( TW: mild violence, slightly graphic depiction of a dead body, attempted sexual ass*ult, and subtle homoph*bia )

Four Hours Later
Thursday, August 10th, 1989
4:33 A.M.
Steph's POV

All five of Steph's senses were extremely groggy as she ever so slowly woke up in the pitch black room, tiredly glancing around as she realized she could hardly see anything. It was so dark wherever the hell she was that it was impossible to spot something more than five feet away, even if she tried her damned hardest. But that was the least of her worries at the moment, since she currently found herself barely able to move, and most of her body was almost completely numb. It was to the point that even her fingers were hardly functioning at all.

She desired sleep more than anything right now, and only prayed that the feeling would come back to her body soon when it was lighter outside. She determined that it was either three or four o'clock in the morning at this point, as the sun still hadn't risen from the horizon and she had the sudden urge to yawn. But it never happened.

The blonde chose to take in her surroundings to figure out where she could possibly be; she attempted to use her shine, nearly putting her entire being into it, but she found herself growing weaker each time. It was probably all that pain she endured that made her abilities falter greatly for the time being, and she had to deal with that. Her good eye fell shut for half a second before opening back up, and she felt dizzy for a brief moment.

Steph tried her best to move her left arm but it was no use; her shoulder was completely dislocated but she sensed that it wasn't broken so, if she made it out of here alive, a doctor could easily put it back in place for her. When she moved it, however, a surge of pain spread throughout her torso that made her whimper quietly in the darkness. She grit her teeth in frustration as she started using her right arm to try and crawl forward. She succeeded only a little bit before growing exhausted, and that was when the smell plagued her nostrils.

The whole room smelled like death, and she briefly felt bile building in her throat, which made her feel even sicker. But she held it back, not wanting to look more of a wreck than she already did. Not able to plug her nose, she just weakly flipped over to be on her back, her shoulders smeared in grime and filth as she stared upward. She could swear that she saw a sliver of the full moon shining brightly outside, and it made her smile just a tiny bit.

She wasn't able to see the horrors of what had occurred in Derry but, by the scent of the room, she could only determine she was in the sewers below the town. And she knew nobody would ever be able to find her down here; her barely sane mind just hoped her death would come soon enough and that the rest of the process would be painless. She couldn't suffer like this anymore, but the pain had gone away for the time being, at least. That was all she had been hoping for.

As she stared at the moon, completely unaware that her hair was drenched and that she was freezing to the point that her skin was completely white, she began to hum for a brief amount of time, finding comfort in the sight above her. Her left eye closed as she sang the song gently and quietly to herself, trying to distract herself as best as she could.

"All our times have come..." she whisper-sang, her voice still coming out beautiful despite it being raspier than ever before. "Here but now they're gone... Seasons don't fear the reaper... Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..."

It was then that Steph noticed the bright stars surrounding the moon, and her smile grew even wider at the knowledge that the night looked more peaceful now that everything was over when it came to her. She was comforted by the thought of being on the brink of death, but she hoped that God would take her away come daytime. She knew her friends and mother would miss her but she would have rather died than keep on going in this condition.

In fact, she prayed that Justin and Amber were safe and that the police had found them in their home after she was taken from them. She thought of a scenario where Rachel went to the police department and reunited with her children with tears of pure joy coming out of her eyes. The idea of that put her racing heartbeat at ease for now and she relaxed further into the disgusting ground, knowing that was all she could do now.

Please, God... she whispered in her mind. If they make it out of this whole thing, let them remember me. Make them remember me. Help them remember that I saved their lives. Make Bill tell them what truly happened when they're old enough to understand.

"Valentine is done..." she continued to sing. "Here but now they're done... Romeo and Juliet... Are together... in... eternity...."

Steph slowly halted her singing as she carefully looked to her right, having the sudden impulse to try and see what drew her attention. She was almost entirely convinced that she was alone down here, but she was starting to become certain that she wasn't; she had the dreadful thought that somebody else was down here with her, another human, and it made her brighten up but also caused her heart to sink out of fear for that person.

Inhaling a haggard breath, her gaze lingered on a figure laying close to ten feet from her as her vision adjusted to the darkness enveloping her. She perked up when she could have sworn that the person was breathing just like her, and her right hand clawed at the revolting muck, her finger seeping into the mud (or what she thought to be mud) as she tried to start pulling herself forward.

"Hey..." she called out quietly, her voice coming out in a croaky mumble instead of a yell.

No response from the other person.

Crying out from the sudden pain that returned to her entire body, Steph got onto her uninjured leg and began crawling towards the clearly unconscious figure that was seven feet from her now. Every inch of her was either caked in dried blood or the revolting shit that clung to her skin, which made her want to vomit so badly but it never arrived. Her hands met ice cold water for a moment, but the smell was so repugnant that Steph needed to get away from it.

Struggling forward, Steph grunted as her good arm gave out from beneath her, her chin sinking into the practically caved in floor for a moment. But, refusing to give up, she continued onward, needing to see who this could have possibly been. Once she found out and made sure they escaped with their life, she would die peacefully, feeling as though she was a hero in a way.

After two minutes of barely crawling on her good arm and good leg, Steph finally reached the person. Heaving from utter fatigue and sleepiness, she gently placed a hand on their shoulder; it was only then when she noticed that the person seemed to be even younger than her. They seemed to be someone around Amber's age, and she actually thought it was her for a moment.

But, when she spotted the much shorter hair, she could only determine that it was a boy she was staring at.

"Hey, kid..." Steph mumbled in a barely audible tone, sighing harshly with the effort of staying awake. "Hey, get up. Wake up. You need to get out of here and go home... okay...?"

Instinctively, she slowly turned the unconscious child over onto their back and Steph had to squint her eyes in order to try her best and recognize him. She knew almost every child in Derry thanks to her mother being friends with a lot of parents, so she would have been able to acknowledge the features of the children of said parents. But, at first, she didn't know who she was looking at because of her inability to see thanks to the darkness and her right eye badly swollen shut. She nearly cursed out of frustration of half of her sight being taken away thanks to Bowers.

But, after a few moments, she could finally make out a few features of the small boy's face. His very young face briefly reminded her of Justin – kind, innocent Justin – and his messy brown hair was tangled in the dirt on the ground. But the thing she recognized the most were his eyes; they were blue-green and they were open. Steph's heart leaped as she thought of the boy that had the same colored eyes.

This boy was a miniature version of Bill Denbrough.

"Georgie...?" she murmured, her eyebrows creasing with wonder and shock. She even brushed the boy's brown locks of hair out of his usually bright eyes

(when he was alive)

in order to be absolutely sure that it was him. She even placed her right hand on his forehead so she could attempt to read the child's mind but, although her eyes flickered for only half a second, she couldn't find anything there. Instead, she recalled a moment in the past, a memory that felt like it was from so very long ago (but it was only two years prior). She remembered visiting a then eleven-year-old Bill so she could help him with some math homework that he was struggling with after he had called her.

(he had often relied in me because i was smart)

Afterwards, Steph had been about to go home once Bill's homework was done. But, just as she reached the top of the staircase, a five-year-old Georgie had run up to her and said, "Hi,

Steph!"

"Hey, Georgie," Steph replied with a huge smile, holding her textbook close to her chest as she peered down at the much shorter boy. The still ten-year-old blonde felt like she didn't really belong in the Denbrough home because, even after almost two years of being friends with Bill, she was still shy about coming over and disturbing the peace of the family. But she was still nice to each member of the family because she respected all of them greatly.

Sharon Denbrough was one of the kindest people Steph had ever met, and she actually reminded her of Jamie with her tough attitude. Her vibrant red hair was similar to Beverly's (she had met her and befriended her a few months ago) and it was easily the prettiest feature of the woman. But her kind nature and instant acceptance of the sweet hearted Steph won the girl over immediately.

Zackary Denbrough, while pretty stern, was a pretty laidback father to his two sons; this was something Steph greatly admired, since she was always used to her mother being lenient with her. As a result, she wasn't the biggest fan of a parent or guardian being super duper strict with their children especially when said children were very young. But Zack always welcomed Steph into his home with a friendly smile, and she knew that he secretly liked her out of all of Bill's friends because of her early maturity and her tendency to always stay out of trouble.

