Chapter 13: Beginning of the End
"Should we go?" Ben's question sounded as if it belonged to a convict; not questioning if it is possible to survive, but in what way will the execution be fulfilled.
Meantime, Eddie started choking on air desperately, struggling to suppress the nonexistent sickness inside, to be strong. Be an adult. He knew the asthma wasn't real, that he was healthy as never before, but after less than thirty seconds he just had to do it. The familiar sound of the respirator healed the body, but at the same time damaged the last bits of the man's sanity, filling the atmosphere with uneasiness. Bill nodded, gazing at the levitating white letters. He thrusts his fists... What an encouraging greeting. Even Richie went silent and couldn't stop reading those two words over and over again.
"It knows w-where we are a-anyway. Besides, we're h-here to f-f-face it, not to h-hide." Not good. It was harder to keep the fords flowing fluently. Harder to stand straight.
Come on Bill, do it for Georgie, do it for Stan, for the Losers, for freedom... Just... Go. And he did. He had to be tough for his friends and all It's victims, forgotten, lost with the tide. Bev went just after him, Ben after her, with Mike on his side, then Richie, who hesitated for a moment.
"You OK there, Eddie?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm... fine." The man was still gasping nervously.
"Oh, but you're never fine, that was a rather rhetorical question." Richie adjusted his glasses, lifting his chin up proudly like a professor, distinguishing the word 'rhetorical' with a funny accent. His friend wasn't very amused. "Don't give me that look Eds, that's just why I like you. C'mon."
The corridor seemed to have no end at all, though the Losers have been going just as the signs told them, and after what could be either minutes or hours, it was really hard to tell, they were still getting nowhere, and that was even worse than fear. Powerlessness. The shadows around started to blend before their eyes and were all the same, as if they were going in circles. None of them knew what to expect and that was tragic. Suddenly, every splash was of a monster prowling around, every creak was a muffled scream, every swish a demon's whisper. And they fought that small test of patience bravely. Only Richie was very displeased. He scoffed and suddenly left Eddie's side, going to the front.
"Come out, you crackhead! Show yourself!" Darkness carried his dare. And the darkness answered.
At first, now alone at the back of the group, Eddie thought he'd just heard another screech of the pipes above, but the sound sent shivers down his spine anyway. Soon enough he realized it was in fact not just a screech, but a high-pitched laugh. A crooked laugh. All of a sudden, the two flashlights flickered before their light abruptly died. Shadows filled their eyes and the Losers tried to stay still and calm, but then a scream ripped through the misty air and a panicked disarray spread amongst them. They tried to recognize one another in the dark, but it was almost impossible.
"Bill! Bill, is that you?" Asked someone.
"I got you, Bev. I got you." Someone else replied.
"Who turned the fucking lights off!?" No need to explain to who these words belonged.
"E-everyone, hold still!"
And they did. Well, those who were left. They didn't notice the change at first, but simply stood pressed tight together, like a living shield. During those tedious seconds the darkness slowly retreated, and the abandoned flashlight shone on their silhouettes. Three. There were only three of them. Ben wasn't actually holding onto Beverly, but to Richie's shaking arm, with their leader in front of the two. It was a horrible shock to see half of the group missing. The monster made the first move, and it was not in terms of fair play. The Losers' strong facade needed to be broken.
"Woah, what the hell?!" seethed Richie, shaking out of his friends' grip. Ben spun around, eyes opened wide, mouth agape.
"Oh no. Where are the others?! Bev! Mike!"
"Fuck! It's taken them, It... It... That's so fucking bad! Bill, what do we do?" While they were panicking, Bill has not moved an inch.
"W-we have to f-find them. We need to g-go. Right now."
"Guys..?" Called Eddie when the shadowy blinders fell from his eyes. He's found himself in another place, deeper in the sewer system, but wasn't aware of that at first. All the tunnels looked exactly the same, and just mere seconds ago he had all the Losers in front of him. The man's brows furrowed. The sudden realization came upon him running through his every nerve, like a flood of ice-cold shower. He was alone.
"Ooh no. No, no, no, no. Bill! Richie! Bev! Where are you?"
And just when Eddie thought there was no hope, no escape, he heard something. A voice resounding through the darkened passageway. A familiar voice.
"Eddie! Eddie, is that you?"
"Richie..." He whispered, heart filled with relief, and lunged straight towards his friend, without thinking twice. While not being held back by his mother's overprotective grip, he'd always been a fast runner. In moments like this, the imaginary sickness just ceased to exist.
"I'm here! Help me!" Richie's voice led him through the misty sewer maze.
"Help me, Eddie!"
He wanted to. He wanted to with all his heart, and when he'd arrived just where he was supposed to be, it pounded like crazy.
