HOME WAS US.

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DEAD BOY (book one).
°• CHAPTER SIXTEEN •°

" YOU LEAVE MY BROTHER
THE FUCK ALONE! "

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DAXTON SHIELDS WAS ALWAYS THE STRANGE, POOR, CRUDE, FOUL, DIRTY, PIECE OF SHIT IN EVERY SINGLE TOWN HE WENT TO. Derry, Maine held no exceptions for him. Those little distinctions have finally come true. If only they could see me now, he thinks as they enter what he believes to be the clown's personal lair. Daxton Shields had embraced the dirty stereotype laid on him, quite literally. Dirt churning into mud was caked across his skin. He could feel it crusting and longed to wipe it off, but he at least wanted to spare his hands of the same fate. He had a few awful, fresh bruises hidden beneath it from the stumbling. His muscles ached to carry it all as he tears inside. He didn't care any longer what a dirty piece of shit he was. Daxton wanted nothing more than the clown wiped clean from this Earth, and he knew this was where it had to happen.

Daxton used to love the sun and the night equally. The sun was warm, kissed his skin with heat, made him feel peace, but the night was quiet, cool, with an even prettier sky. He believes he'll have a preference for the sun after this when he sees what It has been collecting since the beginning of time. There was a mountain he had to crane his head back to see the tip of toys, little trinkets that belonged to the forgotten. It was like the clown collected them to keep them as trophies from his victims. Daxton wondered how many bodies were dragged here, still clutching something they loved out of fear.

The Losers, on their search for Bill, crossed the peak and came across something even worse. Daxton's eyes don't process what he sees at first because they land on none other than Beverly Marsh first. Her red hair resembles flames as they stuck out like someone had rubbed a balloon on the strands to create electricity. Her skin was a ghastly pale and her eyes which Daxton thought were rolled to the back of her head at first were just as white like she was in a trance. But that wasn't all. Beverly's feet weren't on the ground, instead, they were dangling in the air.

"Holy shit," Richie gasps out. "How - how is she in the air?"

Eddie swallows, hard, turning away from the horrible sight to only stop suddenly when his flashlight beams on something else. "Guys?" He mumbles sickly. "Are those...?"

The words lead Daxton to glance away from Beverly too and let his gaze catch up with what it didn't want to see. "The missing kids," he hears Stan choke out. "... Floating."

Circling the mountain of toys were hundreds of children, drifting in the same fashion Beverly was. Some of them were decaying, leaving them to be so unrecognizable that he would never be able to find out how long they've been there. A few of them were freshly gone, their skin torn, but clothes stained with blood. Daxton wonders how long they've had to stay there, suffering, while their loved ones ached to have a funeral for closure.

He recalls the clown calling out, "Time to float!" Before It nearly choked him to death. Daxton thinks he'll vomit as he realizes what It truly wanted to do to him. He had nearly become one of the forgotten corpses.

So Daxton can't look anymore. He knows if he does, he'll puke or burst into tears, and he doesn't know which was worse. They hurry to stand underneath Beverly's form and take turns jumping to try and reach her suspended legs. Ben is the most frantic, afraid, so Daxton and Mike now being the tallest minus Bill, grab a hold of him so they can lift him. After a few grunts and strains of their arms, Ben's fingers start to brush her shoes. Daxton gives one final push, and he finally grabs her, fingers tightening like she'll slip away any second.

Once her legs are close enough to them, Daxton releases Ben so he can seize her limb too and give her a gentle tug. Ben places his hands on Beverly's shoulder and keeps her down so she couldn't float out of his grasp again. Her faded eyes glance right through his head as Ben cups the back of her neck. "Bev?" He pleads. He gently shakes her and her head lolls forward, but Beverly shows no sign of being awake. "Beverly?! Why isn't she waking up?! What's wrong with her?!" Ben cried out, strained.

