dead in the water ( IT CH:2 ) DISCONTINUED

i. welcome to derry!

ONE

Levi could hear her heartbeat pumping in her ears, her hands trembling as she tried to stuff as much of her belongings as she could into an old backpack; her hands shook and it took every ounce of her self-control not to sprint to the bathroom and puke her guts out. Everything still felt like a nightmare—a horrible one at that—and she wanted nothing more than to wake up and find that none of this was real.

Gathering up all of her courage, she snatched her keys off of the dresser and marched herself out of her home, shoving her backpack into the trunk of her car and getting into the driver's seat, sucking in a shuddering breath as she gripped the steering wheel, digging her nails into the leather. Tears welled up in her eyes and she could feel her chest growing tighter and tighter, leaning her head on one of her arms and squeezing her eyes shut; she began to force herself to take deep breaths, going through the motions of calming herself down just as she had done so many times before.

"Okay, Johnston, come on," She murmured to herself, slotting the key into the ignition and turning it, backing out of her driveway and starting the long drive from Maryland to Maine.

Levi drove all through the night and the better part of the next day, barely stopping to rest and shake off the numbness that had settled in her limbs; the rational part of her brain was telling her to turn back at the next exit she saw and go home, where she would be safe and sound, far away from the place and the things that still haunted her in her nightmares.

Despite this, she kept going until the large, rusted sign that read Welcome to Derry!  came into view; her heart sunk and her foot eased on the accelerator, causing the car to slow to a stop. Levi could feel her chest tightening, flexing her fingers around the steering wheel and leaning back into the seat as the foggy haze of her memories finally cleared, causing tears to spring to her eyes. Fragments of long-lost memories rushed back in an overwhelming manner; long bike rides through the streets of the small town with a group of boisterous kids, endless days spent at the arcade or at a quarry; a quaint, baby blue house at the corner of a cul-de-sac, and late-night sleepovers with Hannah.

Her hand reached for her phone in the middle console, fingers itching to dial a number she couldn't remember. Her heart pounded in her chest as her entire being was filled by a strong sense of yearning; she didn't know what her heart wanted, couldn't remember who it was calling to. All she knew was that now that she had stepped foot into what she had just remembered was her hometown, she could not resist that strange pull and twinge of emptiness that tugged at her heart.

Gathering up all her strength, Levi took a deep breath and pressed her foot down on the gas pedal again, driving away from the sign and further into the belly of the beast.

___________

The Derry motel smelled of dust and rotting wood; the room the hostess had given Levi wasn't much better. The edges of the green blinds were frayed, the carpet was peeling off the floor at the corners, and, by some miracle, the pipes in the bathroom still worked.

Levi sat herself down on the bed, folding her hands together and slotting them between her legs, trying her best to get them to stop shaking. She knew that the other Losers were staying somewhere around town, if not in the same motel as her, and the idea of seeing them again caused both butterflies in her stomach and shivers up her spine; she wondered if they had families, if they had good lives— but most of all, she wondered how they had taken the news.

The shrill ringing of her cellphone brought Levi back to reality, making her blink rapidly before reaching for the device, swallowing harshly as she saw Mike's name flash across the screen. Her shaking finger slid the green button to the right, and she pressed the phone to her ear.