It Comes To Hawkins

Never Waking Up

Richie woke up the same way he always did. In pain. Groaning, he pushed himself up and decided that was a terrible idea. Flopping back down on what seemed to be his bed, he hissed. His head was NOT ready for that. He closed his eyes when he heard a door open.
"Richie." El's voice startled him and he snapped his eyes open in warning.
"El. What the fuck. Why the fuck did you send me flying across the room?!"
"I was protecting the..other people in the room."
"I... I wouldn't have hurt-" That made Richie scared. But not of anyone or anything else. Of himself.
"You hurt Mike." El seemed wary of him. But she knew she could take him if anything got too serious. She would not let Mike, her Mike, be hurt again.
A tear fell down his face.
"I...I did?" The look El gave him answered his question. God. If he hated himself before this, and he did, it was nothing compared to the self loathing he had for himself now. He was just like his parents. He was just like his father. He could have killed Mike. He was just like his father. He was just like his father. He was just like his father. "Go. Go away."
"Richie. I do not think-"
"No!! GO AWAY!" Richie screamed through his tears. He had never felt so weak. Fuck. He can't be here. Waiting until El closed the door, he wobbled to the window, climbed up onto the sill and jumped the meager distance down. Taking more and more steps, he regained his balance. Richie couldn't care less where he was going. He wanted to leave and never come back. He wanted to get rid of his powers. He wanted to see his friends. Fuck. He wanted to see his friends more than anything else. They were fading from his mind but he didn't want them to. He needed to call them, but he would have to go back to the Wheeler's house to do so. Caught up in his thoughts, Richie tripped and barely caught himself on the pavement, scratching his hands and knees. Cursing, he looked down and screamed. Eddie's eyes stared lifelessly back at him. His once beautiful icy blue eyes were now clouded as if they were in the dead lights. His skin was gray and flaking off. This was not Eddie. This was not Eddie. This was not Eddie!! Scrambling back, Richie saw not-Eddie's body shake and turn into the monster that plagued his nightmares every night The monster that almost killed his friends, his family. The monster that was killing again. Richie felt his hate bubble inside him, almost overflowing. How dare It come back when we were promised 26 more years?!?
"YOU BASTARD!!!!" Richie screamed.
"OoOooOO someone's maaad!" Pennywise giggled. "But I can make you happy! I can make you so happy you.. Float!!!" Pennywise leaped towards him and Richie stumbled back, almost tripping again. His mind was racing a mile a minute trying to figure out how to get It to leave. Because Pennywise would. He would go back to whatever hellhole he came from and hide until one of us were alone. When we were afraid. Richie had an idea.
"No. I'm not afraid of you!"
"Oh but you areeee! You've always been afraid! Of mee, of the laaab, of your father-"
That struck a nerve. It was all so weird. This was the most they had ever...chatted. It was almost like they were catching up. FUCK IT.
"Don't talk about him! You know nothing-"
"I KNOW EVERYTHING!!! I've been watching you...I've been hearing you and following you. How I MISSED you!"
"Go to hell." Richie could feel his powers building. He knew what he had to do.
"You know what? How about we play a game hmmm?? Oh I remember you LOVE games!"
"No. No. No." Richie has the strangest sense of deja vu.
"How about truth or dare? But you wouldn't want to-"
"We already had this fucking conversation. You are so weak you can't even come up with your own new material." Again, Richie was swept away in the weirdness of all of it. He and Pennywise were having a fucking conversation. Albeit, he was frothing at the mouth and taking slow steps towards him.. oh shit.
"I AM THE EATER OF WORLDS!!!" It lunged at Richie but stopped when it heard Mike leave the house, in search of Richie.
"Richie!! Richie!! Where are- WHAT THE FUCK?!?"
"OoooOooOo Double the fun!! I'll just have to eat you both up, it would be such a waste-"
Now or never.
"You won't do ANYTHING YOU MOTHERFUCKER! And next time! STAY DEAD!!!"
Richie sprayed out his hands and was thrown into a memory of the lab making him punish a girl who didn't deserve it. Pushing it away and shaking his head, he remembered what it felt like to torture the girl and replicated it with Pennywise. Screaming, he pushed all he had towards the fucking shapeshifter. He made sure to crush his chest and throw him back. Richie sharply turned his head and cut lines into his legs and broke all his fingers. Before Richie could continue to hurt him, Pennywise looked at him with his tattered body and tilted his head. Richie stopped screaming, his voice cutting out.
"Beep Beep Richie." It cackled before disappearing into the cloud of balloons it had created. Richie couldn't breathe. He couldn't make a sound. He started gasping for air and clutching at his throat. It was really back. A sob ripped from Richie's throat unwillingly. Too many memories came back to haunt him. His voice was suddenly given back to him.
"FUCK YOU!!" Richie screamed into the night. This has all been too much. Everything has been too much. He should have stayed in Derry. He should have died in Derry. He never should have remembered the lab. He never should have met his stupid twin brother and PENNYWISE NEVER SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED HIM TO FUCKING INDIANA!!!! He just wanted to end it. He couldn't take it. Richie could hear Mike in the distance calling his name. He could barely feel his body being shaken by Mike. His mind was shutting down. He couldn't take this. Richie finally succumbed to the darkness for the third time since his father. Only this time, he never wanted to wake up.