Bill, although Eddie had been the first to check on the girl after the four boys had saved her from yet another attack from Bowers and his gang when she was still eight, had been the first child of the Loser's Club to offer friendship to her. She still couldn't comprehend why he had wanted her to be a member of the group, especially since there had only been boys involved beforehand. Maybe he had expressed sympathy towards her after hearing rumors about her having no friends of any kind, which was actually true, so he wanted to fix that for her. Maybe he had actually liked her romantically the entire time and wanted to start a friendship because of his crush on the adorable blonde girl. She had no idea, although she had attempted to use her shine multiple times to figure out why. But, at the age of ten, she still hadn't mastered her abilities just yet.

Georgie was someone that Steph had automatically developed a sibling-type bond with; he was basically the baby brother she never got to have due to her father's death, and she cherished that like nothing else. From the moment she met him, she instantly felt the instinct to want to keep the little boy safe, mainly as she had had a few premonitions; one of them involved the image of a storm drain and yellow eyes that looked straight out of a horror film. So she wanted to keep him more safe than ever.

"Are you going home?" little Georgie spoke up in a squeaky albeit shy voice.

"Yeah, I am," Steph mumbled in her own quiet tone, her fingers interlocking together in a sheepish manner.

"Aw, can't you stay a little longer?!" Georgie pleaded with her, bouncing up and down on his tiny feet. "You and Bill can build something with me using Legos!"

Steph knew she couldn't say no to the boy, so she relented and nodded. "Okay, why not?" she mumbled. "My mom won't care if I'm gone a little bit longer."

With that, she and Bill (after she had gotten his attention), had gone to George Denbrough's bedroom to build various buildings and animals with his toy Legos. All the while, she felt happiness from having fun with doing activities with the boys, although she still felt like she didn't belong as

she gathered the boy into her good arm while sitting up, trying her best to wake him up. She was, however, still able to barely use her left hand to shake him lightly. "Hey..." she whispered. "Hey, Georgie... Wake up, honey. I... I found you, and I need you to wake up, kiddo..."

No response came from the seven-year-old child, and it seemed as though he was in a really deep sleep that he would take some time to wake from. Steph wasn't going to give up now, though, there was no way.

"Come on, sweetie..." Steph encouraged him, smiling happily, the tears in her eye being of happiness. "You can do it, I know you can. Open your eyes, okay?"

Nothing. Only silence.

And then Steph saw that his eyes were open. They had been open the entire time, but they weren't looking at her. His bright voids were vacant and blank as they stared up way above them. The skin on his face was sunken in so much that his skull nearly tore out, and his whole body was dead weight. And his right arm from the shoulder downward was completely gone, leaving only a rotting knob of bone....

But Steph couldn't believe that for a moment. No, Georgie was only sleeping and she had found him. He would wake up eventually, she knew he would. He had to awake from his slumber, he just had to, right?

Right...?

Right?!?!

"G... Georgie...?" she whispered faintly as one tear trickled down her left cheek. She placed a delicate hand on the left side of the boy's fragile face and tried to detect some sort of sign that he could be alive; she successfully looked into his mind for a moment and she desperately searched through what she should have seen as a library full of 'documents' (thoughts and memories) to see if he was just in a trance or in deep shock.

But... there was... there was nothing. Absolutely nothing....

"No..." Steph mumbled almost insanely, shaking her head slowly as she stared down at the lifeless child in her arms. "No, no, no, no, no..."

(probably because you can't get it through your thick skull that georgie is most likely dead)

"No!" she sobbed softly.

(if georgie is alive and we do find him then great that would be wonderful but i highly doubt that's going to happen anymore)

"GEORGIE!" the young girl wailed, her cry echoing through the dank and black room.

Her tears were now of sadness...

"No, come back to me, please, please, please, baby," she mumbled incoherently and crazily, shaking him roughly now, wanting – needing – him to wake up. "You've got to breathe, you've got to wake up, you've got to be okay, Georgie. Your brother and parents want you to come home, so please get up... Please... Please cuh-come alive, honey..."

But Georgie never responded, and she had to accept the awful news.

This wasn't the stupid clown impersonating the child. It was actually George Denbrough.

And he was dead.

"I'm sorry," she said inaudibly.

Crying quietly and succumbing to the grief, she gently shut the poor boy's eyes and cradled him in her arms like a baby. She sniffed as she leaned her head against his and lied down on the ground; she refused to let go of him, finding comfort in dying alongside him. She couldn't physically let go of him but she wanted to be released from her life so it would all be over.

Still sobbing and her shoulders still heaving, Steph slowly dozed back off, holding Georgie tightly and close to her.

_____

Seven Hours Later
11:38 A.M.
Bill's POV

Rubbing his eyes after just waking up from sleeping in for once, Bill Denbrough jogged down the staircase and entered the kitchen as he yawned. At first, he didn't spot his parents and assumed they had both gone to work as they had started working a lot more lately since it was the summer. He didn't really mind all too much, especially since the atmosphere in his house was a lot friendlier than it had been for the past nine months. Sharon and Zackary had started treating him a lot better after Steph's furious outburst a few weeks beforehand.

I guess her screaming words finally broke through them, he thought to himself.

But, when he heard the sounds of a fork hitting a china dish, Bill kind of sighed with relief and was glad he wasn't alone in the house. This was mainly due to a terrible feeling plaguing his soul, despite trying his best to ignore said feeling. But it was a sense of alarm that had been in him all summer long and especially last night after hearing the brief radio announcement.

"...Repeating for those of you who have just tuned in. A brutal attack has plagued a small section of the town Derry, located in Penobscot County. Two people are reported to be deceased, another badly injured, and three are missing as of this time. Repeating for those of you who have just tuned in..."

Those words spoken by the female reporter kept on making Bill's heart plummet, as he began to fear that whoever was attacked was one of his friends. All of them had already been put in danger by It one too many times over the past three months, and he couldn't bear for that to happen again despite falling out with some of them, particularly Richie.

He did feel remorse for punching one of his closest friends in the face but he would never forget what he had called Steph that afternoon. He wouldn't stay mad at Richie but he would always hold the insult against him.

Entering the kitchen, he saw Sharon sitting at the kitchen table while finishing a bowl of cereal that she was eating. She seemed more uplifted and alive than she had been for the past year now, which was something that often set the boy's heart at ease. In fact, Bill was temporarily distracted from all of his worries at the sight of his mother being happy.

"G-Good morning, Mom," Bill spoke up in a slightly tired tone, his eyes a little heavy still.

Sharon perked up at the sound of her son's voice, and she grinned over at him. It was a real smile, and her eyes were no longer lifeless; they were bright with wonder and life for the first time in ages. "Morning, Bill," she greeted him with a nod. "You want me to make you anything? You slept in pretty late."

"No, th-th-thank you," Bill replied with a small smile, going over to the cabinet to grab a box of Cheerios so he could make a bowl. "You sleep w-well?"

"Yeah, I did," Sharon answered, genuinely cheerful to be around her son. "What about you? You must have slept really well if you slept in until noon."

"Is it ruh-really almost noon?" Bill said, actually surprised that it was that late in the morning. "Where's Dad?"

"In the garage," said Sharon with a quiet hum. "Probably sketching out more hydroelectric ideas."

Bill simply nodded as he poured a good bit of cereal into the bowl he had plucked out of the dish cabinet. He rubbed his eyes before stepping to the refrigerator so he could grab the jug of milk.

But, just as his hand wrapped around the handle, he heard footsteps behind him and he instinctively turned around. He saw his father entering the kitchen, presumably to make lunch or something like that; with this thought in mind, Bill just greeted Zackary briefly before opening the refrigerator and getting the milk out. He then went over to the bowl and poured said milk into it, and then grabbed a spoon.

"Um... Bill...?" Zackary mumbled, trying his best to stay calm as he took deep breaths.

"Yeah, Dad?" Bill responded, his eyebrows raised in mild questioning.

"There's... There's something I need to tell you, son," he said gravely. "Why don't you sit down, son?"

