▌Chapter 6 ─ The Well House ▌

      ━━━━━ HOLLY WALKED BEHIND Violet who walked behind Mike. Prudence was behind Holly with Beverly, Ben, and Richie behind her. Eddie and Bill lead the ground through the grassy hills as a train passes by on the train tracks.

"Thanks, guys, but you shouldn't have done that." Mike told them.

"Yeah he's right." Violet said chiming in.

"They'll be after you guys, too, now."

"Oh, no, no, no. Bowers? He's always been after us." Eddie informed them.

"I guess that's one th-th-thing we all have in common." Bill said.

"Yeah, Homeschool. Welcome to the Losers' Club." Richie said.

"Same to you Violet." Holly said, Violet looked back at her, sending her a smile.

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Holly stood next to Prudence with Violet on the other side of her. They looked at the new missing paper that had a different child on it this time.

"They say they found part of his hand all chewed up near the Standpipe." Stanley told them.

"He asked to borrow a pencil once." Ben said.

Bill walked over to the papers lifting it up to Betty Ripsom's missing persons paper.

"It's like she's been f-f-forgotten because Corcoran's missing."

"Is it ever gonna end?"

Holly looked over at Richie as the instrument was pulled out of his hands.

"What the fuck, dude?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Eddie asked joining the conversation. He has ice cream in his hands for him and Richie.

"What they always talk about." Richie said, walking over to Eddie and taking his ice cream from him.

"I actually think it will end." Ben said, looking around at the other's. "For a little while, at least."

"What do you mean?" Beverly asked him.

"So I was going over all my Derry research. I charted all the big events. The Ironworks explosion in 1908, the Bradley Gang in '35, and The Black Spot in '62. And now kids being..."

Ben paused not even finishing the sentence. And everyone understood why he didn't finish it.

"I realized this stuff seems to happen..."

"Every 27 years." Bill and Ben said at the same time.

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They moved out of the alley and were now in the center of town sitting on the benches talking amongst each other.

"Okay so, let me get this straight. It comes out from wherever to eat kids, for, like, a year? And then what? It just goes into hibernation?" Eddie asked.

"Maybe it's like... What do you call it? Cicadas. You know the bugs that come out every 17 years." Stanley said, looking around at his friends.

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed. He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing. An evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry." Mike said.

"But it can't be one thing. We all saw something different."

"Maybe. Or maybe It knows what scares us most and that's what we see."

"I-I saw a leper. He was like a walking infection." Eddie informed his friends.

"But you didn't. Because it isn't real. None of this is. Not Eddie's leper or-or Bill seeing Georgie or the woman I keep seeing."

"She hot?" Richie asked him.

"No, Richie. She's not hot. Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense. They're all like bad dreams."

"I don't think so. I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?"

"What'd you see? You saw something, too?" Eddie asked Mike.

"Yes. Do you guys know that burned-down house on Harris Avenue? I was inside when it burned down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me. They were pushing and pounding on the door, trying to get to me. But it was too hot. When the fireman finally found them, the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone. We're all afraid of something."

"Got that right." Richie said, looking towards the stage.

"Why, Rich? What are you afraid of?" Eddie asked him.

"Clowns."

"What about you Holly?" Beverly asked looking over at her.

"Before Georgie went missing, my father and I were dealing with my mother. She had cancer and it was tough. Unfortunately she passed away. And I blame myself for how she died, I guess she couldn't handle the cancer anymore. When my dad and I were out, she took a bunch of pills and mixed it with alcohol and fell asleep dying in her sleep."

Holly paused fighting so hard to hold back the tears that wanted to fall down her face. Prudence grabbed a hold of her friends hand, showing her comfort.

"When my dad and I got home, I was the first one in the house. I went up to my parents room and saw her on the bed with pill bottles and wine glasses on the other side of her. She died by herself because I wanted to go out and get food. It's my fault, if I hadn't suggested it then we could have stopped her, she might still be here today."

Everyone looked down hearing the story about what had scared Holly the most. It had been the first time since her mother's passing that she really talked about what scared her.

