ONE
Levi could hear her heartbeat pumping in her ears, her hands trembling as she tried to stuff as much of her belongings as she could into an old backpack; her hands shook and it took every ounce of her self-control not to sprint to the bathroom and puke her guts out. Everything still felt like a nightmare—a horrible one at that—and she wanted nothing more than to wake up and find that none of this was real.
Gathering up all of her courage, she snatched her keys off of the dresser and marched herself out of her home, shoving her backpack into the trunk of her car and getting into the driver's seat, sucking in a shuddering breath as she gripped the steering wheel, digging her nails into the leather. Tears welled up in her eyes and she could feel her chest growing tighter and tighter, leaning her head on one of her arms and squeezing her eyes shut; she began to force herself to take deep breaths, going through the motions of calming herself down just as she had done so many times before.
"Okay, Johnston, come on," She murmured to herself, slotting the key into the ignition and turning it, backing out of her driveway and starting the long drive from Maryland to Maine.
Levi drove all through the night and the better part of the next day, barely stopping to rest and shake off the numbness that had settled in her limbs; the rational part of her brain was telling her to turn back at the next exit she saw and go home, where she would be safe and sound, far away from the place and the things that still haunted her in her nightmares.
Despite this, she kept going until the large, rusted sign that read Welcome to Derry! came into view; her heart sunk and her foot eased on the accelerator, causing the car to slow to a stop. Levi could feel her chest tightening, flexing her fingers around the steering wheel and leaning back into the seat as the foggy haze of her memories finally cleared, causing tears to spring to her eyes. Fragments of long-lost memories rushed back in an overwhelming manner; long bike rides through the streets of the small town with a group of boisterous kids, endless days spent at the arcade or at a quarry; a quaint, baby blue house at the corner of a cul-de-sac, and late-night sleepovers with Hannah.
Her hand reached for her phone in the middle console, fingers itching to dial a number she couldn't remember. Her heart pounded in her chest as her entire being was filled by a strong sense of yearning; she didn't know what her heart wanted, couldn't remember who it was calling to. All she knew was that now that she had stepped foot into what she had just remembered was her hometown, she could not resist that strange pull and twinge of emptiness that tugged at her heart.
Gathering up all her strength, Levi took a deep breath and pressed her foot down on the gas pedal again, driving away from the sign and further into the belly of the beast.
___________
The Derry motel smelled of dust and rotting wood; the room the hostess had given Levi wasn't much better. The edges of the green blinds were frayed, the carpet was peeling off the floor at the corners, and, by some miracle, the pipes in the bathroom still worked.
Levi sat herself down on the bed, folding her hands together and slotting them between her legs, trying her best to get them to stop shaking. She knew that the other Losers were staying somewhere around town, if not in the same motel as her, and the idea of seeing them again caused both butterflies in her stomach and shivers up her spine; she wondered if they had families, if they had good lives— but most of all, she wondered how they had taken the news.
The shrill ringing of her cellphone brought Levi back to reality, making her blink rapidly before reaching for the device, swallowing harshly as she saw Mike's name flash across the screen. Her shaking finger slid the green button to the right, and she pressed the phone to her ear.
"Levi?" Mike's voice came through the receiver.
"Yeah, Mike. It's me," Levi muttered, nibbling on her bottom lip. "I'm in Derry, at the motel. Got in at noon."
The line was quiet for a moment before Mike spoke up again, "Richie and Ben are in town. Bill too. We're all gonna head out to dinner when the rest get in. You up for that?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure." Levi's eyes wandered around the room, trying to distract herself from thinking about the real reason why they were all coming together. "It'll be nice to see you all again." She trailed off, "...Mike?" The man hummed in response, letting Levi know that he was listening. She took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to express her cloudy thoughts. "...Nevermind."
"Levi...You okay?" Mike inquired, his voice soft and full of concern.
Levi cleared her throat, "Yeah, uh...It's just...It's just weird, you know? I don't know how to explain it...It's scary—I mean, we haven't seen each other in 27 years, Mike. What if things are different? What if we can't do it anymore?"
"Lev, hey, no. Listen to me." Mike cut the woman off, his voice strong and reassuring. He knew the true reason why Levi was worrying over their reunion that night—he knew she wanted to ask about Stan and the rest of the Losers', about their lives, and all he knew about them. He knew she wanted to ask him about everything he remembered. "We'll be fine, Lev. Trust me."
Levi sighed heavily, closing her eyes and running her free hand through her hair, "Thank you, Mikey. I'll see you tonight."
"See you tonight, Lev."
