The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself

"Why are we the only ones that can see this?"Eddie asked"Well now there you got me stumped.Lets ask the answer man.Oh Mike!"Richie said as Eddie,Bev,Richie and I walked over to Ben,Bill and Mike"Oh Michelle!" Richie ran the little desk bell"Hold on one sec"Michael said but Richie picked up the other phone to listen"Hello Stan?..Oh,Mike Hanlon,is this the Uris residence?I'm trying to get ahold of Stan Uris""You tell that loser that if he hasnt left already he's a dead man!We all managed to show up"Richie sat on the desk.I sat next to him as Richie pulled on Eddie's hair"Gee that matches ur real hair"Richie picked up the phone again"Is anyone from out of town?I dont know about you but I just flew in from LA and boy is my tail section tried.Hahahahaha"Richie looked at Eddie who held up a sign saying 'Silence' he took it threw it"Yea no chance,we're hot tonight!It's good to be back in Derry,breathing in that'Derry Air'"He made a face and we all laughed silently"And I've never felt so much love in one room in my entire life,Eddie,get all their names I wanna put them on my Christmas mailer"No!Denbrough over there! Lets put him on my Norman Mailer!"Richie said to Bill making us all laugh.He then put Eddie in a head lock"I love this man.He's like the brother I never had"Richie made Eddie look at him"Wait a minute!He is the brother I never had!"Richie said making Eddie laugh"Beep beep Richie"Mike said listening to the phone.Richie quieted down"Uh Stan?"Mike said but his face got real serious..he looked sick..my smile dropped and a look of worry came"Thankyou" Mike said emotionlessly and hung up"Stan is dead"Mike said.My eyes widened"Wh-what?"I asked lightly in a cracked voice"He cut his wrists in the bath tub..right after he got off the phone"Mike said.I felt a few tears fall"No"I said.Richie threw the phone he was holding roughly,in anger.There was a long silence besides Bev& I making quiet whimpers until Bill spoke"He was the last to see it that summer"Bill looked at us"Remember?All summer long he kept saying'That just isn't empricably possible'Even seeing the clown wasnt real enough for him.Nothing did.Until that afternoon in August.I remember I was coming down Chestnut Street and I saw Stan running through the park.Something was after him(Bill's flashback)"Go!Go!"Stan said hopping on the back of Bill's bike"Hi-ho-Silver!Away!"Bill said riding off fast"I cant honestly say I saw anything that day.Stan's the one who saw it.I was pedaling too fast to turn around,I didnt wanna see it.I didnt know what it was.It took me hours to calm him down enough to tell me what happened.He said he was down in lancon park down by the bird feeder,watching birds,like a good boy scout.Remember he used to call it collecting birds.He said he didnt mean to go into that house but this voice kept whispering to him and natrually being Stan,he figured there was a rational explanation.He was trapped.The only thing he could think to do was to hold his bird book like a sheild&say as loud as he could of all the birds he could remember Longneck Finch,Speckled Grouse, Baltimore Oriole.Great Egret,Hammerhead Woodpecker,Brown Thrush..Brown Thrush"Bill said in a sad way"The day that we went into the sewer Stan saw It.Face to face.Not the clown but he saw wat was behind the clown.He ran up to me in school,he said'I saw it Eddy!I looked right into its...some kind of lights....'I looked right into his Dead lights'...then he said..and..i hadnt thought of it till now I swear he said'I looked into it's dead lights...and I wanted to be there"Eddie said lost.Bill looked shocked for a minute then looked up"Dead Lights..."Bill said"I need a drink"Ben said"Yea me too"Richie said"Count me in on that drink"I said sadly"I've got something here"Mike said and went to his mini fridge and opened the door and a SHIT load of balloons came out. I gasped clinging to Richie.He wrapped an arm around my waste.Once all the balloons were gone,I saw a head in the fridge..i knew that had to be Stan's "Stan!"Mike said.His eyes opened and looked us"Sorry Im late,well lets see who's here?B-B-B-B-Billy-boy,Richie u still here?We never expected you to stick around.Nice nose job,nobody would ever suspect"Richie looked shocked"Jessieeee looks like he's not the only one getting plastic surgery huh?"he said.I gasped crossing my arms over my chest...I was a b-34 and that was it so I went up to a C THATS ALL"Heystack!Puttin on a little weight huh?Speaking of dad's Bevvy yours isnt worried about you any more he loves your choice in men Weezy how's your sex life?What's your sex life?Well Mikey you did it you got us all back here, I guess its because your so lame you'd never leave this town.I finally made it guys.Im in the dead lights now and you know what?It's true