Chapter 32 Chapter 21 City Underground (1)

1 A new situation has arisen. For the first time in history, this new situation appeared. Before the universe was formed, there were only two creatures in the Underworld: one was itself, and the other was a sea turtle.A turtle is a stupid old thing that stays in its shell forever.It thought that the turtle might have died a long time ago, dead for a billion years.Even if it's not dead, it's just a stupid old thing.Even if it spits out the entire universe, it can't change this fact. Long after the turtle had withdrawn into its shell, it came here, to Earth.Here it finds a whole new and very interesting imagination, which gives it plenty of food.

Its teeth stiffened its muscles, and that terror felt fresh and refreshing to it. Relying on ample food sources, it leads a very simple life: wakes up to hunt, sleeps to dream.In its imagination it has created a place upon which its eye, which it calls the Death Ray, has a particular focus.Delhi is its slaughterhouse and the people of Delhi are its lambs.Everything is going on like this over and over again. Suddenly...these kids came. new situation. For the first time ever. He was vaguely disturbed when he broke into the house in Nabert Street, intending to kill them all.Feeling that it is beyond its reach (of course this unease is the first new situation).This was completely unexpected, and something that had never been thought of happened.What followed was pain, a tearing pain all over the body; and a brief moment of fear.Because the only thing it has in common with that stupid old turtle and the infinitely vast universe beyond this egg-sized universe is that all living things must be limited by the vehicle in which it inhabits.For the first time, it realized that maybe its kaleidoscopic ability was helping it or hurting it.I've never felt pain before, never been afraid.It suddenly occurred to him that he might die—his headache was splitting, that silvery pain growling and whimpering and howling, and the children somehow escaped.

But now they are coming.They had entered its subterranean realm, and seven foolish children were running about in the dark without any lights or weapons.Now of course it's going to kill them. It has a major self-discovery: it doesn't want any changes or surprises.It never wants anything new.It just wants to eat, sleep and dream, and then go hunting. After that pang of pain and short-lived fear, a brand new emotion (although all real emotions are new to it, though it is a master of emotional performance): anger.It kills those children because they hurt it by accident.But he had to make them suffer first, because they frightened him.

Come on then, it thought, listening to their approaching footsteps.Come on, boys, see how we float down there...how we all float. But there is an idea, no matter how hard it tries to dispel it, that secretly mocks it: if everything flew out of it (which it has been since the old turtle spit out the universe and passed out in the shell) , so how could beings in this or another world tease it, hurt it?How is that possible? Then this last brand-new feeling arises in its heart, which is not emotion, but calm thinking: What if everything is not as it imagines, and it is not the only one? What if there is another one?

Thinking further, what if these children were messengers of the other? suppose... suppose... It starts to tremble. Hate is the first time.Hurt is the first time.It was the first time that someone else ruined my plan.But this fear is the scariest feeling I've ever felt.Not the fear of those kids, the fear of them is over, but the fear that I'm not the only one. No.Not another one.Certainly not.Maybe because they were children, their imagination had a raw power that was underestimated.But since they were coming, it let them come.And they came, and it threw them one by one into the infinite universe...into its eye, which it calls the ray of death.

right. As soon as they got here, it threw them screaming, scared out of their wits, into a death ray. 2 Beverly and Richie have a total of 10 matches, but Bill won't let them use them.At least for now there's a dim light in the sewers.It wasn't very bright, but it was bright enough for them to make out objects within 4 feet in front of them.As long as they can keep that going, they're going to save those matches. The water got deeper.The dead bodies of many animals passed by: a mouse, a cat, that swollen, glowing thing that might have been a woodchuck.As a child's corpse drifted by, he heard someone murmur.

The section of water they had overcome was fairly smooth, but it was about to come to an end soon: there was a loud rumbling sound not far ahead, and the sound became louder and louder, converging into a roaring note.Turn right at the sewer.They turned the corner and saw three pipes from top to bottom pouring seawater into the pipe they were in at the same time.The pipeline ends here.Bill looked up and saw they were standing in a stone shaft about fifteen feet high.Sewage pours down from the grate-shaped manhole cover above. Bill looked at the three pipes in disbelief.The top one discharges still clear water, although the water stream carries things like dead branches and leaves, cigarette butts, and chewing gum wrappers.The one in the middle discharges sewage.The bottom pipe drained a grey-brown, round-shaped filth.

