𝙒𝙃𝙀𝙉 𝘿𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙎 𝘾𝘼𝙇𝙇 ☆ 𝗜𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗪𝗢

𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 》02

I press the end call button.

Turning the TV up, I try to ignore the phone as it buzzes again. I don't know much about Derry, Maine, but judging by the way I feel like I just ran a marathon, it must not be good.

The phone stops buzzing. I chew on a mushroom, my heart not beating any slower.

Bzzz Bzzz

I answer the phone. "Please stop call-"

"Mom?"

I drop my fork and set the to-go box on the cluttered coffee table, rising from the love seat. "Oh, hi baby, I'm sorry." Reggie's voice stills my shaking hands as I move to the kitchen. "I thought you were... how is it going?"

"Fine, Dad bought pizza." I force a smile, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. Always pizza. "What's he doing?"

"He fell asleep during Fallon."

My phone notifies me of an incoming call and I look to see the number from Maine. Reggie seems to sense the anxiety in my silence.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah... everything's fine." I open the tap and fill my glass. The call is missed but another comes through. "Reg, can I call you back?"

"Where are you going?" His voice becomes frantic suddenly, matching the way I feel. As the phone continues buzzing, I try to stay calm. "Nowhere, nowhere I'm just getting a call-"

"Promise?"

"Yeah, Reggie, I promise," His panic is foreign to me. He's always been a nervous kid, but I've never heard this kind of fear in his voice. The long pajama pants I'm wearing crumple under my heels as the air conditioner chills my arms. Everything feels like it's closing in on me as I end my call with the boy. My mouth becomes dry as I accept the incoming call from Maine. I don't speak at first. Neither does he.

"Hello?" I say finally

"Lorraine, you have to listen to me." My bottom lip trembles, but I stay silent as Mike speaks. "You need to come back home."

"But I am... I am home." But that's not what he means.

"Derry, Lorraine. You need to come back to Derry." The glass slips out of my hand and shatters on the counter, shards falling to the floor. My head shakes frantically as I crouch down to pick them up. I don't remember Derry, only how it made me feel. How it's making me feel now. "Mike, I..." I collect the sharp objects in my hand. "I can't just up and leave, I have a life, a family. I'm sorry, but you have to understand."

"It's not up to me, or you." My eyes begin to water as the feeling of Derry fills my mind, different faces and sounds flashing through my head. "You need to hurry, we don't have a lot of time. I trust you can be here by tomorrow?" Tomorrow? Why so soon, what about Reggie, how do I even face that place again? I feel a sharp pain in my palm and fingers, hearing the sound of something drip onto the floor.

Wincing, I unclench my fist to see the glass shards covered in my blood. My breathing is harsh as I throw them into the sink and rinse my hand. "I'll see what I can do Mike." Is all I say before hanging up. As I pull the first aid kit from the cabinet above the sink, I dial Nate's phone to speak to Reggie again. There's a click as the call is answered.

"Baby," I wipe my torn skin with an wet towelette, trying to ignore the sting of the alcohol. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Baby? You haven't called me that in a while." Nate's smile is evident in his voice.

I sigh and roll my eyes. "Can you please put Reggie on the phone?" I hear a tsk over the line. "You know it's past his bedtime Lori."

"Since when the hell do you respect bedtime?"