Morning sunlight slipped through the narrow gap between the hotel curtains.
Dante opened his eyes and remained still for several seconds while Jennifer slept beside him.
His thoughts quickly returned to the underground crystal and the power now resting inside his mind.
Telekinesis EX felt natural despite being less than a day old.
He could sense the glass on the nightstand, the fallen pillow near the wall, and the crooked lamp without touching any of them.
Dante raised one finger.
The curtains opened on their own and allowed more sunlight into the room.
Jennifer shifted beneath the blanket but did not wake.
After washing his face and changing into a light jacket, Dante quietly left the hotel.
He found a nearby diner and returned with two hot breakfast sandwiches, hash browns, and cups of coffee.
Jennifer had just awakened when he entered the room.
Her sleepy eyes followed him as he placed the food on the table.
“I thought you left.” Dante held up the paper bag.
“I went hunting for breakfast.” Jennifer climbed out of bed and walked toward him.
She rose onto her toes and kissed him before taking one of the coffee cups.
“You’re forgiven.” They ate together while Jennifer talked about the Low Shoulder concert.
She had enjoyed the music even though they had left before the performance ended.
Dante listened without mentioning the three young men in the woods or the supernatural crystal beneath the ground.
Explaining that he had interrupted the events of Chronicle and gained advanced telekinesis would have created far too many questions.
Once breakfast was finished, Dante checked out of the hotel and took Jennifer home.
She kissed his cheek before stepping out of the car and reminded him to call her later.
Dante watched until she entered the house.
He then began walking toward his own neighborhood while testing his new ability on small objects along the way.
Loose stones floated beside him before returning to the sidewalk.
Fallen leaves moved in circles around his body while a crushed soda can rose from the gutter and dropped neatly into a trash container.
Telekinesis EX required almost no effort for simple tasks.
The clear morning sky began changing before Dante had walked several blocks.
Dark clouds gathered over Derry and covered the sunlight with unnatural speed.
The first drops struck the pavement moments later.
Within seconds, the rain became a heavy downpour.
Water rushed along the gutters while people hurried beneath awnings or opened umbrellas.
Dante continued walking at the same relaxed pace.
An invisible telekinetic barrier formed around his body.
Every raindrop stopped several inches from his clothes before sliding harmlessly around the field.
From a distance, Dante appeared to be walking through the storm without protection.
Yet not a single drop touched his hair or jacket.
He looked at the curtain of water surrounding him with satisfaction.
“This is much better than carrying an umbrella.” Several streets ahead, Bill Denbrough lay sick in bed while the rain struck his bedroom window.
His younger brother Georgie stood nearby and watched him fold a sheet of paper.
Bill’s hands moved carefully despite the weakness caused by his fever.
He folded the final corner and presented the finished boat to Georgie.
The paper craft was simple, but Georgie accepted it as though his brother had given him a priceless treasure.
Rain continued tapping against the window.
Georgie looked outside with growing excitement.
The water rushing along the street would be perfect for sailing his new boat.
He pulled on his yellow raincoat and hurried toward the front door.
Bill reminded him to be careful before another coughing fit forced him back against the pillows.
Georgie promised he would return soon and rushed outside.
The little boy crouched beside the curb and placed the paper boat in the flowing water.
It rocked for a moment before the current carried it down the street.
Georgie laughed and ran after it.
The paper boat floated between puddles and spun around small obstacles.
Each time it moved ahead, Georgie increased his pace to keep up.
Rainwater struck his yellow hood and ran down his face.
He hardly noticed because all his attention remained fixed on the boat Bill had made for him.
The current grew faster near the end of the block.
Georgie saw the storm drain too late.
The paper boat turned once before disappearing through the opening.
“No!” He stopped beside the curb and stared into the darkness.
Losing the boat felt worse because Bill had made it for him while sick.
Georgie crouched and tried to see beneath the street.
A wet gurgling sound rose from the storm drain.
He leaned closer.
Something shifted in the darkness.
A pale face slowly appeared beneath the street.
Orange hair framed a high forehead while red lines ran from the clown’s mouth through its eyes.
The silver costume remained mostly hidden inside the sewer.
Only the clown’s smiling face and bright yellow eyes were clearly visible.
Georgie froze.
The creature’s red lips stretched into an inviting smile.
“Hello, Georgie.” The boy stared at it.
“How do you know my name?” The clown’s smile widened.
“A clown knows many things.” It raised one gloved hand and revealed the missing paper boat.
“Is this what you’re looking for?” Georgie’s fear weakened when he saw Bill’s gift.
“My boat.” The clown moved it closer to the opening.
“You should take it before it floats away again.” Georgie hesitated.
His brother had warned him not to talk to strangers.
Yet this was only a clown trapped beneath the street, and the boat was less than an arm’s length away.
“What are you doing in the sewer?” The clown tilted its head.
“The circus was washed away by the storm.” Its voice remained friendly, but hunger burned behind the glowing eyes.
“Down here, everything floats.” Georgie slowly extended his hand.
His fingers almost reached the boat when the clown moved.
A thin white hand shot from the darkness and seized his wrist.
Georgie screamed.
The clown’s friendly expression vanished.