"Ben," Charlie says softly, sympathetic. "We don't - "

"No!" Ben effectively cuts him off in another cry. "Beverly, please, come on!" He picks her head up before throwing her arms around her shoulders to bring her into a tight embrace. Beverly's chin is hooked over his shoulder but she does nothing. She's like a ghost, unmoving in a world that continued to spin anyway. Daxton feels a painfully large lump form in his throat that he can't swallow to force down.

He starts to believe maybe they can't do anything to save the bravest girl he's ever known as much as he hates the thought, but then Daxton watches as Ben projected forward and kisses Beverly like he'll never have another chance. The other boys make a noise of surprise. Then he pulls away, slowly, eyes glazing over her desperately.

Suddenly, Beverly lets out a heavy breath, her eyes returning to the normal crystal blue as they widen like she held the forever secrets of unspeakable horrors. Ben stares back, eyes lighting up as she whispers, "January embers?"

"My heart burns there, too," Ben replies softly. A smile spreads to his cheeks full of admiration. Daxton doesn't think he's ever seen such puppy love in his life.

"Jesus, fuck!" Richie exclaims through wet laughter. He tosses him arms over Beverly's and Ben's shoulders, curling them towards him. Daxton laughs too as Mike and Charlie enclose him in as well and he has no choice but to join the relieved group hug the eight of them formed. It felt more like home than anywhere he's ever been.

The home they made slowly breaks apart, brick by brick, as they release one another after Eddie is the first to let go and take a few steps away. Beverly's lips are holding a tight smile but it becomes faint when she glances around. "Where's Bill?" No one knows what to say. Not at first.

But then they hear a quiet voice come from the other side of It's endless mountain of trophies. "Georgie?"

Daxton never had the pleasure of meeting little Georgie Denbrough because he moved to Derry a few months after his disappearance. He's seen his face in pictures at the Denbrough's garage when It popped out of the screen they had set up on the wall. Daxton doesn't expect to see the small boy's face again, but the body of Georgie Denbrough stands before his big brother when they circle the peak.

A dirty raincoat covers Georgie that Daxton believed was once a bright yellow. His blond hair was covered in dry mud that paints it darker above watery eyes. One hand was holding a paper boat while the other... Well, wasn't there. Instead, it looks like shredded meat that drips blood as if the limb had been ripped from its socket mere minutes ago. He was only a puppet that It was using to break their leader because It believed if Bill broke, the rest of the Losers will too. Everyone standing there knew what it meant - it wasn't really Georgie. But they didn't know if Bill believed it too.

"Take me home," Georgie begs before letting out a soft cry, his lower lips quivering. Bill is shuddering with sobs that he tries to hold back. Daxton feels Charlie press against his side and locks him in close before the shoulder of his shirt felt wet with tear drops. He dangles his arm over his brother's shoulder before tightening it in comfort.

This was the cruelest game the clown had ever played. It wasn't messing with Bill's fear. It was torturing him.

"I wanna go home," Georgie whimpered. "I miss you. I wanna be with mom and dad!"

Bill finally spoke, broken, "I want more than anything for you to be home with mom and dad." He shakes his head. "I miss you so much." He takes small, slow steps towards Georgie and Daxton wants to form the words he wished he could have all summer but didn't to spare him. Georgie Denbrough is dead. But nothing comes out. After all of this, he still can't hurt one of his friends with awful words.

"I love you, Billy," Georgie whines to him.

"I love you, too," Bill responds. He sucks in a deep breath and takes a step back to put distance between them so he can raise the nail gun he took from Mike, the barrel pressed against Georgie's forehead. It cries alligator tears. "But you're not Georgie."

He pulls the trigger and Georgie fell with a bleeding hole like a target clear as day. Daxton's breath caught in his lungs and couldn't make its way out. He thinks in that moment that the planet did stop spinning. They wait in the growing tense silence for something to happen. Daxton knew that's what It wanted - for Bill to believe he killed his brother. He must, as he blinks at his eyes, stunned. It was sick.

