Chapter 4: A Monster Meets Its Match

The House on Neibolt Street

The stench of rot hit them first.

Even before they stepped inside, the air was thick with decay, a foul mix of damp wood, rusted metal, and something far worse—something dead.

Levi stood at the front, Desert Eagle in one hand, wand in the other. The Losers' Club followed close behind, their grips tight on their newly acquired weapons.

"This is a bad idea," Stan muttered.

"Then why are you here?" Levi asked, not looking back.

Stan exhaled sharply but said nothing.

They moved forward.

The house creaked beneath their weight, each step sending up a cloud of dust. The walls were covered in peeling wallpaper, the ceiling sagging like it was seconds away from collapsing.

And the deeper they went, the colder it became.

Then they heard it.

The sound of laughter.

Come Out and Play

It started soft, like wind through broken windows. Then it grew, twisting into something inhuman, something that echoed through the walls.

Beverly gripped her shotgun. "It knows we're here."

"Good," Levi said, smirking. "Saves me the trouble of looking."

Richie gulped, raising his pistol. "So, uh, what's the plan? Do we just start blasting or—"

BANG.

A door slammed shut behind them.

The room shifted. The walls bent, stretching impossibly high before twisting in on themselves.

And then—he appeared.

Pennywise.

He unfolded from the darkness like a puppet on broken strings, his yellow eyes gleaming, his razor-sharp teeth stretching into an unnatural grin.

"Ahh, the Losers brought a friend!" the clown purred, his voice echoing from every direction. "And what a friend you are…"

His eyes locked onto Levi.

"You're different."

Levi tilted his head. "No shit."

Pennywise chuckled, stepping closer. His footsteps didn't thud against the floorboards—they squished, like he was walking on something wet.

"Not afraid?" the clown mused. "Not even a little?"

Levi smiled, raising his wand. "No. And I'm about to ruin your day."

Lead and Magic

"Expulso."

A blast of blue light shot from Levi's wand, hitting the floor beneath Pennywise's feet. The explosion ripped through the wood, sending dust and debris flying as the clown stumbled backward.

"NOW!" Levi barked.

The Losers opened fire.

Gunshots roared through the house, bullets tearing through the air.

Pennywise screeched, his body contorting unnaturally as bullets punched into his skin. He twisted and shifted, his flesh morphing to avoid direct hits—but some still landed.

Chunks of his face were blown away.

His arm nearly detached from the impact of Beverly's shotgun blast.

But he didn't die.

He laughed.

The clown's body snapped back into place, his wounds sealing instantly. His mouth stretched wider, his grin splitting his face in half.

"Ohhh, this is FUN!"

Then he moved.

Faster than a blink, Pennywise rushed them, his form shifting into something grotesque—a swirling nightmare of limbs, claws, and glowing yellow eyes.

Stan barely had time to react before the clown was on him.

SLASH.

Blood sprayed across the wall as Pennywise's claws raked across Stan's shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground with a scream.

"STAN!" Bill shouted.

Levi moved instantly.

"Sectumsempra!"

A flash of cursed magic tore through the air, slashing Pennywise across the chest.

The clown howled, stumbling backward as black tar-like blood oozed from the wound.

Levi didn't stop.

"Confringo!"

A fireball shot from his wand, exploding against Pennywise's midsection, sending the creature crashing through a wall.

Smoke curled through the air.

Silence.

Then—laughter.

Low. Guttural.

And getting closer.

Fall Back

"He's not dead!" Eddie shouted, reloading his pistol with shaking hands.

"No shit!" Richie snapped.

The walls of the house groaned, the air vibrating with something unnatural. Pennywise's voice slithered through the darkness.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock…"

The floor beneath them lurched.

The entire house was changing, the space stretching and twisting, trapping them inside.

Levi clenched his jaw. They weren't winning this fight—not yet.

"We're leaving," he ordered.

"But—"

"NOW."

He raised his wand.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

The front wall of the house EXPLODED, sending wood and debris flying.

"GO!"

One by one, the Losers ran, scrambling through the smoke and fire. Levi was the last to leave, his gun still aimed at the shifting shadows.

Pennywise was smiling at him.

This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.