"Ai, Ai, Eddie?" Eddie struggled to get to him, his hair sticking to his scalp.The plaster cast on the arm has soaked into a mess. "Which, which, which, one, root?" Ask Ben if you want to know how to build something, or Eddie if you want to know which way to go. "I can't hear you!" Eddie yelled. "Which one did I say, which one?" "Which one?" Eddie clutched his asthma spray in his injured hand.Bill thought he looked less like a child than a drowning muskrat. "Which pipe do we go, go, go?" "Well, that depends on where we want to go," Eddie said.For all his truth, Bill really wanted to strangle him.Eddie looked at the three pipes suspiciously.They could get in all of them, but the bottom one seemed very snug.

Bill motioned for the others to gather around. "Where the hell is he, he, the fuck?" he asked. "The town center." Richie replied immediately. "Just below the town center. Near the canal." Beverly nodded.Ben Si and Stanley also nodded and said yes. "Mack, Mike, Mike?" "Yes," he said, "it's there. Near the canal, or under the canal." Bill looked at Eddie again. "Where, which, which one?" Eddie reluctantly pointed to the bottom pipe... Although Bill's heart sank, he wasn't surprised at all. "That one."

"Oh, that's disgusting," Stanley said irritably. "It's a shit pipe." "We don't—" Mike stopped talking as soon as he started.He tilted his head as if listening to something.Eyes full of fear. "Why—" Bill was about to speak when Mike signaled him to be quiet.Now Bill heard it too: the sound of splashing water.Getting closer.There were also indistinct shouts and curses.Henry and the others are still chasing after them. "Quick," Ben said. "Go." Stanley looked at the way they had come, and at the bottom pipe.Biting his lip, he nodded.

"Good job, Stanley!" Richie exclaimed. "Hoo-hoo-hoo!" Ricky, can't you shut up? "Beverly yelled at him. Bill led them to the pipe, and the smell made him frown.They climbed in anyway.The smell: it's sewage, it's shit, but there's something else.Lighter, more important flavors.We are on the right path.It's been here... for a long time. When they got 20 feet away, the putrid smell intensified and choked to death.He moved forward slowly, creaking under his feet, trying to avoid the sticky things.He turned around and said, "Just follow, follow, follow me, Ai, Ai, Eddie. I need, I need you, you." The light was so dim that it all disappeared in a moment.They were in darkness.Bill groped his way down the smelly pipe, step by step.He stretched out one hand to explore the way ahead, feeling that at any moment he might touch the rough animal fur and see those green eyes like lanterns.At last it felt a searing pain as it knocked his head to the ground. All kinds of sounds in the darkness were amplified and reverberated.He heard his friend dragging his heels up, still muttering something incessantly.Occasionally there was a strange sound of gurgling and ding-dong. He didn't realize that he had reached the end of the pipeline.I staggered and fell through the pipe, landing on a limp mass two feet below the mouth of the pipe.Something creaked and ran past his hand.With a scream, he sat up and held the numb hand to his chest. "Little, little, be careful!" he heard his own shout echoing monotonously. "It's over here! Ed, Eddie! Where are you, where are you?" "Here!" Eddie's waving hand touched Bill's nose. "Help me out, Bill, I can't see! Too—" Suddenly there was a huge, violent impact!Beverly, Mike, and Richie screamed in unison and fell down.Bill hugged Eddie, trying to protect his arm. "Oh God, I thought I was going to drown!" Richie groaned in pain. "We took a piss bath. Oh, it was exciting. Sometime they're supposed to show the whole class up here, Bill, and we'll have Mr. Carson lead the—" "And then Miss Jimison will give a health lecture." Ben said in a trembling voice.Everyone couldn't help laughing.Before the laughter stopped, Stanley burst into tears. "Don't cry, man." Richie groped and put an arm around his bony shoulders, reassuring him. "You're making us all want to cry, man." "I'm fine!" Stanley said loudly, wiping away tears. "I can stand being scared, but I hate getting dirty like this, I hate not knowing where I am now" Do you, do you think, do you think that, that, those fires, matches