Chapter 14: Redemption
Mike let out a sigh of relief, and almost had to steady himself not to abate from the flood of emotions. Madeline did not beam with joy and gratitude at their arrival, but froze in doubt instead, and watched Mike with concern.
Oh, Mike... You shouldn't have come here, it may not end well.
"My God... Are you OK?" Breathed out the woman's subtle voice. The girl examined her as she got closer, kneeling down to her in a haste. With hair like winter fire and foxy appearance, she was beautiful. Could it be that she was a Loser as well? It would appear so, since the temporary weapon she carried gave her a more dangerous look. Madeline saw the confusion in her eyes while they rested upon her dress and those weird contraptions coiled around her.
"I'm... fine." As fine as one can be with a giant, healing wound on their chest, injured both physically and mentally. Not that she was complaining.
"Dear, what has It done to you, closed in here all by yourself, you must be so brave." Those strong, yet delicate eyes gazed at Madeline with an understanding she unfortunately couldn't have known the source of. "Mike, bring me something sharp, would you? We need to cut these things off."
The man simply nodded and went on to search for anything useful in the pile of junk. It all was happening so naturally, but for Madeline it was almost unbelievable. She's got so accustomed to the not so bright idea of her future, that to think someone's come to rescue her and fight It was ridiculous.
"What's your name, dear?" Did she really have to call her 'dear'? It reminded her of Lynn; another person the girl felt guilty to have abandoned without a word.
"Madeline."
"We'll get you out of here, Madeline." The woman smiled comfortingly at her, but she's seen her mouth twitch. No one could be certain of that. "I'm Beverly. We're here to put this horror to an end."
"So it's true? You are the Losers?"
"Well, yes. We are." Now the smile became genuine and warm. No pretend.
"And you're all here?" Madeline wouldn't be herself without the usual ton of questions. Was it good news if they really were? She didn't know. Beverly was hesitant for a second, as if she suddenly remembered something.
"No, not all. Stan didn't make it." She whispered more to herself than to the girl, lost in thought. They both went silent, and while Madeline wondered who Stan was, the panels creaked under Mike's heavy steps. He handed a piece of a broken mirror to Bev, who began to cut the strings straight away.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Madeline." The man said miserably, gazing upon her with a look that confirmed he wasn't lying. "I's all my fault. I shouldn't have let you... I..."
"No, you shouldn't." Said Madeline quietly. "But it's OK. I'm OK."
No, she wasn't. And it all definitely wasn't OK. And although nothing pleased him more right now than to know she was alive, what he really wanted to ask was how in the heavens name did she do it? She was trapped here, sure, but unharmed (Mike couldn't have seen her bound up injuries), and in a dress?
Just as the thought has crossed his mind, a loud growl resounded through the whole place, making the atmosphere suddenly go cold.
"You." It said low and darkly, in a rage of a million monsters. This one word pierced Mike's ears and mind. He turned immediately towards one of the entrances to finally see It. All three of them did, not daring even to breathe. Pennywise was there, tall and demonic, red eyes aflame, almost shaking with anger. "Get away from her!" It had acknowledged Bev was there, but for now the eyes designed to hypnotize burned holes in Mike's skull, penetrating his very soul. The man's jaw dropped.
"How dare you come here, you pathetic, foolish man." The Clown began to encircle them slowly, and his gloved hands were twitching, just as if the monster couldn't contain himself. However, he was not looking at the girl. He couldn't. It would've made him weaker. Madeline's entire body was taken over by unpleasant shivering, same as Beverly, who froze with hands up on one of the ropes.
"I warned you, but you just don't listen, do you?" There was not the slightest hint of humanity in that voice. A long vicious smile extended on It's lips and went up further than it should, almost like a Cheshire Cat's, but filled with sharp, outgrown teeth. Pennywise glowered at Mike like an animal, and then the world suddenly speeded up. The monster lunged to crush him so fast, Madeline barely saw the movement. The only thing she knew was that Mike's reaction was immediate. A loud bang resounded in her ears and the man was no longer in her sight. He'd prepared himself for this, unlike during the first fight. There was a giant bullet in each pistol. One shot made, one to go. At the sound of It's furious groan, Beverly flinched, waking up from the shock, and rapidly went back to cutting the ropes. One, two, three strings snapped. Her hands were shaking. And when she was nearly finished, the second shot swished through the air. Was it a miss? No. But that didn't matter.