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Holly sat on the floor of the garage as Bill put his dad's map of the twin up on the board for all of them to see. The lights were turned off and the door was shut so it was completely dark. Bill fixed a few things on the projector lining it up so they could get a better look.

"Look." Bill said pointing to the map. "That's where Georgie disappeared. There's the Ironworks. And The Black Spot. Everyone it happens, it's all connected by the sewers. And they all meet up at the─"

"The well house." Ben said, cutting Bill off.

Prudence and Holly exchanged a look with each other. But soon their eyes went back to the map.

"It's in the house on Neibolt Street." Stanley said.

"You mean that creep-ass house where all the junkies and hobos like to sleep?" Richie asked them.

Eddie started to hyperventilate, he took his inhaler out and took a puff of air. Holly placed her hand on Eddie's back and rubbed it, hoping it would help him somewhat.

"I hate that place. It always feels like it's watching me." Beverly told them.

"That's where I saw It. That's where I saw the clown." Eddie told them.

"Th-th-that's where It lives." Eddie took another puff of air, looking back up at the map.

"I can't imagine anything ever wanting to love there." Stanley said.

"Can we stop talking about this?" Eddie asked standing up from the ground. "I-I-I can barely breathe. This is summer. We're kids. I can barely breathe. I'm up here having a fucking asthma attack. I'm not doing this."

Eddie turned around wrapping the map off of the board. "What the hell? Put the map back." Bill ordered.

"Mmm-mmm." Eddie said as the projector suddenly changed to a white screen.

Then it flipped again gaining everyone's attention. It flipped again showing a picture of Bill's dad with Georgie in his baseball uniform.

"What happened?" Bill asked as it continued to flip through.

"What's going on?" Stanley asked as another picture appeared this time off all four of them at an amusement park.

"I got it. Hold on." Mike said, moving behind the projector as it continued to flip through. "Guys."

"Georgie."

"Bill."

It continued to flip through moving closer on Georgie, seconds later it moved over to Bill's mother. Her hair covered her face. Holly could hear a woman's scream. Just as the face of Bill's mother started to change over to It. Holly stood up from the ground looking at the image as It became more clear.

"What the fuck?"

"It's It!"

"What the fuck is that? What the fuck is that?"

"I don't fucking know!"

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Beverly shouted. Holly moved away from the projector and moved back towards Beverly. She felt as though everything was closing in on her. It was just like what had happened in her own garage.

"Yeah. Yeah, turn it off. Turn it off!"

Mike moved forward kicking the projector to the ground. It was now on the other side off the wall next to where Stanley stood. Holly and Beverly grabbed arms and held onto each other tightly. The projector continued to move, still showing them It. As each frame past It seemed to get bigger and bigger. When the final slide passed he was gone.

"Where'd he go?" Holly questioned looking around at her friends. It reappeared, his teeth showing as a large smile rested on his face. It turned towards Stanley.

"Run, Stanley." Richie told him. Stanley did just that and ran over to the others. He then came out of the projector heading right towards Beverly and Holly who backed up.

"What is it?" Eddie asked as it went dark in the room again.

It was right in front of Beverly and Holly. It showed them its teeth. "What the fuck?"

It reached out with its hand while Beverly and Holly continued to back up until they couldn't back up anymore. The two screamed as loud as can be. But it came to a stop when Mike and Ben pulled the garage door open to shed some light into the area.

Holly opened her eyes and looked to see that It was gone. Holly walked over to Prudence giving her a tight hug as if it were her last. When they pulled a part Holly looked to see Beverly hugging Bill.

"It saw us. It saw us, and it knows where we are." Eddie said.

"It always did. So, let's go." Bill said walking over to his bike.

"Go? Go where?" Ben asked him.

"Neibolt. That's where G-G-G-Georgie is."

"After that?" Stanley asked him.

"Yeah, it's summer. We should be outside." Richie told him.

"If you say it's summer one more fucking time..." Bill picked his bike up and turned it around, he then got on it and drove down the driveway.

"Bill!" Beverly called out. "Wait!" Holly ran out of the garage grabbing her bike, she then climbed on and raced after Bill. She looked back and soon enough the others were following behind her.