"Hey, Mike," Levi rushed out, stopping Mike from hanging up the phone. The Johnston woman bit her lip, swallowing thickly as tears pricked her eyes and her heart swelled. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too, Lev," Mike spoke back, and Levi could hear the smile in his voice.
"See you later, Mike-boy."
With a soft chuckle, Mike repeated the sentiment back to her and the line went dead, leaving Levi in the eerie quiet of her motel room. She slowly let herself fall back onto the bed, looking up and tracing the thin lines made by the cracking paint on the ceiling; try as she might, she couldn't shake the feeling that settled deep in her stomach. The feeling that something wasn't right. Not in the slightest.
___________
Hannah Jameson drove into her hometown of Derry, Maine with the keys of her old childhood home in her purse and her heart in her throat; she drove down Main Street and turned the corner into the long, secluded road that led to the small, abandoned house, slowly turning the car keys in the ignition and sighing as the roar of the engine died.
Hannah slumped forward, eyes closed as fragments of memories of her life in Derry came flooding back one after the other; there were flashes of names—Richie, Stan, Eddie, Ben, and Beverly— and flashes of days spent at a secret clubhouse. Flashes of skinned knees and fanny packs and chicken fights at the Quarry; flashes of secret kisses under a bridge and at the back of the movie theatre.
The Jameson woman forced herself to open her eyes and step out of the car, purse perched on one shoulder and hands shoved into her pockets. She slowly, reluctantly, walked up the porch of her parent's home (they had died a couple of years after Hannah had finished college and, with no other children or relatives around, they had been forced to leave the poor excuse of a house to her) and slotted the key into the lock, turning and pushing the rotting door open. Inside, she was greeted by furniture wrapped in plastic and covered in dust, a few liquor bottles on the kitchen counter, and unwanted memories.
She carefully made her way further inside the house, eyes roaming over the walls and cabinets and furniture, until she caught the glint of something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to it, curiosity filling her body; the small shards of glass glinted in the filtered sunlight and she lifted her gaze to be met with the smashed door of one of her parents' wine cabinets. The corners of her lips turned upwards as she remembered the event that had caused the piece of furniture to be broken.
Hannah bit the insides of her cheeks, fiddling with her thumbs as she backed away from the broken cabinet, debating with herself about whether she should wander further into the house or leave and call Levi; she didn't even have to decide, for her phone began ringing in her purse, causing her to loose her train of thought and rummage through the bag until she found it, sliding the answer button and pressing it to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Han? Hey, it's me. Are...Are you in Derry yet?" Levi's voice crackled through the receiver, causing Hannah's shoulders to relax as her gaze swept through the house once more before she began to make her way out.
"Yeah, I am!" She answered, closing the door behind her and slowly locking it once again, dangling the keys from her finger and bringing them up to her face, trying to decide what to do with them. "I was just downtown for a few minutes, um, taking care of some stuff." Hannah bit her lip, stuffing the keys into a small, forgettable pocket in her purse. "Where are you? I'll come over."
"The motel." Levi huffed, causing Hannah to let out a weak chuckle. "It sucks ass, but I don't plan on staying here for longer than I have to."
"...Yeah, me neither," Hannah mumbled, settling back into the driver's seat of her car and pressing the speaker button on her phone's screen, placing the device in the center console before she turned the keys in the ignition and the car sputtered back to life, and she began to back out of the long driveway.
There was a long pause before Levi's voice filled the car again. "Mike called earlier. Said Ben, Richie, and Bill are here. Bev's on her way, apparently." Hannah's ears perked up at the sound of the redhead's name, but she could sense that something was off with Levi. Her brows furrowed and she opened her mouth to speak, but Levi beat her to the punch. "Mike says we're all having dinner together later. Didn't say where...You should call him."
Hannah's frown deepened as Levi tried to change the subject, but she opted against saying anything about it. If there was something her sister needed to tell her, then she'd tell her of her own accord.
"I should," Hannah answered, gnawing at her bottom lip as she pressed down on one of her thumbs with her free hand, waiting to hear the satisfying 'pop' sound. "Anyway, I'll see you in a few, bubs."
"See ya, Han." With that, the line fell dead and Hannah was left with the soft crackling of the radio, which was set to a random station that didn't seem to be working. She reached for the dial, beginning to turn it to a different station when a familiar giggle came through the speakers, causing Hannah to slam the breaks in shock, her blood turning cold. The chilling sound came through again, this time accompanied by a hoarse, high-pitched voice.
"Hello, Hannie. Welcome to Derry!"
( AUTHOR'S NOTE )
oh my goodness, i'm so excited for this oneee!!
this won't be updated again for a little while (maybe a week or so) until i see the movie and then i'll pick up from where the movie starts!!