The feeling in Bill's heart returned with full force as he slowly stepped over to his usual chair at the table. He sank down into it as he looked towards his father again. "What i-i-is it?" he asked him, his voice only slightly trembling. "What's going on?"

Zack sat down to Bill's right, his hands clutching two things: the Daily Derry newspaper and a folded piece of white paper that Bill could hardly see. He mentally prepared himself for the news he was about to break to his son, and his eyes held much more emotion in them than they had since his youngest child had gone missing. He was on the verge of tears as he slid the newspaper over to him, and his hands were shaking terribly.

"Read the first page..." he whispered, sighing heavily as he put his face in his hands.

And Bill read what he was telling him to.

A NEW MISSING CHILD PLAGUES DERRY WITH NEW FEAR

Stephanie R. Palmer, of 1428 Kansas Street, has officially been reported missing as of 11:30 P.M. last night, August 9th. It is said from a statement made by nine-year-old Justin O'Connor that she was babysitting him and his seven-year-old sister, Amber E. O'Connor, when all three of them were attacked by a new suspect in the disappearances and murders that have rocked the peaceful town of Derry....

Peaceful town, my ass, Bill thought sarcastically as he felt his heart completely stop for a single second, and he thought he would drop dead. He scanned the entire first paragraph once more to make sure he was reading the truth, since it was impossible. It was impossible! There was no way it could be real, right? No comprehensible fucking way....

"No..." he whispered, dropping the paper onto the table and standing up as he stared at his shocked parents. "No, that c-c-c-c-can't be right, it can't be!" He glanced at his father. "Duh-Dad, please tell me this is a j-j-j-juh-joke!"

"It's true, champ," Zack with guilt laced in his voice. "I hate that you have to know, I'm sorry, but Steph's been missing since last night."

"She can't be missing, Dad!" Bill cried out, a few tears trickling down his face now. "Sh-Sh-Sh-Shuh-She just CAN'T!"

Zackary wordlessly handed the folded paper to his son and demanded he look at it; Bill snatched it out of his hand and furiously opened it up. But, when he saw what was on it, his legs nearly gave out and he had to sit back down. "Jesus..." he mumbled, covering his mouth as he continued to cry.

On the paper was a black and white photo of Steph taken on Picture Day in eighth grade, and Bill could vividly remember when she had worn the long-sleeved crimson dress with black leggings beneath it. Just that one detail about sent him into a crazed frenzy as the news became all too real for him to hear. Printed in typed text, the words below read this.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

CITY OF DERRY

MISSING

STEPHANIE PALMER

LAST SEEN AUGUST 9

Description: Born July 23, 1976; Female; 13 yrs; Height: 63 inches; Weight: 100 lbs; Blonde hair, blue eyes; Wearing a white tank top, blue jeans, and caramel sandals.

If you find this person, please contact the Derry Police Department.

"Wuh-What about her mother?" Bill questioned, demanding to figure everything out right now. "What happened to Jamie? Who did this t-t-t-t-to them?!"

"Jamie's in the hospital with a moderate concussion from what I've read..." Zack answered, making Sharon close her eyes out of pure horror. "Justin and Amber, I don't know about them... I think they were taken to the police station for their safety. I think it was Henry Bowers that did this to them, Oscar Bowers's son. His father's dead, too...."

Bill's youthful eyes flared with utter rage as he stood to his feet, slamming the haunting picture of his love onto the kitchen table and making his parents jump out of surprise. "He hurt them?!" he screamed, his hands balling up into fists. "HENRY?!"

"Sweetie, calm down, okay?" Sharon mumbled as she also stood up, attempting to comfort her son.

"DON'T!" Bill snapped at his mother but, after seeing her fear of him because of his tone of voice, he tried to keep his cool. "No, I'm sorry... Juh-Just don't tell me to calm d-d-d-down, please. Bowers has bullied my fruh-friends and I for years. I just never th-th-thought he would go this far.... Steph and her mother."

"We're really sorry, buddy," Zack mumbled, sorrow in his voice. "If anything happens to Steph, we're sorry. We really liked her, she was a good kid. She really did get through to us... we were being shitty to you and she made us realize that."

"Your father's right," Sharon finally spoke up, nodding her head. "If it weren't for that girl, things would still be the way they once were. But she snapped us out of it, made us realize we were being awful parents."

"Please don't speak o-of her as if she's already d-d-d-d-d-duh-dead!" Bill begged his parents, a sob threatening to escape him but nothing happened. "She's alive... She's just muh-mi-missing!"

"Bill –" Zack tried to interfere.

"Can I go to the hospital?" Bill suddenly asked his parents, feeling more confident about a possibility than he had ever had. "I nuh-need to see her mother. I know she means a lot to y-y-you two, but she means j-juh-just as much to me as Steph does."

"Yeah, you can go, honey," Sharon said, encouraging him. "You can go see Jamie, we don't mind. You can be there as long as you want, but just come home before curfew, okay?"

Zackary sighed heavily but eventually nodded. "Alright, go on, kid," he muttered. "She'd probably like to see you, anyway."

And, with that, Bill changed into more casual clothes instead of staying in his pajamas, grabbed his backpack, ran outside and grabbed Silver, and sped down the streets towards Derry Memorial.

"HI-YO, SILVER, AWAYYYY!"

_____

Thirty Minutes Later
12:10 P.M.
Jamie's POV

The middle-aged woman sat up in her bed and was holding her wallet in her tired hands, her face forlorn and depressed as she frowned. Her fingers caressed the photo she was staring at, the ambience of hospital staff walking around with their shoes clacking against the floor and stretchers being wheeled down hallways in the back of her mind. She ignored that and the stitches that held together the skin on her forehead and scalp, even though the painkillers weren't helping all too much.

After Rachel had searched desperately for her children before the news of their disappearances last night, she had apparently stopped by the Palmer residence and retrieved Jamie's purse just in case. And the woman was now holding one of the items from said purse, the bag laying next to her on the hospital bed.

The picture contained a three-year-old Steph giggling as she was picking daffodils with her then thirty-three-year-old mother grinning behind her. It had been taken by Daniel when they had visited the O'Connors in early 1980, and the photo never failed to make the woman emotional.

Now, the emotion was completely different; instead of cheerful, Jamie felt miserable looking at the picture.

She placed the wallet back into the purse, squeezing her eyes shut to get rid of the tears as she placed a tentative hand on her bruised forehead; she just wanted the physical pain to recede and leave her being, but she knew that wouldn't be happening anytime soon no matter how much the doctors drugged her. An exhausted groan slipped past her lips as she yawned, tempted to fall asleep again.

But, when her fingers brushed against something metal in her purse, all sense of wanting peaceful sleep was vanquished. She remembered what had been put back into her bag and she knew that she needed to get out of this place and find the bastard that hurt her baby. But she wouldn't be released from the hospital until later today when she was free to go home whenever she felt like it. Well, fuck them, she thought bitterly as she closed her eyes for just a moment. The fuckers deserve to die for not helping my girl.

She planned on sneaking out of the hospital whenever she felt as though she could cling onto the opportunity, since she couldn't be stuck in here forever. She hated staying in one place for a significant amount of time, Jamie was a fan of moving around and pacing back and forth. She couldn't stay still for very long.

She had to get the hell out of here. And now.

But it was entirely too painful for her to move, and she needed something – anything – that would get her out of bed for the first time since arriving at the hospital.

"Mrs. Palmer?" came a female voice from the doorway to the room, making the woman perk up to see Natalie from the ambulance the previous night. Her expression was one of kindness and respect.

"You can call me Jamie," she replied in a quiet voice with a shrug of her shoulders. "What is it?"

"There's a young boy here to visit you," Natalie mumbled before stepping to the side and opening the door even more to allow the person access to Jamie.

The woman sat further up in her bed as her eyebrows raised in complete surprise at who she saw, and she even tilted her head to the side. "Bill?" she whispered, utterly confused. "I... I didn't expect to see you coming to visit me."

After Natalie had parted from the room, Bill stepped over to the woman he saw as a second mother; he seemed to be utterly relieved to see her but not entirely comforted. Jamie instantly knew why this was the case. "I-I-I heard about what happened t-to you," he spoke up, seeming to be out of breath from biking all the way to the hospital. "My dad tuh-told me about Bowers attacking y-y-y-you and Steph."

