Chapter Seven

THE FIGHT

  Maya sighed as she threw the bike down in the yard. She stared in fear of the old, creepy, and decrepit house. She sighed, hearing the others dropping their bikes. Maya frowned and felt worry course through her veins as she watched Bill walk up the steps of the house. 

"Bill, come.. come on don't do this!" Maya tried to reason, stepping forward and trying to grab his arm. He jerked away as he turned towards her with an expression she couldn't quite pinpoint. 

"Don't touch me." He snapped, glaring at the girl.

"Okay, okay, I won't." Maya took a few steps back quickly, accidentally backing into Beverly. 

"Sorry, Bev." Maya mumbled quickly, before taking another look at the stuttering boy. "I'm sorry, Bill.. I just don't think you should go in there alone."

"Come on, this is crazy!" Beverly agreed, taking a slow step towards him. Maya felt some relief when she heard the rest of the losers bikes.

"Look, you don't have to in with me." Bill explained, looking towards Beverly and back to the rest of the group. "But what happens when another Georgie goes missing? Or another Betty, or another Ed Corcoron, or one of us? Are you just gonna pretend it didn't happen like everyone else in this town? Because I can't.. I go home.. and all I see is that Georgie isn't there. His clothes, his toys, his.. stupid stuffed animals. But he... So walking into this house, for me, it's easier than walking into my own."

 "Wow," Richie said, his jaw slightly open. 

"What?" Beverly asked with concern lacing her voice. 

"He didn't stutter once." Richie explained. Maya scoffed and hit him on the chest.

"Not the time, Richie." She sighed, with a shake of her head. Maya looked at Richie and the two of them made their way up the stairs to follow Bill in. 

"Wait!" Stan called, fear evident in his tone. "Um.. shouldn't we have some people keep watch? You know.. j-just in case something bad happens?" Stan looked around the group, most likely looking for back up.

"Who w-w-wants to stay out here?" Bill asked, his hand slipping off of the doorknob. The group, apart from Bev and Maya, raised their hands. Maya wasn't exactly sure why she didn't raise her hand. Maybe she wanted to impress Beverly by being brave or maybe she wanted to protect her friends. Maybe even both, she didn't know. 

Richie looked around the group, who had all kept their hands up. Richie sighed as he turned around and faced Bill. 

"Fuck.." He muttered as be began following the small group up the stairs. Bill slowly pushed the door open, to reveal the old house covered in cobwebs. 

"Can't believe I pulled the short straw. You guys are lucky we aren't measuring dicks." Richie huffed, looking around the room. 

"Shut up, Richie!" Eddie groaned, taking a puff of his inhaler. "I can smell it.."

"Don't breathe through your mouth" Richie looked towards Maya, who had a tough exterior, but he knew her all too well. She was freaking out on the inside. 

"How come?" 

"Cause then your eating it!" Maya giggled quietly as she heard Eddie's gags from behind her. The brief moment of joy left all to quickly as realization fully set in of what she had gotten herself into. 

"Rich?" She whispered as he walked towards something. "Richie? Are you okay?" She watched as he pulled something from the cobwebs. His face quickly filled with panic, Maya quickly walked over to him and tried to read over his shoulder. 

"Richie? Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay." She whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. Richie ignored her as he turned towards Eddie and Bill.

"What?" Bill asked, walking towards the two of them. 

"It.. it says I'm missing" Richie explained, his voice cracking as he pointed to the paper. 

"You're not missing." Bill said calmly, trying to not freak out the panicking boy anymore. 

"Police department! City of Derry! That's my shirt, that's my hair, that's my face, that's my name, that's my age! That's the date! What the fuck? I'm missing! I'm gonna go missing!" Bill tried to calm him down, but was unsuccessful, he quickly looked to Maya for help.

She jumped into action as she took his face into her hands and forced him to look at her. 

"Hey, Richie. You are right here. You aren't missing, you won't go missing. You are okay.. you're fine, okay? Everyone is fine, you're safe. You're safe. I won't let you go missing. Okay?" Maya explained softly, Bill nodded in agreement as he pointed to the poster. 

"Th-that isn't real. IT's playing tricks on us." Bill reasoned, "it wan-wants to get us where it wants us, s-s-so he can get us."

"Hello?" An unknown female voice called out, Maya felt the color drain from her face. The voice was so familiar.. it couldn't be Betty. There's no way. Maya prayed that it wasn't, because if it was.. there was something eerily wrong about it. 

There's no way Betty is still alive. Maya knew that, so why was her voice being heard?

The group slowly followed the sound of her voice, Maya sticking close to Richie the entire way. She gulped as they looked up the stairs where the voice was coming from. The two looked at each other nervously as they slowly made their way up the stairs. 

