▌Chapter 21 ─ Turn Light Into Dark ▌

      ━━━━━ HOLLY WALKED CLOSELY behind Bill as she looked around, holding onto her flashlight tightly. The group continued to walk forward, some of them looking towards the top.

"So, all this has been under Derry, like, forever?" Eddie asked.

"Not forever. Just a few million years." Mike informed them.

Mike and Violet were the first to walk into the center, Bill and Holly followed in after them. Holly looked around, she wanted to say she was amazed but at the same time she was also freaked out that this is what had been underneath Derry for so long. Holly placed her eyes on Mike as he kneeled down to the ground.

He unzipped the back and pulled the ritual box out and placed it in the very center. "It can only be attacked in its true form. The ritual will show us that." Mike said, looking around at everyone.

"And what is It's true form?" Ben asked.

"I hope it's a puppy." Richie said, causing Beverly, Holly, and Prudence to look at him. "Like a Pomeranian or... I'll shut up."

"It's light. A light that must be snuffed out by darkness."

They watched as Mike pulled a container of gas out and held it over top of the box moving it around. The liquid fell into it, then he pulled the matches out and grabbed one, lighting it and throwing it inside to light the fire. Mike then stood up as Eddie turned off his light and pulled it off his head.

"Your artifacts." Violet said.

"Place them in the fire." Mike added. "The past must burn with the present."

Holly pulled the nightlight out and looked down at it, briefly rubbing her thumb over it. It held the remaining memories of her mother in them. Bill held his hand up showing everyone what he had grabbed.

"This is the boat that I built with G-Georgie." He said, he then leaned forward and placed the boat in the fire.

"It's my inhaler." Eddie proceeded to place it in his mouth and inhale once more.

"Come on, dude." Richie said, as he threw it into the fire.

"Something that I wish I had held on to." Beverly said, she then closed it and placed it in the fire.

"Uh, this is a page from my yearbook. That only one person signed. I probably should have forgotten it, but I couldn't because I kept it in my wallet for 27 years." Ben said, then he threw it into the fire.

"This is a token from the Capitol Theater." Richie said, quickly throwing it in.

"You brought an actual token?" Eddie asked him.

"Yeah, man. That's what we were supposed to do, asshole."

"Do you have any idea how long that's gonna take to burn?"

"Yeah, but so is your inhaler, dude."

"Guys, come on." Ben said.

"All the toxic fumes and the plastic and shit, so..."

Holly helds her up, everyone looked at her. "Uh, this is a night light." Holly paused as she looked at the object she wished she had kept with her. "My, uh, my mom gave it to me as a final gift before she took her life. It's filled with pictures of her, my dad, and me."

Holly felt a single tear fall down her face. Bill placed his hand on her back and rubbed it giving her some comfort. She then leaned forward and placed it in the fire. Prudence held a piece of paper up.

"This was a favorite poem of mine that I read constantly after we split up during the rest of the summer. It gave me hope." Prudence said, placing the poem into the fire. Violet lifted her hands, removing something from around her neck.

"This is a necklace that Mike gave to me after we split apart. He showed me that I would never be alone." Violet said, sending Mike a smile as she threw the necklace into the fire. Mike then held his object up showing it to everyone.

"Look closely, Bev." Mike said. Beverly walked forward slightly. "You see it?" She nodded her head. "That's where you hit Bowers."

"The rock fight." Holly smiled at the memory.

"The day these bonds were forged."

"That's not gonna burn, either." Eddie said, leaning over towards Violet and Mike. He then placed it into the fire. "Oh, wait." Eddie called out, as he reached into his pocket. Couldn't forget about Stan, again." He then placed the cap into the fire.

"Okay. Grab hands. Come on." Mike said.

Holly grabbed a hold of Bill's hand holding it in hers. Then she grabbed onto Prudence, who grabbed a hold of Richie's hand. Once they had done that they group looked back at Mike and Violet.

"The Ritual of Chud. It's a battle of wills. The first step was our reunion. The second was the gathering of tokens. This is the final step." Right after Mike had said those words the fire inside suddenly went out causing them to look down at it.

"What the..."

Mike and Violet were the first to look up, eventually everyone else followed behind them. "Fuck is that?" Bill asked, briefly stepping backwards.

"Don't look at them!" Mike and Violet shouted.

"Are those the Deadlights?" Eddie asked.

"Don't look at it!"

"Okay." Holly lowered her head slightly.

"Turn light into dark. Turn light into dark. Say it!"

"Say what?"

"Say it!"

Turn light into dark." They all started to chant. Mike and Violet continued to chant but in the native language while the others chanted as well.

"Turn light into dark."

"Turn light into dark."

Holly held her eyes closed as her hand around Bill became a little tighter. "Turn light into dark. They chanted. As they continued to the Deadlights moved closer and closer to them.

"Turn light into dark. Mike, what's happening, man?" Richie asked.

"Keep chanting!" He shouted back. "Turn light into dark."

"Turn light into dark!" Beverly shouted.

"Turn light into dark!"