still, work, work? " "I gave Beverly all mine." Bill felt a box of matches thrust into his hand in the dark, still dry to the touch. "I've got a match under my arm," she said. "Maybe it'll work. Try it." Bill took a match out of the box and lit it.His friends were all huddled together, their eyes squinting at the blinding spark.They were splattered with feces and urine, and they all looked immature and frightened.Behind them was the pipe they had just walked through.The pipe they were in was much smaller now, stretching straight out to either side, and the walls of the pipe were covered with a filthy layer of sediment.And - the match almost burned his fingers, so he sighed and threw the match head away.He listened carefully, hearing the sound of rushing water, ticking water, and occasionally the loud noise of the rushing water. But—he didn't hear the voices of Henry's group. He said calmly, "I have a dead, dead, dead, dead body on my right, right, dead body. It's about ten, ten, ten feet, far, far away from me, us. I think it may be Pa, pa, pa—" "Patrick?" Beverly asked, her voice trembling, about to explode. "Patrick Hoxett?" "Yes, yes, yes. They still, still, want me to light again. Light a fire, a match?" Eddie said, "Sure, Bill. If I don't see where the pipes go, I don't know where I'm going." Bill lit a match.By the dim light of the matches they all saw Patrick's green, bloated body grinning at them.But only half of the face remained, the other half had been eaten by the rats in the sewer.His summer homework was scattered around him, already as big as a dictionary. "God!" Mike's voice was hoarse, his eyes widened. "I hear them again," Beverly said. "Henry and the gang." The acoustics in the pipes might have carried her voice to their ears.Henry yelled loudly on the side of the pipe, making people feel as if he was right in front of him. "We'll catch your—your—" "Come on then!" Richie yelled.His eyes were bright and gleamed with intense fire. "Come on, Bananafoot! It's like a swimming pool! Come—" Then there was a scream of terror and pain from the other side of the pipe, and the flickering match in Bill's hand fell to the ground and went out.Eddie snuggled up beside him, and Bill hugged his back tightly, feeling his body tremble.Stanley clung to his other side.The miserable cry grew louder... suddenly there was another low slapping sound, and then the screaming stopped. "Something caught them." Mike felt terrified in the dark, and his voice froze. "What the... monster... Bill, we have to get out of here... quickly..." Bill heard the survivors—one or two, couldn't make out—scrambling down the pipe toward them. "W-Which way, way, way, Eddie?" he asked anxiously. "Know, do you know?" "To the canal?" Eddie asked.The body trembled uncontrollably. "right!" "To the right. Go around Patrick...step over him." Eddie's voice suddenly became firm. "I don't care anymore. I've got a broken arm and he's got a share. And spit all over my face." "Let's go, let's go," Bill said, looking back at the pipes behind him. "Row, line up, line up! Like just, just now, keep in touch with each other, keep in touch with each other!" So they crawled into the dark depths, with the sewage flowing around them.Now, outside, the storm was bringing darkness to Derry prematurely—the howling of wind, the thunder and lightning, and the trees being uprooted with such a noise that it sounded like the dying wail of prehistoric monsters. . 3 Now they are coming again.While everything had happened as it had expected, there was something it hadn't expected: the dread that drove it mad, restless...the sense of another being.It hated fear, would have swallowed it if it could...but that fear played tricks on it in a place beyond its reach.It can only kill fear if it kills them. Of course there is no need to be afraid, they have grown up now, and the number has been reduced from 7 to 5. 