chapter three: Strong

Billy

"Take everything but the delicious deals guys, mom loves em." Eddie said.

Both Richie and Stanley were rummaging through his cupboard." Hey first you said the berrans, and now you're saying the sewer, I mean, what if we get caught?"

"We won't, edd, the sewers are public works, we're the public aren't we?"

"Hey Eddie, these are birth control pills?" Richie asks, catching his attention.

" Yeah and I'm saving it for your sister, this is private stuff!"

We gathered everything that we were walking with and headed out of the kitchen. The television was playing the sitting room, with eddies mom slouched on a couch watching it.

"Eddie bear," she calls. "Where you boys off to in such a rush?"

"Um j-just my house, my backyard, Mrs k," I said as she eyes me steadily. "I got a new.."

"A new Nintendo switch, jeez, spit it out b-bill," Eddie says.

"Ok," Mrs k said, eying us warily. "Oh and sweetie, don't go rolling around in the grass, especially if it's just been cut. You know how bad your allergies can get."

"Yes mom," Eddie says softly.

   We were just about to leave when she spoke. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Eddie turns slowly, letting out a loud sigh before making his way over to his mother. He gave her a tiny peck on the cheek, while Richie snickers like an idiot. "Do you want one from me too Mrs k i- Eddie shoves him right out the door before he could say anymore.

*

"That's poison ivy, and that's poison ivy and that's poison ivy," Stanley observed, pointing to all the trees that surrounded the sewers exit.

"Where, where's the poison ivy?" Eddie asks.

"Nowhere, not every fucking plant is poison ivy stanley," Richie said.

"Ok well I'm starting to get itchy now and I'm pretty sure this is not my-

"Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" Richie asked, cutting him off.

  "Sometimes yea," Eddie said.

"Then you probably have crabs."

"That's so not funny," Eddie snapped.

Both me and richie turned to see stanley and Eddie still waiting at the entrance.

"Aren't you guys coming in?" Richie asked.

"Nuh uh, it's grey water," Eddie said shaking his head in disgust.

"What the hells grey water," Richie said.

"It's basically piss and shit so I'm just telling you," Eddie said, shrugging. "You guys will splash around millions of gallons of Derry pee."

Richie picks up a black plastic on his stick out of the water." Are you serious what are y-

"Doesn't smell like kaka to me senior!" He said, turning the stick towards Eddie.

"Ok I can.. I can smell that from here," Eddie said, scrunching up his nose.

"It's probably just your breath wafting back into your face," Richie said.

Eddie scoffs, shaking his head in annoyance. "Have you ever heard of a staff infection? It's so unsanitary it was literally like something inside of a toilet bowl right now and ahh!" Eddie yelps as Richie threw the stinky plastic in his directions.

I wasn't paying attention to them, that's when I spotted something amongst the trash. "Guys," I said, turning towards them with what I had just found.

"Shit, don't tell me that's.."Stanley trails, a bit of horror in his eyes.

"Who's sneaker is it?" Eddie asked.

I flashed the light inside of it, and was shocked to see that it who it was.

"It's Betty rupsins," Richie said gravely.

"Oh shit, oh god, oh fuck! I don't like this," Eddie said shaking his head disgustedly.

"How do you think betty feels, running around these tunnels with only one frickin shoe," Richie laughs, hopping like an idiot.

Everyone just stared at him.

"What if she's still here?" Stanley said, swallowing.

I turned and continued to walk. I didn't care if the place stinked and my shoes was now soaked in this shitty water. I didn't care. I wanted my brother back, and I was gonna find him.

"Eddie come on," Richie called after them.

"My mom would kill me if she ever found out that I was playing down here, I'm serious."

"If I was Betty rupsins, I'd want us to find her, g-georgie too " I said.

They all looked down.

"What if I don't wanna find them?" Eddie asked. Everyone turned to him. "I mean no offense bill, but I don't wanna end up like geo- ... I don't wanna go missing either."

"He has a point," Stanley said.

"Y-you too?" I asked.

"It's summer! We're supposed to be having fun, this isn't fun, this is scary and disgusting-

There was a loud splash of water up ahead, it sounded like something had just falling into the water. We all looked up ahead trying to discern through the darkness of the tunnel, to make out anything.

But we saw nothing. There was along silence, no one said anything. We all stared, holding our breaths in anticipation.

There was a sudden sharp bellow, it echoed through the tunnel walls like a dying woman. We all gasped in horror.

The scream continued, bellowing out in tormented wails of agony and pain.

My heart clenched and breath caught in my throat. I was gripped with an inexplicable fear that made me froze.

"Oh fuck! I told you guys that this was a very bad idea, I'm getting the fuck out of here right now!" Eddie dashed off, followed by stanley.

Richie and I stared at each other, both thinking the very same thing.

His eyes were like frightened kittens.

I swallowed hard, turning back to stare up ahead of us at the pitch blackness.

The wailing was dying down, but still audible in the silence of the tunnel.

"I- I think we should head back, now bill," Richie panicked, bracing himself to run.

I grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"No, Richie! Y-you can't j-just go, please don't," I pleaded with him.

He shook his head vigorously, curly hair flying in his face.

"I don't know about you, bill, but that is definitely not something you should be messing with, I know I wouldn't." He yanked his had away, and hurried off.

"R-richie wait!"

He was already gone. And I was now left alone, in the tunnel. I breathed, scrunching my nose at the awful smell of waste and garbage and shit. The wailing had stopped, leaving an eerie silence. I wiped my sweaty forehead, before continuing up the tunnel.

It gets darker the further I go.

The flashlight I had did nothing but flash a dim light on the grimy walls covered in, what I'm sure was poo.

I tapped the flashlight, but that didn't help it get any brighter. I hit it harder, this time it blinked a couple of times before going out.  "Shit," I cursed, shaking it, but the light never returned. I cursed softly, tossing the torch into the grimy water. It was no use to me now that the battery was out.

Just my luck. I contemplated heading back, but I was far too determined to continue.

I desperately needed to know more about my brother's disappearance. And this is the only way I could think of.

So, pushing back my fear, I proceeded up the tunnel. I was getting hotter and sweatier by the minute, and the air was thick with the musty smell of stale water and shit.

It didn't bother me though, I had to continue. I had to find georgie. I had to.

The faint sound of water dripping down from the top of the tunnel and the sound of mice's running around was all I heard, plus my heavy breathing. I knew my little brother was afraid of rats, he had one in his room once. I could still remember him screaming on his bed, afraid to come down.

I had to shoo it out with a broomstick.

My eyes watered at the memories that I had with him, and I had to blink them away so that I would tear up right then.

I had to stay strong, I had to, for georgies sake.