Shout: A Nightmare on Neibolt Street || Reddie [COMPLETED]

chapter 21

Two weeks later Mike was still missing: tens of posters were hanged around Derry despite they weren't any different to the other hundreds of the rest of the missing kids. Mike was gone and so was the joy he used to bring with him: the Losers Club felt wrong without him.

Every day, they went to the quarry, the Barrens and the clubhouse, hoping to see him there. None of them had any clue where their friend could be but, after some time had passed by, they realized they needed to go to the well house.

Eddie got closer to Richie when Beverly told them.

"Are you sure?" Bill's stutter was forever gone.

"It lives there, Bill." she insisted. "If Mike's somewhere it's at Neibolt Street." her sight covered all her friends and she soon saw Eddie's fear. "You don't have to come with us Eddie, you know that, right?"

Still sheltering in Richie's body, the small boy thought about his options: the last time he was in that house he was being chased by Pennywise and Henry after Richie tried to... he shook his head. That wasn't Richie, it never was. But going back there would only bring him dark memories about what happened there.

"Eddie! I'm so happy for you. That's amazing and I totally support you! Any man will be lucky to be with you."

He remembered Mike's reaction when he told him his sexuality last year. He was so sweet with him... he had always been.

"Oh my God, are you serious? I mean, I was suspecting something but that's... wow, I can't even describe it. Since when? Wait no, don't tell me. Okay, yes, tell me. Will you tell Richie? I bet he feels the same!"

Mike had always been Eddie's moral support since they became friends in seventh grade: he was always there for him. And now, Mike was the one who needed him. And he wasn't going to turn his back at him.

"No, it's fine. I will go."

"Eddie..."

Eddie looked up at Richie taking distance from him.

"You don't have to worry, Rich. I'm fine."

"We aren't forcing you to do so." Ben intervened.

"Yeah." Richie tried his best to convince him. "We can stay in my house and watch a movie while-"

"Mike would go there if it was me."

"But Mike isn't the one having nightmares every night for the past months about that house." Stanley said.

Everyone noticed that, since him and Bill started dating, he had become a more caring person. They liked that but they also missed Stanley being rude sometimes.

"Stop! I said I'm going."

Eddie's decision was final and none of them could change that, not even Richie: Mike was in danger and he had to help him.

Not satisfied with Eddie's choice, Richie pointed at him with his finger.

"If you're getting hurt I will kill you."

"That doesn't make-"

"Don't you even try, Ben." Beverly said. "Love doesn't make sense."

"Oh yeah?" Stanley's attitude was back. "I wouldn't say you know much about love, Marsh."

With a proud smile, Beverly crossed her arms.

"Try me."

"W-what? Are you dating someone?" Richie felt offended. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Her name's Kay."

"McCall?" Bill watched how Beverly nodded. "She's nice, I guess."

Sadness surrounded Ben's thoughts but decided to move on: at least she was still keeping the poem he wrote her when they were thirteen. He also realized he was the only one straight in the group since Mike was asexual.

"And I want to kill that stupid clown before It takes her."

"What's the plan, then?" Stanley asked.

"The ritual of Chüd." Beverly explained again. "It's the only way to end It."

"But it didn't work the first time." Richie said.

Beverly focused on Bill, holding Stanley's hand.

"That's because someone broke the cercle."

"Hey! Don't look at me! I was worried about Stan."

"Whatever." Beverly continued. "We really need to make it work this time."

"How do you know all of this?" Ben questioned. "I mean, why are you in the cult?"

The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. It was the third time she explained that.

"When my sister died my parents joined the cult to bring her back. Its price was that I was forced to join the cult too, but it didn't say anything about loyalty."

"Did she resuscitate?"

"Does Pennywise radiate fairness to you, Richie? Of course not. But the deal was already done so..."

They all understood what she was going to say so no words were needed. Her eyes shined with tears and rubbed them, trying to stop their path.

Feeling her pain, Bill walked towards her and hugged the hurt girl: he knew his father wasn't the same after that and her mom died a few days later.

"Just tell us what to do, Bev."

She sobbed quietly and replied his gesture.

"The ritual." she said. "The perform it requires a sacrifice."

"Sacrifice? I nominate Eddie." Richie joked.

"Wait, what?"

"Because you're little. You'll fit on a barbeque."

"I'm 5'5". It's, like, average height in most of the world."

"It's not that kind of sacrifice, guys." Beverly explained. "We need to find an artifact that has value for us and sacrifice it."

Ben, Stan, Bill, Eddie and Richie looked at each other in confusion.

"Just as I said, I sacrifice Eddie." he joked.

"Hey, we don't you shut the f- oh wait," he soon understood. "okay I get it now. It's not sweet, though."

Beverly left Bill's side and decided to speed up since Mike's life was in danger.

"An hour. That's what we have. We'll meet here then."

"But how do we know which ones are our tokens?" Stanley asked, still confused.

"You'll know when you find them."

And with that, they split up in groups: Stan and Bill on one hand, Richie and Eddie on the other one and, finally, Beverly and Ben were on their own.

But some things must be held in the past. Unfortunately, their deepest secrets were going to show up and reveal their true selves, ones that should stay hidden.