5 is a number representing strength, but 7 is a mystical talisman.True, the errand it sent hadn't killed the librarian, but he would have died in the hospital soon enough.Wait a while, before dawn, and it sends a male nurse to deliver the poison and kill him completely. Now the writer's wife is with it, and it's not considered alive to be alive-once she sees its true face after removing all the masks and bewitching, her consciousness is completely destroyed.Of course all its bewitchments are mirrors, reflecting the most terrifying images in the minds of the terrified beholders. Now the consciousness of the writer's wife is here, beyond the infinite universe; in the darkness where even turtles cannot reach; at the edge of all kingdoms. She is in its eyes; in its consciousness. She sleeps in death light. Oh, but those bewitchings are fun. But when Beverly's errand-running husband brought the writer's wife, he wore no mask—at home, he never wore makeup.That guy was frightened to death after just one glance at it, his face was dark and his orifices were bleeding.The writer's wife had a strong, horrible thought -- oh, God, it was a woman -- and then all thoughts stopped.She floated in the dead light.The death light came from its body, keeping her corpse for its later enjoyment. But they still have strength.It's weakened, but still there.They'd been here when they were little, and somehow, against all odds, even though things were supposed to go the way it wanted, they wounded it badly and nearly killed it, forcing it to flee back into the deep underground.There it crouched in a pool of its own blood, suffering, hating, trembling. And so, for the first time in its long history, it felt that it needed to make a plan; for the first time it found itself afraid that everything it needed would be taken away from Derry, its private hunting grounds. It likes to eat children.It has also eaten several old people over the years.Adults have their own fears.But their fears are often complex.The child's fears are much simpler and more intense.Their fear is all on one face...if needing bait, hey, what kid doesn't like a clown? It has a vague sense that these children will fight back in their own ways.By a very chance (certainly not exclusively, and certainly not guided by the hand of "the other"), 7 children with extraordinary imaginations unite and put it in a very dangerous situation.Any one of the 7 would have been a feast for him by himself.If they didn't get together by chance, it would of course use their peculiar thinking to kill them one by one.But when they got together, they discovered a startling secret that even it didn't know: Faith is all-powerful. But it escaped in the end, and fled deep underground.And when it was most vulnerable, the exhausted and terrified children decided not to pursue it, decided to believe it was dead, or dying, and retreated. It knew their oath, knew they would come back.So just as it fell asleep, it had already started planning.When it wakes up again, its wounds will be healed and it will be born again - but their childhood will be extinguished like a candle.The imagination that was once possessed will also become dull.They will no longer believe that there are piranhas in the Kentucky River; that if they step on a crack, they will literally break their mother's back; misfire.Instead, they will believe in insurance, in all things mundane.With each passing year, their dreams get smaller.And when he woke, he called them all back, yes, called them back, because fear was fertile ground for anger, and anger yearned for vengeance. It will call them all back and kill them all. It's just that since they are coming, the fear also follows.They've grown up, their imaginations have been dulled - but things aren't quite what it imagines. Already it felt an ominous, unsettling power growing as they came together.For the first time, it thought it might have made a mistake. But what's the downside?The deal is done.And not all signs are bad.The writer is desperate to find his wife, and that's fine.That writer is one of the strongest. All these years he had been training his mind to face this confrontation.When that writer is done, when their dear Big Bill is dead, the others will soon be its captives. It could have a good meal... and then it might dive deep underground.Take a nap.Take a break. 