Pennywise's right arm swung back, taking the bullet, but his feet stood firmly on the ground. He was slowed down only for a moment, and the higher rose his anger when the ruby drops of its blood floated lazily up. For just a split-second, Mike noticed It was already wounded. An oval mark on its forehead was well covered by the white paint, and the material on those layered sleeves was partially torn. But the observation was made brief, for the monster was already charging at him, closing its fists around his throat. Mike was knocked down and trapped, but still fought with all his spirit, hoping that would be enough.
Beverly freed Madeline of the last string's hold and quickly grabbed her bat to run and help her friend, but before she did, the woman noticed the bandage on the girl's chest. It was just a moment, there was not a second to waste, and yet it captured Beverly's attention. Madeline felt a sudden urge to spill everything that's happened to her. Se had a feeling, Beverly would understand, she saw it in her eyes. They might've had much more in common than the girl could imagine, but before she could think about it, the red-head was already off to stand for Mike.
Pennywise's fingers dug violently into the man's skin, and he watched in horror as the flames rose higher in It's eyes, feeling the drops of saliva fall onto his cheeks. The monster let out a victorious laugh, but to Mike it seemed more like a desperate cough. Cough of a person choking up with smoke. The fire... It was still burning inside of his enemy, still alive within. The clenching grip suddenly beamed with warmth, which increased as quickly as a pool of gasoline lit by a match.
Mike screamed, feeling the flames lick his flesh both from outside and in. It was about to burn him alive. He thought the heat would consume him whole; chew on the powerless human body, then swallow it and make it into dust, but suddenly he saw a flash of red, then an abrupt whoosh, and the death's hold was drawn away. A single swing of Bev's bat sent it scraping to the ground.
Madeline whined as the blunt pain returned, when she was freed again. The girl managed to crawl to the stage's edge, and observed the fight in pure terror. Three figures; two clumsy, but intent, the woman protecting the man, and one completely out of this world, getting to it's feet to tower over them again.
Then, another four emerged from one of the round openings. The first man she saw was tall and thin, with a flashlight in his hand, and an adamant look on his face. The next one was of usual height, scanning the surroundings, who seemed very aware and cautious. At the end came two, slightly bent silhouettes; one with ruffled hair and huge glasses, supporting the other, looking the most frail, and just slightly feminine for a man. Stan didn't make it Beverly'd said. So that was right. There were six of them. All the remaining Losers were still alive.
The newcomers figured out what's going on straight away.
"Hey!" Called their leader, summoning It's attention. But his brave eye darted away for a second, noticing the opened stage at the center, and a girl in a dress, who also observed him. It confused him, not less than the other three, but there was no time for explaining it now.
It has stiffened and shook it's head as if the sound of the man's voice was extremely unpleasant, then turned to face him slowly. The jingles which followed Pennywise's every movement reminded Madeline of a snake.
"Look who have we here. Billy Boy! So willing to reach me... You just can't get enough of your old friend Pennywise. I'm touched." Mockery poured from It's mouth like a foul liquid.
Bill didn't respond to the taunt, just slowly approached the monster, and all the Losers joined him, forming a circle around It, whose smile never left the grotesque face. A chill ran through Bill's spine. The air was vibrant and cold. A calm before the storm.
Madeline watched them, feeling useless and powerless. What right did she have to remain there and do nothing? She wanted to help. To do something. Anything. To stand against It, or... with It. But which part of It? The one she danced with, the one she finally felt happy with, or the villainous one, that ate children, and wore countless masks? She'd have to face both, while they fought only against one.
The circle around Pennywise was slowly closing, and his head spun observantly in each direction, claws ready to cut, teeth bared. Bill dropped the flashlight aside, and bent to pick up a metal chain laying at his feet.
"So that's how it's gonna be..." It said spitefully, eyes glowering.