"Turn light into dark! Turn light into dark!"

"Keep chanting!"

"Turn light into dark!"

Mike reached down for the lid. "Turn light into dark! Turn light into dark!" Eddie shouted, as Mike placed the lid on top, closing it. "Is it working? Did we do it?" Eddie proceeded to ask, his eyes still closed. Suddenly a noise came from inside, Holly opened her eyes and looked to see something red start to blow up.

"What is this? Is this part of it?" Beverly asked.

"Mike, is this supposed to be happening?" Richie asked him.

"What? No, no, no."

"Keep chanting!"

"What?"

"Keep chanting!" Violet and Mike shouted.

"Turn light into dark!"

"Come on! Turn light into dark!"

"Turn light into dark. Turn light into dark."

They all watched as the red object continued to expand, Mike held the lid on top of it. "Whoa!" But it wasn't enough, the balloon explained, causing the group to pull apart and fall backwards. Bill moved closer to Holly, grabbing a hold of her hand as they all yelped watching the balloon continue to expand.

Richie exited out first, followed by Prudence. Bill then pulled Holly out with him as the balloon continued to grow in size. Eventually it popped, and sent Bill and Holly flying and eventually landing on the ground next to each other. The two groaned, Holly lifted her hand to her ears as a ringing ran through them.

Richie came over to them, he helped Bill up from the ground. "Are you okay?" Richie asked, Bill and Holly as Prudence helped Holly from the ground.

"I can't hear shit." Bill replied.

"He's okay." Richie said. Holly looked around, she saw Eddie near Ben and Beverly, but there was no sign of Mike or Violet.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. No, no, no."

"Wait, where's Mike and Violet?" Eddie asked them.

"Mike! Violet!" Ben shouted leaving Beverly's side.

"Mike! Violet!" Richie shouted shortly after.

Violet and Mike ran up behind Richie, Prudence, Bill and Holly. "We're here!" Mike said, as the two rejoined the group.

"Hey, guys."

"Did we do it? Did we do it?"

"Yeah? Did we do it?"

"We put the tokens in the thing. That's good, right?"

"We did it, right?"

Beverly lifted her flashlight and Pennywise yelped in surprisement causing the others to scream in fear. Holly moved back slightly, as she looked at the clown.

"Shit! Shit!"

"Oh, did it work, Mikey? Did it work?" Pennywise asked, looking at Mike. He then laughed, while Mike looked up at the clown. "Tell them why your silly little ritual didn't work. Tell them it's all just a... What's the word, Eds? Gazebo?"

"Mike, what's he talking about?" Eddie asked.

"M-M-M-Mikey?" Bill asked, as he stood up from the ground.

"Oh, Mikey, you never showed them the fourth side, did you?" Pennywise went on to ask him, while laughing once again. Holly looked over at Violet and Mike, shock falling onto her face. "Didn't want them to know what actually happened to the poor Shokopiwah? Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum."

"Fuck, Mikey. You lied to us, again?" Bill asked, as Richie turned, placing his flashlight on Mikey and Violet. Mikey looked at his friends while Violet stared up at the clown.

"No, but they-they-they didn't believe! They didn't believe they could kill It! That's why it didn't work back then!" Mike told them.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Mike?"

"We hurt him." Violet said.

"Fuck!"

"Fuck you, Mikey."

"That's a little harsh." Holly breathed out.

"I needed something, anything, for us to remember. Anything for us to believe!"

"God damn it!"

"Fuck!"

The Deadlights, lifted into the air turning a shade of blue. "The Deadlights! Don't look at them!" Beverly shouted.

Holly moved back towards Bill but kept her eyes closed while Pennywise moved out of the center. He stared at the Losers.

"For 27 years, I dreamt of you." He started to laugh, while swinging his long arms around. "I craved you. Oh, I've missed you!" He laughed again.

"Mike! Violet! Move back!" Ben shouted passing by them.

"Waiting for this very moment."

"Mikey! You gotta move, Mikey!" Bill called out.

"Violet!" Holly shouted, looking at her friends.

"Sorry. I'm sorry, guys." Mike breathed out.

"Mike, come on, man!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Time to float!" Pennywise shouted as he pulled his hand back and turned it into a claw. They all gasped in shock.

"Oh, shit!"

"Sorry."

Holly and Bill ran forward knocking into both Mike and Violet as Pennywise bright his claw down where they once stood. They moved towards Mike and Violet picking them up from the ground. Prudence ran over to Holly helping her up.

"Mike, come on, get up!"

"Get him up! Go, go!"

"Run!"

They took off running around, Pennywise following behind them and knocking some of the rocks towards them. He brought his hand down in between them causing some of them to fall. Bill turned around and grabbed a hold of Holly's hand pulling her with him.

"Go, go, go!"

Violet and Mike slid behind an area hiding behind it. Prudence followed behind Eddie and Richie while Bill and Holly continued to run past everyone else. Pennywise chose to follow behind the two. They ran up the little hill, Pennywise got closer to them. The two jumped into the water as he bit down and tried to eat them but it wasn't a success.