City Fool [Mike Hanlon]

𝖾 𝗅 𝖾 𝗏 𝖾 𝗇

CHAPTER TWELVE: TURN IT OFF

     TWO days later, the eight sat in Bill's garage. Ginny had helped him set up the map on the wall as Mike set up the projector. Once the three had made sure everything was set up, Bill put the slide in the projector as the others sat down. Ginny sat down in between Stan and Richie, Mike standing behind the girl. 

"Look. That's where G-georgie disappeared," Bill told the group. 

Bill pointed to the map where there was an x circled with "storm drain" written below it. 

"There's the ironworks and the Black Spot. Everywhere it happens it's all connected by the sewers. And they all meet up at the," Bill continued before being cut off by Ben. 

"The well house."

Ginny looked over at Richie who gripped her hand gently and then up at Mike when he placed his hands on her shoulders. She gave her boyfriend a tight-lipped smile before looking back at the map. 

"It's in the house on Neibolt Street," Stan realized as he looked over at his friends. 

"You mean that creepy ass house where all the junkies and hobos like to sleep?" Richie asked as he looked over to Bill. 

Eddie quickly unzipped his fanny pack and ripped out his inhaler. Ginny looked at him with worry, lightly rubbed his back in an attempt to help the boy calm down. Eddie took a deep puff of his inhaler and tried to calm his breathing. 

"I hate that place. It always feels like it's watching me," Beverly spoke, completely oblivious to Eddie's asthma attack. 

"That's where I saw it. That's where I saw the clown," Eddie told the group after slightly catching his breath. 

"Tha-that's where It lives." 

Eddie took another puff of his inhaler and Ginny began to become more worried. She'd never seen him this worked up and it was hard for him to breathe. She bent down next to him trying to help calm down but it was no help. 

"Can we stop talking about this?" Eddie interrupts. "I, I can barely breath. This is, this is summer! This, I can barely breathe! I'm about to have a fucking asthma attack! I'm not doing this!" 

The small boy ripped the map off of the wall and looked at the group of friends. Bill yelled at the boy, telling him to put the map back. Eddie shook his head and stood his ground. 

"Guys, calm down please. Let's talk about this," Ginny spoke, looking between Bill and Eddie. 

She stood in between the two, facing Bill. The sound of the projector switching slides caught everyone's attention causing them to look to the machine. Images of the Denbrough family appeared on their own causing Bill to stiffen. Eddie began backing away from the screen and Ginny pulled the small boy behind her. 

Bill questioned what was happening, looking between Mike and Ginny. The girl stepped over to the project to examine it as Mike unplugged it. However the images still changed to new ones even after it was unplugged. Images of the Denbrough's summer vacation from the previous summer appeared. 

"Guys," Mike whispered looking at the unplugged projector. 

After different images appearing on screen, one stayed. It was of the family in front of a church. Bill's mother, Mrs. Denbrough, had hair in her face from the wind. 

"Georgie," Bill said softly as the picture zoomed in on his little brother's face. 

All eight of the teens were anxious and breathing heavily as they anticipated what would happen next. Stan attempted to get Bill's attention away from the screen by calling his name but the Denbrough boy ignored him. The photo zoomed in on a different part of the image. This time Mrs. Denbrough's face was the main focus of the picture and her hair began to move as if the wind was still blowing it around. 

The photo began to zoom out but Bill's mother's face was no longer hers. It was the face of the clown that was terrorizing the town. 

"Mike, turn it off," Ginny muttered even though she knew it already was. 

Richie began screaming profanities before pulling Eddie backwards who in turn tugged on Ginny. Stan stood frozen and Ginny shrugged Eddie off of her to pull her best friend back. The two held onto each other as Bill stood frozen in his spot behind the projector despite Ginny pleas for him to move away from it. 

As Beverly yelled at Mike and Bill to turn off the projector, Ginny screamed at her that it was already off. Stan began agreeing with Beverly to turn it off as he felt Ginny began snapping her hair tie against her wrist. 

Mike pushed his friends out of the way before kicking the projector to the floor. The photographs fell to the floor as the projector, which laid on its side, showcased just the corner of the Denbrough family photo. It then switched to a clown that looked trapped behind the screen before finally turning off completely. 

The eight were left in the dark causing them to sigh. Ginny stepped away from her friends, beginning to collect the photographs off of the floor when the clown popped out of the wall. It was right in her face causing the brunette to freeze in her crouched spot on the floor. Her breath was caught in her throat and she couldn't breathe even if she tried. The clown smiled wider as it shifted into Richie who smirked at the girl. 

"So we meet again you little shit," the thing spoke as it got in the girl's face. 

Mike pulled the girl backwards and into his arms as Richie stepped in front of them. The boy picked up one of the lawn chairs that was sitting next to him and held it up to hit the fake him. 

"Not my sister you bitch," Richie said as he lifted the folded up chair over his head. 

It shifted back into a clown causing Richie to drop the chair in fear. It backed Richie into the corner, farthest from the exit. Ginny had shoved Mike and Ben in the direction of the garage door and the two helped her push it up. The sound of Richie screaming filled Ginny's ears for a moment before light poured into the room. 

Richie looked through his fingers and at his friends as he heaved out breaths. The boy shakily stood up and made his way over to the group, patting Mike and Ben on the shoulder in gratitude before pulling his sister into a hug, hiding his face in her shoulder. 

"It saw us. It saw us! And it knows where we are!" Eddie began panicking. 

"It always knew," Bill said, glancing at Ginny. 

"So let's go," Ginny spoke, walking to her bike. 

Ben questioned where the two planned on going causing Bill to tell them that they were going to Neibolt. Ginny added that Georgie and Betty were there. 

"After that?" Stan yelled at the two. 

"Yeah it's summer. We should be outside," Richie says looking to his sister who couldn't look him in the eye. 

"If you say its sumer one more f-fucking time!" Bill snapped. 

Ginny sighed and picked up her bike and waited for Bill to grab his as well before they pedaled away from his house. As the pair left, Beverly and Richie began encouraging the others to follow them. 

"Let's go losers. I'm not letting my sister do this without you fuckers."