window, biting their lips and swallowing back the hunger? It was fascinating how fast Pennywise was able to embrace his human form, and it was way easier when he didn't hold back, but simply let those 'more civilized' emotions flow in his veins. True, it was incomparably less fun, and made him do things he'd never even consider doing, but he wanted to try. Try and keep pretending though she's already seen him as he was, to see if she could somehow still trust him. He told himself it was only to put down her guard, however that was a lie. It didn't really have a plan, only the longing to see her smile the way she did that one time, when he made her happy. That was something Pennywise never had before, and perhaps that was why that wicked, selfish heart of his craved it so much. She's given him a taste of something entirely new, and he wanted to have all of it. All of her.
Lurking somewhere in the shadows, It watched Madeline sitting at her desk over a huge book, scribbling something in her notebook from time to time. Once, she was deeply focused on her work, once she'd just stare blankly at the pages, not reading a single word, but thinking of something entirely else. Was it of him? She was a very confused little girl and the swift changes in It's behaviour certainly weren't helping. Like if Madeline didn't have enough problems on her own. After a while, she gave up studying and went to the bathroom, tiredly rubbing her eyes. It was a late hour after all, and so it happened, that the bathroom had one small window on the same side of the building, so he could see her perfectly. When the girl took off the gray sweater, exposing her soft, pale skin to his view, the clown felt every muscle in his body tense. The dark waves of her hair covered her bare shoulders like a veil and he knew if he kept watching, it wouldn't have ended well for Madeline. He still needed more self-control. He needed to satisfy the hunger in the pit of his stomach if he didn't want to come one step too close, one bite too much.
And now was indeed the perfect occasion, because Pennywise wasn't here only for her. The girl's house was just a stop on the way to a certain young man. A young man with fear of needles. Such a common fear for such an uncommonly rude boy.
It found him in the park, sitting on a bench near the so said 'crime scene', still not willing to accept his best friend's death.
"Chrissss... Chris, Chris, Chris." Wind carried the creatures daunting whispers. The boy's head turned, not sure if he heard his name right. "You've been a very rude boy recently, Chris."
"Who's there?" He called, standing up and glanced around warily.
"You should learn when to keep your dirty mouth shut, but easy now, ha-ha! I'll take care of that." The crooked voice made Chris' whole body shake and just when he turned to run, he felt a sharp nib of pain pierce his leg. The boy tumbled flatly onto the ground, more like a lifeless sack of flesh and bones than a living thing. Those pointed objects dug deeper, pricking his skin to the very muscle and as the boy struggled to break free from this death grip, he saw a shadow of a horrific, otherworldly being with golden eyes, its grotesque long fingers and teeth resembling needles of enormous size.
As it often was in Derry, no one heard his screams.
The next day after classes, Madeline spent in the library, searching for something that'd answer at least a small part of the questions that made her toss and turn in her sleep. And she did, however it took a while. After hours of useless research, she walked up to the counter to return those dusty books about the history of Derry and the ones about different types of monsters (nothing more, but fabrications really) and paranormal subjects. The girl thought that's how her small 'investigation' ended, but her last hope turned out to be the librarian. Seeing the resignation on her face, the man asked:
"Haven't you found what you've been looking for?"
"Not really, no."
He was lean and of usual height. Though he was probably in his forties, the dark, creased texture of his skin made him look a lot older and kind of... tired. He gazed at her kindly, then at the books and for a moment his brows furrowed. Then again, the librarian directed his gaze back at Madeline, intrigued.
"Maybe I've got something for you." And with that, he gave her an odd looking album with no label and no title. Despite all, Madeline decided to give it a shot and did not regret it. It contained loads of information. Every single catastrophe, unsolved crime and mystery along with the disappearances of kids and not only kids were cataloged inside. Some of the pictures were so old, she could hardly see anything in them, not even mentioning how aged were the cut newspaper sections. There were a lot of handwritten little notes and insertions, so maybe it was his own album, who knows.
