THE GHOST IN YOU - IT [2]

chapter fifteen

"A mimic!"

With each insult, It charges at them, then halts before It can do any damage. The confidence within the group arises. "A fucking bully!"

"A psychopath!"

"You're just a fucking clown!"

It grows smaller as It shrinks back, twitching and crying out at the harshness of their words. The surround It, yelling words and insults that would have their mothers trembling. Richie jogs over and tears off It's claw that penetrated Eddie. Eventually, It is no larger than a newborn baby. Mike reaches forward and, with a sickening squelch, tears It's heart from It's chest.

"L-look at you... you're all grown up." It murmurs. One by one, the losers place their hands on the beating heart and dig their fingers into it. It hisses in pain as they crush It's lifesource. And just like that, the losers were one again.

-

The House on Neibolt Street collapses right as the losers burst into the morning fog. It crumbles to the ground, the air being invaded with dust. Richie calls for Eddie and makes a move towards the house, but Victor and Mike hold him back. Jaime spews some nonsense to him in a weak attempt at comforting him, but he seems adamant on getting back in there for the dead man.

Once the house is nothing more than a pile of rubbish, Richie falls silent. He complies to whatever the losers tell him to do and follows them to the quarry. Jaime sticks alongside him, but she knows better than to try to force words out of him. Silently, she grabs his hand and squeezes it with her own. He interlocks his fingers around hers.

The cliff now adorned a sign that read, "No Jumping or Diving at Any Time." As if that would stop the losers. They jumped over the metal bars and took their shoes off. They approach the quarry, Beverly jumping in first, as she had done all those years ago.

The green water seems unappealing initially, but once they're in, they can't imagine getting out. It's warm with the morning sun and cleanses their dirty bodies. Victor's wounds had clotted, but Jaime still frowned worriedly at him.

"If Eddie were here, he'd be telling you to get out right now before your cuts get infected or start mutating." Jaime points out humorlessly. Still, the losers chuckle.

"Yeah, he would've hated this." Ben says.

"He'd be telling us we'd get strep-de-cocle-something." Beverly smiles.

"He would've made us laugh, though." Mike nods fondly.

"He'd be looking out for us, the way he always was. Ain't that right, Richie?"

Bill's words cause Richie to begin sobbing, the floodgates unleashing. Wordlessly, Jaime swims over to him and wraps her arms around his upper body from behind. She presses her chin onto his shoulder, holding him as tight as she could. The same way she did when he'd sneak into her bedroom window, face decorated in various shades of throbbing bruises. His body rumbled under her chest, though he leaned into the touch ever-so-slightly.

The other losers join in, piling together in a group hug. Richie presses his face against Mike's arm and cries. They all each mourn the loss of Eddie Kaspbrak, and even Stanley Uris. Their best friends, the ones who had been so determined to help, yet too constricted by their own fear. Each had passed away as heroes, and never again would they be forgotten.

"Thank you. I don't have my glasses on so I don't know who you people are, but thank you." Richie says after a moment. Everyone laughs, but he continues, "I legit can't find my glasses."

"Seriously?" Chorus the losers. All of them, save for Richie and Jaime, dive underwater to search for Richie's second eyes.

Jaime says nothing, just positions herself so she's sitting on the rock next to him.

"I wouldn't change anything about the years I spent with you, I hope you know." He blurts out, squinting over at her. She raises her brows, egging him to go on. "Just because... I wasn't... you know, it doesn't mean I regret those years. You showed me what love was supposed to feel like. Maybe I never had a real relationship after that because I was unknowingly holding everyone to your exceedingly high standards." Jaime snorts at that. "I'm serious, Jay. I think your husband is a fucking idiot."

"I wouldn't change anything either, Rich. And for the record, my husband is a fucking idiot. I don't... I don't want him anymore." She gulps, rubbing a smudge of dirt off her hand underwater. "It's not fair, though. That you... Eddie's not here..."

Richie hums. "No, it's not fair. It's not fair at all."

A/N: this is so short and kinda half-assed i know but i am just REALLY excited about the next chapter and that one will be infinitely better. on the plus side i updated two days in a row so...