Blood Rose (Completed)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The crutches were hell to walk with and Katherine had left them in Richie's car. He had proposed to drive her towards the small bed and breakfast where most of them were staying. The others made their way to their sleeping place on their own.

"What happened?"

It was the first time Katherine had heard Richie's voice carry a serious tone and she glanced at him.

"Bowers," she replied and shrugged. "I have no idea who he is, well was. He came in the library, armed with a knife..."

"Yeah yeah," Richier stopped her, "I know that. How come you survived? You didn't behead him yourself. I'm sure of that," the man told her and then stared at her in shock. "Or at least, I hope so. Did you behead him yourself?"

Katherine turned a bit and fully faced him.

"No," she said with a straight face and saw how relief washed over the man's face. He wore his glasses instead of lenses, Katherine noticed.

"It was Pennywise," she said and looked back through the window while Katherine ignored the heavy pressured silence that suddenly lingered in the car.

"Wait," Richie finally spoke while he parked the car in front of the small, cosy looking bed and breakfast. "IT saved your ass?"

Katherine licked her lip because she sudden felt thirsty before she turned to Richie. She didn't meet his gaze.

"Yes," was the only reply she could give because that was the truth.

He shifted in his seat.

"Fucking fuckity," he murmured, "why did IT do that?"

Katherine shrugged her shoulders, got out of the car (with less elegance she wanted due to her leg) and leaned against the door.

"Do you smoke," Katherine asked and made a mental note to buy a pack of cigarettes later.

Richie nodded slow, gave her one and leaned against the car himself. The smoke filled the air around them and Katherine sighed.

"I don't know," she finally replied to his question. "I ... we... I don't know," she said, frowning and watching her cigarette between her fingers. "I didn't know he was a murderer. Didn't know he wasn't even human. He seemed so ... human."

Richie stared at her, she felt his eyes on her face yet he didn't speak.

"I knew him as Robert Gray," she went on. "Met hem weeks ago, months actually. He was different. I liked him. A lot," the laugh that escaped her wasn't a happy one. "He acted weird sometimes. Disappeared, got angry. Then he was really sweet, took care of a wound, took me to the fair. We spend hours talking and laughing."

"Wait," Richie moved next to her. "Are you saying Robert Gray and you..."

Katherine didn't let him finish his sentence and threw her cigarette on the ground.

"I'm not saying I fucking love Robert Gray," she spoke harshly and kicked her cigarette away from her. Though, the moment she said it, Katherine knew it wasn't the full truth. No, she didn't love Robert, but she was quite certain that she would have if there had been more time. Now, she just had the feeling that she was starting to fall in love with him. IT. The Clown. Whatever IT was.

She shook the confusing thoughts out of her head. A headache formed above her eyes and Katherine would be happy to never have this conversation again.

"Then what are you saying? That he saved you because he likes you? Fuck this is some cosmic fucked up shit," Richie brushed his fingers through his curls and Katherine saw the others arriving one by one.