Chapter 62: Hunt for Amends
The two teens wait in the semi-darkness, watching and listening to what's happening outside as best they can. The blur of the blue Camero goes back and forth around the outside of the steelworks a couple of times… the guy is probably trying to get an idea of the area and see if the kids he was chasing were around here.
Stan flinches when another rat squeaks and scurries behind them. He bites his lip in utter disgust. Richie rolls his eyes and keeps his eyes outside. When did Stan become the new Eddie? He was always a bit of a neat freak and tried to act older than most of them and that included not getting as dirty when they played in the sandbox or quarry, but he wasn't the extreme hypochondriac that Eds always was. Sure, rats are gross, but there was a much bigger piece of vermin they were dealing with.
The two are hoping that Billy has given up and left. Unfortunately, the slamming of his car door told them something different. It could have also been a bang from deep within the factory from the rusting machines. However, the rattling of the chain link fence made Richie's heart sink when the denim felon impressively scales and jumps over the fence landing in the overgrown gravel.
Stan and Richie back away into the shadows to avoid being seen.
"Hey, you little sh*t where the hell are you?" Billy calls out as every step he takes is heard with a crunch of gravel. "I don't want to hurt you; I just want to talk to you about the money you owe me… you know for my back window that you f*cking smashed?"
"Damned liar…" Richie hisses.
"Shut up!" Stan whispers and then pulls his friend deeper into the shadows despite his hatred to do so. He prays that their footsteps can't be heard. Every tiny echo against the metal makes his heart jump. He drags Richie around a corner near what looks like what could be an old control panel with buttons and switches of some kind. The two huddle in the corner and do their best to not breathe so loudly due to anxiety.
"Come on you little losers. I saw your bikes. I know you're around here somewhere…!" Billy's voice calls, likely still outside but getting closer.
Stan glances around, looking for an alternative form of escape, but sadly there isn't one to be seen. The only windows are further down the hall of the factory and the only door that they are crouched in front of says Basement Access Employees Only. They didn't want to go deeper into the hell hole, but further away. He does notice an old hook hanging from a chain above them and his mind is racing.
A loud bang is heard and part of the factory where the two had been standing is illuminated in sunlight. Stan covers his mouth with his hand and Richie curls up further into the corner that they're hiding in. If he catches them…
"If I catch you, you little punk, your dead meat…"
Both boys believe him.
They can now hear his footsteps punishing the old creaky metal floor of the Steel Works plant. It felt as though he was going slower to taunt them and make them so scared that they'd give themselves away. Little did Billy know, both boys were well adapted at hiding and knew what could give you away, especially when you were tormented by Henry Bowers and his group of felons.
It sounds like he's walking in their direction.
"Come out, come out wherever you are…" he taunts.
Once more, Stan glances up at the hanging chain and hook and notices that it was connected to the control panel. He gets an idea.
…
Meanwhile, deep within the Steel Works, an indescribable thing has heard all the chaos above it. It's immediately intrigued by what it hears… if it had ears. It's humans.
The blob of various materials slowly makes its way across the filthy floor of the Steel plant toward the sounds. Its mass had become bigger as this place was perfect for absorbing various organisms, mainly rats. But now… now there were much bigger things to consume. If it became bigger maybe it could…
In its own way, the mass begins to move up the nearest stairs, using its lighter parts to reach up to the next platform and pull the rest of the mass up once it has a good grip. It continues this movement like a reverse slinky on a staircase.
A flash of sunlight causes the entity to freeze and flatten itself out to avoid being seen or the heat. This abandoned factory had been the perfect place to inhabit as it remained cold enough, even on the hot days the wretched town was having.
A voice calls out, echoing throughout the whole building.
"If I catch you, you little punk, your dead meat…"
A human that liked violence… this creature liked that.
He lets the door semi-shut, allowing the blob to keep moving up the stairs. If it could get to this particular human, he would be most beneficial for absorption.
"Come out, come out wherever you are…"
Whatever this human was after, he was like a hunter after his prey. The closer the entity moved, the more excited it became.