what they say"His voice started to change to It's.My eyes widened in fear"We all float down here.And you will too.Infact, they all float!They allllll float!"Mike closed the fridge door.I shook with fear,but then the lights started to flicker,the doors closed,then the windows broke,wind picked up and papers flew everywhere.I felt Richie hold me tight and I surely held him back this was terrifying.Books were flying off the shelves.The cabinets flew open,RIGHT by us.Bev and I yelped in fear, then the type writer started typing on its own anf it rained...inside.....And then Bill grabbed my hand and Bevs.I held Richies hand,he held Ben's,Eddie grasped Mikes and Mike was holding Bev's hand.Finally everything stopped.The lights came back on"Alright,I dont know about the rest of you but I am getting really sick of this place I will listen to what anyone has to say but could we do it some place else?!"Richie yelled angrily"Im with Richie!I've had enough!"I said angrily"Just help me with the stuff"Mike said to the guys.Bev and I stayed close together while Bill started to hypervenelate."What is it Bill?"I asked with worry.He was stuttering REALLY BAD so we couldnt understand him"Come on man spit it out"i said giving him a worried look but he just couldnt say it.Ben took it and read out the paper"He thrusts his fists against the post and still insists he sees the ghosts.Thats all it says over and over and over"Ben said"M-m-my m-m-mom g-g-gave me th-that t-to he-help wi-with my s-st-stutter"Bill spit out.I felt so bad for him but of course, dear old Richie cheered him up"No offence pal,it aint helpin"Richie said.Bill looked at Richie and Richie made a kissing motion to him,making us all smile and Bill laugh "lets get the hell out of here what do ya say?"Ben asked.Bill nodded and so we all left.So we all are staying at a hotel together Richie came in with his box and saw the things inside was things to protect him self"No no no Mike,I will have no need of this stuff Mike,thankyou very much for thinking about me but-" "Richie!...Your yelling"i said softly touching his arm"I know beep beep Richie!Beep beep!"he said frustrated,walking away.I shook my head sadly"Alright Mike tell us things that we dont have to remember,so we dont have to remember what we saw in the library"Eddie said then started to wheeze,he pulled out his inhailer and took a hit of it"Hey dont let it get you.Fight it"Ben said.Eddie caught his breath"I saw myself today.I saw myself back there.I know it's just a can of water but I need it anyway"Eddie said.I walked to him"Eddie calm down"I said as I smile to him and began to massage his shoulders"This always helps me when I'm like this"I said sympathetically"If it works then it's good medicine.You always believed in it that's all that ever mattered"Bev said eye level to him"Thanks"Eddie said smiling to Bev and I.We smiled back"Ok,Im sure you all remember what was going down in Derry 30 years ago.There was a rash of killings,the manings,the disappearances.Mostly children.Everybody was afraid but nobody did anything.Until we went after it"Mike said handing us all newspapers.I saw reports of murders and disappearances"And we almost killed it.Henry Bowers confessed to everything and the killings stopped.Until earlier this year.Exactly 30 years later"he then explained all the things that has happened every 30 years"You knew all about this even then she didnt want to know even then...Mrs Douglas didnt wanna know" Bev said standing"It's a disease Bev"Bill said"A Derry disease noone wants to know" Ben said"It's too horrible so they act like-""They act like it doesnt even happen"Richie said gently holding my hand.I gripped his hand tightly"I remember a man...Mr.Ross.He was on his front porch...I was coming home from school.it was one of the very small occasions Richie couldnt walk me home and of course Henry knew about it..so he came after me..Him and his friends tried to get me.I was going to get away but Henry had pulled me by my hair and the other two held me...I saw Mr.Ross outside his house..across the street and he looked so concerned...I figured hey three against one maybe he'll help me out here but I was shocked...he just went inside as if he saw nothing.I just was shocked.As an adult you're supposed to help kids and he just let them man handle me.I was pissed to be honest.I knew something was terribly wrong with Derry"I said angrily"How did you get out of that Jess?"Eddie asked me interested.I scoff"Lucky for me Henry tried to kiss me,he got close enough and I kneed him in..well yeah and then kicked one of the guys then punched the other and ran off...typical me I guess you could say"I said smiling sadly.Richie pulled me closer and I smile at him"Well,..right on schedule 30 years later. The killings start up again.6 so far maybe more.We have a