▌Chapter 17 ─ Join Me ▌

      ━━━━━ HOLLY MOVED UP the steps, the front door was opening. She looked back to see that there was an open house. How lucky, she thought to herself. The brunette turned back towards the front door and exhaled. She then proceeded to walk through the door frame. The house seemed to be mostly empty.

She could smell the cookies, it reminded her of a time when her mother would bake cookies. She came to a stop, at the dining room looking to see someone standing in the room with a couple.

"Hi, I'll be with you in a minute." The woman said.

"Oh, that's okay. I'm familiar with the house, this used to be my childhood home." Holly said, sending her a smile.

Young Holly out of the dining room, where her father had been spending time with his friends. She made her way to her room, and closed the door behind her. She then turned off the lights and closed the curtains. Holly walked back over to the wall and turned on the small little nightlight that her mother had given her before she had passed away.

She hasn't really talked or hung out with her friends, except for Prudence and Bill. When she wasn't with them she was in her room looking at the nightlight. It was the only comfort of her mother that she had left.

Holly walked into her old room and closed the door behind her. She turned off the lights and walked over to the window, closing the curtains. Then she walked over to the closer and opened it up. She had a few items that she knew were still hidden in the house. Holly leaned down and knocked on the floorboard.

Eventually she found the loose one and picked it up. Upon doing so she discovered that the nightlight her mother had given her was still there. She pulled it up and out and proceeded to sit down. Then she moved back towards an outlet and plugged it in. Holly watched as pictures of her and her parents popped up.

It was a custom night light that her mother had gotten for her. She watched as the pictures shifted around it was almost like what had happened in Bill's garage when they had looked at the pictures of Derry. They started to move faster, Holly picked herself up from the floor looking around.

Suddenly her mother appeared in front of her. "It's all your fault." She said, with an eerie voice.

"No." Holly said, shaking her head back and forth.

"Yes." The woman looked dead, it couldn't be her mother and she knew that.

The brunette grabbed the night light and shoved it into her pocket. She ran towards the door, looking back but didn't see her mother anymore. Instead Pennywise had been standing in the corner of the room.

"Hiya, Holly." He said, looking at her with a grin on his face.

"No, no, no!" She breathed out.

"Yes, come join me Holly."

"No."

Pennywise proceeded to run towards her. Holly opened the door and ran out of the room running down the steps and out the door. She exhaled in and out catching her breath. She looked back at the house, seeing a glimpse of Pennywise in the window waving at her.

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Holly walked up the steps, and opened the first set of doors. She went to open the door but stopped watching Beverly and Bill kiss. The brunette turned around and walked back out of the hotel. She then sat down on the steps allowing the tears to roll down her cheeks. She wiped the tears away when the door opened.

Bill walked down the steps and grabbed a hold of his bike, he looked at Holly as she looked at him. "Where are you going?" Holly asked him.

"I have to go save the kid, I can't let him die." Bill answered.

"Okay, I'm coming with you. I brought my bike, let me get it."

Bill nodded his head, the brunette stood up and ran over to her car, opening the back car and she pulled her bike out. Closing it she climbed on and proceeded to follow behind Bill.

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The two slid two a stop as they pulled up to the carnival. Holly jumped off her bike and followed behind Bill. He of course grabbed her hand so she could keep up with him. The two ran through the crowd coming to a stop by some food stands. Holly searched for the kid that was now on It's list.

They continued to move through the crowd looking everywhere. Holly wanted to help Bill find this kid before It could take him away. She knew he would blame himself if something happened to the kid, just like he blamed himself for what had happened to his little brother. Eventually they found him.

"Hey!" Bill called out, letting go of Holly's hand and running after him. Holly of course followed behind him. "Hey, kid! Kid!" Bill continued to call out to him as the two pushed into a few people apologizing to them shortly after.

They made it to the fun house, running past the ticket taker. They made it into the first part soon coming to a stop as it spun underneath them. "Fuck." Bill breathed out, moving across it. He eventually made it to the end and turned back looking at Holly. He held his hand to her and she accepted it being pulled out to the other side.

Holly turned to see clowns that swung back and forth. Bill moved forward first, moving in between them. Soon Holly followed behind her, making sure not to get hit by any of them. But got closer to the exit however when he did, a clown hit him pushing him into the wall. If it weren't a serious moment Holly would've laughed.

"Fuck!" He breathed out.

"Are you okay?" Holly asked, making him look back at her.

"I'm fine. Come on."

They eventually made it to the end and came to a stop at a maze of glass mirrors. The white light flickering on and off. The two moved forward through the maze, Bill taking the lead, searching for Dean. Bill held his hand out in front of him trying to figure out which way to go. He turned a corner and watched Dean walk forward and eventually turn.

Holly stopped at the corner while Bill ran forward. "Kid! Hey, kid!" He yelled, running right into the glass. "Fuck." He said, once again. "Kid?"

Bill started to beat on the glass trying to get his attention. Then he turned around looking for the way out. Holly followed behind him. They eventually figured out how to work the maze, Bill was still leading when they saw Dean once again.

"Kid?" Bill said, walking forward. "Hey!"

He started to get stuck towards the end, but still managed to make it through. Holly followed behind him but stopped at the end. She watched him run into the glass once again. He then turned around, and saw Dean. Holly moved out and looked to see Bill walk towards him.

"Kid? Hey! Hey!" Once again he ran into the glass this time gaining Dean's attention. "Hey." Bill said, as Holly walked up behind him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Bill.

"Hey." Bill said, laughing shortly after. "No, I'm here to h-help."

"Stop following me!"

"We're gonna get you out of here."

Bill stopped what he was saying and looked to see Pennywise licking the glass, his tongue sticking out. Holly placed a disgusted look on her face as Dean turned around to look at the clown.

"No." Bill said, looking at the clown. "Please." He pulled his tongue off and proceeded to look at Dean, smiling.

"Ah." Pennywise said.

"I'm here this time. Just take me." Bill said.

Holly turned around and walked away trying to find a different way to get to Dean. Pennywise threw his head forward hitting the glass, he groaned slightly but soon started laughing. Then the clown swung his head into the glass again.

"Son of a bitch!"

Holly could hear the screams coming from Dean, she pushed to find a way to get to him before Pennywise could. She could also hear Bill trying to work to break the glass. Pennywise continued to beat his head into the glass, breaking it more and more. Finally it had weakened enough, making him stop.

Holly was so close, she turned the corner and proceeded to walk down making it closer to Dean. However, before she could save him, Pennywise threw his head forward, breaking the glass and crushing his teeth onto Dean, killing him. Blood got everywhere, some of it even got on Holly.

The brunette gasped, shock falling onto her face. She looked across the window to stare at Bill who stared back at her. Before she had time to leave Pennywise came up to her and grabbed her. Bill watched the two disappear from his line of sight.

"Holly!" Bill shouted.