Jamie sighed in a distressed way, looking downward as her hands began to tremble from the memories of the night before. She didn't want to tell the boy the truth but, if his father had already told him bits of the experience, she knew she couldn't lie to him. Bill Denbrough was somebody you never dared lie to and she was aware of that.

So, giving in, she finally nodded.

"Yeah..." she murmured. "He did... I was getting off of work and coming home, and I had a feeling something bad was either happening already or was going to happen. When I got to our house, I heard my baby screaming for me and I heard someone else telling her to shut up. I broke the door down and had a gun with me, but he knocked me out before I could actually help her. I don't know what else he did to her, but I can assume she got away for a short amount of time. Bill... she-she was hurt so bad. He had beaten her to a pulp, and I think he stabbed her in the shoulder because there was gauze there... and... and... a-a-and..."

"You don't have tuh-to keep going," Bill mumbled the moment he saw Jamie starting to break down. "Wuh-Was Steph gone when the police sh-sh-showed up?"

Jamie just nodded as she wiped her tears away, sighing shakily. "Our dog was gone when I got there and... Chief Borton had told me my sweet girl was missing. And... that's not the worst of it in general. To me, it is, but even more happened."

"What h-happened?" Bill asked.

"Rachel's a mess about it..." she said. "Justin and Amber... those poor kids... they went missing last night, too. The Chief and Deputy Brackett were killed in the same room. And then the children were taken from the police station... I have no idea who did this one, but I think it was someone working with that piece of shit. I don't know. I had tried to get those fuckers locked up many times but they would never listen. Now they listen, of course."

"No, th-they're not," Bill protested. "Tell me, Mrs. Palmer. Huh-Huh-Have the police even tr-tried to find them?"

"No," was all Jamie said, and then her eyes widened as she reached out to grab the boy's arm. "Bill... I need you to do something for me. They won't let me out of here and I can't look for Steph and those kids. Can... Can you try and find them for me? I need someone to actually care enough to save them and keep them alive."

Bill didn't hesitate to nod his head as his lips pressed tightly together. "Y-Y-Yeah, I'll try to find them, Mrs. Palmer," he answered, his hands beginning to shake. "I-I'll find them and make sure they'll buh-be alive."

"Bill," Jamie said a little louder than she should have. "I have a question. Do you love my daughter? As more than a friend?"

"Yes, I-I-I-I do," Bill said instantly, not feeling embarrassed to admit it. "I do love Steph... I think I have f-f-for some time now."

"Then you'll find her and bring her back to me... alive," Jamie emphasized with a grin that could have scared anyone else, but not Bill. "And you'll find Justin and Amber for Rachel and bring them to her. I know you care for them, too. I want you to find them for us... Rachel and I have already lost husbands. We can't lose our babies, okay?"

Bill's head bobbed up and down as he stared back at Jamie; for the first time, he truly saw just how much Steph looked like her mother. Their faces were nearly identical, except that Jamie had already been an adult for over two decades, but their eyes were different. She probably has her father's eyes, he briefly thought. And he could see the strength emanating from the woman's eyes, strength that the girl he was fond of had. "I'll find them," he promised, no stutter.

"Hang on, kid," Jamie said before reaching for her purse. She carefully withdrew something and handed it to him, placing it in the boy's outstretched hand. "You know how to use a gun?"

"Only a little," Bill confessed, staring down at the six-bullet revolver like it was an alien from outer space.

"Well, you hold it steady and hold your breath," Jamie instructed him. "Then you pull the barrel back and fire away at whoever has those kids. Put it in your backpack, though. I don't want them to see you walking out of the hospital with a gun in your hand. Don't lose it and, when you've brought them back, just give the gun to me."

"I will, muh-ma'am," Bill promised, slipping the pistol into his backpack and beginning to walk out of the room.

"Bill," Jamie said, stopping him in his tracks as he turned around. "We've known one another for long enough and I trust you enough to care about my daughter. You can call me Jamie now."

The two exchanged smiles of fierce determination and trust as the young boy nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he replied before walking out of the room and, presumably, leaving the hospital entirely.

Steph, sweetheart, hang on for a little while longer... wherever you are, the woman thought to herself as she dozed off again.

_____

Ten Minutes Later
12:20 P.M.
Beverly's POV

The redhead pressed her fingers against the notes of her piano out of pure boredom, humming lightly. She tilted her head lightly as her other hand picked at the floral dress, knowing there wasn't anything more for her to do for the day. She had already cleaned the kitchen and finished the book she had been reading, so she just planned to relax.

But, in the process of 'relaxing,' Beverly Marsh grew very bored very quickly; she was either going to end up zoning out or taking a nap, which she didn't really mind very much. She tried distracting herself by writing in her diary, but the words turned into drawings and doodles of random things that made no sense to her. She was just so out of reality and deep in her subconscious that she just drew all sorts of things, such as houses or animals.

Lately, Beverly had felt immensely lonely and depressed, especially after the group had separated (which was exactly what It wanted) and gone their own ways. She still stayed in contact with Ben, which was a relief for her since she really did like him and more than just a friend. He was a really sweet person that she could tell truly cared for her; she always looked past his physical appearance and found him extremely adorable. He had an aura of safety surrounding him whenever she was around him, and it often brought her comfort. She also had a feeling that he was the person behind a poem that she had received in her backpack two months previously:

Your hair is winter fire
January embers
My heart burns there, too

But Ben wasn't the only person of the group that Beverly liked to be around; she liked to hang out with all of them for different reasons. Stan was someone she could have a long and meaningful conversation with, Mike was someone she quickly grew to see as a brother figure and his experience in farming was something that greatly interested her, Richie was hilarious when he wasn't annoying and he was a good listener much to her surprise, Eddie was protective in a way that didn't irritate her like her father did, Bill had a leadership role to him that Beverly admired and wished that she had, and Steph was the most intelligent person she had ever met in her life.

Steph had been the very first friend Beverly had ever made and she relied on said friendship to get by. The first thing she had noticed about the blonde was how breathtakingly beautiful she was, even when they were nine. That and her knowledge of most things in life was what attracted the redhead to her and caused a small crush to form slowly over time; she was aware that she kind of liked the girl in a romantic way, which was what she least expected. She mainly expected to like boys only, but meeting Steph had changed that.

But she knew how much Steph liked Bill and that he greatly returned those feelings, so she didn't want to interfere with anything like that. She wasn't a bitch and never stole a person from their significant other, unlike what Greta Keene had nastily spread around. She did remember how Bill had pecked her on the cheek during the third grade school play, but that didn't mean all too much to her, even though she appreciated it. It had been the only form of affection she had received shortly after her mother, Elfrida, passed away from breast cancer. But she never saw Bill as anything more than a friend.

Beverly stared at the keyboard, not feeling a single bit of motivation to play the songs she had learned, such as Clair de lune. She had thought of going to the movies to check out the new James Cameron film, The Abyss. She knew how much Steph liked the director's first two films, The Terminator and Aliens (she had said that she preferred the latter over its predecessor directed by Ridley Scott). She even thought of inviting the blonde to go with her so she wouldn't have to be alone.

The telephone on the redhead's nightstand rang shrilly throughout the entire apartment; jumping a little bit, Beverly stood to her feet and crossed the room to pick up the receiver. Her right hand tightening around the handle as she sat on her bed, she brought the phone to her left ear.

"Hello?" she spoke up quietly, ninety-five percent certain that it was Steph calling her.

"Hey, Buh-Beverly?" came a boy's voice from the other end of the phone. "I-I-It's me..."

Beverly knew that voice all too well. It was Bill.

"Bill, you know well enough to not call me at my apartment," she greeted scoldingly. "You and Steph both know that. What happened to our signal?"

"That's n-n-n-nuh-not important right now," Bill replied frantically, almost as if he was rambling insanely quickly. "Look, y-y-you've got to help me. Thuh-The Palmers were attacked l-l-l-l-last night by Bowers. Juh-Juh-Jamie's in the hospital. Steph's missing... and so are Justin and A-A-Amber. It got them, Bev!"

