ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀɢʟᴏᴡ || ʀɪᴄʜɪᴇ ᴛᴏᴢɪᴇʀ

~ Death ~

Elaine's eyes still welled with tears as Richie nervously apologized, "I'm sorry," He held her closely, trying to calm her down. Eddie, feeling awkward, stood by silently, unsure of what to say. Elaine's voice shaky and upset, she whispered to Richie, "You left me here, all alone. I was so scared." Her grip on his shirt tightened, expressing how much she'd needed him down here. Realizing the impact of his actions, Richie tightened his embrace, apologizing again.

"Lainey, I promise you, none of the things it said are true." His words carried a sincere conviction, aimed at dissolving the fears Pennywise had planted in his wife. As they regrouped, Eddie's attempt at lightening the mood came out awkwardly, "Um, yeah, sorry about that too. Let's, uh, get a move on, shall we?" She kept a tight grasp on her husband's larger hand, Eddie mumbling to himself under his breath, "Catch up," As they reached an opening in the caves, Elaine looked over Richie's shoulder.

Eddie gently placed a hand on her shoulder, doing the same. Elaine ignored the feeling of her throat closing up as she observed the others frantically running, hiding from it. From afar, she noticed a small figure looking up at the creature. "I know what you are and that's why I'm not afraid!" Mike yelled, trying his best to convince himself that he could really end this. Pennywise smiled at his comment, reaching for the smaller man. Elaine let out a loud gasp while she watched the scene unfold.

Mike shook in Pennywise's tight grasp, its mouth getting closer and closer to his body with every second that passed. "I know that you're nothing but a... A madman! " It retorted, pulling Mike closer to his sharp fangs. Beginning to tremble, Elaine heard Richie let out a shaky breath. Squeezing her small hand, she began to feel his slip from her own. Her heart dropped, even more tears clouding her vision. She cursed at herself for how idiotic Richie could be. "Richie, no, no," Elaine tried, yanking on his wrist.

Richie sniffed, managing to whisper a quick apology. "I'm sorry," Elaine's voice broke, heavy tears falling from her blue eyes. The deadlights were just getting brighter in the distance, Elaine's lunch wanting to make a sudden appearance. "Richie, don't do this," Her lip shook as she found herself begging. "Please, you don't have to do this," Richie's heart swelled, tears welling in his dark eyes. "Jesus, I love you so much." He quickly managed to kiss her goodbye before he scurried off into the light.

"Where the fuck is he going-" Eddie started unaware of what was going on. He was cut off by Elaine's high pitch yell after him, "Richie, get back here!" She wept her hand held over her mouth to shield away the sound of her loud cries. As Richie disappeared into the brightness, Elaine's sobs echoed through the cavern. Eddie, confused and concerned, bent down to comfort her, when suddenly a stone was hurled at the clown. Elaine's breath caught, realizing Richie's impulsive bravery.

"Fuck," She muttered, her mind consumed with worry. "Richie, you dumb fucking idiot," She whispered at the sight. "Hey, fuckface!" Richie yelled in his usual cocky tone. Clearly, uninterested in Mike, Pennywise flung him across the room, his attention now on Richie. With adrenaline running through his veins, Richie bent down and picked up another rock. He did not hold back and looked the creature once again in the eyes.

"Wanna play a game of truth or dare? Here's a truth! You're a sloppy bitch!" He yelled, throwing yet another rock at Pennywise. "Yeah, that's right! Let's dance!" Richie felt more and more confident as he spoke, ready to throw another rock. He started, "Yippee-ki-yay motherfuck-" Possessed by the deadlights, Richie's limp body began to float. Elaine's screech pierced the air, the sight of Richie like this nearly killing her. Her eyes went wide while Eddie sat paralyzed by shock.

