The four kids entered the old house, the air was muggy and it reeked like dead bodies-that probably was the smell.

"I can't believe I pulled the short straw," Richie sighed. "You guys are lucky you're not measuring dicks."

"You probably have the shortest one," Katherine tried to lighten the mood.

"Either way, I'd know you want it, Kitty-Kat."

"I'm good-"

"Guys, shut up," Eddie told them before looking around, the smell intensifying. "I can smell that."

"Don't breathe through your mouth," Richie spoke.

"Home come?" Eddie asked.

"Cause then you're eating it."

The smaller boy gagged before digging in his fanny pack for his inhaler and taking a deep puff from it.

Richie walked towards a large spider web of garbage, pulling out a paper, staring at it frozen. Pulling Bill by the hand, Katherine followed Richie. "What is it, Rich?" she asked.

"It, it says I'm missing," Richie gulped.

Katherine looked over his shoulder to see it was a missing poster with his picture along with his name and physical description below.

"Y-Y-Y-You're not missing, Richie," Bill tried to calm him but it only made him panic more.

"Then why's it say it there, it's my shirt, that's my hair, that's my face..."

Bill grabbed the poster. "Calm down, this isn't real."

"That's my name, that's my age, that's the date!"

"This isn't real, Richie."

"What the fuck?! It says I'm missing! Am I missing?! Will I disappear?!"

Katherine pulled her hand from Bill's to grab Richie by the shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself!" she yelled. "Calm down!" This caused the boy to relax slightly. "Take it easy. Look at me, Richie. Look at me. This isn't real. The fucker is playing tricks on you. You're here with us. You're not going anywhere any time soon."

Richie was trying to calm his breath as a feminine voice upstairs called, "Hello? Hello?"

Katherine looked to Bill. "Billy, that sounds like-"

"Help me please!" she cried.

Katherine grasped Bill's hand again as they all walked towards the stairs as the calling for help got louder. The stairs creaked loudly, as if ready to give out under them.

The reached the top of the stairs, turning down the hallway to see a girl in a doorway coughing with blood on her face. She turned to look at them.

"Betty?" Bill asked.

"Ripsom?" Richie questioned.

Suddenly the girl was pulled from the doorway as if being dragged by something. Katherine gasped, backing away from the boys, leaning against the wall.

"Katherine..." a voice called from a room, earning her attention. "You're where you belong."

Though everything in her protested going in there, her feet moved into the room. As soon as she stepped in the middle of the room, glass crunched under her sneakers.

She looked down to see it was a broken dirty syringe.

The room was large and there was almost no furniture.

Katherine turned towards the door about to walk out when it slammed closed. She banged on it, pulled on the handle but it didn't budge.

"Bill! Eddie!" she called.

There was the sound of fists hitting the other side of the door. "Katy!" Eddie called. "Open the door!"

She tried to but- "It won't open!" she groaned, still trying to pull on the door.

"I'll go get Bill and Richie!" Eddie called out.

"Eds, no!" she begged but the sound of footsteps was heard going away.

Behind Katherine, there was the sound of bones popping. Emerging from a mat on the floor was Seth or what looked like Seth.

"You little shit," he spoke with a raspy voice. "Little fucker, you ruin everything. Everything of mine is gone-"

"Good," Katherine replied, trying not to show fear. "Fewer kids don't get addicted to crack, the better."

'Seth' walked towards her. "You only do that so you don't get hooked on drugs and end up like your mom. But you might as well because what do you have Katherine." He shoved her into the door. "Your mom's a junkie slut and your real dad is a deadbeat." He grinned. "Oh right, you don't even know who your dad is, do you?"

"Fuck you," she told him, spitting in his face.

'Seth' grabbed her by the hair, and pushed her. She tripped over a stool, her head collided with the corner dirty wall with a harsh hit making her groan as she hit the floor.

She sat up, her hand touching her head which had blood from the wound.

'Seth' approached her. "It's kind of funny to think about. The crackhead's daughter is walking in a crackhead house with her friends and she says 'no' to drugs." He put a full syringe in her bloody hand. "You can't deny who you are meant to be."

She didn't say anything, only threw the syringe, shattering against the door.

'Seth' or IT got angered by this. He stood up and slammed his foot down on her ankle, a sickening crunch was heard.

Katherine screamed in pain, tears stinging her eyes.

The scream had alerted Bill who had just pulled Richie out of a room.

"Katherine!" Bill called, running towards the pain-filled scream with Richie following hot on his heels.

'Seth' turned towards the door and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Still in pain, Katherine crawled towards the door. "Bill," she groaned.

The door slammed open revealing Katherine. "Katherine," Bill spoke, trying to help the girl up with Richie's help.

But she screamed in pain once she stood on her right foot. "My ankle," she whimpered. "He broke my ankle..."

