Buttercup | r. tozier

↠ jasmine jeong

"He's gone..." Beverly said as Bill was no longer in our sight. My mind froze for a second before a realization struck me.

"Beverly, I think we should go to Neibolt..." I then found myself faltering upon making that decision. "A-A-Although I heard it was s-s..."

"There's no time to waste now. Let's go there," Beverly told us before all of us got on our bikes in unison.

A few minutes later, we finally arrived at the front of the said house in Neibolt Street. We could see Bill going nearer to the house as we got off our bicycles.

"Bill!" Beverly's voice echoed, trying to get his attention. "Bill, you can't go in there. This is crazy."

Bill turned to us and implored, "Look, I also think this is crazy, but what happens when another Georgie goes missing or another Auntie Lily or another Betty or another Ed Corcoran or one of us? Are you just going to pretend it didn't happen like everyone else in this town? So walking into this house for me...it's easier than walking into my own."

The others fell silent until Richie broke it.

"Man, Big Bill does not make a single stutter this time..."

"Wait, what Richie?" Beverly rotated her head towards Richie.

"Oh, it's just he does not stutter," he answered with a nervous grin.

We walked towards the door as a question popped up in mind. I looked at Bill with apprehension.

"Wait, shouldn't we have some people keeping watch, just in case something bad happens?"

"Wh-wh-who wants to stay out here?" Bill asked us.

All of us, but Beverly, raised up our hands. I looked around, seeing nervousness on their faces.

"Oh, fuck," Richie muttered.

"I g-g-guess we have to draw some straws," Bill said as he offered us seven straws. We gathered around him to collect our own straw. I didn't know what I would get since I closed my eyes when I did so, but I didn't want to draw the short straw for sure. Worries about the worst began to fill my mind.

"Holy shit! I got the short one!" Richie yelled, yanking me back to reality. I opened my eyes and gasped out of shock when I could see that most of us were breathing slow, relieved of their results. I looked at the straw I had drawn.

And it was a short straw, like what Richie had drawn moments ago.

I then spoke, "I guess you are not the only one, Richie."

Despite our reluctance, Richie, Eddie, and I finally agreed to accompany Bill inside this creepy house. We opened the rustic door, which was followed by a subsequent creak.

"Can't believe that I pull out the short straw," Richie muttered. "You guys are lucky that we are not measuring dicks."

"Be quiet, Richie," I said. "IT now knows that we are here."

We went up the old, dusty staircase after passing by the debris that was lying on the floor. As we went up one step at a time, our eyes looked upon the cobwebs and dust particles that had accumulated since long. After reaching the top, the four of us began to investigate the place. Like the floor before, there were ghastly webs, worn furniture, and shattered chunks of lumber. In other words, it is an epitome of a desolate mess.

"I can smell it," Eddie mumbled before he breathed in his inhaler.

My eyes soon got lost in the silky webs that draped over the furniture and decorations. The atmosphere was dark and eerie, and its smell was surprisingly funny, like clowns. Goosebumps were crawling on my skin furiously. My eyebrows knitted themselves into a frown, pondering who could have owned this house.