…
Stan bites his lip and decides to take a chance. He can hear this guy getting closer and they need to act now if they don't want black eyes and broken bones. He stands up from his crouching position and uses a quick analysis of what the chain is attached to and how it can be released before he begins to pull the switch. It's heavily rusted in place, and he struggles to put his whole weight into it.
Richie looks at his friend like he's lost his mind and about to get them found out but in the gloom, he can see that Stan has a plan so he reaches up and helps pull the switch.
With their combined weights, it moves the switch slowly enough that it sets in motion the next thing. The heavy rusted hook and chain begin to rapidly drop from the ceiling and with a loud clanking noise that echoes through the plant, clanks down in front of Billy, stopping him in his tracks.
The two boys continue to pull the switch until all of the chain is released, having it pile up and block Billy's path completely.
…
The large mass of material has finally made it almost to the top. It can glimpse the human who was stopped for a moment, which was its perfect time to pounce.
However, in its excitement, it lets out an inhuman growl. It causes the human it wanted to look around in a panic before the creature makes a similar noise. His gaze locks with the creature for a brief moment. The way the second sound carries through the building makes it sound much more sinister.
"F*ck this!"
This seems to cause the humans to flee from the area.
…
Richie and Stan let out sighs of relief as they hear Billy flee. They're ready to run as well, but away from him.
Deciding to go a little deeper into the building just for a moment, the two push against the door and slip down another flight of stairs. Once they reach the first landing on the metal stairs, they stop and wait in almost pitch darkness. They strain themselves to listen for Billy's car leaving the area because even though he'd run out of the building, he could still be waiting to ambush them outside.
The only sounds are their frantic breathing and their heartbeats in their heads. They wait in fear but also in anticipation.
After what feels like an eternity, Richie decides to speak and shatter the silence.
"Did you hear that weird noise?" Richie asks in a whisper.
Stan doesn't respond at first, his heartbeat still echoing in his ears. He grabs the railing to steady himself. He had heard it too. The sound right after the hook and chain dropped. It sounds so unusual.
"P-Probably just an animal of some kind," Stan says rationally. "Like maybe a coyote or raccoon."
"Never heard a raccoon sound like that…" is the retort. "And maybe we shouldn't be near where these animals are."
Stan agrees, but if the animal is up above them, they can't go back the way they came. He turns his head around a few times and notices an old sign on a nearby wall. A fire escape route, every business and factory had to have one.
"Come on…" he says. They go down the stairs and Stan follows the arrow to the fire route. They go through another door, down an old hallway with a putrid smell and then up another set of stairs. It takes both of them to push the door open, but once they are through, they come out into the sunlight on the far end of the property. If they take the long way back to their bikes, they might be able to get out before Billy catches up to them.
They race through the gravel and weeds, dodging equipment that came from a different time and place until they reach their bikes parked behind the storage shed.
Richie crouches down and peeks over the side to see if Billy is still around. However, neither he nor his car was in sight. That animal, whatever it was had scared him off like a wimp.
"He's gone…" the trash mouth sighs in relief.
…
"You want to tell me what the hell that was about?" Stan says as they walk their bikes from their hiding place.
They waited for about an hour to ensure that Billy wasn't circling the area before getting their stuff and preparing to go home.
At first, Richie doesn't respond as he moves his kickstand up and walks back to the gate. Frustrated, Stan follows but picks up the pace to confront his friend.
"So, we just go right back to not talking huh?" Stan asks sarcastically. "After I saved our asses twice."
"You didn't save us," Richie says as he tries to get the gate open.
However, Stan puts his hand on it and keeps it shut.
"What the hell Stanley?"
"We're not leaving until you tell me what happened that has now put me on this guy's hit list!"
At first, Richie tries to grab the gate from his friend and wrench it open, but Stan moves his bike in front and plants his feet firmly in front. Neither was leaving until he had answers.
"I want to know about whether I need to be calling the police over someone who says we're dead meat."
"He said me, not you," Richie points out.
"It doesn't matter, I was collateral, and I don't doubt that he would make me pay just for knowing you." They both knew that bullies could be like this. Even if you didn't do anything directly, you would still be part of the vengeance because you happened to be there at the time or were friends with the person. It always happened.
Richie just leans against his handlebars and doesn't speak.
