It's been a month since the losers had split apart. After Mrs. Kaspbrak took Katherine and Eddie to the hospital, she got a medical boot for her ankle that had a clean break. She could still walk and pedal her bike with the boot but not without limping. Once she had her boot, she left without saying goodbye to Eddie.

The only time anyone ever saw her was at Stan's bar mitzvah and she sat at the very end of the bench far away from Richie. Before anyone could talk to her once it was over, she was already gone.

It wasn't until August when IT made an appearance back in their lives and Bill was the one to realize this. He went to the Marsh apartment to talk to Beverly when he found Alvin Marsh bleeding and probably dead in the bathroom, Beverly gone and in her room on the wall, words were written in blood 'You'll die if you try'.

He ran off to find the others. He had found Richie at the arcade, Stan at his house, called Eddie, Ben, and Mike. He had tried to call Katherine's house for but no one answered.

The losers that all met up-Bill, Eddie, Stan-all decided to go to Katherine's home to look for her since no one has seen her in a long time.

All the losers stopped in front of their house and Bill climbed off his bike.

"Eddie, w-w-when was the last time you saw K-K-Katherine?" Bill asked.

"At the hospital. The doctor said she went home," Eddie answered.

"And she was at Stan The Man's bar mitzvah but she left before I could ask her why the fuck I haven't seen her?" Richie asked.

Bill went up the walkway to the house before knocking three times. He tried to glance at Katherine's window to see if she was there but he didn't see anyone.

The door opened shortly, revealing Amy Walker with a cigarette in her hand. "Look, I'm not buying what you're selling, kid," she told him.

"N-N-No, I'm Katherine's friend, Mrs. Walker and I-"

"Oh, yeah," Amy said with a smile. "William, right?" The boy nodded. "Well, sorry to break your heart William but Katherine isn't here."

"S-She's not?" Bill asked.

"No, kiddo."

"Do you kn-kn-know where s-s-she might be?"

"Try Hemlock park. Some of her other friends have been coming over a lot to bring her over there," Amy answered, taking a drag from her cigarette.

"Other friends?" Bill questioned.

"Yeah, older kids. Maybe 15 or 16."

"Amy, who's at the door?" A voice called from inside the house.

The woman glanced back wearily. "Just some kids, Seth," she answered.

"Kids?" Shortly, Meth Seth had appeared at the door beside Amy causing the woman to walk back in the house. "We're not interested in your raffle tickets."

"You're S-S-Seth?" Bill questioned. He had heard about Seth from Katherine but has never actually seen him.

"Depends why?"

The losers had heard that this was Seth causing Richie to drop his bike and walk up to the house.

"Richie, what are you doing?" Eddie questioned as him and Stan followed him.

Richie turned into a hot head and glared at the man, stopping beside Bill. "You're Meth Seth?" Richie asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, four eyes," Seth responded.

"Fuck you, asshole," Richie snapped.

"The fuck?" Seth questioned.

"You're the reason why Katherine has bruises all over her!" Richie said, enraged. "You crack headed motherfucker!"

"R-Richie," Bill tried to say.

"No. This junkie hurts your woman, almost killed her a few times and you're not pissed?"

"I am b-b-but this isn't the time to-"

"You hurt Katherine," Eddie uttered.

"You lay another hand on my friend and I'll cut your dick off!" Richie yelled at Seth.

Seth chuckled, stepping forward making the kids step back. "I'm not scared of some middle school retards who haven't even hit puberty yet. I'm not afraid to hit a kid. You should know that by now."

Stan turned his head to see the neighbor, a woman, come out of their home to work on their garden but not before glancing at the kids. "You really shouldn't hit kids in public," Stan said making Seth look at the neighbor. "I heard they send the low lives away longer for abuse than selling drugs."

Seth licked his dry lips before backing into the house. "This isn't over for you little fuckers."

Once he was back inside the house, Eddie asked, "Okay, did her mom at least say where Katherine might be?"

"H-Hemlock park," Bill answered as they all got on their bikes.

"Fuck, that's not good," Richie said. "That's where all the stoner and crackhead kids go."

"You don't think K would..." Stan began as they all pedaled away. "That doesn't sound like her."

***

Shortly, the boys made it to Hemlock Park. The area was mostly empty except for a small pit in the corner of the park.

As the losers got closer, they could see it was a bunch of teenagers and, what looked like Katherine from the back, sitting in between most of them.

They all dropped their bikes and approached the laughing teenagers.

"Katherine," Bill called once they got closer.

The girl turned around. "Oh. Hey," she greeted.

"'Hey'?" Stan questioned. "We haven't seen you in almost a month and you say 'hey'?"

"Hey...sailor," Katherine paused before snickering.

