Pennywise's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Pennywise had nowhere to hide before the blood moon. The town gave him fear, but no nest beneath it. Each hunt left him exposed under streetlights and open windows. He needed a place to gather terror until every resident ran or broke. His red balloon scraped along the frozen ground as he found an empty lot. He drove both hands into the hard soil. The earth split beneath his shoes. From the crack rose a circus tent, striped red and white, its ropes pulling tight without wind. A carousel burst from the ground beside it. Painted horses began to turn. Bright music spilled into the cold night. Marilyne Monroe heard the calliope from inside a nearby building. She had escaped one killer already. Now she stood at the doorway, clutching a coat around herself. “No,” she whispered. “I’m not going in there.” Pennywise stepped from the tent flap with his wide smile fixed in place. “Every show needs its first guest.” He lifted one finger. The balloon floated toward Marilyne. She backed away. Then Art Terrifier came from behind the carousel. He said nothing. His black-and-white face held a hungry grin. He placed a ticket in the snow at Marilyne’s feet. Marilyne ran. The carousel sped up. Three children appeared on the spinning horses, screaming and reaching for the railing. Their cries cut through the music. Marilyne stopped. She stared at them, then at Pennywise. “Let them go,” she said. Pennywise’s smile widened. “Bring them out, and I will.” Marilyne ran toward the town, shouting for help. Lights snapped on behind curtains. Doors opened. People saw the tent, heard the children, and saw the clown waiting beneath its striped entrance. Pennywise watched fear move through the crowd. It was small at first. Then it passed from face to face. Art Terrifier slipped inside the tent and pulled the flap shut. The big top had roots now. Its stakes sank deep into the earth. Beneath the carousel, a dark shaft opened into the ground. Pennywise had built his lair. But Marilyne’s cries had also brought the town to its door.