"Richie?" The tunnel before him opened to a bigger area, where many pipes and conduits met, with all types of valves and rusty machinery. At the center, there was a huge metal cap, uncovering a round stony pit and the voice came just from there. Eddie could hear the scrimmage and water splashing vigorously.
"I'm down here! In this fu-" The rest of the sentence was replaced by a spatter, and then desperate choking. The man ran towards the pit, breathing heavily. He should've saved some strength for later, but as careless as it was, he did not care at the moment, and got to his knees in a haste, the harsh ground grazing his legs.
"Richie, what the hell happened?!" Asked he, with both hands clutched to the opening's edges. It seemed to be yet another well, but reaching even deeper than the one they'd get through. This particular one was more of a cesspit, and Richie was practically drowning in it. But why? Moments ago they were together.
"Seriously? How about you ask questions when I'm out of this shit hole?" He spat, struggling to keep his head over the surface.
"Nevermind, I got you." He leaned down with an outstretched arm. Richie grabbed it, hard, and reached for the other one, making poor Eddie whine from the exertion. That man weighted more than anything he's lifted in his entire life. The grip around his wrists was so sticky and slimy, that it should make him just slip down, but didn't. Richie kicked his legs briskly, while his friend slowly lifter him up, with his limbs so tense, that he felt every single muscle of his arms and hands tighten.
"Ah, thank fuck, I thought you'd never come." He heard a slight amount of amusement in the voice coming from below. And had he looked behind those thick glasses, he'd see the same emotion hidden in them.
"Shut up and pull, Richie." Huffed the fraught Eddie. "Or you might never get out."
"Yeah, well, you know..." The response was untroubled, playful even. "Now when I think about it..." He hung motionless, like a loose sack of stones, making Eddie's chest hit against the cold base.
"Aw! What the-" He'd bitten his lip while falling. The metallic taste of blood spread on his tongue.
"Instead of getting me out, you could join me in." Eddie gulped down at him and knew just then, that the man whose weight pulled him further was not Richie. "Hm? How'd you like that, Eds?"
How irresponsible, how dumb of him to fall for this. The man let out a muffled groan, feeling as if his arms were about to be jolted out.
"Join me Eddie. It's time. Don't you wanna float?"
He gazed in horror at the creature beneath him, seeing It's already begun to change. The whites of its eyes went yellow, then distended as if the eyeballs wanted to pop out. It's skin was grey, and abscesses spread on it in a blink of an eye like a horrible decease. The veins of Its arms were vibrant and purple, and the crooked smile toothless.
Eddie screamed.
"Oh, come on! I won't bite... hard. Oh no, wait — I will. You'll be rotting down here as you were ought to be since the very beginning!"
Eddie howled as loud as lungs would allow him to. Was this really the end? 'No, it can't! It can't be!' Had the blood not been pounding so deafeningly in his ears, the man would've heard a rustle from behind. His body slowly started to give in, inching lower in, though his mind was focused entirely on not doing so.
"Take that, you filthy motherfucker!" A loud swish filled his ears, and a long metal poker was swung toward the monster's distorted face. Richie's imitation's head fell back. It was the real Richie! A couple minutes after they'd started searching for the missing ones, they heard Eddies scream, and miraculously Richie was the first to arrive. Now, the two look-alike's gazed at each other intensively, hate beaming from the both of them. The real one knelt down, next to his friend, swinging the temporarily weapon at the monster.
It winced, and struggled, but though the wounded skin started peeling back from It's current integument, It didn't let go. Eddie cried, dragged down again, feeling his lower arms go numb. Richie clenched his jaws, and threw the poker with all the strength he had, hitting It right in the forehead, leaving an oval red mark. But It did not let go.
Not knowing what to do, the man searched hopelessly for something else to grab and toss at the oppressive creature, but was there really a point in repeating the action? Seconds flew by. Eddie's face creased with pain went from red to purplish. Then, not really knowing why has the idea developed in his mind, Richie reached for the respirator which laid on the ground, forgotten by its owner. He took it quickly and leaned as low into the pit as he could, outstretching his hand towards It's drooling maw.
"You gotta shut up at once." He'd said before spraying the wailing creature with Eddie's placebo medicine, and to his very surprise It recoiled back with a groan of pain, and sunk into the filthy well with a muffled splash.
Just in time, Bill and Ben rushed in, breathless.
"My God, Eddie! What was that!? What happened?" Asked Ben while Eddie's savior dragged his lump friend back up, where he laid flatly, completely drained out of energy.
"Better don't ask, Haystack." Richie positioned himself beside Eddie.
"Holy fuck, Eds. You're one lucky bastard, that I found you on time."
"Yeah... thanks." The response was weak. His world was still spinning and vision still not fully regained, along with the shallow breath.