Beverly nearly dropped the receiver after hearing those words come out of Bill, her heart plunging in response. "What?!" she exclaimed. "I thought we were being careful. Steph was careful on her own and with those kids! How could they have gone missing?"

"I-I think Bowers led to that," Bill answered quite easily and with a shaky sigh. "Yuh-You've got to help me, Bev-Beverly. We need to g-gather the others and go luh-look for them."

"Where do you think they could be?"

"I've got a feeling where they are..."

Beverly had made her decision right then, standing up from her bed and grasping the handle of the receiver more tightly. "Alright..." she confirmed, her lips trembling. "When do you want to gather everyone?"

"Now," Bill said in an almost demanding tone. "R-Right now. We don't have th-that much time left. Jamie said St-Steph was hurt really badly."

"Okay, I'll get ready quickly," Beverly said, trying to stay calm. "Where should we meet up?"

"Let's meet up at the St-St-Stan-Standpipe," Bill instructed. "I'm outside th-thuh-the hospital, so I'll b-be there in ten minutes."

"Okay, I'll be there. See you then," Beverly mumbled before saying goodbye and hanging the phone up, covering her mouth to try and fight the tears. Steph was missing?! Along with those kids she often babysat? That wasn't possible. No way it was.

But it was...

Being extremely quick in getting her shoes on, Beverly grabbed her backpack and yanked both straps over her shoulders. She would have normally snuck out of her apartment when her father was asleep and he just thought she had left to go shopping or something like that. But, today, she was practically sprinting through the premises, as the situation she was placed in was much more urgent than it normally would have been if she was just going to hang out with her friends.

Her closest friend and possibly the most important person in her life was missing and could even be dead – No, don't think that! she thought – and she had to do everything she could to make sure Steph and those kids were found alive and perfectly safe.

That was the only thing she was able to do now.

Reaching the living room without her hair brushed and looking a complete mess, Beverly reached for the doorknob that would let her exit the place she lived in. But it seemed as though the door was locked, so she twisted said lock and expected it to open for sure now.

And that was when she saw the padlock, and her fingers barely touched it, her eyebrows raising in puzzlement.

"Where are you sneaking off to?"

The hairs on the back of the young girl's neck stood up but she tried not to show any fear towards the man that had asked her this question as she turned to face where he was sitting, which was his red armchair.

Alvin Marsh was the only parent (if you could call him that) in Beverly's life, but he hardly seemed like one at all. He never treated his girl as an actual daughter that he needed to raise, feed, comfort when she was upset, or be involved in her life in a positive way. Instead, he saw her in a way no father should ever think of his child; his feelings towards her were extremely inappropriate but his mind was so warped that he never thought how he treated her was wrong.

His behavior towards her was mainly abuse, most of it more physical than anything; there had been many moments where he would strike her in the face if she talked back, disobeyed him, or got herself into trouble. After his wife had passed away (It was her fault, he often thought), he desperately needed to make sure his girl followed his rules and his advice. It just didn't help that his main rule was that she not get involved with any boy of any kind. He was the only boy or man she needed.

But he had his moments where he would be... creepy and unsettling. Beverly was reminded of a moment when she had come home the day after the last day of school, and she had bought those tampons from the pharmacy. She had departed from Steph as they had walked to their respective houses, and Alvin had only mildly confronted her about what she had bought from the store. His way of 'confronting her' had been creepily stroking the scarlet locks of hair that had hung below her shoulders.

"Tell me you're still my little girl..."

"Yes, Daddy."

As a result, Beverly had sliced said strands off above the bathroom sink; and her then waist-length curly crimson hair was now just below her ears.

Alvin was much more lenient whenever his daughter would bring her friend, Stephanie, over for sleepovers. He was all too familiar with the young blonde girl, especially since he found her mother to be insanely attractive; and he thought the woman's daughter was not bad looking either, just like Beverly. There were times, however, when he would examine the girls and notice that they seemed too close for his liking, and he wasn't a fan of it. Not at all. And he was about to forbid his girl from being around Stephanie Palmer now.

Right now, however, Beverly was fidgeting with her right backpack strap rather nervously, the intensity of her future goal of saving her friend tarnished for the time being. "Um... I found something out, Daddy," she answered, deciding to actually tell him the truth. "Something really bad. My friend's gone missing, Steph. I think the kids she normally babysits are missing, too. I'm going out to look for them."

Alvin looked his daughter up and down, which made the young girl's skin crawl. "You're looking prettied up," he pointed out in a tone that never failed to scare Beverly.

"I'm not prettied up, Daddy," she replied with a heavy sigh, feeling heavily uneasy but also irritated. "I wear this almost every day." He's never gonna listen, is he? she thought.

It seemed as though her father wouldn't listen to what she had just told him, since he raised his left hand to gesture her over. "Come..." he mumbled in an almost too casual tone. It was a tone that said, "You're not in trouble, but you better listen to me."

The fear of him seeped back through Beverly as she slid her backpack off and dropped it onto the carpeted floor. She then, reluctantly, walked over to the armchair to listen to whatever he needed to say to her; she figured it would be the same old saying he always spoke around her and towards her. Wanting to stay on his good side, she placed her hand into his and he gently wrapped his fingers around hers, and it almost set her at ease. Almost.

"You know I worry about you, Bevvie," Alvin whispered, almost in a sad voice.

"I know," the girl responded, preventing her voice from trembling. It wouldn't help if he heard how nervous she sounded.

Same old shit as always, she thought sarcastically, and she nearly laughed. But she remained grim.

Alvin, locking eyes with his girl, then said this: "People in town... have been saying some things to me about you. Sneaking around all summer long with a bunch of boys. The only girl in the pack."

Beverly sighed with dread, her heartbeat picking up speed. He had found out; she had no comprehensible idea who had told him, but he knew now. She couldn't lie, because he would hit her if she dared be untruthful. "They're just friends, I swear," she assured him. "And I'm not the only girl in the group. Steph's friends with them as well."

Alvin nodded as if he understood and was going to let her go on her way and say, "Oh, well, alright then. Off you go!" But, instead, he delicately tightened his grip on her hand so she couldn't get away from him. "I know..." he actually said, closing his eyes briefly. But, when they opened back up, they seemed much more malicious. "...what's in boys' minds when they look at you, Bevvie. I know all too well..."

Beverly noticed his grip tightening and her worry grew. "My hand..." she mumbled, trying to warn him that he was possibly hurting her.

But Alvin completely ignored her.

"Are you doing... womanly things... down in the woods with those boys?" he questioned, his tone more stern and calm than normal. "And with that girl? I've seen how close you are with her..."

Beverly's eyes widened out of surprise as she shook her head, being one hundred percent truthful. "No, no, no, nothing," she said, nearly smiling out of relief. "You don't have to worry, I promise. I'm just trying to go find Steph."

That was when Alvin revealed something from behind his back, and Beverly almost didn't recognize it. Mainly because of the spots of blood that had long since soaked through the object when said blood had flooded out of her bathroom drain and had covered every inch of the room and of her. But, looking closer, she recognized the image of the Derry Standpipe. And that was when her heart completely sank into the neverending pit of her stomach. "Then what's this?" Alvin asked with an eyebrow raised.

"It's nothing," she mumbled, finally lying to her father. "It's just a poem."

Alvin lowered the postcard that she had been anonymously given two months ago, his left eyebrow raised in disbelief and outrage. His grip on his girl's hand tightened to the point he could possibly leave bruises. "Just a poem?" he muttered. "But you had to hide it in your underwear drawer... Why would you have to hide it there?" He desperately needed to ask her a common question he had often spoken to her, wanting – needing – her to answer him truthfully. "Are you still my girl?"

Beverly had finally had enough of this horseshit; she needed to find her friend, she needed to find her girl and get her back to her mother, damn it! And there was no way her father was going to stop her in her mission to look for Steph. She wanted to be free, she wanted to have her own privacy, she wanted to hang out with boys without people seeing her as a 'slut' or a 'whore' and she wanted that to be looked at as normal. She was not going to live in this prison and be tortured anymore.

Her nostrils flaring with fury, she began to tremble. "No..." she uttered, her teeth gritting.

"What did you say?" Alvin questioned ragefully, his eyes widening with pure anger as he stared at his girl.

