The musical sound emitting from the music box brought Yamileth back to her senses, she felt wet and cold. Was the window open?

But as her vision cleared, she realised she wasn't in her bedroom or any other room she recognised. Instead, she found herself laying down in a dim wet environment. What kind of nightmare was this?

She slowly pulled herself up, her legs felt wobbly and her head was spinning, she fell on the cold wet ground again.

For the past few months, she'd been dreaming of spiders appearing in her bedroom, school or her surroundings—she'd dreaded those dreams but she'd never had such an empty gloomy dream before. She felt so alone and cold.

A giant pile of trash caught her eyes. She shook her head and pushed herself up from the wet ground but to her shock, it was a hill of trash and on the very top of the trash were floating children's. Floating children's? She blinked and rubbed her eyes over and over again.

What kind of nightmare was this?

She pinched and slapped herself, usually it helps to knock her out of her nightmares but it didn't. Instead, she felt pain. What the hell was wrong?

She heard the sound of the music box again.

"Step right up, Yamileth. Step right up." A clown's voice on the speakers. "Come change. Come float. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll cheer. You'll die."

What the actual fuck? She wanted to scream, was she dragged into one of Robert's nightmares?

"Introducing Pennywise the dancing clown." A maniacal laugh.

The music stopped and a mini clown doll popped out of the box.

She gasped. What the hell was going on? Her eyes searched for an exit.

A loud bang was heard as a wooden door opened and circus music began to play, fireworks exploded in front of her very eyes and before she could even make sense of what was happening. A tall clown appeared with orange hair and white clothing—IT was dancing, manically.

Whatever the performance was, she had no time to watch, she needed to run. A metal door caught her eyes, so she ran to her right but in a blink IT was before her and was laughing manically.

She pinched herself so hard that she started to bleed, fuck she wasn't dreaming was she?

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Pennywise said.

"I'm not afraid of you." She stammered, she'd never feared clowns ever it was the truth.

He sniffed the air and grunted than in an instant he grabbed her and everything went white.

***

When Yamileth came back to her senses she was gasping for air, Robert's face was right in front of her. "January embers."

"My heart burns there too." The boy smiled as he hugged her.

"Thank goodness," James gave a sigh of relief as he hugged them.

"What happened?" Yamileth asked in confusion.

"You don't remember?" James asked.

She pressed her lips, feeling a bit dizzy.

"IT kidnapped you and we found you floating and unresponsive." Robert explained. "You were in some kind of a trance."

"What...?" She gasped.

"Let's get out of here," James said hurriedly, "we'll explain everything when we're on the surface."

"Yeah," Robert agreed with a nod.

Before they could move, Yamileth nodded towards the left. A little boy in a yellow raincoat was heading towards them.

Robert gasped, "Georgie."

"What took you so long?" The little boy wobbled. His bright yellow raincoat was now dull and dirty and he was holding his paper boat close to his chest.

"I was looking for you, this whole time."

"I couldn't find my way outta here." The boy said, "he said I could have my boat back."

Robert was panting, "was she fast?"

"I couldn't keep up with it."

"She Georgie. You call boats she." Robert was tearing up by now.

"Georgie," Yamileth took a step forward but James grabbed her arm, "isn't this fishy?"

"How's it fishy?" She turned to him, "it's Georgie."

"Take me home." Georgie cried.

Robert started to sob at the sight.

"I wanna go home," Georgie cried tearfully, "I miss you all. I wanna be with mom and dad."

"Yes, yes, we will take you home." Yamileth said eagerly. At least, after all the mess they've found Georgie.

"No," James protested but Yamileth moved towards the little boy.

"I want more than anything for you to be home with mom and dad. We miss you so much." Robert sniffed wiping his tears.

"I love you Robert." The boy said.

"I love you, too." Robert breathed than pulled out the gun and pointed at the little boy.

"Rob!" Yamileth gasped at the sight, how the hell did Robert find a gun?

The little boy panted as his brother pointed the loaded gun on him.

"He's not Georgie."

"How can you say that?" Yamileth clenched her jaws.

"Because Georgie is dead."

"Are you insane?" She yelled at her friend, Robert was the smart one. This wasn't the Robert she knew.

"IT is trying to get to us, he's not Georgie he's IT."

The little boy was unresponsive and confused yet breathing heavily.

"You're scaring him." Yamileth panted. Did IT posses Robert?

"Am I?" Robert clenched his jaws.

"Rob please__" before she could complete her sentence, Robert pulled the trigger, one loud bang and Georgie fell on the cold hard wet ground.