"Not to interrupt you guys, but we do really have to keep moving. Mike and Bev are still out there."
Two, shadowy figures roved around the misty passageways, holding firmly onto each other; a red-head with a baseball bat, and an armed man, both trembling, but trying not to show it. They knew they'd been separated from the rest, but had no idea why, and what was to come. The fear of the unknown is the worst kind of fear. A pained, high-pitched sound echoed in the darkness, reaching their ears as well.
"Is that..?" Goosebumps spread on Beverly's pale skin. Even while unhealthily pale, and dirty, she still had that charm. That flicker for which all the boys had fallen for, all these years ago.
"No. No, it isn't." Mike's tone was low and emotionless. He was fierce, determined not to give into It's games. It might have been what Beverly thought it was, but there was no place for risk in their current situation. "C'mon. We'll find them. We have to get back together, before It comes. And It will come, sooner or later."
The only thing Mike feared was that while they walked alone, It was slaughtering one of the others somewhere there, in between nightmare and reallity. But he had to push these thoughts aside; that was the only way to keep on with their mission. The sound did not come back, and they continued their way down the tunnel, blindly choosing which turn to pick until the first glimpses of light touched their worried faces.
"Oh my God, Mike I think we made it. I remember this area. This is the center!" Said Beverly, rushing forward a bit faster. Maybe they're here. Maybe It's taken them just like It's taken me when we split up for the first time. I'm coming for you Bill, we won't let It win. A flame of hope lit up in her heart, making her legs move faster, leaving Mike behind.
"Hey, wait!"
She stepped through the large opening and saw Pennywise's lair in all its horrendous glory; dimmed light gleaming from above, bodies floating, junk scattered everywhere. It seemed as if the enormous pile of It's trophies created a one huge living organism along with the wagon, and it's every breath was followed with a cacophony of creaks and scrapes. Otherworldly vibrations could be felt in the atmosphere. Although there was no one familiar to be seen among the levitating corpses, not anywhere here. The place was abandoned. Or so she thought, waiting a few feet past the entrance for Mike to join her.
"There's no one here." She said not knowing if the fact should bring relief or ever deeper concern.
"Oh no, I'm sure there is someone. There's gotta be."
"What? What are you talking about?" She saw the glimmer in his tired eyes. Mike was searching for something. No, someone. Someone she had yet to know about. Mike still hasn't told them about Madeline. He'd tried to pick the right moment to reveal the girls' history and his own part in it, but just couldn't ring himself to do so. Each time, the words would get stuck in his throat, and turn into an unwanted silence. But now his gaze went up, focused at the massacred bodies, searching for a particular one, with nerves strained so tightly, it made him feel like he was going to faint. It'd be hard to describe Mike's relief when he didn't find her there.
"Mike! What is it?"
"She's alive..." He whispered hopefully. Maybe he didn't screw things up completely. Maybe she could be saved.
"Jesus, what's gotten into you? Who? Who's alive? Tell me!"
But here was no time for stories now. If Madeline wasn't floating like the others, or like Beverly before her, then where was she? Mike's stare slid down until it rested upon the wagon. Of course. He rushed towards it.
"I'll need your help with getting inside that thing, Bev."
"I'm not helping you with anything unless you tell me what's going on. Who's there?" The man's behavior began to irritate her. He huffed impatiently, and finally focused at her. She could've seemed so hopeless at the moment, but Mike knew what was hiding beneath those red hair waves and innocent face. All the Losers knew she was probably the strongest of them. She's proven it many times.
"Listen. Before I called for you... there was someone else. A girl, whose also seen It. She came to me, looking for help, and I failed her, OK? I failed. I believe she still might be alive inside of that damned wagon, so we better hurry."
"You did what? Why didn' t you tell us?" Bev demanded answers, but already headed towards It's lair alongside Mike.
"Please, let's not talk about this right now."
A loud thud made Madeline jump, caught off guard. When she was alone, the girl managed to get back onto the mattress and position herself possibly comfortable. But now her peace was interrupted. The frantic pounding on the wooden door made her clench her hands into fists, gripping the material of her dress nervously. Someone desperately tried to get in. But who was it? She picked herself up on her elbows, still controlled by the ropes. Her heartbeat was fast, filled both with hope and worry.
Then, the thumps abruptly stopped, and for a moment all was silent again. But whoever it was, was definitely not going to give up. Soon enough, Madeline heard two loud scrapes at each side of the wooden ceiling, then a crack, and to her astonishment, the wagon's frontal wall leaned forwards, and then fell down. The bang was so loud, it made her recoil back in shock. And even greater was her surprise, when she found out who waited for her at the other side. She gulped at the two silhouettes; one familiar, the other not at all.
