𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 - 𝐫.𝐭𝐨𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫.

sewers and secrets

SEWERS AND SECRETS

august 1989

The arcade game emitted an unnaturally bright light on Dawn and Richie's faces, causing shadows under his glasses and her staple sunglasses.

"C'mon, cmon!" He begged, moving his fingers rapidly on the buttons.

"You've gotten better, Rich," Dawn expressed, "But you still can't beat me!"

"You're on!"

They battled for a minute or two, focused heavily on the screen. The tie on her shirt kept coming loose, causing her to pause for a second to tighten it. While she was tugging on the patterned fabric a voice echoed through the room, catching her attention.

"Richie, Dawn!"

Dawn swung her head around for a split second, whispering to her boyfriend, "It's Bill."

"What do you want?" He growled, keeping his eyes on the game, "See that guy I'm hitting? I'm pretending it's you."

"I-i-it got Beverly," The unwanted boy stuttered.

"What are you talking about?"

"It, Richie. It got Beverly."

Dawn gasped, turning to her boyfriend, "The fucking clown."

They faced bill, abandoning their game of Street Fighter and running out of the arcade.

.....

Seven of the eight members of The Losers Club rode down the streets on the way to a crackhead house. Dawn's sunhat was flopping down in front of her eyes, making her rip it off and shove it in her backpack. They threw their bikes down on the road in front of the house, not bothering to kick up the stands, except for Stanley.

"guys, spikes," Bill called, gathering the weapons Beverly used to impale the monster during their last visit to the hell hole.

Richie picked up a glass bottle, smashing it on the wooden handrail. The glass shattered to the neck, rendering it useless. Dawn figured the larger glass shards could be of use and bent down to shove them carefully into her backpack.

She glared warily at the blue car parked across the road but thought nothing of it, following Bill into the dangerous house.

The flashlight clasped in her petite hand had cast a white light on the gloomy walls, finding a large rat lurking in the shadows.

"Stan?" Eddie called for the boy still standing outside, practically shaking in his metaphorical boots.

"Stan we all have to go. B-b-Beverly was right," Bill started, "If we split up like last time, the clown will kill us one by one. But if we s-sti-stick together, all of us, we'll win."

"If I die because you don't come with us today, I will haunt you forever and ever, until the end of your days. You can decide," Dawn promised, grabbing Richie's hand tighter.

Stan nodded and stepped over the broken plank of wood, following his friends while they searched the run-down house.

"Good cheer, good friends," Dawn chuckled, pointing her flashlight at the ominous writing, "Good killer clown trying to eat my face off."