IMPULSE {Richie Tozier}

25

"He u-uses the sewers to m-move around, I
th-th-think.." Bill states determinedly, projecting a map over his fathers sewer system map on the garage wall. "Here's where Georgie went missing..."

His fingers dance across the wall, and everyone's eyes follow.

"The iron explosion...the Bradley gang...The black spot. They all meet at one place—"

"The well house!" Ben chimes, imaginary dots connecting in his head. Bill nods his head and subconsciously glances towards Ivy. In return, Ivy smiles a bit, trying to rid the feeling of fear from her system.

29 Neibolt Street.

"If they all meet at 29 Neibolt street, that most be where it lives." Mike says.

"You mean the house where all the crack heads and junkies live?"

"I hate that place," Bev adds wth a shiver, "it always feels like it's watching me.."

Eddie gasps. "That's where I saw it! I-it was by that run-down, abandoned house near the train yard! " he exclaims. His breathing becomes more and more heavy, to the point of wheezing. Ivy finds her self leaning over and attempting to comfort him.

He takes many hits off his inhaler, until he frantically stands up.

"Can we stop talking about this?!" Eddie begs, pacing around a little. "I-I-I can barely breathe!" As he attempts to get more sentences out, he just can't seem to form them properly. Ivy is beginning to have an anxiety attack from simply watching him have as asthma attack. Finally, he rips the poster from the wall in a frenzy. "I'm having a fucking asthma attack, in not doing this!"

"What the hell?" Bill blinks, "put the map back."

Eddie shakes his head relentlessly, humming a series of 'no's. As if on cue, the projector slides begin to switch on their own will. The slides display a family photo of Mr. Denbrough and Mrs. Denbrough, along with Georgie and Bill. Mrs. Denbrough's hair is blown in her face, covering it.

"W-What's happening?!" Ivy shouts, cowering into Richie's embrace.

Mike tries to fix it. The slides begin to switch at an alarming rate, causing fear to churn within the losers. The slides zoom into Georgie's smiling face, and then switches to the mothers face.

"Turn it off!" Bev screams.

Slowly, the hair moves away to reveal what seems to be it, in the form of Pennywise. As Mike had once mentioned it called himself.

They all begin to back away from the projector in fear, the loud flickering echoing. Ivy tugs Eddie's shirt in an attempt to pull him further from the front. Eddie is huffing and puffing, and everyone is yelling incoherent things over one another.

Then, it stops. They all glance between one another.

Suddenly, a large version of Pennywise, jumps through the wall, causing all everyone to scream in fear and back as far away from the garage as possible.

The clown reaches towards Bev, and Ivy desperately hides her face into Richie. Before it can lay a finger on Bev, Ben lifts the garage open to reveal light. They're met with silence. The projector is off, and Pennywise is gone.

They are breathing hard, clinging to one another.

Bill seems the most upset. Almost as if he took it as a taunt.

"We have to kill it. Now." He determinedly says, rushing out of the garage without any of our say so's. "No way! It's—"

"I-If someone s-s-says its summer, one m-more fucking time—" with that, he storms to his bike, and bikes his way down the street towards Neibolt.

"Bill wait, we're not ready for this!" Ivy calls, pushing Richie away from her and rushing after Bill. Richie frowns at this, but follows anyway with a sigh.

The stuttering boy doesn't stop, not until they're standing right in front of the creepy looking house.

Everyone throws their bikes aside. Except Stan,  who once again leaves it on its kick-stand.

Bill climbs the steps, walking towards the opening where the front door should be.

"Bill..." Ivy tries, none of them following him up the steps. He turns around to face his friends. He's never looked more glorious. He looks like an absolute leader, like he knows what he's doing. Ivy swoons a little.

Richie huffs.

"What happens when another Georgie goes missing?" He asks us. "Or another Betty? Or Patrick? Are we just gonna pretend it didn't happen, like everyone else in this town? Or will we stick together." Through his little speech, he doesn't stutter once. They stare at him in complete shock.

"Woah." Richie mumbles.

"W-What?"

"You didn't stutter once!"

With that, everyone begins to walk up the steps. Then, in a shaky tone, Stan speaks up.

"W-wait. Don't you think.....some of us should stay behind? Y-ya know, just in case something bad happens?"

Bill hesitantly nods. "Well who wants to stay out here?"

Stan, Mike, and Ben raise their hands. Bev decides to stay back too. Which leaves Bill, Eddie, and Richie to walk slowly into the house.

Before they can go in, Ivy stops them.

"Yeah?" Bill, gives a curious look. At this point, Ivy doesn't know if she stopped them for Bill or Richie, or maybe Eddie? "I-I wanna come.."

Richie is the first to shake his head no.

"No. No way." He states, waving his hands. Ivy raises an eyebrow. "Why not?!"

Bill frowns a little, agreeing with Richie. Even Eddie agrees. "It's t-t-too dangerous." Bill explains, trying his best not to give into her pout. Richie rolls his eyes a little.

"Fine. Be safe, sweetlings..." Ivy whispers softly, they all catch and grin. "And Richie, you made a promise to win my heart, so you better come out alive and well. Complete the promise." As the words leave her mouth, Richie grins brightly and nods.

"You've got it, babe."