𝐈𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐒

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎

June 10, 1989

Almost a year had gone by since Riley (Y/L/N), and Georgie Denbrough went missing on that rainy October afternoon. The two never returned from their boat race and the only proof of it ever happening was a waterlogged pink swan stuck between two twigs in the gutter at the intersection at the end of the block. Its nose was smashed into its fat neck, and the words The Riley Express were dripping with black ink. You could have sworn that you had seen a bloody handprint on it before the police picked it up off the ground and filed it away as evidence. There was no use getting any adults to listen to you, though. And trust me, you've tried.

School had finally let out for the summer and The Loser's Club had just finished dumping the remnants of their school supplies into the trash cans lined up outside the courtyard. When it came time for you to toss your books, you first fished your copy of (Y/F/B) from the front pocket before rejecting everything else.

"Come on (Y/N/N), school's out, sun's out. You don't need to read that shit anymore!" Richie criticized, shaking his head as you blushed and tucked the novel into your now empty bag.

"I'll have you know that (Y/F/B) is a classic! I would have read this even if it weren't an assignment," You retaliated, grabbing your ruby red bike from the curb and swinging your leg over the side. Once everyone mounted their bikes, you rode off towards the jumble of neighborhoods which coincidentally, you all either lived in or relatively near.

As you rode down the columns and rows of almost identical houses, everyone said their goodbyes and swerved into their driveways one by one. Richie was the first to go, signing off with an impression that no one recognized or even cared to decipher. Then was Stan, then Eddie, and finally you. As you leaned the handlebars towards your driveway, you were suddenly stopped by Bill.

"C-can you come over for a sec? I w-wanna show y-you something."

You wanted to say no. You really did. Your parents were home and they always gave you weird looks when you came home even just a minute late. Not to mention Bill's recent obsession with the Barrens which meant coming home at the end of the day smelling like sewage. That just drew in more questions. 

The look on your friend's face was pathetic so you agreed and peddled faster to catch up with him. The two of you jumped from your bikes and dropped them in front of Bill's house before hurrying to the side entrance through the garage. Instantly, you were greeted with the smell of wood shavings and dust. It always lingered in the garage, but right then it was the most potent you'd ever smelled, and little flecks of dust were still flying through the air as you entered. Bill gulped and looked towards the corner where Mr. Denbrough was standing, arms crossed and a look of disappointment on his wrinkled face.

He didn't look like that before October. None of your parents did. Something changed inside of them and that same weight slowly spread to their faces. Something that made them want to snap at you for every little thing you did wrong. Something that weighed down on their skin and made bags pool underneath their eyes and tug at the corners of their lips, forcing them to frown. You tried to remember a time when your mother was beautiful. A time when she didn't sigh when you entered a room. A time when she was happy. But nothing came to mind.

"Billy, what did I say about doing this?"

Bill twitched, slowly walking over to the small contraption lying on the workbench against the far wall. You hesitated a moment before following, not liking the glare you were receiving from your friend's father. He was giving you that look that read 'I know you had nothing to do with this but that doesn't mean I won't blame you for it' which you were used to from him and his wife.

On the table next to Bill's empty hamster cage was a labyrinth of tunnels. Bill stood next to the lid, which was labeled Witcham intersection in his distinguishable messy handwriting. You gulped, somehow already knowing where this was going.

Giving you a sideways glance, Bill dropped two army men into the tunnel. They fell to the bottom, and after a shot of hose water was sprayed down the same opening, they began zigzagging through the twists and turns that the maze was comprised of. After a few more seconds, they made their final descent into the tunnel labeled Barrens. Your eyes grew wide, and you looked up at Bill. He nodded and a silent conclusion was made between the both of you.

"Stop this!" Mr. Denbrough shouted. His voice boomed in the small room. You flinched involuntarily and Bill put a hand on your shoulder. "But th-this is proof," He argued, "We ne-need to send a se-search party down to the Ba-Barrens. If Georgie and Ri-Riley made it out the other side, they could still be-be there. Even better, th-they might have followed the creek towards the fa-farm."

Mr. Denbrough glared and trudged over to his son. Later you would remember the expression on his face mirroring that of your father when you would return home later that afternoon. He approached Bill, pushing you out of the way in the process. "Georgie is dead and so is that little girl!"

"No, they aren't!" Bill cried back, shoving his father lightly. They both looked ready to snap. You couldn't picture either of them backing down from this standoff. With Bill's determination and his father's indifference, it was at a stalemate as far as you could tell. All at once you regretted letting him convince you to come over. 

Bill's father sighed and pinched his nose, finally stepping off. "Go home (Y/N). Your parents are probably worried."

Without saying another word you wiped the invisible dirt from your shirt and walked back towards your bike. It wasn't until you reached your own driveway that you noticed the half-dried tears clinging to your cheeks. Whether they were the result of Mr. Denbrough's harsh words or the realization that your sister could still be out there, you didn't know.

(A/N: Did you know that the Loser Club members have their own Spotify playlists? I'm listening to Eddie's as I write this. Anyways yeah, how do you like the first chapter? I wrote this really quickly. Thanks for reading the story, and I hope you like how it turns out. /Second AN: Editing this is such a rollercoaster. I can't believe people actually read this story before I came back and fixed it. /Third AN: WHAT THE FUCK WHY WAS THIS SO SAD WHAT WAS 13 YEAR OLD ME GOING THROUGH?)