dusk till dawn ( stan uris ) ✔︎

nine!

( WARNING: 
there will be mentions of a dead sister, a corpse, blood, aggression, a dead baby, and other such things. if any of these things trigger you, please do not read on. you health is more important than this book. )

NINE

The inside of the old house was dark and particles of dust could be seen floating in the air; weeds and vines covered the rotting walls and furniture, and the floorboards creaked with every step the children took. 

Levi reached behind her and clutched on tightly to Hannah's hand, her heart beating wildly against her ribcage with every step she took, something inside of her telling her that they were all stepping right into the lion's den. She gulped, following behind Stan as Bill led them deeper into the house.

"I can't believe I pulled the short straw...You guys are lucky we aren't measuring dicks," Richie mumbled, earning an exasperated sigh from Hannah. 

"Richie, this isn't the time to be talking about your wang, goddamnit." She elbowed him, brows furrowed as she shot him a glance. Richie put his hands up in defense and murmured a "Sorry".

"I can smell that..." Eddie trailed off, walking slowly into what Levi assumed was the parlor at one point. She took a deep breath, scrunching her nose up as a smell that resembled one of a rotting animal carcass and moss reached her. 

"Don't breath through your mouth, then," Richie shot back, turning in a full circle as he looked around. 

"How come?" Eddie asked.

"Because then you're eating it." Richie shrugged as if his words were obvious. Eddie gasps and takes a puff from his inhaler. 

"Stop it, Richie." Levi shakes her head as the bespectacled boy walks past her and into what she assumed used to be the living room, his eyes glued to something she couldn't see. "Richie?"

The Tozier boy didn't answer and kept walking towards the tangle of vines in a dazed manner, his brows furrowing and unfurrowing in confusion as he pulled a piece of paper out of the vines. Horrified, he looked up at his friends; Bill, Eddie, and Levi were already walking towards him, concerned looks on their faces. 

"What?" Bill asked, walking closer to Richie. Levi's eyes widened when Richie turned the poster-sized paper he was clutching tightly to reveal the word MISSING written on capital, bold lettering at the top and a picture of him below.

"What the fuck...?" Levi whispered, eyes narrowing as she looked at it.

"It-it says I'm missing," Richie's voice trembled ever so slightly. He remained the same, eyes staring intently at the paper as he tried to understand what was going on. 

"Yuh-yuh-yuh-you're not missing, Richie," Bill reassured the boy, coming to stand beside him. Richie shook his head vehemently, pointing at his picture on the poster aggressively. 

"They why does it says it there?!" He snapped, his fist tightening on the crumpled paper. "That's my hair, my face, that's my shirt!" 

"Calm down, this isn't real!" Bill made to snatch the poster out of Richie's hands, only for the Tozier boy to move out of the way and continue his frantic rambling. 

"That's my name, that's my age, that's the date-!" Richie continued, his eyes roaming over the paper at almost lightning speed as he engaged in a tug-o-war with Bill, who kept trying to bring the boy back to reality. 

"It's not real, Rich! IT is just trying to get inside your head!" Levi yelled out, surging forward to grab Richie's shoulder and force him to look at her. The Tozier boy dodged her hand and continued to try and wrestle the paper out of Bill's grip.