The corpse twitched. All of a sudden, it started to seize, It's limbs convulsing and thrashing through the air that sprout longer from It's body. It grew into something much larger, much more terrifying than the mocking sight of a dead little boy. Daxton threw his arm over Charlie's chest protectively as It's clothing rips, revealing the very same dirty clown costume he recognized. It's head twitched, jerking back and forth, until a mask covered it of red and white, carrying the veil of It.

It leaps then, springing onto It's clown feet with It's long arms hanging in front of It. A grin stretches onto It's thickly painted crimson lips as the Losers jump and gasp at the sight.

Eddie snaps first. "Kill It, Bill, kill It!" He screeches.

They follow in suite, the Losers screaming the same demand at Bill. Daxton keeps his brother behind him no matter how much he fights back, screaming until his throat felt raw, "Fucking kill It!"

It's head raises, showcasing the roll of It's eyeballs as they place themselves back into their socket. Bill fumbles to pull the trigger of the gun back so he can shoot at It again.

Mike, who clutched the spear like his life depended on it, suddenly breathed out, "It's not loaded." Bill raises the nail gun, bracing himself to finally end It, as Mike calls to him, "It's not loaded!" In warning.

He's a second too late. Bill had already pulled the trigger one last time with the weapon pointed at It's bulbous head. A nail doesn't spring out. It only fakes like It was truly hit, pieces of It's forehead turning into flakes before It throws It's head back with a crack of It's spine, fake blood floating from It and shooting into the air. It's body whips as It bellows a monstrous scream before snapping back into position and lunging.

The Losers spread out, but Bill, who tried to run, legs failed him when his sneakers slid across the mud. The clown throws Itself onto him, but Bill raises the gun so It's teeth only sunk into the metal. It violently shook it back and forth, dozens of needle-like teeth sprouting from It's gums as Bill used all of his strength to fight It off. But he's no match for the monster that easily overpowers him, ripping the gun away and spitting it to the side.

"Leave him alone!" Beverly charges, having stolen the spear from Mike, and brings it down to stab It.

It doesn't get the chance to bite Bill, but It catches the pole before it could impale It. It yanks the weapon out of her grasp and flung it as well, but then Mike throws himself into the fight despite Daxton's shout of his name. It jumps from Bill's body so It's arm can be thrown forward, crashing into Mike's chest, and sending the boy propelling until his back hits the wall with a terrible crack. Daxton and Charlie don't hesitate to bolt to his side.

"Mike!" Daxton's on his knees beside his friend in seconds. He was gasping as if the wind was knocked out of him. Beverly joins them, hand clasped over her mouth in shock, but the brother's reach out to clasp his hand into theirs. "Are you okay?" Daxton asks in serious concern. Mike shakily nods once he's balanced on his feet.

It's snarls sound like a savaging animal and Daxton whips back around at the noise. Bill had jumped onto It's back, holding onto the pole Beverly lost that was locked firmly in-between It's jaw. Richie had screamed another curse before throwing himself over Bill, arms holding the clown's neck in a chokehold.

Adrenaline had never felt like such fire when Daxton catches sight of It trying to fight them off. It positively won't cease into smoke so to stop the burn, he sprints back to the battle and grabs the first thing he thinks of - the flashlight Charlie supplied him with. It's small, but you can turn anything into a weapon if you try hard enough. Daxton's fury was unlike anything else as he latches onto the hip of the clown, legs enclosing to hold on, and brings his fist clenching the flashlight down onto It's chest for the lowest blows. He knows it's useless, but he doesn't care. Not if someone he cared about was in the line of fire.

Stan and Eddie had a hold on It's arms as It swung into a circle, biting at It's skin and pounding to reach It's bones. Daxton hears Charlie before he feels his presence below him as he grasps onto one of It's legs. It can't kick him off, but It sends the ones on his arms off when It swings again. It throws Richie over It's shoulder and the boy's back smacks against the wet ground, leaving him to cry out.