"You better get a move on Rich because do you want to risk being grounded for not being home before dark."
The kid in glasses bites his lip. This day sucked enough as it was, so a grounding was the last thing he wanted.
"All right. That asshole is always the one trying to mow us down, thinking he's the sh*t and rules don't apply. More than a month ago, he tried to mow me down so I waited for him to come back around and I got even."
"By breaking his window?" Stan asks.
"Yep. It was a direct hit, and I ended up smashing his back window and ever since then I've been on his hit list I guess."
"Well, I don't exactly blame him. You know how much that would cost to replace."
"What the hell dude, you're supposed to be on my side."
"I'm never on the side of the person who decides to vandalize something just to spite them."
"Even when they're complete assholes. He totally deserved it!" Richie protests.
He sees his opportunity and pulls the gate open, nearly knocking Stan off his bike. His friend follows and they both take an alternative and longer route home to avoid encountering Billy again.
"I would be more supportive if you didn't do this kind of sh*t all the time," Stan complains as they ride along the streets. "You always run your mouth or do something stupid that either gets us in trouble or… no gets us in trouble."
"And all you do is turn the other cheek and take it. Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself Stanley instead of caving and letting everyone push you around."
"Don't lecture me," the curly-haired kid snaps. "At least I haven't committed any felonies that will ruin my future."
"I haven't either. I just cracked an asshole's window. Simple as that."
"You can justify it all you want, but this is your grave that you're digging, and no one is going to help you out of it."
"Been doing pretty well on my own these past few months," Richie blurts out, which is also a massive lie.
"Me too." Stan lies.
The two bike along in silence, turning onto random streets within the neighbourhoods to ensure that Billy doesn't follow them.
Eventually, they end up biking near where Bill lives and the two stop for a moment. By some impulse, they peer down toward Bill's house. In the fading daylight, they can see him standing on his lawn while a bunch of kids on bikes stand near him, clearly talking to him.
The realization that Bill seemed to find new friends on his own stung quite a bit. They were both hoping that their former friend was as miserable as they were, but that didn't seem to be the case. Bev and Ben were still loyal to him and he had made new friends as well… lots of them.
When the group of kids on bikes begin heading in their direction to exit the cul-de-sac, Richie and Stan cross the street and pretend to be talking to each other as the others ride past.
They obviously recognize Beverly, her red hair a dead giveaway and Ben, his backpack full of books. But there was another redhead in the group, with a girl riding on the back of her bike, a kid with a bowl cut, another with curly hair and the last kid holding what looks like a walkie-talkie balanced on his handlebars. The strange new friends did look familiar, and they were shocked by everything as the group biked past the two teens on their way to their own homes.
Neither would admit it aloud, but they missed their friends. Life majorly sucked without having people to hang out with or friends who would have your backs in sticky situations like the ones at school or on the streets. Either way. Bill had no trouble moving on.
The two stand there for another long moment, trying to fight how they feel and getting themselves ready to go home.
Inhaling, Stan decides to speak.
"Want to hang out sometime?" he asks, doing the mature thing and extending the olive branch. Plus, he knew that Richie had too much pride to even try.
The trash mouth glances at him before nodding.
"Sure. Maybe on Friday."
A/N: Well, it will take a bit longer, but slowly the Loser's Club is being reunified. And the Mind Flayer has spotted a future victim that we know it will use soon. Fortunately, everyone escaped the real evil of the scenario. Please let me know if you can come up with a better chapter title.
Responses to Comments:
Larry: Thank you, I like them too. Thank you for all your continued support.
GlaringEyes: Yes it is nice to see Richie and Stan again. This also makes sense that they would end up making amends first because, in the 2017 movie, Richie is the only one to attend Stan's bar mitzvah. I didn't get that part either of all the friends separating. Eddie was being kept away by his mother, but yeah I guess the tensions were too high and it could be implied that Pennywise made them so scared that they fractured under the stress. It was also nice to see some Season 4 characters and also hint that Jason is not the altruistic basketball star that he wants to be, while we see Chrissy's sympathetic side. Richie really needs to stop running his mouth and you're right, he's made some pretty bad enemies. We'll see what happens next. Thanks for all of out continued support.