The Dark Of You: Sequel to What Lies Beneath

Chapter 4

"What the fuck just happened?"

It was just as they had feared. Moments ago, the somewhat average girl that they had remembered from their childhood had changed right before their eyes into something downright terrifying and clearly no longer human. After learning of what became of her family, she shrieked into the air - emitting a sound, unlike anything that they had ever heard, shaking them to their core. Within an instant, she vanished, leaving nothing behind but the resounding ringing in their ears from her deafening cry.

"Seriously... what the fuck just happened," Eddie repeated, mouth agape in bewilderment.

"Shut up," Richie mumbled, refusing to meet anyone else's gaze, still trying to process the situation.

"There's two of them now?" Bill thought out loud, running his hand over his mouth and down his chin anxiously in an attempt to hide his grimace.

"We knew that this was a possibility," Mike stated, addressing the group as he paced nervously. He had an odd sense of calm as he spoke, having the reverse effect of putting everyone at ease. "What we didn't know was whether or not she would have survived. Clearly, we have our answer."

Ben scoffed, dazed with disbelief. "Well, yeah. We knew that this might happen, but I never would have thought..." he trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Honestly, I didn't think that it would even be possible. All this time It could have converted anyone to be like him? Anyone could have become a monster?"

"Shut up," Richie repeated, going unnoticed by the rest of the group. His posture became visibly rigid as he closed his eyes, turning away from everyone and taking a deep breath to collect his thoughts.

"N-no, no, that doesn't m-make any s-s-sense," Bill interjected under his breath, the threat of his previous stutter returning due to his anxiety. He had to concentrate to keep his speech regulated. "Remember, he said that she was born with something that m-made her different. A d-darkness."

"Is that why he called us back here?" Beverly questioned, her voice shaking. She stood a bit hunched over as if she were trying to seem smaller than she was, taking a defensive position with one arm wrapped around her stomach and the other draped over her mouth in disbelief. "He wanted us to see what he had done. Is this what he wanted all along?"

"It seems that It got exactly what it wanted - a mate for life," Mike confirmed, nodding his head in agreement. "Someone to wreak havoc with him for the rest of eternity."

"Shut. Up ." Richie emphasized through clenched teeth, still facing away from the group, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"Mike, was there anything in the police reports that indicated more than one attacker at the crime scenes? Do they suspect more than one killer?" Bill asked, trying to put the pieces together.

"No," Mike replied, rubbing his neck nervously, "But that doesn't really mean anything. They've been awake for days now. I sincerely doubt that she hasn't eaten anything... or anyone."

"Oh fuck," Eddie cried, struggling to breathe as his hands fumbled around in his pockets searching for his inhaler. "Do you think... Stanley?"

Ben shook his head, not wanting to jump to conclusions. "We don't even know if anything happened to him. It could just be messing with us."

Not waiting to find out, Beverly asked, "Mike, do you still have Stanley's number?" He nodded, pulling out his phone to locate the number before passing it to Beverly. She dialed the number on her own phone and hit the speaker button  so that everyone could listen in. After a few rings, a woman answered and introduced herself as Patricia Uris - Stanley's wife. "Hi, Patricia. I'm sorry to call so late - I'm an old friend of your husband."