4 "Bill!" Richie yelled, echoing through the pipes.He had tried his best, but he still couldn't walk fast.As a child, he remembered being able to bend over and walk across the pipeline from the pumping station to Banron.Now the pipe seemed unnaturally narrow and could only be crawled through.He heard Beverly and Ben close behind. "Bill!" he yelled again. "Eddie!" "The voice of me healing Eddie here came back. "Where's Bill?" Richie asked aloud. "Right ahead!" Eddie responded. "He can't wait!" Richie bumped his head on Eddie's leg.A moment later Beverly's head hit Rich's ass. "Bill!" he yelled at the top of his voice.His voice traveled through the duct and bounced back, making his own ears ache. "Bill, wait for us! We have to go together, have you forgotten?" Bill's shout came faintly from ahead: "Audra! Audra! Where are you?" "Damn Big Bill!" Richie cursed softly.His glasses slipped off, and he fumbled to pick up the wet, rippling glasses while cursing, and set them on his nose.Gathering his strength, he yelled again, "You'll be lost without Eddie, you fool! Wait a minute! Wait for us! Do you hear that, Bill? Wait for us, fool!" There was an unnerving silence, as if no one was breathing.All Richie could hear was the sound of water ticking in the distance; this time the sewer was mostly dry, save for the occasional still puddle. "Bill!" He shook his hands, brushed his hair, and fought back tears. "Calm down... Please, man!wait a minute!I beg you! " Bill's voice came from afar, fainter. "I'm waiting!" "Thank goodness," Richie muttered, slapping Eddie on the ass. "drive!" "I don't know how long this arm will last," Eddie said apologetically. "Let's go," Richie said.Eddie crawled forward again. Bill was waiting for them in the shaft lined with three pipes, looking pretty cool.Here they can finally stand up. "Over there," Bill said, "K and Chris and Be, Be and Belts." They took a look.Beverly gave a low cry, and Ben put his arm around her shoulders.Beltz's bones appeared to be intact, wrapped in a pile of rags.Victor's body was headless.Not far away was a grinning head. "The monster killed them," Beverly whispered. "You remember? We all heard it." "Audra is dead, dead." There was no expression in Bill's voice. "I know." "You know shit!" Beverly was furious, and Bill was taken aback. "All you know is that many other people are dead, mostly children." She walked over and stood in front of him with her hands on her hips.There were streaks of dirt sticking to her face and hands, and her hair was covered with dust.Rich thought she looked really great. "You know who did it." "I really shouldn't, shouldn't, tell, tell her I'm coming here." Bill blamed himself. "Why should I tell her? Why should I—" "Cut the bullshit! You know what we're here for! We made a vow, and we're going to keep our word! Do you understand me, Bill? If she's dead, she's dead...but she hasn't Die! We need you now. Do you understand? We need you!" She couldn't help crying. "You are our pillar! You have to support us as before, otherwise none of us can get out alive!" He looked at her without saying a word.Richie kept praying in his heart: cheer up, Big Bill!Pull yourself together, pull yourself together—Bill looked at everyone and nodded. "Ai, Eddie." "Here, Bill." "Do you, do you still remember, remember, remember which pipe, pipe, pipe it is?" Eddie pointed to the tube behind Victor and said, "That one. Looks small, doesn't it?" Bill nodded again. "Can you hold it?" "For you, I can, Bill." Bill smiled—the most weary, bleakest smile Richie had ever seen. "T-Take us there, Ed, Eddie. Let's do- let's do our mission." 5 As Bill climbed forward, he reminded himself of the steep slope at the end of the pipe.But he was still taken aback.Just now his hand touched the rusty pipe wall, but it was flying in the air after a while.He fell forward suddenly, somersaulting instinctively, landing on his shoulders. "Small, small, careful!" He heard his own voice. "It's a steep slope! Ed, Ed, Eddie?" "Here!" Eddie groped with one hand and touched Bill's forehead. "Can you jump off for me?" He lifted Eddie down, trying not to touch his severed arm.Ben jumped down, followed by Beverly and Richie. "Have you got fire, fire, matches, Richie?" "I did," Beverly said.In the darkness Bill felt a hand pushing a box of matches into his. "Only eight or ten, but Ben has plenty. From the guest room." Bill quipped, "Are you holding matches under your arm again, Beverly?" "Not this time," she said, putting her arms around Bill tenderly.He hugged