Yamileth screamed.

James covered his mouth with his hands. "The fuck you just do?"

The body of the little boy laid still.

"What have you done?" Yamileth swallowed hard, unable to believe what she'd just witnessed.

"He's not Georgie." Robert panted, "he's not."

"You killed him..." she fell besides the lifeless body.

"Get away from him," Robert said.

Yamileth put a hand on the boy's forehead, she could still feel the warmth of his body. His eyes wide open. She slowly closed his eyes and began to weep. Please, let this be a nightmare.

Then they heard the menacing laugh of Pennywise all over again.

"Let's get out of here," James panicked.

But in a breath, the clown appeared. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." He was right behind Yamileth.

Robert pointed the gun directly at the clown, "let us go."

"No!" Pennywise said.

"I'll shoot you." He threatened his hands shaking.

"You already shot your brother didn't you?"

Robert gulped, "he's not my brother..."

"Isn't he?"

Robert looked down at the lifeless body of the little boy on the wet ground. Did he really kill Georgie? He refused to believe it. Pennywise was messing with their minds and he knew it.

"You did this..." he stammered.

"Did I?"

"Stop talking to the clown! Shoot him already!" James yelled. He didn't know if the boy was really Georgie or not, but Pennywise was right in front of them and he needed to die.

Pennywise laughed, "I cannot die."

"Yami? Yami?" Robert called his friend who was still kneeling besides the body of the little boy, not paying attention to her surroundings.

"She cannot hear you...murderer!"

"I'm not a murderer!" Robert snapped at the clown, "you are!"

"Didn't you pull the trigger on your own?"

"Because of you!" He yelled, "because you did this."

"I didn't do anything...it's your fear that took over you Robert Johnson." Pennywise began to laugh again.

"Fuck!" Robert roared. "Stop talking!"

"Georgie's dead cos of you, if you care to save yourself and James...you'll just leave us be, I'll take my girl and only her and then I will have my long rest and you will all live to grow and thrive and lead happy lives until old age takes you back to the weeds."

"No!" Robert disapproved.

"Leave." Yamileth finally spoke.

"You fucking insane?" Robert looked at her in horror, what the hell was happening to Yamileth?

"It was me..." she swallowed hard, "it's all me."

"What the fuck is going on?" James looked at them desperately, unable to understand anything and he didn't even want to understand. He just wanted Robert to shoot pennywise so that they'll all escape this horror land.

Pennywise encouraged grinningly, "go on...I do love a good story."

Yamileth slowly lifted her head and looked at her friends, "Halloween night, I came down here searching for Pennywise...nona had told me about him when I was a kid and a part of me believed in his existence. I wanted to punish Josh for what he did and the only way I could get my revenge was to send pennywise after him. I was the one who awoken pennywise by cutting myself and dripping my blood down the pit but when he appeared, I lost consciousness...I'd forgotten all about it...until, tonight when I floated and saw what I'd done. Everything that happened is on me. I'm the reason."

"Fuck!" James cursed. What the hell had Yamileth done? He knew she was really hurt that Josh had played her, for a bet with his friends because for Yamileth everything was real. The boy had destroyed her in a way, James understood why Yamileth wanted Pennywise to go after Josh, he might have done the same if he was in her shoes.

Then a shot rang. Robert had pulled the trigger and pennywise collapsed on the wet ground. He walked towards the clown and emptied all the bullets on its forehead.

Yamileth just sat besides Georgie's body frozen.

Robert panted and offered his hand to Yamileth, the girl slowly took his hand and he pulled her up. "Whatever happened, happened...now IT is dead and the past is behind us." He said.

The girl shivered as he pulled her into a hug. Josh had done her wrong, she'd tried to hide her pain as much as she could but for a young girl to be played like that in front of the whole school by the person she'd loved and cared for was traumatising and this kind of trauma don't heal just like that. Robert felt sympathetic for his friend, and even though this decision of her's had costed the town greatly. He couldn't blame her for it, she was a teenager and she didn't know what she was doing.

When they thought it was the end, James pointed towards the pit terrifying, "guys..."

Pennywise wasn't dead instead he was crawling back towards the pit, the pit where he originally came out of. The pit where Yamileth awoken him.

The three teenagers froze unable to move or speak, was there no end to this horror?

After what felt like a lifetime Pennywise finally reached the pit and before he leaped in, he titled his head towards the 17 year old girl and said, "you won't be 17 forever." And then he was gone.

THE END