She read about the Easter Explosion and the Black Spot. She saw countless kids' faces on the scans of the Missing posters, and she just knew. She could feel it was all his doing. The girl still didn't know how it was possible, but she was so sure she could bet her life on it. And her assumptions got confirmed just as she was leaving the library. At one of the tables, there lay a couple copies of today's newspaper. Had she not stopped for this little while, had she not read the head title she would've walked out completely clueless. What she saw caused her whole body to go stiff as she held the newspaper in her sweaty palms. There was a picture of a guy, but not just any guy — the guy. The one that attacked Madeline yesterday. And to tell the truth, it wasn't entirely him, but just a part of him, more specifically; his head. Only the head. It was torn apart from the rest of the missing body and the boy's mouth were left open unnaturally wide, so wide that the skin on his cheeks started to give in. His mouth were practically ripped off.
He'd intended to wake her up before he found himself in Madeline's room again. The boy's body kept Pennywise busy until the very evening and now he was well-fed just in case... He really didn't want to harm her. Or else, he did want to, and that's why he had to make sure he wouldn't.
He'd intended to wake her up, although when his eyes settled on her trembling body, and he sensed the fear around, the clown decided he could wait a while more before putting on the human skin. The situation was not to be interrupted. She was dreaming, and what a marvelous dream it was...
All was dark and filthy. The revolting smell filled the tunnel, rats were scraping by. There, in the middle of the sewer maze was Madeline; terrified, exhausted and completely lost, but not alone. Hundreds of feet splashed against the water along with hers. The girl was still trying to escape, even though it was clear, there was no hope left. The deformed silhouettes surrounded her from every direction, trying to gain her attention, grasping against her clothing and pulling her hair. Madeline tried not to look at the open wounds on their flaccid bodies and their pained expressions, dried out of life.
"Don't you like it here, Maddie? Don't you wanna stay?"
"Because you will! You should! You were supposed to be one of us by now." Both boys and girls wailed at her.
"You should be floating up above us all. Why don't you join us? What makes you better than us, Maddie? Why are you still alive?"
Rot and sickness covered all the young faces, which encircled the girl like a spreading decease. She kicked and screamed, but it was no use. Caged in a trap of crooked, dirty limbs and hateful stares, she began to lose her breath. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. They were telling the truth.
"Why are you so selfish? Why do you commune with the monster, who took our lives? Why does It want you by its side? Why, Maddie, whyy?"
"You should be dead!"
And then, she woke up, drenched in cold sweat, breathing heavy as if she's just run a marathon. Madeline's head was still spinning, and she buried her face in the mattress, tightening the bedsheets around her to make sure she was safe again. Robert watched her from across the room hidden in the shadows, smiling. Seeing her shrug and huff nervously, he came closer, inaudibly, then ran his hand through the tangled strands of her hair.
"Hush now." He murmured. "Such a wondrous imagination you have..." Madeline's breath momentarily stopped and her eyes snapped open, alarmed. The girl immediately escaped his touch and recoiled back from the dark, tall figure.
"It's you! What are you doing here?" He caught her off-guard and was very much proud of it.
"Oh, don't act so offended, I just stopped by... To pay you a little visit."
"But to my knowledge you don't really 'pay little visits', do you? It's just not your style. Unless you come to kill." There was a hint of fear in her voice, but a very faint one. Amusement washed off from the man's features.
"Let me decide what is my style and what isn't. You know nothing about me." The coldness emanating from him, enveloped Robert like an invisible wall, but Madeline wouldn't let it be for long.
"You've been inhabiting this town and terrorizing it for God knows how long. You come back to life every 27 years and when you do, often hundreds of people die, mostly kids and teenagers. You're the cause of basically everything bad that happens here during the time, but no one does anything about it." She recited as if reading a book, looking into his eyes the whole time.
"My, my, someone's really done their homework. Is there anything else?" He bantered.
There was.
"You know no mercy nor kindness. You are not human." These words were almost a physical pain to Madeline. They burned her tongue, but she just had to say it.
"You wound me child, have I not shown you mercy? Have I not been kind with you? Do I not seem human enough?" With that, Robert gestured at his appearance.
What more could you want, I'm trying to change for you, girl.
