014. THE END
▌ THE TWO HAD DECIDED to split up, Bailey would go find Richie and Eddie, meanwhile, Bill would navigate Stan, Mike, and Ben. The sight of her father couldn't leave her head. The blood, there was so much blood. She didn't know if she should've helped or not, what if he woke up and saw Bill there? What would he have done? These thoughts circled round and round her head.
She ran across the street to the arcade, still in the dress. She sighed about the fact she didn't have enough time to change. The girl barged inside, running towards Richie playing street fighter.
'IT got bev.'
———
A plan hadn't been made yet, but they knew something had to be done. Bailey couldn't let her sister die.
Not this way.
The kids gathered up in front of the haunted house, some bringing weapons to protect. Mike brought a gun used on the farm, this could come in handy. Bill brought a bat. Bailey brought an axe she found in the forest a while ago.
They had to defeat it.
Bailey took a deep breath. They all did. The kids didn't know what could happen, but nothing bad would happen, right? It's only a killer clown. That is what Bailey had been saying to herself ever since her first encounter, in the woods.
The losers let out no words, but an unspoken thought circled their minds. Suddenly, making everyone turn an unexpected loud noise occurred. Richie stood with a broken glass bottle in his hands looking back at the stares.
Bill began putting back his bag on, making his way to the stairs. This signalled the rest of them to follow.
The house felt eerier than the last time they went. It had this feeling to it, an indescribable feeling.
The door creaked as it opened, bails and Bill with flashlights trying to let in as much as light possible. But who knows how much light would take to truly make this place bright.
"Stan?" Ben called out. They turned, realising Stan's fears had gotten to him again. He stood by the entrance, eyes wide.
"Stan, we all have to go." Bill tried acting calm, but the house wasn't a safe environment for anyone. "Beverly was right, if we split up that clown will kill us one by one." Stan looked down to the floor. "But if we stick together, all of us will win. I promise." An innocent smile was passed on from Bailey.
He stepped inside.
The group walked down the steps which led to the basement. Cautious with each step. Flashlights in each hand guided them towards the rotten well. The well that could end it all. "Beverly?" Ben yelled, his voice echoing. Bailey turned, picking up a small pebble, and chucking it inside. A minute later, the pebble was heard at the bottom. "How the fuck do we get down there?" Bailey began to get impatient. Every minute spared meant every extra minute her sister was down there.
Bill turned, looking around till he spotted a rope.
The seven pushed the rope inside, attaching it to the hook above the well. Without hesitating, Bailey attached herself to it and began to climb down. The boys went one by one after her. The smell filled Bailey's lungs, making it slightly hard to breathe. "Shit" Bailey muttered, nearly losing her balance. The further she went, the closer she could see the bottom.
Finally, her feet were able to touch the crumbled ground. The redhead took her flashlight again, shon it upwards watching the rest come down. Mike being last. Once Bill was down, they began to go inside the square hallow in the wall of the well. Bailey took a deep breath, trying to control all her emotions. A million thoughts raced through her head.
Then suddenly, a scream.
"Shit, what was that" Bailey whispered, the boys with her hurried along the hole, going back to the well. Bailey looked up, seeing the face of Henry Bowers. Covered in blood, with a psychotic smile pierced on. "MIKE?" Bailey yelled, not getting a response back.
"MIKE?" The losers all repeated, their voices sending echoes. Henry began muttering a word, a word that they couldn't figure out. And within that second, he began frantically bringing up the rope. The rope that brought them down, which was meant to rescue them too. Still no sight of Mike, yet their voices grew louder and louder, yelling for their friend. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Richie screamed. Henry's voice spoke, but it was too faint for the kids to hear inside.
"what's happening? what's he saying? MIKE?" Bailey began to panic, the thought of not knowing what would happen stung. The losers all began shouting for Mike, their screams covering the grunting noises from above.
"I- I need to get up there," Bill said, panic rising in his voice.
"Are you insane? with what?" Eddie yelled at him, pulling him back.
The noise of the gun went off.
The losers all gave a look of fear to each other.
Then a bang.
A second after, the body of Henry Bowers went flying down past the kids. Bailey screamed, followed by the rest screaming. "WHAT THE FUCK?" Bailey yelled, looking up, Mike's head looking down at them.
"I'm okay." Mike breathed in and out. The losers all let out a relieving sigh. Mike began to reload his gun, and then without a warning, the rest of the bullets went flying down.
