Autor Note: I'm going to change the name of the fanfic
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Liam had been running for several minutes without looking back. The rain lashed against his face and each breath burned his lungs, but he didn't stop. Only when he saw the door of his house just a few meters away did his body finally begin to loosen its tension.
At that moment, he lowered his gaze toward Georgie.
The small boy hung limp in his arms, pale, far too still.
Liam's stomach dropped.
No one would believe him if he said a clown had ripped Georgie's arm off.
He clenched his teeth and looked away for a second, trying to organize his thoughts as he kept moving forward.
"I'll think about what to do later."
He didn't have time to worry about that now. First, he had to get home. First, he had to talk to Carrie and decide what they were going to do.
Without wasting another second, Liam shoved the door open and rushed inside. Water dripped from the umbrella and his clothes, soaking the entryway floor. He kicked the door shut and moved quickly toward the living room, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him.
With extreme care, he knelt beside the couch and gently laid Georgie down, adjusting him so he wouldn't move, checking his breathing with his hand.
[DING]
[MISSION COMPLETED]
[CLAIM YOUR REWARD]
Liam's eyes lit up for a brief second as the floating message appeared in front of him. A fleeting smile tried to surface… but he suppressed it immediately.
There were more important things right now.
That was when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Welcome back, Liam. Did you bring my pastries? You took longer than usual."
Carrie appeared with a smile, but it froze instantly. Her eyes dropped to Liam's clothes, stained with blood, and her expression completely fell apart.
"Liam, what happened? Are you okay?"
She hurried over, one hand going to her chest, clearly shaken.
"Relax, it's not my blood. It's the kid's over there. His name is Georgie."
Liam nodded toward the couch.
Carrie turned, and when she saw the unconscious boy—and especially the empty space where his arm should have been—she froze, her breath catching in her throat.
"Who would do something like that to a child?"
She covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide, taking a step back on pure instinct.
"A monster that eats children. His name is Pennywise, and he's very dangerous."
Liam's voice was low and steady, without a hint of doubt.
"Carrie, we need to leave this city tomorrow. The way we are now, we can't fight Pennywise."
He stepped closer and gently took her by the shoulders, looking straight into her eyes.
To Liam, it wasn't worth risking his life—or Carrie's—trying to face him now. He preferred to hunt easier targets, grow stronger, and come back when he was ready to kill him.
As for the Losers… he could only hope they survived, like in the first movie.
Liam wasn't a hero who would save everyone.
He would save people when they were right in front of him, when he had the chance… but he wouldn't dedicate his life to searching for someone to rescue every single day.
"Oh… so we have to move up our plans to leave town, but we still haven't sold the house."
Carrie's shoulders slumped, clearly frustrated.
"It doesn't matter, Carrie. Our safety is more important than a little money right now."
"It's not a little."
Carrie puffed her cheeks slightly, crossing her arms.
Over the years, she had developed a very clear fondness for money.
"It doesn't matter. I promise we'll make much more once we're living in the city."
Liam smiled confidently.
He had plans. Knowledge from his previous life that he intended to use to invest and make money easily.
"Alright… I trust you."
Carrie sighed and nodded, accepting reality.
"I'll go tell my mother-in-law that we're leaving tomorrow."
She said it as she started up the stairs.
Months ago, they had already talked about leaving the town that year. Liam had said it would just be him and Carrie, but she insisted on bringing her mother. In the end, he agreed.
Carrie had truly grown attached to her.
Liam, honestly, didn't care. As long as Carrie was happy, it didn't matter to him.
Liam turned his attention back to Georgie. He quickly grabbed the first aid kit and began treating him with what he had at home—cleaning what he could, tightening improvised bandages, constantly monitoring his breathing.
For Liam, having medical supplies was essential.
Sometimes, the difference between life and death was just a single bandage.
He had learned that in his previous life.
When he finished, he sat down for a moment in silence, resting his elbows on his knees.
Now came the hard part.
He knew that even if he said it wasn't him, no one would believe him. He also had no proof of Pennywise… and that would make everything sound even more absurd.
But he couldn't simply avoid telling the family.
He wasn't going to take Georgie out of town just to avoid trouble.
There was only one option left.
Contact his family and have them come pick him up.
Whatever happened after that… whether they blamed him or not… didn't matter.
Tomorrow, they were leaving the town.
One way or another.
No one was going to stop them.
At that moment, he saw his mother coming down the stairs alongside Carrie.
"Mom, find out how to contact the boy's family. His name is Georgie."
Liam spoke calmly, delegating the task.
"Leave it to me."
His mother nodded and moved closer to Georgie, clearly frightened at the thought of what kind of creature could do something like that to such a small child.
"I know this boy. He's the son of someone I know. I'll call her so she can come get him. But… what will we do when they ask who did this?"
She looked up, worried.
"Leave that to me."
Liam replied evenly.
"Alright."
His mother walked over to the phone and began making the call.
Liam turned to Carrie.
"Carrie, we're sleeping together again tonight. That thing threatened to kill you."
His expression hardened.
"We can't separate and make things easier for it. And it can enter your dreams to use your fears."
He paused, then continued:
"Besides, my new power lets me control dreams. We'll use it to defend ourselves if it tries to attack us there."
He spoke with complete seriousness.
Over the past few years, after the attack on her mind, Carrie had developed an ability to protect herself from mental invasions. But Liam didn't believe it would be enough against Pennywise.
That was why he needed to reinforce it with his own power.
"Mmm."
Carrie nodded, her face serious, understanding that this was no time to think about anything else.
What mattered now was surviving.
Liam nodded back, proud that Carrie understood this wasn't the moment for perverted thoughts or distractions.
They had to focus.
They had to endure.
Just one more night.