It's bent form causes Daxton's grip to loosen as he's pegged off It's body too, his body rolling across the mud. He gasps sharply as he lands, but his head lifts, desperate, seeing It finally managing to kick Charlie off whose back slaps on the ground too. He pushes himself on his arms, feet slipping, as he scoots to back off when It latches It's hand on Bill's arms and flipped him off too, but It's arm doesn't budge, securing around his neck tightly.

They struggle to scramble on their feet. Daxton is still on his ass beside Richie, unmoving, as they huddle together in the terror that It was going to finally take one of them off the map. It's gloved hand curls around his chin that Bill weakly bats at, but it's no use. It wasn't letting go.

Still, Beverly pleads, "Let him go!"

"No," It snarls back. "I'll take him. I'll take all of you and I'll feast on your flesh as I feed on your fears... Or..." It raises It's hand to wiggle It's finger in the air. "You'll just leave us be. I'll take him, only him. And then I'll have my long rest... And you will all live to grow old, and drive, and lead happy lives! Until old age takes you back to the weeds."

Bill stopped fighting like all his strength had been sucked out of him. He cups his hand around the clown's wrist and weakly calls out, "Leave." Tears pooled in his eyes. "I'm the one who dragged you all into this. I'm so s-s-s-s... Sorry."

"S-S-S-Sorry," It mocks with a cruel laugh.

"Go!" Bill begs.

Was that what Bill expected? Daxton's feels a blow to his stomach at the wish Bill made that he would leave him there to die. Whether it was Richie, Mike, Eddie, Stan, Ben, Beverly, Charlie, too, he wouldn't walk out of the Well house with his back turned to them. He could never live with himself if he let one of the Losers die. Daxton found it easy to blame himself, even for things that weren't his fault, but that would be something undeniably forgivable. He could never go on with that guilt.

Beverly shakes her head as the boys fell into silence. "Guys, we can't," she states firmly.

"We can do it," Daxton finishes for her, braver than he's ever felt in his life. He cranes his neck so he can look at the other Losers behind him. "But we can only do it together."

Not one of them moves or speaks, not at first. Daxton had started to worry they were convinced they didn't have a choice and would vote to leave Bill behind, but then Richie pushes himself on his feet.

"I told you, Bill," he mumbles with a shake of his head. "I fucking told you... I don't want to die. It's your fault," he accuses. Richie paces and counts on his fingers with shaking hands. "You punched me in the face... You made me walk through shitty water... You brought me to a fucking crackhead house! And now - " He stops next to the toys and reaches into the pile, tugging out a wooden baseball bat as Daxton watches with glimmering eyes. " - Now I'm gonna have to kill this fucking clown."

It threw Bill's frail statue to the side but Richie, fueled with something that made Daxton's heart pound with more affection it could handle before bursting completely as he watched him scream, "Welcome to the Losers Club, asshole!" Before swinging the bat, cracking it across It's jaw.

The hit he delivered after his speech gives the Losers the last push they needed to attack, together, like Daxton said. It had stumbled, clearly affected by the strike, but Mike doesn't give It time to process. He charges and goes to crack the pole against It's head, but It's jaw unhinges, bringing hands covered in ash to crawl out and seize it before it can make contact. Daxton jumps up. They reach for Mike, creeping closer, before Stan shouts his name and grabs a metal bar from the ground and raises it above his head, bringing it down to hammer at the arms until they release their victim.

It staggers away, but Richie doesn't let It recover when he waves the bat again and hits It's lower spine. It's face morphs into the creature they saw chewing at Stan's face in hopes of scaring him, but Stan lets out a scream before he hits It again in the face. Mike goes to make his own strike, but It whirls around, sending the boy to stumble as It's arms grew into spider-like legs that were sharpened like claws.

"Get the fuck away from him!" Charlie shouts so loud the words become a strain. Mike rolls off to dodge It's legs that stab into the soil to impale him. Charlie's lower lips curls before he grabs the weapon Mike lost and storms straight for It.