Maya let out a loud gasp as she saw the coughing and wheezing girl on the floor in front of her.

"Betty?"  Maya whispered, pushing through the group. Betty and Maya were friends before she went missing, they had to work on a science project together and from there their friendship blossomed. 

"Ripsom." Richie finished, pulling Maya back with him as she was pulled out of sight.

"What the hell? What the actual hell?" Maya muttered, not moving as Richie and Bill make their way forward. Eddie following slowly behind until a demonic voice called out his name. 

Maya, still frozen in shock didn't move until she heard a door slam followed by a scream. She snapped out of it and looked around, coming to the chilling realization that she was alone. 

"Hello?" She called looking around the dark room, jumping when she heard a scream. "Richie? Eddie? Bill?"

Maya turned around to see a hole in the floor, she quickly rushed over to look down, but she didn't see anyone.

She didn't see anything. Everything was dark, her heart stopped as she stumbled up to her feet, she stuck her hands out quickly to look for a wall. Maya's breathing quickened as she couldn't find the wall, she took a few steps back, freezing when she backed into something. 

"H-hello?" She whispered, turning around. "Fuck, please be one of them.."

"Hiya Maya!" A demonic voice called out, her blood ran cold. "Would you like a balloon?" 

"N-no! Leave me alone!" Maya could almost hear it's smile drop into something purely evil.

She covered her face and tried to turn to run away. She knew covering her face wouldn't protect her, but it prevented her from seeing IT when her sight returned.

Her breath hitched when she felt a gloved hand grip her wrist tightly. It slowly trailed up to her neck, where it quickly gripped tightly. Maya let out a choked sob as her hands frantically pulled on the hand. 

"No? No? No?" It called, the voice seeming to surround her. Pure fear ran throughout her body as she was lifted into the air, she started to shake when she heard it's claws open up. She heard a scratching noise and felt a searing pain as it ripped one claw from the right side of her collerbone down to her armpit.

She felt blood quickly start to pool out as it dropped her. Her sight slowly returned as she groaned and pushed herself up. She figured IT was only trying to weaken her, so that her left arm would no longer be as strong as her right.

She shakily stood up as adrenaline ran through her veins upon hearing another scream. She looked around the room, and settled on going into the room that Richie and Bill entered. She looked around the room quickly, her eyes landing on a staircase. 

She rushed down the stairs, well, as fast as she could, her one hand on her wound. Maya heard the demonic voice of the clown taunting Bill, she gasped and quickly ran over to Eddie as her eyes landed on his arm. Richie's face paled as he saw Maya's blood stained shirt. She was still bleeding lightly, she didn't look a whole lot different, but she was paler. The blood she was losing wasn't a ton, but it could definitely become harmful if they waited too long.

"It was real enough for Georgie!' It mocked, laughing as it launched itself at the boys. Maya turned around at the sound of Beverly's angered scream. Her jaw dropping when she saw the pole in it's head. Mike and Ben made their way in slowly as it made fake crying sounds.

Maya froze again, as she backed up and leaned against the desk next to Eddie. Richie and Bill quickly made their way over to the the bleeding girl and broken armed boy. The yelling Maya heard was deafening as she tried to calm herself and Eddie down. she had her good hand tightly gripping his. Eddie was in too much pain, and panic, to make a fuss about the blood.

It made groaning sounds and it's body moved up. It sounded as if it's bones were breaking with each move it made. Maya cringed, as she squeezed her eyes shut, along with her left fist.

It turned around to reveal it's mangled face, and Eddie's grip tightened on Maya's hand. Pure panic rushing through the eight friend's bodies. It's hands changed to a mangled skeleton as it stepped forward, groaning eerily. 

It suddenly shot forward and screeched, causing Beverly to back into the corner and the others to cower in fear. It quickly whipped around and sliced Ben on the stomach as it slowly creeped it's way into a backroom. 

The yelling continued as Bill stood up and tried to follow it, saying something about not letting it get away.  Maya took in shaky breaths as she tried to calm herself, she watched Bill go into the basement and weakly tried to call out for him. Eddie's grip lightened ever so slightly as it was gone. 

"Bill!" The group called, frightened.

"Bill, we have to help them!" Richie's pained voice got through to the stuttering boy as he appeared in her sight quickly again.

"No!" Eddie screamed, his grip tightening again. 

"I'm gon- I'm gonna snap your arm into place!" Richie shouted, gently grabbing the boy's arm.

"Do not fucking touch me! Do not touch me!" Eddie screamed back, his grip tightening to a severely painful level when Richie grabbed his arm and snapped it into the correct way.