Beverly snapped. "I said, NO!" she bellowed and yanked her wrist away from Alvin's grasp. But the force of the pull caused her to stumble and plummet to the floor, knocking over the ironing board she would often use. She could feel the steel digging into her side, which made her whimper from the pain it caused.

That was the least of her worries, however.

Alvin was on his feet in seconds, flinging the postcard aside as he stalked towards Beverly, who was crawling backwards and staring up at him out of utter terror.

Tears threatened to unleash themselves from her green eyes as she shook her head wildly. "GET AWAY!" she bellowed just as she felt her ankles being gripped by the older man's slightly wrinkled and meaty hands. She wildly kicked at him, trying to free herself from his grasp, but his hold was too tight as he moved closer. "NO!"

In a matter of moments, Beverly's father was on his hands and knees, hovering over the young and frightened girl. The gaze in his eyes had pure evil and another emotion she couldn't quite recognize (she would come to learn as she got older that it was lust towards her) laced in them, and it nearly screamed in horror.

"Those boys..." Alvin snarled, a smile of satisfaction on his face. "That girl... Do they know that you're my –?"

He didn't even get a chance to finish asking the sadistic question, as Beverly quickly raised her right leg to kick the first place she could find: the area between his legs. Alvin let out a pained groan as he clutched himself there, allowing her to crawl away from him but not before slamming her left foot into his face.

Afterwards, Beverly got to her feet and sprinted down the hallway and past her bedroom; the only place she could go now was the bathroom, so she ran for it as fast as she could. The tears had finally arrived and her face was red and contorted into an expression of complete petrification as she slammed the door and latched it. She leaned against it for just a moment, trying her best to decide what to do next.

Meanwhile, Alvin was just getting to his feet and was staggering towards the hallway; he was lucky that the little bitch hadn't kicked him between the legs as hard as she could have. So, the pain was quickly subsiding as he stepped down the hallway, heaving with rage; he was going to make her pay and make her truly realize that she was his girl and his girl only. She wouldn't be hanging around those boys anymore and he would forbid her from being near that Stephanie girl ever again; after seeing how close the two kids were, he knew that Beverly needed to be with him only.

At this point, he would beat her so badly that she never wanted to go out into the light of day ever again.

After reaching the bathroom door, Alvin twisted the doorknob and attempted to push the door open.

But Beverly had clearly latched it.

So, as a last resort, Alvin furiously kicked down the door in order to reach her, letting out a yell of irritation. Then, he stepped into the room and glanced around, calmly looking for his girl. But, since the bathroom was so tiny, there was only one place he could actually search. And there was only one place his daughter could be.

Walking towards the bathtub and noticing that the shower curtain was pulled over the window, Alvin figured that she was most likely hiding behind it and quietly cowering from him. Smiling to himself, he placed his hand on the curtain and pulled it back, prepared to strike her in the face so hard that she would pass out.

The last thing he saw was the eyes of his girl, and they were filled with utter vexation before she swung the toilet tank lid at his face.

Shards of porcelain exploded from the lid as Beverly made contact with her father's forehead, causing a huge gash to split open on his skin and for him to hit the floor in less than a second. Knowing she had knocked him out instantly, she didn't hesitate to drop her weapon to the tiled floor, hearing it clang and the sound echoing throughout the entire apartment.

Beverly timidly stepped over the edge of the bathtub and walked around her father's unconscious body, and she could just barely hear Alvin's raspy and uneven breathing as blood seeped out from the back of his skull. Finally feeling at ease and victorious that she had won, she smiled just a little bit; it was a gentle and comforted smile as her heartbeat slowed its pace to a much more normal rate.

For a few good moments, Beverly just stared down at Alvin, now free to do whatever she wanted. And her main mission was looking for Steph and the O'Connor children, and making sure that they would be alive and safe.

So, she turned to her right and headed for the bathroom door.

The grip of a gloved hand was around the redhead's throat before she even had time to cry out of surprise as It stood in the doorway, a demonic grin gracing the clown's face.

_____

Ten Minutes Later
12:30 P.M.
Bill's POV

Frantically pedaling up to the Derry Standpipe on Silver, Bill was practically out of breath as she glanced around; he was fidgeting with the handlebars of his bike in order to keep his calm. However, it was damn near impossible for his heartbeat to stay at a normal pace. For the life of him, the faces of Steph, Justin, and Amber would not quit swimming around in the library of his mind. Every time he thought of them, he would close his eyes and feel his lungs contract out of fear for them.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, Bill checked his watch after noticing that Beverly hadn't shown up yet. Much to his confusion, it was 12:32, and it had been well over ten minutes since he had called her from the hospital.

He glanced over at the Standpipe, the massive structure towering over him from a distance in a way that reminded him of the clown. Shuddering a bit, Bill decided to place his feet back on the pedals to make his way to his friend's apartment, just praying that the girl's father hadn't held her back from leaving to go out into town. If he had, he was wasting their time and they didn't have any more time to waste.

Steph and the children had to be found now, damn it! I'm not gonna let them get killed by that fucker, he thought to himself and he grit his teeth.

But he knew he could not do this alone. He needed the rest of his friends to help him out, or he would get himself killed before he could even reach his love and the two kids that meant the world to him and that he saw as family.

Reaching the run-down apartment that his friend lived in, Bill hopped off of Silver and placed the kickstand down. Being quick with his movements, he then jogged over to the staircase and was ready to climb the steps.

But, before he did, he glanced over at the brick wall after briefly spotting something taped onto it. He peered at the sheet of paper and, after looking more closely, Bill nearly went into a frenzy as his body went rigid with immense worry.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

CITY OF DERRY

MISSING

JUSTIN AND AMBER O'CONNOR

LAST SEEN AUGUST 9

JUSTIN – Description: Born April 4, 1980; Male; 9 yrs; Height: 53 inches; Weight: 80 lbs; Brown hair, brown eyes; Wearing blue and red pajamas with Star Wars characters printed onto it.

AMBER – Description: Born December 20, 1981; Female; 7 yrs; Height: 49 inches; Weight: 66 lbs; Brown hair, green eyes; Wearing pink pajamas with white flowers sewn into them.

If you find these people, please contact the Derry Police Department.

Laid out on the poster were two pictures. Amber was posing for her second grade school picture from last September, and Justin was posing for his third grade school picture from the same day. Seeing said photos made Bill sprint up the stairs to check on Beverly; the feeling spreading throughout him wasn't ancient, as it had plagued his soul after finding out that Georgie's blood had been found near the storm drain at the intersection between Witcham and Jackson Street.

He remembered how he had fallen into a numb state of shock after finding out the news, and he had been sitting upright in his bed as his mother's desperate cries of grief filled the entire house. His father had been completely silent for days, even when Steph had visited the Denbrough home to comfort him after finding out.

He could recall how the mere touch of her hand against his was able to provide him solace.

Reaching the floor that Beverly lived on, he stepped towards the front door to the apartment and he was prepared to knock. That was when he noticed that the door was left ajar, which utterly confused him as he peered into the living room. What the hell? he thought as he stepped through the doorway, looking around and searching for the person he had just asked to help him take down the monster that had stolen the girl of his dreams and two kids that were like his brother and sister from their families.

Bill spotted the ironing board that had been knocked to the floor and that only made his dread creep higher and higher as he walked further into the apartment.

"Beverly?" he called out quietly, just praying to God that her father wasn't here to confront him. Alvin Marsh was the absolute last person Bill Denbrough needed to deal with.

Slowly walking down the hallway connected to the living room, Bill peered into his friend's room for half a second to see if she was in there for any reason. After noticing instantly that the room was empty, he then looked to his right and glanced into the bathroom. Seeing the pale green bathtub reminded him of the hug he had shared with Steph after the seven of them had cleaned the blood off of the walls, ceiling, and floor. Mike hadn't joined the group and wouldn't for another half an hour.

He could remember the soft affection he had felt towards Steph while holding her close to him.

But he was instantly broken out of the slight daydream by something shocking, and his jaw nearly dropped.

Alvin Marsh was strewn on the bathroom floor, his labored and shallow breathing being the only sound that filled the room. A large puddle of blood had trickled out of his head after he had, supposedly, been struck in the face with something. Bill was also able to spot ceramic shards from what seemed to be the toilet tank lid scattered on the floor.

