MIKE WALKED into his kitchen, setting his grocery bags on the counter.
"Ash!" He called. "I have food!"
There was no answer, and Mike heaved a sigh. "Jesus, she's still pouting?"
He walked up the stairs, saying, "Ash, look, I know you're upset, but you have to eat."
He knocked on the spare bedroom's door. "Ash."
When there was again no answer, he opened it, saying, "You are going to eat whether you–"
He stopped dead, feeling his face go pale.
"Holy fuck." He whispered, his eyes scanning the walls.
They all bore the same message, written in something that looked mysteriously like blood:
YOU WERE TOO LATE.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" He shakily turned and bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time.
He had to go to the one person he knew could help.
The one person who wanted nothing whatsoever to do with him.
~
A loud banging on Stan Uris's apartment door woke Richie up from his nap.
"Fucking hell." He muttered, and motioned for Stan to sit down.
"I'll get it, Stan the Man, you enjoy your cuddle time with Bill."
He smirked as Stan's face went fire engine red, but before he could say anything, Richie had turned and exited the living room, walking towards the front hallway and opening the front door.
There, standing in front of him, his face as white as snow, was Mike Wheeler.
"Richie." Mike said anxiously, and Richie growled, "You son of a bitch. I don't want to hear anything you've got to say."
He peered over Mike's head. "Huh, where's Brenner? Thought she'd be hanging all over you. Ashley always did have a way of seeing the best in everyone."
The words bitterly fell from his tongue. He hadn't called her by her full name in a long time, and the word felt foreign. Distant.
"She's not here." Mike said. "She's gone."
Richie snorted. "Well, why don't you go find her? This is a waste of my time."
And then, he closed the door in Mike's face with a slam.
"Wait, you asshole!" Mike exclaimed through the door as Richie began to walk away. "She's gone, Richie! Do you hear me!? ASH IS GONE!"
Richie stopped slowly, and then headed back towards the door, flinging it open, his eyebrows drawn.
"What the hell are you talking about, Wheeler?"
"Can I come inside?"
Richie narrowed his eyes, but grudgingly held the door open for him.
As Richie closed the door, Mike hurriedly began to tell him what happened, ignoring the fight they had had before.
As he finished, Richie said in a hard voice, "Why did you leave?"
Mike did a double take. "What?"
"Why did you leave her alone in the house?"
"Uh, I don't know, maybe because we were out of food and I figured she might be hungry?" Mike said, and Richie squinted at him.
"Why was she there anyway?"
"Because you took off and left!" Mike exclaimed angrily. "And now she's gone and I don't know where the fuck she is!"
"Don't you dare blame this on me." Richie said, pointing at his cousin. "This on you, Wheeler. Ashley is missing, and it's your fault!"
Mike's face darkened, and he hissed, "You know she doesn't love you anymore right? She moved on a long time ago."
Richie swallowed hard, and winced as he moved his arm down too quickly, his t-shirt sleeve brushing against his wrist.
"How do you fucking know?" Richie snarled, and Mike laughed softly.
"How do I know?" He said. "I know because last night she had sex with me! And, correct me if I'm wrong, but she only had sex with you because she loved you."
He leaned in close to Richie's stunned expression. "So what does that tell you?"
Richie shoved him up against the wall. "It tells me that you should keep your goddamn mouth shut. I know you hate me, and I hate you too. But right now we have to fucking work together to save Ashley."
Mike wrestled free, grabbing Richie tightly by the wrist and saying sharply, "What's with the full name shit? Obviously you're not in love with her anymore. Hasn't the only thing you've ever called her been Ash?"
Richie let out an intake of breath at the pain in his wrist and wrenched it free from Mike, pressing his fingers to his sleeve and holding it there.
Mike's eyes flicked towards it, and he slowly met Richie's gaze, and opened his mouth to say something when Stan and Bill entered the room, looking between Mike and Richie.
Stan looked between the two of them. "What's going on?"
Richie dropped his hand from his wrist and jammed it into his pocket. "Nothing."
Stan shared a look with Bill and Richie barreled on, "Something happened to Ash. Something bad."
He nodded towards Mike, who's eyes were still trained on Richie's hidden wrist.
"Wheeler knows."
Mike's head jerked up as Stan folded his arms, staring at him.
"Alright, Wheeler. Out with it."
30 minutes later, they had all pulled up to Mike's house, leaving their bikes strewn all over the driveway as the followed him into it, the aftermath of the party still strewn everywhere.
"The guys are still asleep. They were up till 6." Mike muttered as they passed a sound asleep Will, Dustin, and Lucas.
"Why weren't you?" Ben asked curiously, and Richie avoided his gaze as Mike said flatly, "I was busy."
The subject was dropped as they neared the guest bedroom, and Mike slowly opened the door with a trembling hand.
When he saw what was inside, Richie almost passed out right then and there, letting out a sharp moan and sinking to the floor.
It didn't help that his stupid fucking wrists kept letting out little stabs of pain, and Eddie glanced at him anxiously.
"Rich? Are you okay?"
Richie slowly shook his head, and said hoarsely to Mike, "Did Ashley tell you about anything weird happening to her?"
Mike hesitated, and then said grudgingly, "She mentioned she had been having night terrors. And that she kept seeing some guy. Spencer something. She said he wanted to hurt her."
Richie felt the horrified gazes of Eddie, Stan, Bill, and Ben all turn to him as he pressed his lips together.
"I think–" He said shakily, and closed his eyes briefly before continuing, "I think I know where Ash is."
As the words fell from his lips, it was like pronouncing death, the doors held just slightly open a crack for him and the rest of the Losers slamming shut with a final bang.
hiii guys what's up!? i just finished watching children of the corn and i'm like,,,,disturbed? it wasn't scary, just weird. ugh. thoughts on this chapter?? vote and comment for me, see you soon!!