number of disappearances with no trace of any bodies.I wanted to be absolutely certain before I call anyone.And it became absolutely certain when I found something at the ladies crime site.God it was just yesterday.....anyway...this is it"Mike said showing the picture to Eddie,then all of us.I gasped...that was Bill's baby brother..he had died when we were still kids"Georgie"Bill said...I then shivered"Its a tad drafty no?"I said rubbing my arms"I'll start a fire"ben said going to the fire place"For some reason there's something special about us being together. We found eachother that summer.Our togetherness made us strong.Otherwise IT would have picked us off 1 by 1.I mean think about it.Is it an accident that non of us have kids?Including Stan.And definitely Jess & Richie.We all expected that"Mike said"Yeah...that is weird.I've always wanted kids.My career wouldnt have changed my mind..I mean if u think about it,Richie and i could of went one way.Either I could have retired or he could have because-""We make so much money as it already is"Richie finished"Exactly"I said in realization"We came together as young people we were all...losers.Now look at you. 7 of u left and actually became successful.Big time winners"Mike said"And u here holding the bag"Bill said"Yeah u kept the lighthouse on for all of us.I feel like a real jerk about that"Ben said"You're not the only one"I said feeling crummy"Me too"Bev said"Its nobodies fault...our parents decided who stays and who goes.When I grew up I stayed here because I wanted to"Mike said"I think you staybed because you had to"Eddie stood up"I dont know whats gonna happen when the sun comes up,but I appriciate what you've done for everyone"Eddie said shaking Mike's hand.They smiled at eachother"They chased me out the hall,past the lockers,they got me and started slapping me.And the coach found me there on the ground.I was crying.i thought he was gonna help me.But instead he just watched me and something inside me just snapped.I got mad.Coach smeared at me and nodded an I said well you listen to me you son of a bitch.Im gonna go out for track team and Im gonna run down everything you got.I'll run fown your best and then I want a f-flippin apology from you"Ben said.Richie was lying on the couch and I lied on him we were both in a comfortable position"Awww right"Richie said tiredly"And you did it?" Eddie asked"Yeah I ran everywhere.I mean like sometimes my heart was pounding so hard it felt like I was gonna pass out.I'd puke then faint"Ben said and I giggled along with Bev"Finally I was holding up my pants as I ran.I mean I ran like there was no tomarrow and by march,I had lost 70 pounds and grew two inches.Every time I ran I felt like I could fly"Ben said"And you went out for-""I went out for track just like I said I would.First day I was out there I won the 240 and I just blew away the coaches.After that I walked right up to the coach and I asked for that apology he was so furious he hit me"Ben said but we looked at him"Noo after all that?"Bev asked"It was perfect"Ben said"Hey ya beat him"I said smiling as I snuggled close to Richie.He smiled kissing my tempol"And everybody knew it"Eddie said"I graduated from El paso with a high letter in track and the coach lost his job because of that little love tap" Ben said smirking.Mike chuckled"Thats great Ben.You outta right that one down"Eddie said"Bill's our writer"Ben said smiling"I just write horror stories"Bill said smiling"You know we still havent talked about what we're going to do.If we're gonna do anything"Mike said.My smile dropped"Oh Mikey Mikey Mikey. Listen kids,this campfire stuff is really fun,but it doesnt matter how much we go over these sewer plants or how many damn flashlights or helmets you got in that box,when the sun comes up,Im dust and I would suggest that the rest of you follow me and get the hell out of dodge"Richie said but I got up and looked at him"Richie...please"I said with sad eyes"Dont..dont give me that look"he said but I kept looking at him like that.He sighed"Alright alright just stop it with the face"he said rubbing his eyes in defeat"I remember cleaning it up..."Bev said"Cleaning what?"I asked already knowing the answer"The blood.."she
said.I closed my eyes briefly in disgust"I remember cleaning up the whole thing that night....I decided if I was ever going to sleep in this house again...I'd have to-""Know the truth"I said for her.She looked at me"I felt the same way"We already figured out that we saw the same thing...I decided to tell Richie first because I was scarred out of my witts.Obviously Dad was working and you were out with the others"I smiled at Richie"First time I ever invited u over too"i said"I remember that day"Richie said gently enlacing his hand with mine.I smile"I took him into the bathroom and didnt say a word...