"Fuck," Richie said as Bill pulled her arm up around his shoulders, letting the girl lean against him. Richie copied his movement on Katherine's left side, helping the girl limp out of the room.

Bill glanced down the hall to see the black molten liquid like lava follow them.

As soon as they stepped out, they arrived at three doors which had blood written on them.

They said: NOT SCARY AT ALL, SCARY, VERY SCARY.

The three of them shared a look before hurrying (with Katherine leaning against them) towards the first door.

With one hand, Bill pulled the door open revealing nothing but pitch black on the other side.

"Where's my shoe?" a voice asked quietly.

Bill reached to turn on the light. As soon as he did, screaming Betty Ripsom was revealed, hung up by her arms with her guts being poured out.

They all screamed, slamming the door.

"Where the fuck were her legs?" Richie asked before looking to the liquid on the floor. "What about that?!"

"This isn't real," Bill told them. "Remember the missing kid poster that wasn't real, so this isn't real."

"Billy..." Katherine whimpered.

"It's okay," he tried to calm her. "Come on. Ready?"

"No!" Richie exclaimed before Bill opened the door, revealing nothing being there. "Oh thank fuck."

"Where's Eddie?" Katherine asked.

"Help!" Eddie yelled out.

"Eddie!" Katherine tried to hurry forward but hurt herself multiple times.

They arrived into the kitchen to see Eddie on the table, cradling his broken arm as the clown turned to them with an evil look. "This isn't real enough for you, Billy?" IT asked, mocking a look of hurt. "I'm not real enough for you?"

"Holy shit," Richie uttered.

IT grinned. "It was real enough for Georgie."

IT laughed at Bill's shocked look before hurrying towards them his mouth wide open, ready to eat the kids alive.

Suddenly. Beverly came in with a fire poker, stabbing IT in the side of the eye. IT was frozen in place as IT's blood floated in the air.

"Get Eddie," Katherine told them.

Bill tried to past an injured Katherine to Mike and Stan as he and Richie tried to help Eddie up.

IT finally turned around, the fire poker still in his eye but his face was disfigured.

Katherine whimpered in fear as she grabbed a fistful of Mike's shirt and tried to bury her face in Stan's shoulder.

IT walked closer, claws growing out of his gloved hands. IT growled making the kids jump back. The clown laughed before turning his head, the edge of the fire poker slashing Ben's stomach.

IT moved backward trying to disappear down into the basement.

Bill followed after IT. "Don't let it get away."

Katherine looked up to scream, "Bill, no!"

He went down into the basement following IT. He came back up shortly as everyone said that Eddie needs help.

"I'm gonna-I'm gonna snap-" Richie tried to say.

"Do not fucking touch me!" Eddie yelled. "Don't fucking touch-"

Richie counted down anyways before snapping it back in place causing Eddie to yell out in pain.

The losers all hurried out of the house after that. Bill put Katherine on the back of his bike as her eyesight got blurry but she saw Eddie getting put in the large basket of Mike's bike.

***

Once they were away from the house, the losers told Mrs. Kaspbrak about Eddie and Katherine. To say she was furious was an understatement.

"You," she pointed to the losers. "You did this. You know how delicate he is." She helped Eddie in the front seat before opening the back door for Katherine, helping her in before closing the door. "She's a child and you let her get hurt so she couldn't help him."

Katherine's eyes met Bill's through the window. He sent her an apologetic look before turning to the adult. "We were attacked, M-M-Mrs. K-"

"No, don't, don't try to blame anyone else," Mrs. Kaspbrak told them so frustrated, she dropped her keys.

Beverly tried to reach for them. "Let me-"

"Get back!" The adult snapped, grabbing her keys before telling Beverly. "Oh, I've heard of you Miss Marsh and I don't want a dirty girl like you touching my children."

Katherine gaped at that. She was kind of glad Mrs. Kaspbrak thought of her as her own child but how could she show her face around them after this?

Ms. K, I s-s-s..." Bill tried to explain.

"No, you are all monsters, all of you," Mrs. Kaspbrak snapped. "Now Eddie and Katherine are done with you, you hear, done!"

Great, now she really can't show her face around her friends without being ashamed.

Eddie bit his lip to hold back his tears. A chance he was feeling the same way.

She tried to run her hand through her hair but stopped as she felt dried blood in her hair and her injury near her scalp stinging.

As Mrs. Kaspbrak got in the car, Katherine leaned forward and gripped Eddie's good hand to give him comfort.

He squeezed her hand back as Mrs. Kaspbrak started the car and pulled away from the curve.

Katherine glanced back to see the losers watched the car disappear down the road.

This would be the last time she would see the other losers for weeks.

She was so ashamed, Katherine began to take small steps down a dark path.

***