"That's exactly how it's going to be." Bill replied, for the first time since he'd arrived in Derry; without a stutter. Echo carried his battle shout like a navy blue sky carries a flash of lightening, and then the thunder begun. Madeline's memories of that moment were hazy and unclear. The only thing she remembered was that she felt like at a war. After a while, her eyes ceased to notice the brave members of the Lucky Seven, whom she wouldn't have recognized in the havoc of it all anyway, but saw only their opponent, roaring and smashing with his large hands everything that the tips of his claws could reach. She watched him change into many horrific beasts such as a werewolf, when he attempted to rip Richie in half, or a mummy, whose yellowish swathes had tightened around Ben's face, before Bill's chain tore them up. There was a leper with his whole body looking like one giant wound, nearly biting into Eddie's arm, and blood which he spat on Beverly's face after she'd saved him. Ben of course fought like hell to protect her. But It has been also taking hits. Rough ones. Sturdy ones. It growled from anger, but from pain as well, and she knew she was ought to root for the victory of the Losers with all her heart, for the monstrosity of It was revealing itself just before her eyes, but she only felt degraded, and a bit like crying.
Mike and Ben drew away from the boiling fight at once, just a few feet away while It was taking care of Richie, who'd enraged it with his reckless words again, and they managed to reload the guns. Mike handed one to Ben, and then the both of them quickly got to their positions, aiming at the entity from different angles.
Madeline gasped, at the very edge of her heart breaking into pieces, and holding onto the wooden wall, she got clumsily to her knees, then stood up, legs shaking weakly. Some kind of unexplainable strength has awakened in her, assuaging the pain.
What are you fighting for, Madeline? Who is your ally, and who is your enemy?
The girl gazed at the two, then at It with jaws of enormous size inching towards Richie, and again at the silver barrels.
"Please, don't..."
Don't what? Don't let It kill Richie? Don't let the demon live? Don't let this nightmare go on?
"...don't shoot him."
It was just a whisper, subtle and fragile among the shouts and sounds of struggling bodies, shoes scraping against the floor, but it hasn't gone unnoticed.
The monster froze, and it seemed like if the whole world was wiped out of sound. The Clown's head turned towards her, looking at her, really looking at her, for the first time since he'd left without a word. Though the hand grasping Richie's shirt remained clenched, his features were somehow softened, mixed with a look of genuine surprise and something... more intimate. And in this moment Madeline knew that if there was such thing as an emotional bond of unity between a human and a monster, they had it. His eyes flashed blue and calm, and... And that's when the two shots were fired.
Two bangs, six abruptly held breaths, one body hitting the floor, Madeline's scream — it all blended into one excruciating sound. The Losers backed away as if pushed by some invisible force when Pennywise's back landed on the stony surface with one hole cracked at the side of his skull, the second in his chest. It's clown costume was stained, hair all messed up and dull of color. The face had this very same expression It gave the girl the barest of seconds ago, and looked like a porcelain doll's. It was beautiful, in a way.
Beverly raised her palm to cover the astonishment that's taken over her face. Was that it? Was that enough? The whole group was mauled nonetheless. They gazed at one another with doubt written all over their faces, searching for a confirmation that couldn't be provided.
"No." Came Madeline's broken whisper. "No, no, no." She repeated as her shaky legs carried her forwards, almost tripping on her own toes, to rest near him, white dress splayed on the cold ground. There was that sharp unpleasant gust in her thigh again, but she didn't care. The girl's trembling hands hung somewhere above the puffed sleeves, scared to even brush against the material, not knowing what to do to make things right, although they never truly were. She didn't notice the wetness on her cheeks until a couple of lonely teardrops fell onto Pennywise's collar.
"Who... are you?" Asked Bill, utterly confused, but that wasn't exactly what his question was about. He should've asked Why are you crying over this monstrosity?, but it didn't matter. She wouldn't have answered anyway.
Madeline didn't know how to feel about them right now. It wasn't their fault that her heart got so hopelessly captured by a demon. It wasn't their fault that her dreams had roots in her nightmares. She did not understand it as well, she 'wanted' to hate It, but just couldn't.
"Her name's Madeline." Eddie blinked disbelieving his own words. "She's the girl from the poster." Richie's eyebrows furrowed.
"How the heck'd you know that?"
"I just do."
While the girl was bent miserably over the creature, something in Mike's mind unlocked. Something that made his eyes open wide and mouth open mindlessly. To me It always comes as human. she'd said. Always... So how many times has It come to her exactly, before she ran into the library that day? She spoke of the monster with just a slight hint of fondness then, and he hadn't even noticed. But it just can't be, that's ridiculous, that's...