He could only gulp as they witnessed the unfolding horror before them. Elaine heard him mutter Richie's name a few times under his breath, though she didn't pay much attention to it. She felt Eddie place his hand on her shoulder before quickly retracting it, and in the blink of an eye, he was no longer there. She looked around, unsure about where Eddie could've gone. In hindsight, Elaine sensed what was about to happen – she felt it. Having encountered death before, she recognized the signs, and a sense of dread settled in.

First, in Derry, when she'd found her older brother lying dead on his carpet. Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to convince her younger self that he would please wake up. Sadly, even more tears followed after Derry when one evening, she awoke her whole body aching, bottom half covered in blood. She cried silent tears, dreading waking up her hopeful husband. That had been the end of that. Then, just the other night, Stanley had also taken his own life, mirroring Chris's fate.

It seemed like everything Elaine had ever loved was beginning to crumble into pieces. It was then that Elaine realized that Eddie too would not make it through the night. Swallowing the knot in her throat Elaine searched for Eddie, looking back only to find emptiness. She panicked, "No this is not happening." But Eddie had made up his mind. He was going to be the one to do something, not Beverly, not Bill, Eddie. He was going to be the one to save Richie. And it was going to cost him his life.

Squinting, Elaine saw a figure stand – Eddie. Terrified, she watched as he threw a large metal rod over his head towards Pennywise's open mouth. Elaine's heart stopped with fear but also swelled with pride for her friend. The rod Eddie had thrown struck the clown directly in the deadlights. "Beep beep, motherfucker!" Eddie yelled, standing taller than ever before. For an instant, it seemed like he had forgotten fear. Pennywise began to choke on the rod, a strange bright orange liquid, similar to lava, spewing from its mouth.

With the clown's mouth closed Richie hit the ground with a thud, an evident groan coming from him when he landed. Elaine released the breath she'd been holding as she observed the creature stumbling back into the spikes, piercing through its many layers of skin. Elaine took this as an opportunity and impulsively ran over to where Eddie and Richie stood. Eddie had saved Richie's life and he'd killed Pennywise. Elaine hovered over her husband, quickly embracing him in a tight hug as he slowly sat up. "Don't ever do that again!" Elaine yelled at Richie, who nodded while still in his wife's hold.

Eddie ran a hand through his hair, a smile on his face as he squatted down and began to passionately rant about what he had just achieved. Elaine let a tired sigh escape her lips, her head resting on top of Richie's while she gave Eddie's hand a light squeeze. He would never know how grateful she was for his heroic action. Shutting her eyes, Elaine never would've imagined how much could change in a second. Looking back, she should've just kept her eyes open. Feeling Eddie's hand slowly slide out of her grasp, Elaine's stomach dropped.

The moment she opened her eyes, Elaine realized that the clown was never going to stop. Sadly, her earlier prediction had been true. Nothing was going to change, especially not back in Derry. Fluttering her eyes open, Elaine flinched at the sound of something piercing through something. But it wasn't something; it was someone - Eddie. Pennywise had stabbed right through his chest with one of his claws. As the clown ripped out his nail, blood splattered all over the couple on the floor, staining their clothes, skin, and Richie's glasses with the crimson color.

Elaine gasped, a sob escaping her throat as she watched her friend fall helplessly. "Richie? " Eddie cried out weakly, his eyes searching for someone to come into view. Elaine and Richie quickly got up, pulling him behind a rock, somewhere Pennywise couldn't reach. Staring down at Eddie bleeding out, the two had no idea what to do. "Eddie," Elaine whispered, slowly sinking to the floor. "Fuck, Eddie, this is bad," Richie spoke between sniffs, numb tears sliding down their faces.

"Don't worry about me," Eddie smiled softly, wincing in pain when he was done. "I'll be okay," His attempt at reassurance couldn't mask the severity of his injuries. Footsteps echoed through the cave, signaling the arrival of the rest of the Losers. Pennywise's mischievous giggles could also be heard, as if he'd won a fun game at the fair. Panic and desperation painted the group's faces as they tried to come up with a plan. Pennywise's mischievous giggles continued to reverberate, an unsettling contrast to the already awful situation. "Shit,"