Strange as IT Seems

Chapter 3: Strangers in a House

Bill brings more boxes inside the empty house, feeling empty himself.

The house looked old; the wallpaper was rather dilapidated and fades, ugly floral curtains hung across all the windows, a lot of the furniture was old and ragged, and the hardwood floors squeaked constantly as he walked across it. He carries his things up the staircase, each step creaking so loudly, that it would disturb the dust overhead. Bill looks at the narrow hallway, with two doors on each side and one at the end of the hall. The first one was the bathroom, small with a window that looked onto the backyard. The tub stood on four legs and the taps were mouldy and dripping. There were several rust spots across the base heater near the toilet. The next door was already open, showing a rather small room with what looked like a canopy draped over the top of the head of the bed. He realized that the room was colder than the rest because the window was open. It blew the white curtain back and forth in the autumn breeze, almost giving the image of a ghost. It had a sort of hazy pink colouring to it, making it more feminine. No doubt this would be Mia's room when she came to stay.

At the end of the hall was another bedroom. It was already full of boxes and toys indicating that it would be Georgie's room. It had a bed shoved up against the wall and a rocking chair facing the closet for some strange reason. There were shelves on either side of a window that also looked out into the backyard, with a big oak tree's branches casting shadows all over the room.

To the left of his brother's room was the only one with a queen bed, which meant it was automatically his parent's room. It was a four-poster bed with bars reaching almost to the ceiling. An antique dresser sat in the corner of the room and Bill could see that his dad was struggling to get the closet door open.

So that meant by default, that the bedroom closest to the stairs was to be Big Bill's room. The preteen peeks inside, not quite sure what to make of it. It was just a bit smaller than his room in Derry, with a bed leaning against another wall. There was a desk to the far left, facing near the window that looked out at the house next door and there was a closet against the back wall. It was a lot like his old room, which made Bill feel a little more comfortable. The one thing that set it apart was the bulletin board next to the light switch. It was covered in newspaper clippings of all different kinds, which felt bizarre to the preteen.

He puts the box on his bed and turns on the light. His dad had already got the electricity working. His room had a ceiling fan that shook almost unnervingly above the light. A chain hung down and rattled every time the fan made a full spin.

Knowing that this would drive him crazy, plus summer was ending so it would not be needed to cool him down. Bill tries to stand on the bed and grab for the chain. It was extremely difficult, and he had a hard time not getting dizzy by the blades whipping around in a frenzy. He grabs the chain, pulling down hard until the fan started to slow down.

Satisfied the teen begins exploring the room further. He stares at the newspaper clippings. All of them had bizarre headlines.

Hawkins Boy Found Alive

The Boy Who Died for a Week

Where is Barbra?

Justice for Barb

Strange Sightings Seen at DOE Facility

Missing Russian Child

DOE Facility Linked to MK Ultra

Strange Beasts Roam Hawkins

All of the articles look rather pathetic, all conspiracy junk about secret government facilities and a couple of them probably talked about UFOs and Bigfoot. Bill scoffs to himself, never having believed in crazy conspiracies before, that is until he and his friends battled IT. A monster that lurked in the sewers. But despite the menacing presence in Derry, UFOs were still a stretch for him. The only person who would be interested in them is Richie, and that was because of his science-fiction obsession. Bill begins taking all of the scraps of paper down until he hears a thump behind him.