"It's all fake. It's just pretend." The girl admitted, more to herself than to him, but it angered him anyway. He could get really mad, when things weren't going his way and with this girl they never did.
If that's how we're gonna play...
"Really? Why is it so 'fake'?" His eyes were burning holes in the girls' skull as he bent closer.
"You murdered that boy yesterday. Tore his head off." Madeline's bravery was running out and her voice became quieter. That fact was a reminder what kind of creature was standing in front of her. Robert's eyes narrowed, noticing the girl's rising doubt, and he smiled sinisterly.
"Darling, I didn't do just that." With each second he was getting closer and closer until his face was at the same level as hers, and even then he didn't stop and inched his lips to her ear. Madeline was far too rigid to make a move.
"I ate him." The man whispered, and as his breath brushed against her skin, her heart skipped a beat straightaway.
She knew that. She did. But to hear him say it, admit it with such ease...
"I feasted on every single one of them and I will do it again. I'll take one life after another and there is nothing, that could stop me for I am eternal." He continued, not sounding like himself anymore. Some irresistible, powerful force beamed in his tone, and actually, It felt quite relieved. "But you, Madeline, you are somehow different. You..." His fingers came to caress the girl's jawline, making her suddenly very aware of the situation she's just found herself in. Alone with him, alone with a murderer, a monster. She should be repulsed and yet, she was feeling something entirely else. Robert's thumb brushed slowly against her bottom lip, resting on her chin. Madeline searched his stare and noticed just how he was looking at her. Like at a treasure. She's never felt so vulnerable in her life.
"What... are you?" The girl asked weakly.
"I've got many names. Most of which you don't want to know."
There was a moment of silence between them, while her eyes traced Robert's smooth, perfect features. That was it. He was too perfect, and such perfection did not satisfy her. She wanted only one thing just from the beginning; to know.
"What is the truest of them? Show me." 'If he wanted to hurt me, he would. Right here, right now. Or yesterday. Or any other moment at all, but so far he didn't.' The thought gave Madeline a new kind of determination.
Robert gave a quiet chuckle, taken aback by her words.
"Your bravery is a mystery to me, little one. But I'd prefer not to do that. I can't fully rely on myself in that form, and you've already experienced it."
"I'd rather take the harsh truth than a gracious lie."
The man lifted her chin and examined her with admiration. His eyes glistened in the dark, while their noses almost touched.
"For now there is only one truth, that you should know."
His lips crushed against hers, not even giving the poor girl time to prepare herself for what was to come. Feeling the sudden warmth of Robert's mouth, she gasped in surprise and he used it to deepen the kiss. His hand slid onto her back, pulling her close, while Madeline was all stiff and panicked, for she was never kissed before. His lips moved passionately, slowly, taking their time, while her heart pounded like crazy, as if it wanted to jump out of her chest. After a while, she found a way to catch up with the rhythm and no longer felt awkward, but literally melted in his grip and could just feel the one-sided grin spreading across his face.
But then, something changed. The man's breathing became faster and heavier, the gesture more possessive. At first, the girl felt his nails scrape the skin on her back like claws, then the sharpness of his teeth as his mouth dug deeper into hers, almost forcefully. And was it just her imagination, or has he just grown a couple of inches? She was left breathless and the kiss was more than she could take, but he didn't stop, only groped her tighter and let his tongue entwine with hers. His movement grew harsh and greedy, dominating her unsure actions completely. Madeline tried to push back, but Robert's body was hard as a stone.
It, on the other hand, felt just great. Caught in between two forms, it felt like a caged animal set free, like a color-blind person seeing things as they were for the first time. She felt so small, so fragile in comparison to his power and it was delightful. Just... right. All the scents, all the emotions. Her emotions.
Those new sensations had taken over, and he pushed the girl on top of the mattress, positioning himself over her. He wanted to taste it all so bad. When their kiss broke and she could finally take a look at him, Madeline did not see Robert. She saw the face of a clown, smiling down at her wickedly. And then he suddenly stopped, putting a finger to his red lips, shushing her. Madeline was drawn out of this fanciful moment and brought back to reality as she heard someone entering the room.