Backing up and nearly retching at the sight, Bill happened to glance back into Beverly's bedroom. Only, this time, he had looked up and at the ceiling. His heart practically halted it's pace at the words he read on the corner of said ceiling:

YOU DIE IF YOU TRY....

"Oh, shit..." he mumbled, coming to the horrifying conclusion. Now she was also missing... "BEVERLY!" he added in more of a scream, sprinting out of the building.

_____

Fifteen Minutes Later
12:50 P.M.
Richie's POV

Furiously slamming his fingers against the controls of the arcade game in the theater, Richie Tozier struggled to concentrate on his newest match of Street Fighter as he grit his teeth together. He knew he was losing the game, just as he had lost most of his friends only a month prior; that was something that still made him feel immense guilt, especially after everything he had said to Steph that afternoon.

"You probably just want to impress Rachel and your own mom because you're a selfish bitch!"

I shouldn't have said that, Richie thought to himself as he continued to try and win so desperately. I should not have fucking said that to her. Steph was like a little sister to him and he did love her and saw her as family; when he had properly met her in 1985, he had taken a liking to her instantly because of one aspect of her: her attitude. It was nearly identical to his at times, and he was just grateful that he wasn't the only person with this type of behavior.

Steph would sometimes make him shut up if he was cracking a joke during a stressful situation that needed no type of humor, but she was always willing to be less serious whenever they hung out. She would even practice doing different types of accents and voices with him from time to time, but her poor attempts would always make Richie laugh. He found it oddly comforting to have someone like her in the friend group, especially since she was the type of person he could always go to for advice.

And he had fucked it all up by saying those painful words to her.

All of those sleepovers where they would watch scary movies with the other boys before Beverly, Mike, and Ben came into the picture, all of the times they would walk home from school together, their study sessions, and them joking around and doing voices together had all been a complete waste. And Richie was well aware that it was his fault.

He knew Steph really did care for the O'Connor kids, he had seen it himself the very few times he had actually run into the children when she was around. He knew that she would protect the kids immediately if she was asked to, that she would take a bullet for them, that she would die for them. He knew that all too well.

He had wanted to apologize for quite some time now but he still felt too guilty and afraid that she would just shut the door in his face and push him away. And she had every right to if she ever did. None of what happened was her fault. He was entirely to blame for the group separating in July.

His guilt only made him angrier as he practically punched the buttons with his fists, groaning out of pure annoyance that he was losing.

"Richie!" came a voice from behind him, and he knew that voice all too well. He wanted to turn to whoever it was and apologize for everything he had said to him, tell him that he had every right to punch him in the face that day, that he himself had been a complete asshole.

But, instead, Richie just rolled his eyes, the guilt hitting him even more by the second. "What do you want?!" he shouted back to Bill. "You see that guy I'm hitting? I'm pretending it's you!"

For Heaven's sake, Rich, just shut the fuck up for once! he thought to himself instantly afterwards. This is why nobody wants to be friends with you! Just shut up and eat shit, dumbass!

"I-It got Steph, Beverly, Justin, a-a-and Amber," Bill spoke up only a few moments later.

"What are you talking about?" Richie questioned, trying his hardest to focus on the game.

"It, Richie!" Bill spoke up louder, though he was trying to keep his voice at a medium volume so that none of the dozens of kids around them could hear him. "It got Steph, Beverly, Amber, and Justin...."

After hearing the words more clearly, Richie didn't even give a shit when the giant red letters 'YOU LOSE' flashed across the small screen. Instead, he slowly turned to face Bill as his shoulders greatly tensed up from concern. "Steph and Beverly...?" he whispered, praying that his friend was serious. He hoped to Jesus that Bill wasn't joking.

But Bill's solemn expression remained entirely truthful.

"The O'Connor kids are missing, too?" Richie spoke up again, more outraged now. "But they weren't even involved in this!"

"Th-Th-They're close with Steph..." Bill pointed out, frowning even more. "And they're al-al-also close with muh-me. It had to have t-t-tuh-taken them to get to us..."

At that moment, Richie had made his decision; if he couldn't apologize to Steph verbally, he would do so in another way, in a proper way. He had to join his friend to go save her, Beverly, and the two children Steph cared deeply for. So, he nodded his head with determination.

"I'll call Eddie and Stan," he told him. "You call Mike and Ben, alright? We should all meet up at the Standpipe."

"Thuh-Thanks..." Bill said, knowing he would be eternally grateful towards Richie for this.

"What are friends for?" Richie replied with a grim smile.

_____

Two Minutes Later
12:52 P.M.
Eddie's POV

Eddie Kaspbrak kept the Sharpie marker as steady as he possibly could as he wrote over the insulting comment imprinted into his cast, since it was all he could do to keep his boredom at bay. What he had replaced the word with made his anxiety die down and he felt more comforted; it was just difficult to write it out with his good hand, since his right one was the one he often used to write. But, after breaking his right arm in Neibolt over a month ago, everything had become a struggle lately, such as sleeping on his right side, carrying something around the house, riding on his bicycle, and so on and so forth.

He still wasn't completely healed yet, but Eddie was mostly fine with that. Mostly. What he mainly missed were his friends.

For a week or so, he had been completely unaware of the fight that had broken out between the group after his mother had driven him to the hospital. He was, however, confused whenever he would go into town to get medication for his arm and he wouldn't see a single friend in sight. He felt as though he had indirectly caused something to transpire between them the moment he was taken away from them.

So, on the night of July 24th, after his mother was fast asleep in the living room, Eddie had snuck upstairs to his room and called Steph. He had to wait through four or more rings on the other end before she answered.

"We got into a fight," she had explained to him. "Bill punched Richie and the whole group separated. Richie and I are not talking anymore..."

"We're alright, though, are we, Steph?" Eddie had questioned her in a meek voice.

"Of course we are, Eddie..." she answered in a gentle and consoling tone. "You're my boy, you're my kid, we'll always be alright."

Those words stayed in Eddie's mind for quite a bit of time, especially today; he had walked into town earlier to get a refill of his prescriptions to fix his broken arm, and he never spotted a single 'Missing' poster with his mother figure's picture printed onto it. Walking into the pharmacy and asking Mr. Keene for his refill, he recalled two memories from being in this building in the past month.

June 14th: when Steph and Beverly saw him, Bill, and Stan attempting to shoplift medical supplies for Ben Hanscom.

July 10th: when he had been lured into the basement of the pharmacy and saw the leper attacking what seemed to be Sonia Kaspbrak.

The first memory made him smile fondly as he recalled how amusing the situation truly was after his anxiety had slowly vanished. The second one made him shudder and try to forget it entirely, but it always stuck in his nightmares every single night. In all of them, he would hear the clown's voice in the back of his mind whisper: It won't do you any good to run, Eddie...

As the telephone next to him at the kitchen table rang loudly throughout the house, Eddie heard the voice of Greta Keene speaking to him from when he was in the pharmacy just as he was about to get his medication. "You know it's all bullshit, right? Your medication. They're placebos..."

"What's 'placebo' mean?" he had asked Greta, a girl from his school that he really didn't like.

"'Placebo' means bullshit," Greta had replied with wide and dramatic eyes.

At first, he hadn't believed it, as it couldn't be possible. If placebo meant 'bullshit,' then that surely had to mean that his medication had all been a lie and that his mother had made up symptoms of sickness. If that was true, then he would be pissed at Sonia for as long as he lived, since it was her fault for keeping him locked up and her fault for making him think he was too fragile to go out in public.

Picking up the receiver, he placed it against his left ear. "Hello?" he mumbled quietly.

"Hey, Eds, it's Richie," came his closest friend's voice from the other end. "Look, you've got to meet up with me and the others at the Standpipe. Steph and Beverly have gone missing, as well as the kids Steph normally babysits, Justin and Amber O'Connor..."

"All of them?" Eddie exclaimed quietly, trembling from head to toe. Not only were Daniel O'Connor's children missing, not only was a good friend of his missing, but the girl he saw as a true mother was missing with them as well.