Stan rushed over and pulled Maya up, helping her out of the house and into the street after the loser's had bolted out. Mike came out shortly after holding a teary eyed Eddie in his arms.

****

"You! You did this! You know how delicate he is!" Eddie's mom shouted angrily, as she pointed an accusing finger at each of them. She gripped him by the back of his neck and led him over to the car. She quickly shoved him in as Bill tried to explain. 

Mrs. Kaspbrak dropped her keys, causing Beverly to lean down to help her.

"Let me-" She started, getting cut off as a hand swiped at her.

"No! Back! Oh, I've heard of you, Miss Marsh, and I don't want a dirty girl like you touching my son." She seethed, Maya frowned as she walked over and patted Beverly comfortingly on the back. 

"Mrs. K, I s-s-s-swear-" Bill started, getting cut off as Mrs. Kaspbrak whipped around and pointed a finger at him

"No! You are all monsters! All of you! And Eddie's done with you? You hear? Done!" She started off to her driver's side as Maya stepped forward. "And you! I don't want you anywhere near my son either, you little dy-"

She started, but cut herself off with a glare as she turned around and marched to her side of the door. Maya watched with a frown on her face as she drove away quickly. She walked onto the street, with the rest of the group who watched with sadness. Maya sighed, as she glanced towards Richie, who was already staring at her with a worried expression. 

"I saw the well. W-w-we know where it is and-and next time we'll be better prepared." Bill explained, turning towards the group. 

"Wait a minute, next time?" Maya hissed, "Next time? Why the fuck would any of us agree for a next time?"

"No! No next time, Bill! You're insane!" Stan shouted, his eyes glossing over. 

"Why? We all know no one else is gonna do anything!" Beverly defended Bill, throwing her hands up.

"Eddie and Maya were nearly killed!" Richie snapped, throwing his hand up toward Maya. "And look at this motherfucker! He's leaking hamburger helper!"

"We can't pretend it's gonna go away! Ben you said it yourself! It comes back every twenty-seven years." Beverly tried to defend Bill again, giving Maya a look, hoping to be defended, too.

"Fine! I'll be forty and far away from here! I thought you said you wanted to get out of this town, too?" Ben asked, putting a hand on his stomach. 

"Because I wanna run towards something, not away!" 

"I'm sorry, who invited Molly Ringwald into the group?" Richie seethed, walking over to Maya an pulling her with him when he walked back to his original spot.

"Richie-" Stan started, but cut himself off when Richie turned and glared at him.

"I'm just sayin' let's face facts! Real world! Georgie is dead! Stop trying to get us killed, too" Richie shouted, turning towards Bill with a glare. 

"Georgie's not dead!" Bill snapped, stomping towards Richie and glaring down at him.

"You couldn't save him! But you can still save yourself!" Richie tried to get past Bill, but he stepped towards him again, causing Richie to take a step backward.

"Bill, come on-" Maya started, but stopped when he glared at her harshly.

"N-No! Take it back! You're scared, a-and we all are, but take it back!" Bill growled, shoving Richie. Richie huffed and quickly shoved him back, falling to the ground and Bill delivered a punch straight to the face. 

"Richie! Holy shit, Bill, what the hell js wrong with you?" Maya shouted angrily, as she helped him up as best as she could. 

"You're just a bunch of loser's! Fuck off! You're just a bunch of loser's! You're gonna get yourselves killed lookin' for a fuckin' clown!" He screamed as he tried to get free from Stan and Mike's grasp.

"Stop!" Beverly screamed, getting the loser't attention, but looking directly at Maya. "This is what it wants! It wants to divide us! We were all together when we heard it That's why we're still alive!"

"Yeah? Well, I plan to keep it that way!" Richie huffed, shoving past Bill with Maya close behind him. Maya turned to look back at Beverly and stopped. She looked her over quickly before spinning and running to catch up with Richie. 

She quickly stopped him and pointed to her shoulder. Richie nodded with a frown, and pointed to the back of his bike. 

"Get on." He said, trying to cover up the worry in his tone. The anger he felt was still evident in his tone and actions. He sped off towards Maya's home, remembering Josh took a medical class last year and knows the basics of first aid.

The two rode in silence as Maya tried to hold back the pure seething pain shooting from her shoulder. Leaned her head against Richie's back. She felt a stinging pain in her heart, too. She felt bad for leaving Beverly to defend herself, knowing how she would feel if someone did that to her.

But she knew that she definitely didn't  want to return to that house, or even go anywhere near it again.

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{ Word Count: 2758 }

{ A/n: None }

{ Edited [ ✔ ] 8-17-19 }

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