Experiment - BYLER + REDDIE

➵ chapter three

➵ reunion

June 20th, 1986

Derry, Maine

"'Scuse m-me, I just n-n-need to go to the buh-b-bathroom." Bill stood up from Stan's bed and entered the bathroom, planning to help Will sneak out, but Will wasn't in there. Bill looked above the sink and became very worried when he saw the open window. There was no way to get out of that window without injuring yourself. Bill knew from experience, and it was not fun to fall from that high.

He opened the bathroom door and cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of his friends.

"Ruh-Richie, come here for a moment?"

Richie furrowed his eyebrows. "In the bathroom with you?"

"Yes, Richie, g-get in here."

Richie shrugged and joined Bill in the bathroom.

"What's-"

"W-Will is m-missing," Bill whispered.

Richie's eyes widened, then he whispered, "What?! How?"

"He c-came in here when y-you came in with M-M-Mike, and now the wuh-window is op-pen and he's guh-gone."

"Why was he at Stan's in the first place?"

"They th-thought w-we were m-meeting at y-your house!"

"Well," Richie sighed, "we need to find him. Right now."

Bill nodded, and the two boy's left the bathroom.

"Change of plans, ladies," Richie said as he walked toward Stan's bedroom door. "We're leaving."

"What? Why?" Eddie asked.

"Scavenger hunt." Richie winked at Stan and Eddie, and they understood. They were looking for Will. Mike was very confused, but he didn't have anywhere else to go, so he followed Richie and his friends downstairs and outside.

"Okay, we're splitting up into teams," Richie said once they were outside. "Mike will search my house, Me and Eddie will search Eddie's house, Bill and Stan can search Bill's house."

"Hey, I can't go alone," Mike pointed out. "I don't know what we're looking for."

Richie groaned. "Fine. Eddie, you go alone, I'll go with Mike."

Eddie frowned, but agreed, and the groups split up.

—

Will continued to run, and eventually, he arrived at Richie's house. He didn't know where else to go, and he knew Richie's parents would be at work, so that was the first place he thought of.

He ran into the basement, stumbling because of his concussion, his pounding headache, and the tears blurring his eyes, and finally, he collapsed onto the couch.

—

Richie and Mike entered the Tozier house, both panting from sprinting all the way there.

"You go downstairs, and I'll look upstairs."

Mike nodded, and went down the stairs, planning on collapsing on the couch as soon as he got downstairs, but before he was even halfway down, he heard sobs drifting up the stairs. Strangely familiar sobs...

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he gasped, there was a girl sitting on the couch, crying with her head in her hands. He ran forward and kneeled in front of her.