Chapter Eleven:
"You're Gonna Be Okay."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"Bill! Bill, you can't go in there!" Beverly pleaded as Bill stood in the driveway, facing the abandoned house. "Bill, this is crazy!"

Jack nodded in agreement, "Yeah! If you go in there, you're gonna fuckin' die."

Bill looked at Jack through the corner of his eye, "Look.. You don't have to go in with me, but what happens when another Georgie goes missing? Or another Betty, or another Ed Corcoran, or one of us? Are you just gonna pretend like it didn't happen like the rest of this town? 'Cause.. 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 isn't. So, walking into this house.. Right now, it's easier than walking into my own."

Bill stood bravely, his fists clenched by his side as he looked at the scared faces of each of his friends.

"Wow," Richie said in awe, "He didn't stutter once."

"Not the time, Richie." Jack said, ruffling his hair and walking up the creaky stairs. "Not the time."

"Whatever. You're the one goin' into that fuckin' crackhead house."

"Shut up, man." Jack shook his head.

"Wait!" Stan's voice stopped Jack from opening the door. "Shouldn't.. we have someone keep watch? You know.. incase something bad happens?"

Bill nodded to himself and spun around. "W-Who- Who wants to s-st-stay out here?"

Jack crossed his arms as he saw five of their hands fly up. "Pussies."

"Fuck." Richie shook his head when he realized he would have to go in. Jack chuckled to himself as Richie and Eddie begrudgingly climbed the stairs.

Jack watched in silence as Bill wrapped his hand around the doorknob. His shoulders rose and fell slowly as he turned the knob. The door made a loud creaking sound as Bill pushed it open.

Jack swallowed thickly, looking over at Eddie. "We got this, right, dude?"

Eddie nodded, "Ri-Right, yeah."

Richie scrunched up his nose as he looked around the old house. "Ugh, I can't believe I pulled the short straw. You guys are lucky we aren't measuring dicks."

"Shut up, Richie." Eddie said quietly, squinting his eyes as dust from house began to burn his eyes.

"Yeah, shut the fuck up, man." Jack chuckled, nudging Richie, who in turn rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I can smell it." Eddie closed his eyes, trying to block out one of his senses.

"Don't breathe through your mouth." Richie suggested, humor in his tone.

"How come?" Eddie asked instantly. Jack rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming.

"'Cause then you're eating it."

There it is.

Eddie began gagging loudly from behind Jack, "Ew, ew, ew.."

Richie's laugh was cut silent. Jack turned his head to the boy, becoming mildly concerned when he saw that Richie's entire demeanor had changed.

"Richie?" Jack said, slowly approaching him. "You okay?"

"I-I.. I-" Richie began stammering, his eyes focused on whatever he saw on the paper.

"R-R-Ri-Richie?" Bill had concern in his voice at well.

"It.. It says.." Richie's voice was shaky and quiet, almost too quiet for Jack to hear, "It says I'm missing."

"But you aren't. You're right here, annoying poor Eddie." Jack stated obviously, trying to annoy Richie to snap him out of his panicked state.

"Y-Yo-You're not m-missing. You're right h-h-here." Bill continued, trying to calm Richie down.

"Police department, city of Derry! That's my shirt, that's my hair, that's my name.. That's my face. That's the date!" Richie was breathing heavily, his voice becoming increasingly panicked, "What the fuck? I'm missing! I'm gonna go missing!"

"You won't go missing, Richie." Jack said, trying to soften his voice. "Your will to annoy me is way, way too big for that."

"That isn't real. It is p-playing t-t-tricks on us." Bill reasoned, "It is trying to g-g-get us where It w-w-wants us."

Jack nodded in agreement, "You're still here, with us. You're just fine."

Richie didn't seem to calm down, the same panicked look remaining on his face.

"Hello?" A feminine voice echoed throughout the house, sending chills down Jack's spine. "Is someone there?"

"Is that.." Jack turned his head to Eddie. "Is that Betty?"

Eddie's throat dried as he shakily looked up at Jack and nodded. "Ye-Yeah."

Jack quickly turned around and faced the room that the sound echoed from. Taking slow steps forward, he could hear the sound of his heart beating in his ears.

His blue eye's widened in horror when he saw his former science partner and friend sprawled out on the floor, covered in her own blood and dirt. Her hair was matted and stuck to her face as she looked up at the boys and reached out an arm. "Help me, please."

