Clown (D&DxIT) <Paused>

Chapter 17- Our Fears

A/N: Sorry for the late chapter! I didn't have a chapter written on Saturday.. oops! So here's a longer chapter than the ones I've been posting. :)
Keep in mind.. it's 5am😂 enjoy ;)

The eight of them got dressed and walked out through the front door. The streets were filled with people celebrating the Fourth of July. The first place they went was an older store with a few bikes inside. "Are you sure?" Jess asked.

"I'm just buying you a bike." Beverly said.

"Thank you.. but that's a lot." Jess said.

"Calm down." Beverly said as her and the losers went into the store.  Richie grabbed Jessica's wrist, dragging her into the store behind him.

Beverly was looking at a dull red bike, that was a little rusty. "That used to be my daughters." The guy behind the counter said. He had gray hair, not to long, not to short. He was wearing a queen t-shirt that was very oversized. He had on some cargo shorts, and flip flops.

"Used to?" Bill asked.

"Yeah. She outgrew it about a year ago.." he walked over to them. "It's a very good bike."

"Looks like it." Jess said. She looked at it.

"I'll take it to the back and fix it up. It's been sitting there for a while." The man smiled.

"How much is it?" Beverly asked.

"I would be selling it for 195, but it's been sitting here for a while.." he thought for a second. "Does 125 sound okay?"

"If you would be okay with parting with it." Bev smiled.

"Yeah! Let me take it to the back and fix it up." He smiled and picked up the bike. Jess smiled and thanked Beverly and the boys.

The man came back, and Beverly paid him. She thanked him and the eight of them left the store. Jessica got on the bike. "I miss riding my bike at home.." Jess said.

"Yeah. It looked like it." Ben smiled.

They rode their bikes over to Blockbuster. Mike and Jessica went inside while the others stayed out. Mike spoke to the man, and then Jess gave him the tape. The man examined it. "Hm.." he said. "When was this made?"

"1985." Jess said.

"I think I might be able to fix it.." He smiled.

"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me." Jess said. The man smiled.

"Of course!"

"How much to repair it?" Mike asked.

"For its condition.. about $30." The man smiled. Mike began going through his pockets.

Once Mike paid, the losers headed to the ally way. Eddie headed into the ice cream shop because Richie wanted some. Richie went over to the man with a tuba and tried to play it. Stan looked at a missing poster, and Bill followed his eyes. It was a missing poster of Edward Corcoran, last seen July 1st. He's 13 years old. "They say they found part of his hand all chewed up near the Standpipe." Stan said.

"Ugh.. that's disgusting.." Jess said, covering her mouth. Beverly looked over at Richie while Ben spoke.

"He asked to borrow a pencil once." Ben said sadly. Bill walked over to the poster and lifted it up, revealing Betty Ripsoms poster.

"It's like she's been f-for-forgotten because Corcoran's missing." He put the poster back down. Richies sounds of failure continued in the background.

"Is it ever gonna end?" Stan asked.

"I'm sure it will.." Jess said squeezing his shoulder.

The tuba player grabbed his tuba from Richie. "What the fuck, dude?!" Richie shouted. Eddie came around the corner as Richie walked over. Eddie handed an ice cream cone to him.

"What are you guys talking about?" Eddie asked.

"What they always talk about." Richie replied.

"I actually think it will end." Ben said. "For a little while, at least."

"What do you mean?" Bev asked.

"So I was going over all my Derry research and I chatted out all the big events." Ben breathed out. "The ironworks explosion in 1908, the Bradley Gang in '35, and The Black Spot in '62." He crossed his arms. "And now kids being..." he paused. "I realized this stuff seems to happen.."

Jessica, Bill and Ben spoke at the same time. "Every 27 years.." Everyone looked at each other. They were silent. A comfortable, yet terrifying silence.

Ben started to explain what he was talking about as they went to the town square. They sat down at a bench. Jess sat in between Stan and Beverly.  "Okay, so, let me get this straight. It comes out from wherever to eat kids for, like, a year?" Eddie asked. "And then what? It just goes into hibernation?"

"Maybe it's like.. What do you call it? Cicadas." Stan said.

"Cicadas?" Jess asked, laughing a bit.

"Yeah, you know, the bugs that come out once every 17 years." Jess shrugged.

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed." Mike said. "He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing. An evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry."

"But it can't be one thing." Stan added. "We all saw something different."

"Maybe." Mike continued. "Or maybe it knows what scared us most and that's what we see."

"I s-saw a leper.." Eddie said. "He was like a walking infection."

"But you didn't." Stan answered. "Because it isn't real. None of this is. Not Eddie's leper o-or Bill seeing Georgie o-or the woman I-I keep seeing."

"She hot?" Richie asked with a smile on his face, which quickly changed when Stan looked over at him.

"No, Richie! She's not hot. Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense."

"I.." Jess said. Cutting off Stan. Everyone looked at her. She looked at Richie. "Y-yesterday.. when you all were cleaning Beverly's bathroom.." She looked at the group. "I saw.. the mind flyer. Richie saw it too.." Stan looked at Richie and he nodded. Beverly grabbed Jessica's left hand and squeezed it. Jessica's right hand was wrapped up by Eddie before they had left. Beverly gave her a comforting smile.

"They're all like bad dreams." Stan said.

"I don't think so. I know the difference between a-a bad dream and real life, okay?" Mike lowered his voice while saying okay.

"What'd you see?" Eddie asked. "You saw something, too?"

"Yes." Mike replied. He breathed in. "Do you guys know that burned- down house on Harris Avenue? I was inside when it burned down." He paused. "Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me. They were pushing and pounding on the door, trying to get to me. But it was too hot. When the fire men finally found them.." he breathed out. "the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone." Everyone breathed out or heavy. "We're all afraid of something.."

A cracker in the background went off. "Got that right." Richie turned towards the sound and looked at the clown.

"Why, Rich?" Eddie asked. "What are you afraid of?" Richie looked back at them as crackers went off. He adjusted his glasses.

"Clowns.." he breathed out. "Yesterday.. Jess and I saw the mind Flayer.. and it turned into a clown.. my fear.."

"I have a map.. of D-Derry.." Bill said. "T-tomorrow we can check the map.. w-with Ben's projector clip."

"Sure." Mike said.