her tightly, feeling the tenderness she gave. He let her go gently and lit a match.The power of memory is so powerful - they all looked to the right in unison.Patrick's body is still there.The only thing that could be discerned was a half ring of teeth. There is something nearby.A shiny ring, barely visible in the dim light of the match. Bill struck out the match and lit another.He picked up the little thing. "Audra's wedding ring," he said.His voice was hollow and expressionless. The match nearly burned his fingers and went out. In the dark, Bill put on the ring. 6 How long had they been walking in the pipes under Derry since they left the place where Patrick's body was, but all Bill knew was that he would never find his way back.He kept thinking about his father's words: You could spin down there for weeks.If Eddie was looking in the wrong direction, it wouldn't even need it to kill them; they'd just walk in it, till they died...or they'd pick the wrong pipe, and they'd drown like rats. But Eddie didn't look like he was in any hurry.Let Bill light a few matches for a while, look around thoughtfully, and move on.He seems to turn left and right at will.Sometimes the pipes are very wide, and sometimes they have to crawl.Eddie led the way and the others followed, nose to nose on the heels of the man in front. The only thing Bill was sure of was that they had walked into a section of sewer that had long been disused.The pipes here are old, not ceramic, but crunchy and crumbly earthy things, from time to time oozing a foul-smelling liquid.The smell of human feces—the rich, pungent smell that nearly choked them all—dissipated, but was replaced by another smell—yellow with age, even more disgusting. Ben thought it was the smell of mummified corpses.To Eddie it smelled like a leper; to Richie it smelled like the world's oldest flannel jacket, rotting and festering—a lumberjack's jacket, very big, probably big. A man as tall as Paul Bunyan could have worn it; to Beverly, it smelled like her father's sock drawer; to Stanley, it brought back the worst memories of his childhood.The smell of oil and earth reminded him of an eyeless, mouthless demon; Mike thought it was the smell of dry feathers in a birdless nest. "You guys are big, big, how, how, how are you?" They answered in whispers, and he nodded in the dark.No panic, no tears.They stood for a moment in the darkness holding hands, feeling each other's strength.Bill was very pleased.There is no doubt that they created a force far greater than the sum of the seven individuals; they recombined into an invincible whole. He took out the few remaining matches, lit one, and saw a narrow passage sloping downward.There are spider webs hanging from the top of the pipes, some of which have been washed away by the water and are hanging there.What he saw made Bill shudder.The surface of the pipe under his feet was covered with a thick layer of mold, which may be leaves, mushrooms... some unexpected deposits for the warrior.In the distance, there is a pile of bones, a strand of green rags.Bill thought maybe it was a worker from the Derry Sewerage or the Water Board who made the road, came here and bumped into... The flame flickered.He punched the match head down, trying to keep the flame alive for as long as possible. "Do you, you, do you know where I, I, we are?" he asked Eddie. Eddie pointed to the slightly bent pipe. "That's the canal," he said, "and if the pipe doesn't go the other way, it's less than half a mile away. I reckon we're under Mount Upmere now. But Bill—" The match caught Bill's fingers and he threw the match away.They were wrapped in darkness again.Someone—Beverly, Bill thought—sighed.But before the lights went out, he saw the anxiety on Eddie's face. "What, what, what's the matter? Yes, what?" "When I say we're under Mount Apugul, I mean we're really under it. We've been going underground for a long time. No one would lay sewers this deep. Laid this deep Pipelines are often called mines." "How deep down do you think we are, Eddie?" Richie asked. "More than 2,400 meters," Eddie said, "maybe deeper." "Oh my God!" Beverly was taken aback. "Anyway, this is not a sewer." Stanley's voice came from behind them. "Just smell it. It smells bad, but it doesn't smell like