Chapter 79

Carrie is accustomed to Margaret's slaps but remains determined to express her true feelings. Her newfound confidence in speaking marks a significant change from her previous fearful and helpless demeanor. Randy, observing from a distance, notices the difference. Had this been the old Carrie, she would have been paralyzed with fear and dragged into a small dark room.

Margaret, now resolute in teaching her daughter a lesson, has sealed the door and windows tightly. Yet, under Randy's powerful perception, he can see their confrontation clearly, even more so...

Margaret's fury is partly fueled by Kristy's provocation. Kristy had recorded a video during Tommy's declaration and sent it to Margaret through the teacher. Kristy's frustration at not being able to take out her anger on Carrie directly leads her to press for more pressure from Carrie's family.

Margaret's arrival coincides with Tommy's car passing by, and his lecherous smile does not sit well with her. In reality, Tommy and Suzy were just flirting. But Margaret is convinced that Carrie must have done something outrageous, as the house has been unsettling for the past couple of days. She had been so focused on the Asian boy next door that she didn't consider that there might be a lurking threat at school as well.

"You've abandoned self-restraint, and the devil will see through it…" Margaret's words are accompanied by her usual preachy tone and biblical reprimands.

Randy thinks it's not intense enough, not enough to push Carrie to her limits. As he watches with interest, a strange wave of energy suddenly emanates from the room.

Randy turns his attention to the living room. A red balloon slowly inflates and then bursts with a "pop," revealing Pennywise, who bows and makes his appearance.

Pennywise's ability to appear and disappear is indeed enviable.

"Why so slow?" Randy asks. With Pennywise's ability, even a scare should not take this long.

"The kid was on the phone with his girlfriend for a long time. But I've taught him a lesson; he'll never use his phone while driving again. Also, should we deal with his girlfriend? They used some peculiar terms on the phone," Pennywise responds.

Randy declines the suggestion: "You're too extreme. How can you involve innocent people?"

The main concern is that Suzy still has her uses. If her boyfriend dies because of Carrie, Suzy might team up with Kristy to bully Carrie.

The previous mercy was only to cut ties with her friend and demonstrate his own supposed virtue.

"Alright, alright. The situation has been perfectly resolved. I also sent a photo to the police," Pennywise says.

Pennywise, whose appetite is not particularly large, had been consuming children to gain power and handle Randy and the Failure Alliance. In fact, consuming one child every three days would be sufficient. If it continued daily, the town would soon be in disarray, and memory alterations would be ineffective.

Randy, not saying much, leans back on the couch and continues watching the drama unfold. He wants to see just how much tension builds up before the two women calm down.

Pennywise, too, is attentive to the noises from the next room, understanding why Carrie is so fearful of her mother. Although they haven't fought physically, the argument grows more intense.

Margaret even suggests moving: "Carrie, we're moving. We're leaving this town. The Lord has given me new instructions; this town is no longer under protection."

This surprises Randy, who sometimes wonders if Margaret really has any genuine power. Carrie is also deeply frightened by the idea of moving. She has finally found someone she can communicate with outside her family.

But this decisive attitude only reinforces Margaret's belief that Carrie has developed thoughts she shouldn't have. Thus, Margaret's disciplinary methods escalate. She takes scissors from the table, not to take Carrie's life, but to cut her long hair, aiming to remove her feminine features and see if any man would still be interested in her.

This is also the first time Margaret has forced Carrie to use her magic.

Various pieces of furniture begin to tremble, and Margaret is lifted into the air. Even Randy's home feels a distinct sense of loss.

Margaret's performance is not surprising; she grits her teeth and says, "You are a demon."

"I am not a demon! This might be genetic. I've researched a lot about witches' history. This power might be inherited from my ancestors, or it could be from my father," Carrie insists.

"Shut up! That man only left me a malignant tumor, and you are that tumor!" Margaret retorts.

"Mom, don't say that!" Carrie pleads.

Under Carrie's powerful magical pressure, Margaret finally calms down enough to communicate. She continues to insist that Carrie should accompany her to church to atone for her sins and cleanse her evil magic.

Pennywise scoffs at this: "How can the church solve this?"

"Do you know the source of her magic?" Randy asks, puzzled.

After all, Pennywise is an old hand. Even if it is secluded, its knowledge is likely superior to Randy's as an outsider.

"I'm just guessing. This ability is definitely related to demons," Pennywise explains.

Randy is speechless, thinking this is obvious. All the chaos under God's protection is created by demons.

Randy asks, "How do you compare with those demons?"

At this, Pennywise clearly becomes defensive. Despite its exaggerated and terrifying abilities, it has limits.

"You really know how to joke. I'm just a local demon, with no large religious following. However, if more people fear me, I might become even stronger!" Pennywise says.

Pennywise is an old-fashioned legend. After Randy subdued it, he truly learned about its origins. Pennywise originally comes from a native term meaning "the terrifying one." It was later given an English name, Pennywise, due to Anglo-Saxon influence. It emerged from tribal fear tactics, initially intended by a tribal chief to intimidate his people. Unexpectedly, this tactic spread widely, and the creature became a reality.

Later, as the area was colonized, the legend faded, as the indigenous people were no more.