FOURTEEN.

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' ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴅʀᴇɴᴀʟɪɴᴇ ' ↙︎

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' ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ
ᴀᴅʀᴇɴᴀʟɪɴᴇ ' ↙︎

it's a long
chapter.




VERITY WILLED HER HEARTBEAT to steady. Slowly, the intense beats of it fell into soft hums. In the small space of the shaft, Eddie somehow managed to shuffle over to her. His billowed breaths mangled with her own as they peered below into the darkness. Henry Bowers was gone, but she did not find any fragment of her to be capsized about his demise. He was deranged, incited by hatred and a severance in his soul that could not be repleted. At first, she thought him to be cruel-a bully was all. But now she knew she was fortunate to not ever have been stuck in a room-or anywhere-alone with him. Last time she had been, luck had ridden alongside her shoulders.

At last, she forced her eyes to look away. She was done thinking of all the torment he'd induced. He'd met his fate, and she did not feel ashamed to think he deserved it. He was going to kill Mike, and leave us to rot here, she consoled herself.

"Is it wrong to admit... I'm glad he's gone?" Eddie spoke up, silencing the buzz in her ears.

She shook her head and shrugged. "You've already admitted it-and no. I was just thinking the same thing."

The corners of Eddie's lips rose slightly. Then there was that warmth that rippled inside of her. She had to look away.

"I know you said you're okay, Mike. I just need to ask again."

"Shaken, I guess, but I'm okay," Mike assured her.

In the midst of her thoughts and brief conversation, Verity failed to notice Stanley's missing presence. It was not until Bill's voice punctured the silence-that she noticed-as he called out his name. She crouched, sloshing with difficulty through the enclosed space of the tunnel.

"Stan!"

"Stanley!"

One minute he was there and the next he was not.

Then they all began to shout his name and dove further inside. Verity hardly took notice of the water that seeped into her shoes, soaking her socks as she barreled through the water, voice straining. She did not allow her mind to initiate with scenarios of Stan's sudden vanishing. He's okay. He's just got lost is all. We'll find him. He's okay.

The only thing she could think of as she ran was regret. Regret that she had not assured and comforted Stan as she should have. Perhaps this time her actions had not spoken loud enough. Her heart twisted so harshly in its place, she nearly doubled over.

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