"Are you kidding me?" Bailey sighed.
"Guy's wheres stan?" They all suddenly turned, and Stan wasn't there. Not where he last was. "STAN! STANLEY" Eddie screamed. They all went further into the hole until there was an opening. Eddie got out, suddenly yelling. "grey water!" It looked like a tunnel, with two sides. Both with no light. Eddie led on, going left. The rest followed, screaming Stan's name.
"Bailey!"
The redhead suddenly turned. There was nothing there. Just the grey water which was shone with the flashlight. Bailey turned, to go follow the losers but just like that, they were gone. "Guys?" Bailey yelled, echoing.
"BAILEY"
Bev. It was Beverly's voice.
The girl began to run, and she followed the voice, leading her to Beverly. It was a circular door, Bailey reached over her hand, going to open it. It groaned with a creek, revealing what stood behind it. A wide ginormous area, but what caught Bailey's eyes was what stood towards the back. A mountain. A mountain with floating kids. The kids that went missing. Bailey's vision began to blur, her eyes being filled with tears. Georgie. He was there too.
"Bailey!" Beverly yelled.
"Bev!" Bailey ran towards her sister. She was sat straight, scuffed up with blood trailing down her hand. The concerned sister hugged her, grabbing her arm with a confused expression.
"Bev? What happened?" Bailey looked at her, but she didn't respond back. A tear trickled down Bev's eye, and without hesitation, she went back into the hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," Bails whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. She stood in the hug, not letting her sister go, not again. "Bev?" Suddenly her voice broke, and she fell down to her knees. It was as if her muscles had given up. "Beverly?" The name barely came out, she struggled through her breath slowly slowing down. A maroon liquid oozed out of her stomach. Where a knife had been.
The knife in Beverly's hand.
It reentered her, this time in the chest.
———
"Bev! Holy shit!" The six boys sighed in relief, upon seeing the redhead. A confused expression crossed their faces, seeing how Beverly was floating.
"H-how is she in the air?" Richie gasped. Ben began signalling the boys to pick him up, for him to go reach Beverly. He was now near her feet, pulling her down with all his strength.
The young girl was finally on the floor, her eyes rolled fully back. Ben held her head, looking at her. "Bev!" He shook her. She didn't wake up. "Beverly!" He tried again. No response. "WHY ISNT SHE WAKING UP?" His voice cracked, rising in fear. "BEVERLY PLEASE" He sobbed. He wrapped his arms around her, and when releasing, he planted his lips on hers.
Surprised and grossed out groans came from the boys circling, but it worked. Beverly gasped, looking into Ben's eyes. "January embers."
"My heart burns there too" The young boy's face filled with a smile.
"Jesus fuck!" Richie laughed, hugging the two. Then the rest of the boys joined in, hugging. Beverly broke out the hug, looking around.
"Where's my sister? Where's Bill?"
———
"BAILEY?" Billy yelled, rushing over to her body laying on the floor. Beverly was standing above her, slashing the knife in her. She turned to the voice of Bill, suddenly vanishing. The laughter of IT echoed. "Bailey?" His voice broke. He sat beside her, rocking her back and forth. "Bailey! Bailey! Wake up!" He sobbed, his tears choking him. The young boy shook his head, as tears came rushing out. He held onto the wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.
"B-bill-" The young girl choked her words out, gurgling on the blood which slowly suffocated her. She moved her hand slowly, barely making it to Bills. She was weak. The pain was taking control over her.
"Don't die.. please" He sobbed.
The rest of the losers came rushing. "Bailey?" Beverly gasped, falling down beside Bill. Tears fell down her cheeks. Richie rushed over, they were all circling around Bill, Bev and Richie. Richie began crying too, rubbing his eyes behind the glasses. Bailey's eyes began losing focus, gently closing.
"no no no!" Bill sobbed, constantly shaking his head.
Out of nowhere, IT's noise came. The laughter. IT jumped from above, down in front of the kids, making them all jump back leaving Bailey's soulless body on the floor. The manic laugh came out again, looking down at the body. "Aww poor little bails" He said, then laughing once again, looking up at them, running towards them.
All the kids began screaming, grabbing onto random weapons on the floor. Beverly went to hit it, but it immediately caught her. Mike suddenly appeared from behind, nearly hitting IT, but he suddenly got flung against the wall. They all attacked him at once, biting, kicking, grabbing, hitting. But suddenly, one by one all getting hit down to the floor.