And then it all changed. It's eyes shone up like floodlights, casting two streams of golden brightness all the way up. Convulsions took over the creature, and Madeline instinctively crawled back, shock spreading in her features. The Clown's limbs started violently bending at very unnatural angles, but not a single crack of bone was heard. When It finally settled in a position similar to a bridge, Ben and Mike's guns were already raised, and Bev's bat all prepared. But it would've brought them no good anyway. The whole figure of It molded and grew, the suit merged into the body, which bulged into an enormous size. Four new arms oozed through where It's ribs were supposed to be, and suddenly the demon was not shaped as human, but a gigantic spider, and not two, but six golden eyes scanned the surroundings viciously; one for each Loser.
Beverly's terrified shriek resounded in Madeline's ears. She gazed at the hideous shape, each leg twice her size, like hypnotized and completely out of words.
Waking up from the daze of this horrible surprise, Bill charged at It again, but was quickly pined down by the Spider's huge limb. That was enough for the Losers to regain the fight spirit, and once more try to attack it. The first one to be thrown away like a ragged doll was Mike. Then Ben. Then Beverly, and although each time they got up, fierce as never before, and bruised twice as much, their chances were weak. While they fought like little, stubborn ants against the Spider, not caring about the lack of damage they were making, the monster's large maw moved closer to Bill's face. The man thrust his fists and kicked against the ground, trying to resist it, with no effect. For a moment Madeline thought It was about to consume his face, but it stopped inches away from his nose, casting the beaming light 'into' him. The girl saw Bill's pupils and irises go blank, taking in the gleam, and she felt that urgent push again. She struggled to contain herself, control herself. There was very little strength left in her, but it had to be enough. Holding her breath, she crouched awkwardly, and focused wholly on straightening her legs without them collapsing under the weight.
With each second, Bill's moves were more languid until the man finally went lump, and It released him. His body moved, controlled entirely by It's eternal power, lifting up gently with eyes open wide. It looked as if the grown man's insides were filled with air, and he began to float up, losing touch with reality. If It could, It would've smiled a wide, satisfied grin, but the victory didn't last long. The connection was broken by the girl, stumbling to push Bill aside, and take his place. Just a second before losing it into a feeling of emptiness, she saw those three enchanting light sources somewhere in It's bottomless gullet, shining with an untamed energy.
It happened so suddenly and 'gently', that Madeline didn't even know when exactly has she stepped into this transcendental state. The pain was gone, she couldn't feel the soaring muscles no more, in fact, she couldn't 'feel' or see at all. She could only sense what was all around her, meaning by that nothingness so deep, it seemed dense like a liquid filling in her lungs, ears and eyes. The girl levitated somewhere there in the deep, but could as well be laying, or sitting, or standing... She's lost the certitude.
Is this where you get at the end? Am I dead? - she shouldn't help but wonder, and the thought spread around her like smoke. The answer she got wasn't physical in any way, and could not be heard, but simply appeared in her mind as if it was there from the very beginning, and yet did not belong to her.
No. Not yet.
Then... where am I?
Why did you do that?
I didn't want him to die.
No, why did you stand up for me?
The talk carried on, and she carried on, not at her own accord, but guided by something entirely else. Her senses were becoming more and more blurred, giving in to the pervasive presence she was led towards.
I didn't want you to die.
But that'd be impossible. You can't pick both sides. Someone has got to lose if the fight is to end.
I... I...
What are you fighting for, Madeline? Who is your ally, and who is your enemy?
They're all the same.
There was something ahead of her. Something enormous and ancient... and alive. A shape flushed through her imagination. It was... a turtle? Yes, it would appear so, and she really wanted to focus more, but it was suddenly very difficult to accomplish. She actually felt just the opposite. She was losing herself. Even her own thoughts now seemed oddly unfamiliar, and were replaced by another ones. They belonged to It.
She'll die, she'll die, she'll die... the words echoed repeatedly like a mourning melody. She gave me the strength to carry on, to unleash the power, and now she'll leave me, the one I've been fighting for. Pain; she felt it in the very core of her existence, different from any pain she's ever experienced. My girl, my precious girl, my anchor... She'll die. Silence. There was nothing but silence. Her conscience started to fade, and she felt herself drifting away. But suddenly she felt an itch. The slightest itch of hope.
