Two Birds [S.Uris]

IX. Burning Tokens

They all begin making their way down the creaky wooden steps, headed towards the well. "All the memories are.." Ben pauses, sighing then continuing to walk down. "All bad."

They all follow through, walking through the greywater. "Aw man, greywater." Richie says. At the end, there's the familiar large area where they last fought it.

This time, there's much more water. "Shit. I can't swim." Fleur trembles, looking to the water. "You don't need to swim, it's not that high up." Mike says, taking the woman's hand as they continue to trudge forward. "If you're really worried, just stay close." Fleur gulps and follows.

"Oh shit. This is it. This is where it happened." Ben says. Fleur and mike are the first ones out of the water, standing on the platform. "Bev, what is it?" Ben whispers, causing the others to turn around.

"I thought I heard something." She says. As she turns around, a large, naked, old woman appears from out of the water, causing the red head to scream. "Bev!" Fleur screams.

"Time to sink!" It yells, pulling Beverly down. Everyone except Eddie and Fleur jump into the water, trying to save Bev. It goes silent for a moment, causing the two to feel uneasy. "Guys?" Eddie calls out.

"Okay, guys. Come on!" Fleur adds in worry. "Guys? Please! I don't wanna wall out of here alone." Eddie cries out. Fleur takes Eddie's hand, waiting for something to happen.

With a loud splash, the others emerge from the water, startling Eddie and Fleur, but then leaving them relieved. "Thank god." Fleur feels like she can breathe again, letting go of Eddie's hand.

"I don't really feel like crying." Eddie says, wiping his eyes. "Mike, where do we go from here?" Richie asks.

They all walk onto the platform, looking down at a circular part of it. The cracks look like they have blood in them. Mike chants something, looking down at the ground. "Is he okay?" Ben asks in concern.

"I think at this point thats an implicit question." Richie whispers. "What's on the other side?" Beverly asks. "I don't know. No one does." Mike sighs, quickly bending down and pulling open the circular door, startling the others.

They look down into a seemingly endless and narrow well. Mike jumps in without hesitation. "Mike!" Fleur shouts. Mike lands, then looks up at the others. Bill goes next, hesitantly making his way down.

"Guys, I cant do it." Eddie says in fear. "I can't. You saw what happened up there. I was gonna let her.. I was gonna let you die." He continues, looking to Fleur. "No, Eds." Fleur says quietly.

"I just fucking froze up. If you let me go down there with you, I'm gonna get us all killed." He says, taking a puff from his inhaler. Richie steps forward, grabbing into Eddie's arm and trying to pull it away. "Give me that."

Eddie struggles with it more, until giving up. "Listen to me." Richie begins. "You had a moment, fine. But, who killed a psychotic clown before he was fourteen?" Richie asks. "Me." Eddie replies.

"Who stabbed Bowers with a knife he pulled out of his own dam face?" He asks again, causing Eddie to awkwardly look away. "Also me." He sighs. "Who married a woman ten times his own body mass?" Richie finalizes.

"Me." Eddie says confidently. "You're braver than you think." Richie says. "Thanks, Richie." Eddie lightly smiles. Richie goes to tap his cheek, but accidentally taps the hurt one, causing Eddie to wince. "Sorry."

"Here. Take it. It kills monsters." Beverly says, handing Eddie a spike. "Does it?" He replies with doubt. "If you believe it does." Fleur cuts in, stepping beside Beverly.

••••

After all making their way down, they find themselves having to crawl through a narrow space. "We have to go through that?" Ben asks. "It's the only way! It's in here!" Bill replies.

Fleur and Beverly squeeze their way through, following behind mike towards a spiky area. "That's where it hit." Mike says. They walk in, looking around curiously. "So this has been in Derry for like, forever?" Fleur asks. "Not forever. Just a few million years." Mike replies.

They enter in through the spikes, standing inside the surrounded area with the artifact right in the middle. "It can only be attacked in its true form. The ritual shows that." Mike explains.

"What is its true form?" Fleur asks. "I hope it's a puppy. Pomerian... I'll shut up." Richie sighs. "It's light. Light that must be blocked out by darkness." Mike says, then spills gasoline into the artifact.

He lights a match, then starts a fire. "Put your artifacts, place them in the fire. The past must burn with the present." Mike states.

They all take out their tokens, looking to them for the last time. Fleur sighs, holding the book and card tightly to her chest.

"This is the boat that I built with G-Georgie." Bill says, placing the paper boat inside the fire. "It's a- inhaler." Eddie says, taking a puff from it, causing the others to roll their eyes.

"Come on, dude." Richie says in disapproval. Eddie places it in the fire. "Something that I wish I had held onto." Beverly says, hesitantly dropping the postcard into the fire.

Fleur sighs, looking down at the card one last time, reading it over. "The best birthday present I ever received." She pauses for a moment, not ready to part with it. "From the best person I've ever known." She adds, then hesitantly squeezes it through and into the fire, wiping away a tear.

"This is a page from my yearbook that only one person signed. I probably should've forgotten it but.. I couldn't because I kept it my whole life for 27 years." Beverly looks over to Ben with a shocked expression as Ben awkwardly stares back, placing the page into the flames.

"It's a token from the capital theatre." Richie says. "You're gonna burn an actual token?" Eddie asks in confusion. "Yeah, man. That's what you're supposed to do, asshole." Richie responds.

"Do you have any idea how long that's gonna take to burn?" Eddie crosses his arms. "Yeah, but so is your inhaler, dude."

"Holy shit. You're both still the same as you used to be." Fleur says, placing a hand on her forehead. "All the toxic fumes and the plastic and shit so." Richie continues, then shuts up.

Mike holds up a rock, coated with blood. "Look closer, Bev." He says quietly. "You see it?" Beverly nods. "That's where you got Bowers." Mike states.

Beverly smiles. "Rock fight." She says, causing Bill to chuckle. Mike throws the rock into the fire. After a moment of silence, Eddie speaks up. "Oh, wait!" Eddie pulls out a shower cap, smiling to Fleur. "Here, you do it." He reaches out his hand, letting her take it. "Thanks." She mutters, holding it tightly.

"I love you, Stan the Man." She whispers to herself, then crumpled it up, throwing it into the fire.