Bill greeted him with a smile and a wave, gesturing for him to sit down beside him. Richie obliged, settling down on the bench and stretching his legs out in front of him. For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the gentle breeze and the chirping of birds in the nearby trees.
Finally, Richie cleared his throat and spoke up. "So, uh, what's up, Bill? What did you want to talk to me about yesterday?"
Bill shifted uncomfortably in his seat, avoiding Richie's gaze. "Well... I guess I just wanted to apologize," he said quietly. "For... you know, what happened last summer. With Pennywise. I know I wasn't exactly the easiest person to deal with back then, and I just wanted to say sorry."
Richie blinked, taken aback by Bill's unexpected confession. "Uh... wow, Bill," he stammered. "I mean, I didn't even realize you were still thinking about that stuff. Honestly, I barely remember what happened now."
Bill nodded, a wry smile curling the corners of his mouth. "I know, I know. It was just something that's been weighing on my mind lately, that's all. Anyway, thanks for talking to me about it. I feel better now."
Richie chuckled, patting Bill on the back reassuringly. "No problem, buddy. Glad to help out whenever I can."
Bill laughed as well, the two of them sharing a companionable silence for a moment before Richie spoke up again. "So, uh, what have you been up to lately?" he asked casually.
Bill shrugged noncommittally. "Not much, really. Just hanging out with my family mostly, taking care of my brother and sister while my mom works overtime at the hospital."
Richie nodded sympathetically, understanding the strain that such responsibilities must put on Bill. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he said. "My dad's been working crazy hours at the bank lately too, so it's been tough trying to find time to hang out with Sarah or anyone else for that matter."
Bill nodded in agreement, his expression softening slightly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It can be tough sometimes, balancing work and family life. But it's worth it in the end, you know?"
Richie smiled at Bill's earnestness, feeling a surge of affection for his old friend. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said sincerely. "Family is definitely important."
Bill nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Hey, speaking of family, I brought my sister along today if you wouldn't mind meeting her."
Richie blinked, startled by Bill's sudden change in tone. "Uh, sure, Bill. That would be great."
Bill nodded and called out across the field to where a young girl was playing on the swingset. The girl looked to be around five or six years old, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze. She stopped swinging and came bounding over to Bill, throwing herself into his arms with a squeal of delight.
"Hi, Georgie," Richie said, smiling at the girl. "Nice to finally meet you."
Georgie grinned widely, holding out her hand for Richie to shake. "It's nice to meet you too, Richie!" she said excitedly.
Richie shook Georgie's tiny hand, laughing at her enthusiasm. "It's good to finally meet you too, Georgie," he said warmly. "Bill's told me a lot about you."
Georgie giggled, tugging on Bill's sleeve playfully. "Can we go back to the swings now? Please, Bill? Pretty please?"
Bill rolled his eyes good-naturedly, ruffling Georgie's hair fondly. "Alright, alright, you little troublemaker," he said indulgently. "Just let me finish up here first, okay?"
Georgie nodded eagerly, scampering off to join another group of kids playing tag nearby. Richie watched her go with a mixture of amusement and envy - he wished he had siblings of his own to share memories like this with someday.
As he turned back to face Bill, however, he noticed something strange happening in the distance - a thick fog beginning to roll in from the west side of town. Richie frowned, trying to recall whether he had seen any weather reports about potential storms or unusual conditions.
But as he scanned the horizon, he realized with a growing alarm that the fog was moving faster than normal, almost as if it were being pushed by some unseen force.
Suddenly, there was a crack of thunder overhead, followed by a flash of lightning that lit up the sky like a strobe light. Richie jumped, startled by the sudden noise and commotion. But before he could react further, the sky above them exploded in a shower of sparks and debris. A bolt of lightning had struck one of the trees nearby, sending chunks of wood and bark flying in every direction.
Richie and Bill both scrambled to avoid the falling debris, huddling together under the shelter of a nearby picnic table. As they crouched there, panting and disoriented, they heard a loud crash from somewhere nearby - a sound that sent chills down their spines.
"What the hell was that?" Richie whispered, his voice trembling with fear.
Bill shook his head, his eyes wide with shock. "I don't know, Richie," he said hoarsely. "But whatever it is, it doesn't sound good. We need to get out of here."
Richie nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."
Together, they made their way towards the exit of the park, hurrying as quickly as they could through the thickening fog. But as they approached the gate, they heard another loud crash - this one closer than the last. Richie froze, his heart racing with fear.
And then, without warning, something crashed into him from behind, knocking him flat on his face. He gasped in surprise, scrambling to get up and defend himself. But when he looked up, he saw nothing but the thick fog swirling around him.
He stumbled to his feet, reaching out blindly for Bill's hand. But as he turned back to look for him, he caught sight of something moving in the distance - a large shape emerging from the mist, its outline distorted and blurry. Richie's heart skipped a beat, his palms sweating with fear.
It came closer and he saw that it was that same man from the haunted house. The man immediately held him by the neck.
Richie was able to get a large stick to defend himself. He kept on hitting the man until the man got badly injured and it let him go, then him and Bill ran for their lives and they were able to escape.
"Oh, my God," said Richie, panting and shaking as he finally caught his breath. "That was so fucking scary."
Bill rushed him to the hospital to get treated.
The doctors asked what Happened and they told them everything.
The doctors called his parents and told them that Richie was deeply injured.
Richie's parents rushed to the hospital and the doctor told his parents exactly what happened.
Richie's parents were angry and sad at the time.
After weeks of staying in the hospital, Richie was finally discharged.
Everyone kept silent on the way home.
After they reached home, Richie was going to his room to rest with the help of his parents.
His girlfriend decided to stay with him for the time being and her parents agreed.
Richie's friends went to their various houses.
His friends come from time to time to visit him.
After months, Richie was finally better and was able to walk and do other things normally again.
His girlfriend went back to stay with her parents.
Everything was back to normal as at that time.