𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚; 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐔𝐫𝐢𝐬

Chapter Nine

-Fears-

"Well, you're royally fucked."

They were in the park; Ben, Beverly, Stan, and Mike are sitting on the bench, while Bill, Eddie, Charlotte, and Richie are seated on their bikes

"OK, so, let me get this straight: It comes out from wherever to eat kids for like, a year, and then what? It just goes into hibernation?" Eddie asked.

"Maybe it's like, what do you call it...?" Stanley trailed off looking for the word.

"Cicadas." Charlotte said quietly.

"Thankyou. You know, the bugs that come out every seventeen years." Stanley smiled at the girl in appreciation.

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed. He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing... an evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry." Mike told them.

"But it can't be one thing. We all saw something different." Stanley objected.

"Maybe. Or maybe It knows what scares us most, and that's what we see." Mike countered.

"I-I saw a Leper. He was like a walking infection." Eddie confessed.

"But you didn't. Because it isn't real. Not Eddie's Leper, or-or Bill seeing Georgie, or the woman I keep seeing." Stan denied.

Lottie looked at him in confusion. They had already talked about this and agreed.

"She hot? Like Lottie?" Richie smirked.

"No, Richie. She's not hot! Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense! They're all like bad dreams." Stanley was not at all amused.

"I don't think so. I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?" Mike told him.

"What'd you see, you saw something, too?" Eddie asked.

"Yes. You guys know that burned down house on Harris Avenue?" Everyone nodded besides Ben, "I was inside when it burned down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me. They were pushing and pounding on the door, trying to get to me.

But it was too hot. When the firemen finally found them, the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone. We're all afraid of something." Mike concluded.

"You got that right." Ed's agreed, "All right, Rich, what are you afraid of?"

"Clowns." Richie looked at the stage.

"Well, you're royally fucked." Charlotte didn't stutter, surprising everyone.

"What are you afraid of, Charlotte?" Eddie asked her.

"Dying alone, or just being alone in g-general." Charlotte looked down.

"Your st-stutters getting b-b-better." Bill smiled proudly.

Charlotte smiled back, "I'm going to g-go get ready for the fireworks."

Stanley watched with a small smile as her and Bill rode away.

"Whipped." Richie and Eddie coughed in sync.