Its mouth opened far wider than any human jaw should allow as rows of sharp teeth appeared behind the painted lips.
Georgie grabbed the edge of the storm drain with his free hand.
Pennywise pulled harder.
The boy’s boots slid across the wet pavement.
Part of his yellow raincoat tore against the curb as he desperately tried to keep himself above the sewer.
“Bill!” His scream vanished beneath the pounding rain.
“Bill, help me!” Several blocks away, Dante stopped walking.
The sound had been faint, but his enhanced awareness and telekinetic senses caught the terrified cry through the storm.
Bill.
A yellow raincoat.
A paper boat disappearing into a storm drain.
Dante’s expression changed as he understood what was happening.
“Georgie.” Telekinetic force wrapped around his body.
He rose from the pavement and shot through the rain.
The invisible barrier remained around him while buildings and trees rushed past beneath his feet.
Dante turned the corner and saw a small yellow figure struggling beside a storm drain.
Georgie clung to the curb with one hand.
A pale arm stretched from the darkness and held his other wrist.
Pennywise’s mouth had become a cavern filled with teeth.
The creature continued pulling while the boy’s fingers slowly slipped across the wet concrete.
Dante extended one hand.
Telekinetic force seized Georgie and tore him away from the drain.
Pennywise refused to release him.
Dante immediately infused the psychic grip with Purification.
Blue-white light formed around Georgie’s captured arm before spreading onto the clown’s hand.
The result was immediate.
Smoke erupted from Pennywise’s skin as the Purification energy burned through its disguise.
The creature released Georgie and screamed.
Its voice changed from a clown’s shriek into something ancient and inhuman.
The sound shook the street hard enough to rattle nearby windows.
Dante pulled Georgie toward him and lowered the boy safely onto the pavement.
He then directed the full telekinetic field toward the storm drain.
Purification flowed through the invisible force.
Pennywise tried to retreat into the sewer, but Dante’s power caught its temporary body before it could escape.
The clown was dragged through the opening and suspended above the flooded curb.
Its silver costume hung in torn strips.
Black smoke poured from the cracked skin while blue-white fire moved across its arms and chest.
Pennywise twisted violently.
Its face changed between several forms.
The clown vanished for an instant and became a rotting corpse before shifting into a diseased animal and then returning to the familiar painted face.
Dante closed his hand.
A telekinetic impact struck Pennywise from every direction.
The clown’s body collapsed inward before exploding into a cloud of black ash.
The remains scattered through the rain and vanished into the rushing water.
Silence returned to the street.
Georgie sat on the pavement and gasped for breath.
His yellow raincoat had torn near one sleeve, but the arm beneath it remained unharmed.
Dante walked over and crouched beside him.
“Are you hurt?” Georgie shook his head.
Tears mixed with the rainwater running down his cheeks.
“The clown tried to take me.” “I know.” Dante placed one hand on his shoulder and kept his voice firm.
“You should never approach a storm drain or follow someone you don’t know.
Especially not when you’re alone.” Georgie nodded quickly.
Dante looked toward the gutter and noticed the paper boat resting against a pile of wet leaves.
It had somehow survived the struggle.
He lifted it with telekinesis while keeping the movement hidden from Georgie.
The boat slid through the water and stopped near Dante’s hand.
He picked it up and gave it back to the boy.
“Here.
Take this and go home.” Georgie held the wet paper boat against his chest.
“Thank you.” “Your brother is probably worried about you.” The mention of Bill made Georgie scramble to his feet.
He turned and ran through the rain while his yellow coat moved like a bright light beneath the dark sky.
Dante watched until the boy disappeared around the corner.
Georgie Denbrough had survived.
Without his death, Bill and the other members of the future Losers’ Club might never begin searching for the creature beneath Derry.
That could create new problems later, but allowing Pennywise to murder a child was never an acceptable option.
Dante slowly stood.
He could still feel something watching him.
The sensation came from across the street.
Beneath a tree with twisted branches stood the same clown Dante had just destroyed.
Pennywise held a red balloon by its string.
The balloon swayed gently despite the heavy rain while the creature remained completely dry.
Its temporary body looked untouched.
The white face carried an amused smile, but anger burned behind the yellow eyes.
Dante understood immediately.
He had not killed Pennywise.
He had only destroyed one of the physical forms used by the ancient creature.
The clown tilted its head and stared at him.
It seemed fascinated by the Purification energy that had burned through its manifestation.
Dante faced it without fear.
“Pennywise.” The clown stopped moving.
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on its painted face.
Very few humans knew that name.
Even fewer could recognize the creature and survive an encounter with it.
Pennywise studied Dante as though trying to understand what stood before it.
Dante raised one hand.
Blue-white Purification began mixing with the invisible pressure of Telekinesis EX.
The clown’s smile disappeared.
Before Dante could release the attack, Pennywise vanished.
Only the red balloon remained beneath the tree.
It floated in place for several seconds before the string slipped free and carried it into the stormy sky.
Dante watched it disappear among the dark clouds.
Pennywise had escaped, but the ancient creature now knew that someone in Derry could hurt it.
[Support Goal: 10 Reviews → +1 Chapter] Your review helps the story grow.