Unless...
"No!" Called Mike, catching Madeline's desperate action in the corner of his eye. He immediately dropped his gun, and hurried in her direction, but her frail body was already lifted up, eyes already lost in the Deadlights. The four remaining gazes eventually caught up to Mike, and followed him along, seeing the floating girl. Bill was still laying on the ground, trying to calm down his breathing. Beverly let go of her baseball bat as well, and came up to the librarian, making almost a full circle around the motionless spider.
"Why'd she do that?" Bev's delicate eyebrows furrowed with pity. There was a long, thin cut above the right one.
"I guess Madeline's one of us now. She saved Bill." The answer was mild and collected.
"W-what?" Came Bill's cough from below, and when his chaotic stare went up, he finally understood what happened. Someone, who didn't even know him made the most bold of sacrifices to keep him alive.
"So you know her, Mike?" Asked Ben, stepping between him and the red-head.
"I do, but that's a long story." It wasn't, really. He just didn't want to explain it.
"I don't understand..." Said Richie lost in thought, forgetting at once about being his dorky, vulgar self, when he noticed the slight trail of blood staining the skirt of her dress at the left side.
"Wait, so if she's with us, then... it would make us a Seven again." Stated Eddie, fascinated by his own discovery.
"Well, yes. As long as she lives." Mike answered, swallowing the bitterness on his tongue.
"Is there anything we can do" Ben wanted to know, moving his eyes to Madeline's absent stare and back to the monster's jaw repeatedly.
"No." The one to reply was Bill, who was currently to shake out of the shock. "She's going to die if we interrupt them. And we wouldn't manage to physically defeat It anyway. Not in this state. I've never seen It gain so much power at once." A series of confirming nods followed his statement. "Her fight is completely different from ours now. We can only wait and hope she wins it."
Just as the words left his mouth, the Spider's eyes abruptly opened, even wider than before, and light erupted from them like a fire geyser. The invisible hold let go of Madeline's body; it trembled and then collapsed, but luckily Mike'd caught her before she hit the ground. What was happening to It at that moment could only be compared to the death of a star. It was choking up on the light that emanated from inside of the entity to the point when the atmosphere around went at least five degrees higher. The power was leaving It's cursed body in a truly spectacular way. The tension only rose, and no one really knew what to do, other than simply back away. And when it seemed It's physicality would just not be able to contain all of it, the Spider abruptly shrank, and fell onto the floor. Just like that.
Madeline's eyes flickered as the girl gained back her consciousness, and took a breath so deep, it almost hurt her lungs. Apparently she was the only one, who knew what to do. She shook off of Mike's hold and crawled towards the very center of It's lair, where the seemingly lifeless body had fallen. The dirty water splashed on her face, and her whole body was aching, but that she cared the least about. The only real thing to her right now was the outline of a familiar shape in front of her. Yes, it was familiar. The closer she got, the more unclear her vision became, blurred by the tears filling in her eyes. She bent over the silhouette, wiping hastily her eyes.
It was him. It was Robert. Dirty, and pale, and miserable, but still Robert. Madeline's fingers went to brush the messy strands of his dark hair off his forehead. In her entire life she had never been so happy. The same could not be told about the Losers. No monster ever has put them into such astonishment, as this defenseless man.
"Wait, wait, can anyone explain what on Earth has just happened?" Richie demanded so loud, that it made the man laying at Madeline's side flinch nervously, not completely wakened up yet. The girl held her breath. His fingers squeezed gently, and he blinked several times, gazing towards the light. His eyes were green. Robert gazed around languidly, with brows furrowed.
"Whe-" He wanted to continue, but his voice broke. "Where am I?" The man swallowed with difficulty and turned stiffly towards Richie. "Who... are... you?"
"Holy shit." Was the only thing Richie managed to whisper in a response.
Madeline gasped, not believing in what she's just heard. It felt as if her heart stopped beating. Her eyes waited longingly to meet his, and when they did, he gasped as well.
"You..." Robert whispered doubtfully, confusion written all over his face. "I remember... you."
A/N: Boom. This chapter was a blast to write. How many of you expected this? Because I certainly did not ;) It's not over yet. Yet.