"Yeah, all of them," Richie confirmed. "You've got to help us find them. Bill's beside himself, he's flipping the fuck out. Please, Eddie."

"O-Okay..." Eddie said, his hand clenching around the handle of the receiver. "I'll meet you there." He then hung up the phone.

Not wasting any time, he made his way towards the front door to go find his friends and those innocent kids. But, before he could take a step further after leaving the kitchen, his line of sight was blocked by a massive figure.

"And just where do you think you're off to?" Sonia Kaspbrak asked with a narrowed glare, tilting her head to the side.

Eddie backed down just a little bit, but he remained defiant, the interaction with Greta still in his mind. "Out with my friends," he answered in a snappy tone, staring up at his mother with rebellion in his eyes.

"Sweetie..." Sonia spoke up, her voice more delicate and easy on him. "You can't go. You're getting over your sickness, remember?"

Eddie inaudibly scoffed, rolling his eyes into the back of his head. "My sickness?!" he said, a sarcastic smile planted on his face as he raised his voice. Was she really being fucking serious right now? "Okay, what sickness, Ma?"

After saying this, he needed to prove a point by pulling out the small bottle of his medicine; only, right now, it looked like complete and utter cancer. It was all fake, he hated looking at the pills that resided in their little prison. Then, he sent a fiery glance to his mother. "You know what these are? They're gazebos!" He then flung the bottle towards the floor, not even caring that the medication was spilled out all over the floor. "They're BULLSHIT!" he added in a screech.

He wasn't even scared of his mother's piercing gaze that she returned to him in response to his outburst. He refused to give up now, as she would never be telling him how to run his life ever again. "They help you, Eddie..." she snarled at him. "I had to protect you."

"Protect me?!" Eddie shouted at her, his eyebrows raised. "You wanted to protect me from Steph, the girl that's been one hell of a better mother to me than you ever have been? You wanted to protect me by lying to me? By keeping me locked up inside this hellhole?! I'm sorry, but the only people that were actually trying to protect me were my friends. Especially Steph. And you made me turn my back on them when I really needed them. So, I'm going!"

With that, he walked right past his mother and stomped outside and down the front porch steps, ignoring his mother's pleas for him to come back to her.

"Eddie! Eddie, no!" Sonia screamed at him, pursuing him out of the house with her eyes prickling with tears. "YOU GET BACK HERE!"

"Sorry, Mom, I gotta go save my friends!" Eddie called back without looking behind him, grabbing his bike and taking off.

"EDDIE! DON'T DO THIS TO ME, EDDIE!"

_____

Stan's POV

"Your friend, Steph, is missing?!" Andrea Uris exclaimed in pure shock as she stared at her only son, putting a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe what she was currently hearing.

"She is..." Stan mumbled, his eyes still wide from having heard the news over the phone from Richie. "My other friend, Beverly Marsh, is missing, too. And Daniel and Rachel O'Connor's kids are missing as well."

"Justin and Amber?" Stan's mother breathed out, her eyes filling with tears of fear for who her son was talking about. "Oh, those poor kids... Rachel's been through enough... You said you need to go find them?"

"I do..." Stan confirmed as he nodded, pressing his lips tightly together in order to avoid chickening out on this mission. "I don't know where they are but I can't lose them like so many families have lost their loved ones. I'm not letting that happen again."

Andrea gave her son a sad little smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding her head. "You're very brave, Stanley," she praised him, her eyes now full of care and contentment. "You can go out and try to find them, but make sure you're home before the curfew, okay, darling?"

"I will, Mom, I promise," Stan replied, even though he knew that there was a possibility that he would never come back home when this was all over.

"This girl, Beverly..." Andrea spoke up out of nowhere. "You haven't told me about her. Is she nice?"

"Yeah, she is," Stan answered with a fond smile. "She's always nice to talk to. She's a good friend."

"I haven't seen Steph in a long time... Is she still a good friend to you?"

"Yeah, she really is," Stan said. "Steph's like a baby sister to me... I'd do anything for her. She's my family."

"Well, then you go find those girls," Andrea practically demanded. "You get Steph back to her mother, and you get those kids back to Rachel. They already lost their husbands, they can't lose their children, either..."

"I know..." was all Stan said before he left.

_____

Mike's POV

"The O'Connor kids are missing, too?!" Mike Hanlon gasped, his voice nearly the loudest volume known to man, his hands clenching into fists. This was the biggest surprise of all, as he had realized that Steph was right the day the group had that fight after the first trip to Neibolt. Now his kids are in danger.

The Hanlons used to be close with the younger generation of the O'Connor family, such as Daniel, Justin, Rachel, and Amber. William Hanlon, Mike's father, had been very close friends with Daniel all the way until his death in 1980. Even then, Mike's grandfather, Leroy, still stayed in contact with the younger man as he had been the only member of his family to accept them for who they were. He never cared about their race and saw them as any other normal people.

As a result, Daniel's extremely racist family had disowned him and hated him for the rest of their lives; but he had never cared about that, still remaining friends with William and saving his life with the help of Dick Hallorann the night of the Black Spot fire in 1962. Their friendship had remained intact until William and his wife, Jessica Hanlon, burned alive in the now destroyed house on Harris Avenue eighteen years later when Mike was only four.

Mike knew Daniel a little bit, but mainly because of Steph being associated with his kids, Justin and Amber. He had met the kids a few times, and they took a liking to him because of his kindness and him being friends with their babysitter. The family was always nice to him, so it was an immense shock when Daniel suddenly passed away a few days after summer vacation had begun and the night after he had seen the illusion of his parents burning in that house.

When Steph had screamed at him and the other Losers that It had killed the kind man, Mike had instantly believed her.

"Yuh-Yeah, they are," Bill replied from the other end in a trembling voice. "You've got to help us, Mike, alright? Wuh-Wuh-We can't lose a-any of them. I-I-I-I-I can't lose St-Steph..."

"Okay, I'll meet up with you guys," Mike confirmed before hanging up the phone.

He turned to his right and saw Leroy Hanlon standing in the doorway of the kitchen, his arms crossed and a grave expression on his face.

"I have to –" Mike began, but was cut off.

"I understand," Leroy interrupted him. "Go find them, son. Your father and Daniel would want you to. Those kids can't be gone forever. Go find them and your friends. Just don't stay out past curfew..."

"I promise I won't," Mike said.

_____

Ben's POV

"Bill, you better not be joking around with me," Ben Hanscom spoke into the phone almost sternly, his hands trembling almost violently. Hearing from his friend that the girl he adored the most in this world (Beverly) had just gone missing nearly gave him a heart attack. Not only that, but one of the first people to ever show him kindness (Steph), and two children that said person cared the most about it were also missing as well.

Those poor kids, he thought solemnly. They've already been through enough! When the hell will that clown give up?

Being home alone at the moment, Ben was praying that the person on the other end of the phone was just messing with him or pulling his leg.

"I'm n-nuh-not joking, Ben," Bill replied in a quivering voice, making Ben's heart completely drop. "I need you tuh-to help us find them. We n-n-n-need to save our guh-girls. I know how much yuh-you care about Bev. She'd wuh-want you to help us..."

"I'll meet you at the Standpipe," Ben said instantly, standing up from his desk and grabbing his backpack. "We can't let them die, Bill. Especially those kids. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Th-Thanks, Ben," Bill said in response, a smile clearly in his voice. "That son of a b-b-bih-bitch is gonna pay. Wuh-We'll see you soon."

Ben hung up the phone and left the house, grabbing his bike and hopping it onto it as quickly as he could. He then rode down the street, determined not to let his crush, friend, and those kids be killed anytime soon.

A/N: boy, was that a LONG ass chapter! but it's finally here!

ANYWAYS, thoughts on this chapter? did you like it?

thoughts on the scene where georgie's body is found? and it's actually him, not pennywise in the form of him. it's so heartbreaking that steph was in denial about him being dead at first☹️

thoughts on every loser's reactions to steph, justin, and amber being missing?

which reaction was your favorite?

did you like how each scene taken from the film was accurate but with a few added parts?

predictions for the next chapter?

i would say be looking forward to the next chapter... but it's going to be devastating. grab some tissues...

-denbroughswife