Daxton's mouth opens to yell his brother's name, but it doesn't form as he watches Charlie shove the pole into It's back. It throws his head back again and wails, It's arms flailing to return to normal before It whips around. It's arm flings so It's hand smacks against Charlie's cheek. He cries out and falls. With him down, It lowers until It's on his hands and knees as It's head morphs, a muzzle growing from It's nose. Charlie doesn't move, wide-eyed and frozen where he sat as It's long jaw snaps in his direction, eager to take a bite.

"You leave my brother the fuck alone!" Daxton screams as he takes off like a rocket that lights fire behind him.

He jumps onto It's hunched back and refuses to let go when It shifts back. Daxton keeps a chokehold with one arm, legs wrapped tightly around It's hips, while the other hand wraps into It's orange hair. He knows he's fighting blindly without a plan as It tries to buck him off. "You touch them, I swear I'll kill you myself, you little bitch!" He snarls the threat into It's ear, sounding as much as an animal as It was.

A flash of metal glimmers past the corner of Daxton's eyes. He hears the ringing of the chains Bill had found that he whips forward and lashes across It's knees. It crashes and Daxton lolls off, landing at Richie's feet. He hears his name before Richie is latching onto his upper arm with his free hand. He slips against the mud, but Daxton is able to stand when he grabs ahold of Richie's buttoned shirt.

Richie has a curling grin like the sight of Daxton being courageous enough to attack the clown without a weapon highlighted his day. Daxton can feel the dry mud crack as he returns it and shakes his hand, the bright hair he ripped out fluttering away. The moment is broken when when It is on all fours again, gasping and grunting with each hit they give from their weapons. It gags when Bill cracks the chain like a whip in the face before It's face morphs into the leper Daxton saw with Eddie and turns to the small boy, projecting black vomit as thick as glue that drenches him.

Eddie spat out the bits that made it into his mouth. He staggers up until he's glaring straight at the clown with the puke painting his skin and furiously screams, "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

And swung his leg, kicking It directly in It's buttoned-red nose. Daxton didn't expect such a small boy able to deliver such a powerful strike, but it works. The creature doesn't become a clown as It spun. It turns and greets them with a new face Daxton's never seen before. It holds the head of a middle-aged man with the creepiest grin that chills his bones. Beverly wanders forward, her fingers curled around the spear with her muscles stiff. She knows him. He guesses by It's next words It's turned into none other than her father.

"Hey, Bevvie. Are you still my little girl?" It mocks, but Beverly lets loose a violent scream before raising the pole above and bringing it down, plunging it straight into It's mouth.

It splutters, choking, as white paint smears across It's skin again. It's jaw snaps shut, breaking the pole as it spit out the rest. It coughs a few differently colored liquids as it falls, defeated, having no other choice but to retreat. The last time Daxton felt this much pride was when he watched Bowers tumble down the well.

It starts to crawl back, It's body trembling, as the Losers now have the power to tower over It as the monster leans against the edge of a wide opening engraved in the flooring. "That's why you didn't kill Beverly," Bill realizes out loud. "Because s-s-she wasn't afraid of you. And we aren't either." He clenches his jaw and holds his ground. "Now y-y-you're the one that's afraid. Because you're gonna starve."

The word starve makes It whimper and gasp. Daxton stares down, his face as hard as stone and refuses to look away for even a second. He wouldn't want to miss a second of this. It's hands clenched at the ledge before It's legs kick above Itself, swinging the rest of It's body backward so It's lowered into the hole.

"He thrusts his fists against the post and still insists he sees the ghost," It mumbles in a chant.

Stan hands Bill the pole he's holding. Bill twirls it in his hand before holding it like a bat and faking a lunge. It flinches and sinks further down. It's afraid and Daxton had started to thrive. After It's torture on him and Charlie, he's glad It's being enveloped into the depths It once came from. He only wishes he could see It become thin as It starved, withering away into nothing, but this was more than enough.