As she pleaded, her eyes filled with panic and sorrow. Her cheeks had hollowed out, indicating that she hadn't had anything to eat.

"Betty?" Jack reached his hand forward, quickly being stopped by Eddie.

"That's not Betty." He whispered, slowly pulling Jack's arm down, though he didn't let go.

Eddie's heart pounded against his chest as he clutched his inhaler in his free hand. His eyes focused on Jack as he watched his former friend get pulled out of reach in front of him.

Jack's eyes widened as he ran into the room after her. Seconds later the door slammed in Eddie's face and he realized he was alone in the hallway.

"Jack!" He called out, frantically knocking on the door and twisting the handle. "Jack! Jack! Jack, it's locked. The door's locked.  Why is it locked? Jack!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Jack quickly realized his mistake. "Fuck!"

He turned around, trying to open the door. "Dammit. Eddie! Eddie, are you still out there?"

The boy, he assumed Eddie's, yelp caused Jack's heart to drop. "Eddie! Don't you touch him! Don't fucking touch him!"

Jack kicked and pushed the door, trying to get it to budge. "If you touch him, I'll kill you myself! Don't fucking touch him."

"Oh, ho ho, you don't want me to touch your little.. boyfriend?" It's voice taunted from inside his own head. "Why is that? Hm? What are you afraid of, Jack?"

"Get out of my head!" Jack shouted, trying to block out It's taunting voice.

"But.. I'm not in your head. I'm right here." Jack jumped as a gloved hand gripped his shoulder. He spun around quickly, only to see nothing. "And here."

Jack scanned the room, searching for the clown. "Where the fuck are you?"

"I'm no where! I'm everywhere!" It's voice echoed in his head. "I'm here, I'm there. I'm not real."

"Not real?" Jack shook his head, covering his face with his hands. "Yes, you are! You're real! I know it."

"But how do you know you can trust yourself?" Jack opened his eyes, only to see himself staring right back at him.

"I'm not fucking crazy!"

"Crazy people don't know they're crazy." His lips curved into a smirk as he tilted his head.

Jack gasped, stumbling back and sliding down then door when he saw his own head roll of his body.

It rolled and rolled until it stopped right in front of him. "Do they?"

Jack inhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily. When he opened them again, the head and body was gone. "Do they, Jack? No, no, no! No, they don't! Crazy people don't know! Crazy people don't know!"

The door suddenly opened behind him, causing him to fall back and hit the floor of the hallway. "Ouch."

When Jack turned his head to see the hallway had caved in, panic set in. "Eddie!"

The boy scrambled to his feet, peering over the edge. "Holy shit.. Holy shit."

Jack quickly ran over to and down the stairs, halting beside Bill and Richie. "Eddie!"

The clown crouched beside Eddie, his gloved hand covering his face. "Let go off him!"

"I'm not real enough for you? This isn't real enough? It was real enough for Georgie!" It mocked.

"Fuck!" Jack screamed, stumbling back when It lunged forward to attack them.

He slowly peeled his eyes open when he heard Beverly's voice. He inhaled sharply when he saw her shove a fence post through It's head.

As It began to cry, Jack pulled away from Richie's grasp and darted towards Eddie.

He kneeled beside him, trying to block out the screams of his friends. "Eddie? Eddie, Eddie, look at me."

Eddie screamed as the clown laughed maniacally as It lurched forward towards them. "Don't look at that! Look at me. You're gonna be okay!"

"Don't let it get away!" Bill said, standing up. Jack took his place quickly, moving closer to Eddie.

"Eddie! Look at me. Look at me, please." Jack pleaded, moving his hands from Eddie's shirt to his face.

"Okay, okay, I'm gonna snap your arm back into place!"

"Do not fucking touch me! Do not fucking touch me!" Eddie screamed.

"Distract him!" Beverly said, covering her face with her hands.

Jack nodded quickly as Richie began to count down slowly. He wiped the tears from his face and forced Eddie to look at him. His thumbs brushed against his cheeks softly, and as Richie got to one, he did something he knew would distract Eddie.

He kissed him.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

{ Word Count: 1584 }

{ A/n: ehehheheh jeddie shippers how we feelin }

{ Edited: No }