Chapter 16

The group ventured deep into the sewer pipe; each one scared, concerned, or alarmed. Bill shined the flashlight all around.

"Bill, what are we going to do when we find Eddie? What are we going to say or do to get Pennywise out of him?" Stanley asked.

"I-I-I don't know." Bill admitted.

He didn't think this through, what were they going to do? Bill thought that they could try doing an exorcism, but seeing the exorcist movie and the effects of what an exorcism could do to a person…he didn't want to take that risk.

"Hey Ale, how big is a fear demon's territory?" Beverly asked.

"Well…it would probably be the entire town, but they only hunt in it. It's their home they're very protective of; they don't want people to find out or know they actually exist, you know." She answered.

"That would explain why Pennywise beat me up." Beverly whispered.

"Is that how you got beat up?" Ale asked.

Beverly nodded.

"Okay, how do you know so much?" Stanley asked.

"Excuse me?" Ale asked offended.

"You know so much about demons, Ale. I'm just curious, how?" Stanley asked suspicious.

"Maybe I'm a bookworm like Ben." She replied smirking.

"Really?! What books do you like reading?" he asked surprised.

"Oh some supernatural, ghost, and some demon books." Ale said.

"Wow, that's so interesting." Ben said.

Richie, Bill, Beverly, and Stanley looked at Ben like he was crazy, Georgie and Mike just looked at him, and Ale smirked; like there was anything interesting about her.

"What? I'm just being nice." Ben said.

"Guys stop!" Bill yelled.

The group stopped and looked around. The flashlight shined on four different tunnel entrances.

"Okay Ben, wh-wh-which one do we go in-in-into?" Bill asked.

Ben got out the map and looked at it. He was horrified by what he saw.

"Um guys, we have a problem." Ben said.

"What is it?" Stanley asked.

"This map was made in 1870, the sewers were still being built at that time." Ben explained.

"So you're saying we're looking at a work in progress map?!" Richie asked enraged.

"Well, there are other maps like this, so yes." Ben said.

"Let me see." Bill said.

He shined the map and saw that the map was old and that the design looked like the beginning part of the sewers. Judging by how far they walked, it looked like they were at the area where the four tunnels were. The design of the four tunnels though, looked like they were either dead ends or not finished.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU BRING THE OTHER MAPS?!" Richie yelled enraged.

"I'm sorry, okay? I was doing research on Derry and I had taken out most of my notes. The other maps are at my house." Ben explained.

"Could you not have brought the other maps?" Stanley asked.

"Well I was rushing to get to Bill and Georgie's house, Stanley. This map was the only one I could grab." Ben explained.

"Great, just great. Thanks to this moron, we'll never find Eddie." Richie said annoyed.

"Oh calm down Richie. We'll just have to split up and pick a tunnel to go into." Ale smiled.

"Uh uh, we're not d-d-doing that. Pennywise is probably in one of these t-t-tunnels and is waiting for us to s-s-split up, so he can p-p-possess one of us. We stay together, alright?" Bill said.

"Bill's right, it would be best to stay together and choose a tunnel we can all go into." Beverly agreed.

Everyone else nodded.

"But the tunnels look like dead ends, maybe we're in the wrong part of the sewers." Mike suggested.

"But this map was made in 1870, Mike. It's possible that they were working on the first part of the tunnel when it happened." Ben pointed out.

As the group kept talking, Richie rolled his eyes and walked into a tunnel close to them. He wasn't far from the group, so he laid on the wall and rubbed his forehead. To be honest, Richie would rather have split up then stay together. If they stayed together and one tunnel was a dead end, then they would have to walk back and go into the next one. It was a waste of time and the sewers was like a maze. After calming down, Richie was about to walk back, but suddenly, a hand covered his mouth and a blade was on his throat.

"Don't scream or I'll slit your throat, got it?" the voice growled.

Richie nodded franticly; he was terrified. Pennywise had indeed been waiting for them, but he had been waiting for Richie. Ale was right, these flashes Georgie and Eddie had seen were warnings of Pennywise's next victim. Richie dread of who would be the next one. Pennywise moved Richie to the back of the tunnel, far from the group to see. Pennywise removed his hand from Richie's mouth.

"If you have something to say, say it, before I take you." He snarled.

"What…What do you want?" Richie asked terrified.

"Why you of course. I'm done with this host, so I need your body." Pennywise smiled.

"NO! Just let him go, please." Richie pleaded.

"Oh Richie, if I didn't know the real reason you weren't fighting back, it was that you love him." Pennywise smiled.

"SHUT UP! I don't love him, he's just a friend, that's it." he snapped.

"Or so you say. That's what you keep saying." Pennywise sneered.

