R+E - Reddie Oneshots

The Last of the Losers - Welcome Back

Finally, the final destination had been fulfilled, but everything was different.

Derry was abandoned, empty, and a little more frightening than it already was. The streets, as well as the main road the three of them were walking on, were full of cars and various bodies; Nature had already begun to take over the place, plants growing in small spans found on the street, in the buildings the vines grew without ceasing. On several walls, there were painted words written LEAVE WHILE YOU CAN or GOD ABANDONED US or even HELL IS HERE.

Among all that melancholy where they walked, where the busy center of the city must have been, there was someone, it seemed to be a man, standing, looking at nothing.

As they approached him, they could see better who he was. He was partially bald, with hair that went down to more or less the back of his neck and wore prescription glasses, the man wore a pharmacist's lab coat and sweatpants, he was barefoot.

Eddie recognized him as soon as he looked at the coat, it was Mr. Keene from the pharmacy. He stopped, and immediately pulled Richie and Ellie along.

- That... that man... is the ... the ...

- I know, Eds, I saw it. Look at me, don't look at him, keep focusi-

- It's... - Eddie's breath had started to get heavy.

- Eddie, look at me. - Said Richie. - Take a deep breath.

Suddenly, Ellie pulls out her bow, takes an arrow from her backpack and places it on it, holds her breath and releases the arrow, hitting Mr. Keene in the head.

- Whatever it was, it was no longer human.

Eddie's mouth was open, as was Richie.

- You forgot that there are infected around here, right? If I were you, I'd walk around with guns in hand. - She said.

She helped Richie to calm Eddie, and then they continued to walk, but now more cautiously.

As hostile as the city of Derry was, it was kind of sad to walk through it in that situation, but well, what we don't do for friends, right?

They walked through the Derry Library, the famous statue of Paul Bunyan, who curiously was no longer there, as well as ... the house on Neibolt Street. And so, a few minutes later, they had arrived in the woods near the Kenduskeag river.

-I remember being around here.- Richie said, looking at the land, looking for something.

All of a sudden, a person approaches with the gun aimed at all three.

- Stop! What do you want no... - The person stopped and looked at who two of the three were. - You?!

The person was Mike Hanlon, one of the last to join the Losers Club.

Without thinking twice, Mike wrapped them in a tight hug. It was remarkable how much he missed them both.

- I can't believe you are alive! You... you... - Mike suddenly punches them both in the arm. - Don't you ever leave us like this again.

Richie gave an embarrassed little smile and Eddie returned the hug giving him a tighter one. Ellie just watched, remembering her old travel companion, that old man who had taught her how to shoot and who crossed almost the entire country with her.

- How are you? - Richie asked.

- The question is how are YOU? - Mike replied.

- Well... we're fine as far as possible. - Said Richie.

Mike looked at Ellie and smiled.

- Ellie. You came too, decided to come back?

- Yes. - She answered a little embarrassed, scratching the back of her neck.

- Good, Ellie. We missed you. - Mike said, turning to the two. - Did you find another one of us around?

Eddie frowned. -No.- He said. - Why?

Mike suddenly changed his face from happy and relieved to a worried boy.

- Shit... shit.

- What is it, Mike? - Asked Richie.

Mike, distressed, sat on the floor and rubbed his face and took a deep breath.

- It's Stan. They took him. said Mike. - I thought with you coming he would be together and ... and ... shit, I don't know.

- And the others, where are they? - Said Eddie.

- Bill and Ben are looking for the school, Beverly is with Greta looking in the city center, which, by the way, I even thought they were back with you too, and I'm here defending our hiding place.

- Shit! Richie put his hands on his head. - Who took him? Do you know where they took him ?!

- The Butchers did it... and where to? Wel, I don't know... I even thought about preparing myself in case something happens and... we have to bury him.

- It won't happen, Mike. - Ellie said. - Let's do the search.

- But where? We've looked everywhere. Just yesterday I roamed the whole fucking forest and Stanny wasn't there! I... I miss him. - He started sobbing.

Ellie kneels down and puts her hand on Mike's shoulder.

- Listen to me, we'll find him. Trust me.

Mike took a deep breath and nodded.

- You stay here and the three of us are going back to the city. - Said Eddie.

THE END OF PART ONE