They all walked, to stand in front of her, to see her foot was still in the boot but she puffing a joint.

"She's high," Eddie stated to the losers.

"No shit, Sherlock," Richie sassed.

"You don't need to say it like that, asshole."

"Katherine," Bill said. "Can w-w-we talk alone?"

"Sure," the girl answered, breathing out her smoke and turning to the teens. "Can you give me a minute?"

"Make it snappy, K.W.," a boy told her before they all stood up, walking away.

"What-y?" she asked her friends, calmly.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Eddie asked. He grabbed the joint. "Do you know what this does to your brain and your lungs?!"

"Yeah, yeah, yappy. I heard you the first time," Katherine scoffed.

"Maybe I should grab that," Richie said slyly, grabbing the joint. "For...safety."

Stan smacked it out of his hand, stomping it out with a disapproving head shake.

"Y-You said you weren't going to d-d-do drugs," Bill told her.

"I'm not," Katherine answered. "One joint isn't going to kill me?"

"K, how long have you been doing this for?" Stan asked, referring to her smoking weed.

"I dunno," she answered. "Since I got out of the hospital."

"Jesus, Kat," Eddie groaned.

"Y-Y-Y-You told me your mom s-s-started out with weed before she did other d-d-drugs. W-Why are you doing this now?" Bill asked, calmly.

"I dunno," Katherine answered, getting frustrated.

"I-I-If you keep doing this, you're going down the same path as her. Why?"

Katherine began to cry, trying to contain her sobs. "Because IT says it's who I'm supposed to be. Just like her. And I've tried to fight it for so long. Be my own person who becomes successful like a singer or an actress. Or be someone better but I can't. I'm not. Because I know, deep down, I'm going to end up like her." She pulled her jacket zipper down, revealing a bruise on her neck that was shaped like a handprint.

She tried to hide her face from Bill who couldn't believe her words. Everyone including him has seen her be this calm, care-free girl but seeing her like this, it deeply hurts him. And he always thought the world of her. She saw that her tough walls had been worn down to stubble.

Bill took her hands in his own. "You won't," he promised. "I've known you for a l-l-l-long time and I know you're s-s-so much better than her in e-every way already." Katherine's tear-filled eyes met his. "I c-care about you, Katherine. I don't want to see you get h-hurt."

Katherine pulled the boy into a tight hug, wiping her tears away. Bill helped Katherine up as she looked to her other friends.

"We're all you need, K," Stan told her with a smile.

"Damn right," Richie added.

"We're always here for you, Katherine," Eddie says.

She smiled before looking at Bill, feeling her heart speed up. "I didn't catch feelings during such a shitty time," she muttered under her breath.

Bill heard her words but he thought he misheard them. "What?" he asked.

"What?" Katherine repeated quickly.

"Katherine, we're glad you're okay but you should know something," Eddie stated.

"IT got Beverly," Bill told her.

Katherine froze on the spot, mostly sober now before yelling, "What?! You didn't tell me this first!"

"Everyone else is meeting at the house," Stan answered.

"Let's move it then. We got a damsel in distress to save," Katherine said, limping to their bikes with the boys following.

Stan and Richie walked behind them. "God, Bill's so fucking clueless to realize Kat's got a thing for him," Richie states.

"Yeah, he kind of is," Stan agreed.

Richie scoffed. "Guarantee you, I'll bang Kitty-Kat before Big Bill gets the chance to even kiss her."

Stan rolled his eyes. "Beep beep."

"What? It's just a scenario."

***

The rest of the losers met up at the Neibolt house. Bill helped Katherine off his bike before saying, "Guys, spikes."

Katherine pulled out a switchblade that was hidden in the back of her boot. She took it with her every time she went to Hemlock Park.

She flicked the blade out and brushed the dirt off of it on her jeans before flicking it back in and tucking it back in her boot, tightening the straps on it.

Eddie took off his fanny pack full of medications and threw it as hard as he could.

Richie picked up an empty beer bottle, staring at it for a moment before smashing it to try and make it into a weapon. When he only had the top of the bottle, he tossed it aside. Useless.

They all walked up to the house, Bill pushed the door open, six losers stepped in but Katherine stopped to see Stan still standing in the doorway.

"Stan?" Eddie questioned.

His hands were tapping anxiously against his pant leg. He really didn't want to go in there.

"Billy, maybe he shouldn't go," Katherine told him.

Bill looked at her then Stan. "Stan, we all have to go, B-B-Beverly was right. If we split up like last time, that clown will kill us, one by one, but if we s-s-stick together, all of us...we'll win. I promise."

Katherine walked towards him about to tell him that he can go home if he can't do this but Bill's words made him step inside.

And all seven kids went through the kitchen down into the basement, going down the creaking, old steps.

***