"Please, let Eddie go, I don't want to fight him." Richie pleaded.

"Oh Richie, if only you knew the truth." Pennywise smiled.

Tears streamed Richie's eyes. Pennywise opened his mouth; he left Eddie's body and entered Richie's. Eddie collapsed into the water, his face still above view and the blade in hand. Richie was feeling dizzy and trying very hard to fight Pennywise's control, but it was no use. As his eyes turned white, Richie was forced to give in. After a few moments, Pennywise opened his eyes and looked at the water. His reflection showed Richie's face. Pennywise smiled, got up, looked at Eddie, and positioned him into a sitting position. He took the blade and checked for a pulse. It was small, but recovering; he doesn't want his victims to die, you know. Pennywise looked around. This tunnel was a dead end, Pennywise had to sneak in there before Bill and the others arrived. The only way to get back to the lair was to get through the group and Pennywise knew Georgie and Beverly would recognize his voice and eyes. However, there was another way. Pennywise closed his eyes and opened them to reveal Richie's normal eyes and shifted his voice to sound like Richie's. He kneeled down and stroked Eddie's cheek.

"Oh Eddie, you've been such a good host. Sorry for the injuries, it was nothing personal, but now I have more sinister plans for your friend Richie." Pennywise smiled.

It worked, his voice sounded just like Richie's. Pennywise stood up and pretended to be frantic and ran to the group.

"GUYS, GUYS!" he shouted.

The group were alarmed and looked at Richie. He stopped to breath, looked down, then looked at the group.

"Richie, what's wrong?!" Bill asked.

"I found Eddie. He's unconscious and he's laying on the pipe wall. He looks hurt." He explained.

"Where?" Mike asked.

"Down there." Richie pointed.

He pointed at the sewer tunnel that was next to them. Bill shined the flashlight and saw Eddie laying on the wall unconscious.

"Eddie!" Bill shouted.

The group ran to Eddie and tried to wake him up. As they did, Pennywise backed away as quietly as he could and left the tunnel, but came across Ale. She laid on the wall, crossing her arms, and glared at him. Pennywise was startled; he didn't think this through and he wasn't expecting this. Pennywise revealed his glowing eyes and devilish smile.

"Do you really think I'm this stupid?" Ale asked unfazed.

"I don't know, you're stupid enough to be standing here in front of me, alone." Pennywise sneered.

"Oh there is so much you don't know about me." Ale smirked.

Pennywise approached closer, trying to be intimidating. But when he saw Ale's smile, he was alarmed. Her smile was normal, but at the back of the jaw, there was something not normal. Trying to hide his fear, he walked pass Ale and headed back to his lair. Ale quietly joined the group, as they tried very hard to wake up Eddie, but he looked horrible. His pulse was small, he was covered in dry blood and sewage stains, and he had a cast on his arm and his head had a large cut. Bill was horrified, he never wanted to find Eddie like this. His only hope was to take him to the hospital and hope it wasn't too late.

"Here, h-h-help me carry him." Bill ordered.

He and Mike picked Eddie up and carried him by the shoulders. The rest of the group followed them and left the tunnel, but then Stanley stopped.

"Guys, where's Richie?" he asked scared.

The group looked around, Richie was nowhere to be seen. The group called out his name multiple times until a chill ran pass Beverly's spine.

"You don't think…" she said scared.

Bill had to agree. Richie must've wondered off to blow off some steam. Pennywise must've been waiting in that tunnel and grabbed him when he had the chance, then managed to trick them and slip away. As much as Bill didn't want to do this, they had to leave Richie behind. It was risky, but if he kept Eddie and Georgie alive for this long, then he would do the same for Richie. They would save him and that would be their forever promise.

"Come on." Bill said.

"What?! We're just gonna leave Richie here?!" Stanley asked shocked.

"Stanley, Pennywise kept Georgie a-a-alive for w-w-weeks, he kept Eddie alive for three d-d-days. Pennywise will d-d-definitely keep Richie alive. Right now, we n-n-need to get Eddie to the h-h-hospital and fast." Bill insisted.

"But…" Stanley protested.

"Relax Stanley, Pennywise won't kill Richie. Right now, we need to get Eddie to the hospital, I don't like the way he looks." Ale spoke.

Stanley signed. Bill and Mike carried Eddie out of the sewers with everyone else behind them. Bill placed Eddie on his bike as everyone else got on their bikes. Bill saw Richie's bike laying on the tree; he looked at Ale.

"Do you know how to ride it?" Bill asked.

"Like if I didn't." Ale smirked.

She got on the bike and followed the loser's club and Georgie to the hospital. Bill just hoped that they weren't too late.