▌Chapter 2 ─ Sewers ▌

━━━━━ HOLLY STOOD INSIDE of Eddie's house, watching Richie run through the cabinets searching for snacks to take with them. Prudence and Stanley were going to meet up with them.

"Take everything but the Delicious Deals, guys. My mom loves them." Eddie said, leaning against the sink.

Eddie placed his elbow on the edge of the sink while Holly leaned against the back counter near hanging pots. Richie walked away from Bill heading over to the other side of the counter.

"Hey! First you said the Barrens, and now you're saying the sewer. I mean, what if we get caught?" Eddie asked the three, but the question was mostly directed towards Bill.

"We won't, Eds. The sewers are p-public works. We're the public, aren't we?" Bill asked him in return.

"Eddie, you need to live a little." Holly mentioned as she walked over to Richie. He moved past her, opening another cabinet.

"Hey, Eddie, these your birth control pills?" Richie asked, looking back at Eddie who turned to look at him.

Eddie walked towards Richie while Holly walked over to Bill staring at the snacks. "Yeah, and I'm saving it for your sister. This is private stuff."

Holly lifted her eyes, staring at Bill, a smile resting on her face. Holly then turned away from Bill heading towards the front door. She came to a stop at the door looking back as everyone caught up to her.

"Eddie Bear, where are you four off to in a rush?" Mrs. Kaspbrak asked, while painting her nails. They all looked at each other searching for an answer to her question.

"Um... j-j-just my backyard, Mrs. K. I got a new." Holly looked to Bill hoping he could get the words out.

"A new croquet set. Jeez, spit it out, B-B-Bill!" Richie said, mocking him.

Holly looked at Richie sending him a death glare.

"Okay." She simply responded, staring at the four. "Oh, and sweetie, don't go rolling around in the grass. Especially if it's been cut. You know how bad your allergies can get."

"Yes, mom. Let's go." Eddie said, ushering the three out the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Bill and Holly pushed back into the door watching Eddie turn towards his mother. He exhaled leaving the three behind, walking towards his mother. She moved her head over as Eddie stopped next to her, placing a kiss on her cheek. Richie laughed while Bill and Holly stared at him. Bill hit Richie attempting to get him to stop laughing.

"Do you want one from me too, Mrs. K?" Richie asked, Eddie walked back towards his group of friends. "I was kidding."

Eddie pushed Bill and Richie out of the house, he looked at Holly who turned around exiting out of the house. The four were on their bikes and they were now heading down to the sewers. Holly looked behind her to see Prudence and Stanley catch up with them. Holly picked herself up from her seat on her bike and leaned forward attempting to catch up with Bill like the others were trying to do.

"Slow down!" Richie yelled.

"Hi-ho, Silver! Away." Bill yelled, moving further down the street.

"Your old lady bike's too fast for us!"

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After an hour they finally made it to the sewers, Holly dropped her bike to the ground, Prudence doing the same thing. Holly proceeded to follow behind Bill, soon standing next to him. The two looked into the sewers, while Richie argued about what poison ivy was.

Bill turned slightly looking at Holly who held tightly onto her flashlight, "I'll go with you." She said, just as Prudence walked to the other side of Holly, sending the two a small smile.

"Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" Holly heard Richie ask Eddie.

"Sometimes, yeah." Eddie answered.

Bill, Holly, and Prudence moved further into the sewer scanning the area for anything that might be useful to them to better understand what was happening.

"Then you probably have crabs."

Richie, Bill, Holly, and Prudence were the only ones that stepped into the sewer water, Eddie and Stanley stayed back watching them walk through the water. Holly and Richie turned back to look at the two as they stared at them.

"Aren't you guys coming in?" Richie asked them.

Holly watched Eddie shake his head looking down at the water they had been standing in.

"Uh-uh. It's greywater." Eddie told them, causing Richie and Holly to exchange a look with each other.

"What the hell's greywater?"

"It's basically piss and shit. So I'm just telling you, you guys are splashing around in millions of gallons of Derry pee. So..."

Holly looked over at Richie watching as he picked a stick up from the water. Prudence placed a disgusted look on her face as she stared at her friend. Holly rolled her eyes exiting out of the conversation.

She turned in the greywater, walking over to Bill to help him search for something. Holly's eyes landed on the shoe that rested in the water, Bill looked over at her as she lifted her gaze to him. He kneeled down slightly, picking the shoe up out of the water to examine it.

Holly moved closer to Bill looking at the shoe as well. The two turned around, showing it to their friends, Prudence was shocked that they had even found something.

"Guys!" Bill shouted, gaining their attention.

"Shit. Don't tell me that's..."

"No. Geor-Georgie wore galoshes." Bill said, cutting Stanley off.

"Who's sneaker is it?" Eddie asked them.

They looked inside the shoes searching for a name that would help them out.

"It's Betty Ripsom's." Richie said.

"Oh, shit. Oh, God. Oh, fuck! I don't like this."

"How do you think Betty feels? Running around these tunnels with only one frickin' shoe?"

Both Bill and Holly stared angrily at Richie for the way he was treating this whole situation. He chuckled but soon stopped after seeing that no one was laughing along with him. He turned his head looking over at Bill and Holly as they stared back at him.

"What if she's still here?"

Eddie turned towards Stanley while Holly moved forward first, she gripped her flashlight tighter then before, like her life depended on it. Prudence quickly followed behind her, and soon Bill caught up to them. Seconds later Richie followed behind them.

"Guys, come on!" Richie called out to their friends.

Eddie was the first to shake his head, "my mom will have an aneurysm, if she finds out that we're playing down here. I'm serious." Eddie replied.

Holly of course rolled her eyes at the way her friends had been acting. "Bill? Holly? Prudence?" Eddie questioned, causing the three to turn back towards their friends.

"If... If I was Betty Ripsom, I would want us to find me." Bill told them, not wanting to give up. "Geor-Georgie too."

His words caused Eddie, Richie and Stanley to lower their heads and look down at their feet. Holly and Prudence were the only ones who seemed to want to help Bill find his brother and Betty Ripsom.

"What if I don't want to find them. I mean, no offense, Bill, but I don't want to end up like..." Holly narrowed her eyes as she turned her head looking at Eddie. "I don't want to go missing either." He said changing his words around.

"He has a point." Stanley replied, taking Eddie's side.

"Y-Y-You too?" Bill asked.

"It's summer. We're supposed to be having fun. This isn't fun."

Holly looked between Bill, Prudence, and Richie as they exchanged looks with each other. Richie shrugged his shoulders looking at Prudence who did the same thing. Holly examined Stanley words as well.

"This is scary and disgusting." Stanley added, the sound of the water making a big splash behind them bringing the conversation to an end.

Holly moved forward slightly seeing Ben Hanscom fall into the water. She knew who Ben was, but she wasn't sure how he had gotten there in the first place. Holly moved forward, running out of the sewer passing her friends.

"Ben, are you okay?" She asked, as she ran into the cold water.

She kneeled down in front of Ben, looking to see the blood that covered most of his stomach. At that moment, she knew that Bowers and his crew had gotten to him. She was just glad that he was able to get away.