Except one. Bill.
He held Bill by his neck, suffocating him. "LET HIM GO!" Beverly screamed, tears falling.
"No!" IT shook IT's head, smiling. "I'll take him. I'll take all of you just like how I took poor little bails." He laughed. "And I'll feast on your flesh as I feed on your fears... or you will just leave us be and I'll take him. Only him. Then I will have my long rest and you will all live to grow and thrive and lead happy lives until old age takes you back to the weeds" It laughed again.
"Leave!" Bill's voice broke. "I'm so s-s-sorry" No one moved. "GO!"
"Guys! We can't" Beverly looked at their faces. Their scared little faces. They were just kids. Richie got up, speaking. "I told you, Bill. I fucking told you, I don't wanna die. I didn't want anyone to die either. It's your fault. You punch me in the face, you made me walk through shitty water, you brought me to a fucking crackhead house, and now, I'm gonna have to kill this fucking clown." He grabbed a bat. "WELCOME TO THE LOSERS CLUB ASSHOLE" Richie hit IT across IT's face, causing IT to fall.
It rose back up, and once every loser was hitting it, it turned to their biggest fears. Ben quickly stabbed it, and black liquid floated out. IT fell on all fours, getting hit by the rest of the kids. "Hey, bevvy" It was him. Beverly's and Bailey's dad. "Are you still my little gi-" IT was cut off by a stab in the throat. The familiar face disappeared and there IT was again.
IT backed up as if it was crying like a little kid on the playground. "That's why you didn't kill Bev," Bill said. "It's because she wasn't scared of you. And that's why you won't kill us either. We're not scared of you."
"Oh! but Bailey sure was!" IT laughed, nonstop laughter. Flipping over inside the hole he was backed up against, suddenly fell in.
IT was gone.
The group sighed, not realising Beverly was gone. Gone to Bailey. They all rushed over to her body. Bill sat beside Beverly, Richie joining. Without knowing, they were all in a hug. She was gone.
Completely gone.
Their sobs echoed through, watching their best friend covered in blood, no longer alive. There was nothing they could do.
She was dead.
———
SEPTEMBER 1989
It was a nice sunny day. The grass had looked fresher than ever, and the air smelt of salt. The group of kids were sitting by a spot they had dedicated to themselves. It was surrounded by hydrangeas, Bailey's favourite. She liked the way they were blue, blue like her eyes.
"I thought I was dead. That's what it felt like. I saw us, all of us back here, but we were older. Our parents ages." Beverly explained.
"W-what were we doing?"
"I just remember how scared we were. I don't think I can ever forget that."
Bill got up, a shard of glass in his hand. "Swear it. S-swear if IT isn't dead if it ever comes back, we'll come back too. For Bailey."
Beverly was first to get up. Then Richie. Then the rest all at once. Bill went one by one, cutting the palms of their hands. Each one wincing in pain. They held each other's hands in a circle. They were glad they were safe, but it wasn't the same without her.
"I gotta go. I hate you." Stan said, looking at Bill. Breaking out in laughter, he walked away. One by one, they went away. Leaving the last two. Beverly and Bill.
Their silence was filled with the presence of Bailey. It's all they could think of.
"You all packed for Portland?" Bill tried making conversation.
"Yeah, pretty much" Beverly forced out a smile. "I'm going tomorrow morning."
"How long will you be gone?"
"Well, my aunt says I can stay for as long as I want."
Bill stared at her. Bailey's reflection was in her. "Just so you know," She smiled. "She really liked you."
He didn't respond back. Beverly got up and walked away. "See you around."
Bill eventually got up, got on his bike, and rode off. Going to her grave.
Bill sat down in front of it. Her name was written on it, it was brand new. The funeral was the week before, but her body wasn't there. There wasn't a way to tell anyone what they experienced and no way to explain it. So they had to leave it there. It wasn't Bill's choice. But every day since then, he'd go to her grave and talk to her. They had placed her right next to Georgies.
He watched it. A tear trickled down his cheek. All the memories of her rushed through his head. She was no longer there. He yet wasn't able to accept it. Losing someone you care about is like losing half of yourself. For Bill, it's like he lost all of him. More tears fell. He placed a flower on the watered grass.
"I love you, Bailey."
———
author speaks!!!
o m g
its the end of rwylm
BAILEYS DEAD. SOBBING.
lmk what book u guys want next !!
love — el