Pieces of It's head began to crack into shattered white flakes that swirled above It. It's yellow eyes glows without blinking before It whispers one last word. "Fear."

And then It's gone, gloves slipping away from the ledge, becoming nothing as It disappeared into the night below.

A weight on Daxton's chest starts to lighten. He shuts his eyes for a second and pants, relief spreading through his system. Freedom had finally come now that It was gone. He could have cried with the ease it brings and he basks in it gratefully. Daxton knew when he first stepped on the Well house's porch what he signed up for - it was a suicide mission. And somehow, they all survived.

He feels a hand rest over his shoulder and Daxton turns his head to see Charlie looking back at him. He smiles, and pushes himself onto his tiptoes so he can press his forehead against his brother's. Daxton presses into the touch and cups the back of his brother's neck. It was comforting, a gentle touch shared between brothers who both were willing to die for one another if the clown attacked. But he's grateful to whoever was watching over them that it didn't come to that. They won the violent war by doing it together.

"I know what I'm doing for my summer experience essay," Richie breaks the silence with a poor attempt to lighten the dampened mood. It doesn't work.

Daxton pulls away from his brother and rolls his eyes, but his smile doesn't fade. Charlie laughs first, but the noise fades when Eddie turns and points to the sky. "Hey, guys. The kids are floating down."

Slowly, Daxton turns only to see Eddie was right. The corpses once afloat had begun to drift like gravity was starting to work again and was tugging them to the flooring. He wondered if this meant they could be free, too. That they could finally move on and not live in this shithole, where they had been suffering, some for endless years. Daxton wishes he could have known what happens next for the forgotten, but he's content with the peace they were given.

Without a word, Bill wanders to the tall pile the clown had been collecting and among it crouched to pull out a dirty yellow raincoat. He pulls back the collar to reveal the tag attached. Georgie Denbrough was written in black marker on the cloth. Daxton had known all summer this was what they would end up discovering even though they knew the truth, but he can still feel his heart ache.

Bill's fingers curl around the coat as he clutches it to his chest like it'll somehow help him breathe again. He holds it as close as he can, as close as he'll ever get to his brother again, and breaks down into heavy sobs.

Richie is the first to kneel next to him. He drapes himself over Bill's shoulder, head resting on him, as the rest move to surround him. Eddie takes his other side. The others lean down so they can pull each other close. They enclose the boy who grieved and finally accepted the truth about his brother. Daxton's eyes squeezed shut when he felt tears brimming the lids. He had Mike's arm wrapped behind his back and crouched above Eddie's shoulder to keep himself locked in the embrace.

Whether it was the crash of adrenaline or the sorrow they all felt for Bill, the Losers cried too, but they never felt alone for a second. And they stayed there until Bill was ready to let go, built like a house, unbreakable.

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author's note:

and that's it! we're almost at the end of part one! one more to go.

anyone else emotional at daxton "don't touch my brother" shields? or his heart eyes at richie's speech? i am still crying, nothing new. at least pennywises clown ass is put to rest.

i'd also like to say that i've planned since i started this story for chadwick boseman to portray an adult charlie. a few days before i updated the cast in the synopsis i got the awful news that this amazing, talented actor had passed away. i've been devastated since i first saw the post online. i literally felt my heart drop. my heart is still broken, but chadwick boseman portrayed POWERFUL black characters, especially t'challa in black panther. his roles left an impact on the world and diversity in hollywood movies. i pray he's resting in power and his legacy will never, ever be forgotten. ❤️ out of respect for him because i truly adore everything he was, i'd like to listen what you would think if i should continue using him as a faceclaim. it hurts my heart to see his face but to be honest i can't imagine a more perfect man portraying a character i love to write. but i'll leave that up to the rest of you.

thank you for reading, i appreciate everyone of you and every comment and opinion ❤️

- koda

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