sewer." "I think I'd rather smell the sewer," Ben said. "This smells like..." A loud cry came from the pipe behind them.Bill's hair stiffened with fright.The seven of them held hands and leaned tightly together. "- gotta get you bastards. We gotta get you--" "Henry!" Eddie whispered. "Oh, God, he's coming up." They heard panting in the distance, the creaking of shoe soles, and the rustling of clothes. "Come on, come on, come on," Bill said. They walk along the pipe.Except for Mike who walked alone at the end of the line, everyone else was in pairs: Bill and Eddie, Rich and Beverly, Ben and Stanley. "How, how, how far, how far do you think Henry, Henry, Henry are from us?" "I can't hear it, boss," Eddie said, "it's too echoing." He lowered his voice. "Did you see that pile of bones?" "Look, look, see." Bill also suppressed his voice. In the dark Eddie's good hand held Bill's arm tightly. Richie was stiff and unable to move.Suddenly he seemed to be a 3-year-old again, hearing the rattling sound--coming towards them, getting closer--with each step there was a low sound of snapping branches.Before Bill struck a match, he knew what he was about to see. "Eyes!" he exclaimed. "God, it's crawling eyes!" The ever-large eyes filled the passage.The glassy black pupils were a full two feet wide, with tawny irises that looked sticky.The whites of the eyes protrude and are covered with red blood vessels.It was a crawling eyelidless creature embedded in a layer of bloody tentacles.No frills for eyelashes.Those tentacles groped like fingers across the fragile surface of the pipe. In the twilight of the match the eye seemed to grow terrible fingers, dragging it along. That eye looked at them greedily.Then the match went out. In the dark, Bill felt those tentacles like branches crawling over his ankles, calves... .But he couldn't move, his whole body froze there.He could feel it approaching, hear the throbbing of the blood vessels in its wet eyelids, imagine the sticky feeling when it touched his body.But he still couldn't call out.Even when more tentacles wrapped around his waist and dragged him away forcefully, he still couldn't cry out, and couldn't fight.The whole body seems to be immersed in a deep sleep. Beverly felt a tentacle wrap around her ear and tied a tight knot.She felt a sharp pain, struggled, groaned, and was dragged away.Stanley and Richie wanted to retreat, but dense and invisible tentacles waved around them.Ben hugged Beverly, trying to win her back.She gripped his hand tightly in horror. "Ban...Ban, it got me..." "No, it can't take you away... wait a minute... I'll come..." He tugged back with all his might, and Beverly screamed, a tearing pain in her ear, blood streaming down her face.A dry, hard tentacle crawled up Ben's shirt and clamped around his shoulder. Bill reached out with a hand and struck the sticky, wet mass.Eye! His consciousness cried out loudly.Oh God, I put my hand in that eye!oh god!哦，仁慈的上帝！Eye!我的手在那只眼睛里！ 他开始出去了，但是那些触角还是无情地把他往前拖。他的手消失在灼热、贪婪、湿波涌的眼睛里。他的小臂，一直到臂弯都深深地陷在那只眼睛里。他的身体随时都有可能贴在那黏乎乎的眼睛上。那一刻他几乎要疯了。他用尽全力，用另外一只手去砍那些触角。 艾迪像是梦里的孩子，只模模糊糊地听到他的朋友被拖进那只眼睛的时候一边搏斗、一边尖叫。他感觉到身边的那些触角，但是还没有一只落在他的身上。 跑回家！他的意识大声地命令道。跑回家去找妈妈，艾迪！你能找到路！ 黑暗中传来比尔的叫声——尖锐、绝望，伴随着一阵危险的咯吱咯吱的声音。 艾迪猛然清醒过来——它想掳走比尔。 “不！”艾迪大吼一声。他跳上前去，跃过那些黑暗中摸索着的触角，那条断臂在黏湿的石膏模子里晃来晃去，打在胸口。他伸手从兜里掏出他的哮喘喷雾剂。 （酸，吃起来像是酸的味道，酸，蓄电池酸） 他撞到比尔的后背，用力把他推向一边。在意识里艾迪好像听到水面拨开的声响，伴随着一阵低低的啜泣声。他举起哮喘喷雾剂（酸，我想这是酸，它就是酸。腐蚀它，腐蚀它，腐蚀） “蓄电池酸，混蛋！”艾迪大叫一声，射出一阵药雾，又一脚踢在那只眼睛上。他的脚深深地陷进胶水一样的角膜里。一股滚烫的液体溅在他的腿上。他抽回脚，发觉自己的鞋子掉了。 “滚蛋！去你的！滚开！滚蛋！” 他感觉到有几条触角怯生生地碰了他一下。他又挤出哮喘喷雾剂，喷在那只眼睛上，他又听到一声低泣……这一次声音里充满了痛苦和惊讶。 “打啊！”艾迪吼道。“不过是只烂眼睛！快打啊！听见了吗？ 打啊，比尔！砸它个稀巴烂！上帝啊，你们这些胆小鬼。我的胳膊都断了，我还把它踩成了土豆泥！ " 比尔顿时感到浑身又充满了力量。他猛地从那只眼睛里拔出手来……用力反击。不一会儿，班恩出现在他的身边。他撞在那只眼睛上，惊奇、厌恶地咕味着，雨点般的拳头落在那个果冻似的、哆哆嗦嗦的眼睛上。“放开她！”他大叫着。“听见了吗？放开她！滚出去！滚出去！” “不过是一只眼睛！一只烂眼睛！”艾迪激动得大叫着，又射出了哮喘喷雾剂，感觉到它退缩了。缠绕在他身上的触角缩了回去。 “理奇！理奇！快打啊！不过是一只眼睛！” 理奇跌跌撞撞地跑过来，不敢相信他正在走近世界上最可怕的怪物。但他的确冲了上去。 他只轻轻地打了一拳。只轻轻的一拳。但是既然是他引出了这个奇特的怪物，只消一拳就足够了。那些触角突然都消失了。他们听得出它在撤退……然后就只能听到艾迪的喘息和贝弗莉的低泣。 比尔从仅剩的3根火柴里拿出了一根，点燃了。他们有些曼眩、有些惊讶地看着对方。比尔的左臂上流着黏乎乎的东西，像是蛋清，又像是鼻涕。鲜血顺着贝弗莉的脖子缓缓流下来，班恩的脸上留下一道新鲜的伤口。理奇慢慢地推了推鼻梁上的眼镜。 “大、大、大家都没、没、没事吧？”比尔声音嘶哑地问道。 “你呢，比尔？”理奇问。 “没、没、没事。”他转身紧紧地拥抱身材矮小的艾迪。“你救、救、救了我的命、命，伙计。” “它吃了你的鞋。”贝弗莉说着，忍不住大笑起来。“真是糟糕。” “等我们出去了，我给你买一双新的。”理奇说。他紧紧地搂着艾迪的肩膀。“你怎么干的，艾迪？” “用我的哮喘喷雾剂射击。想象着这是酸。知道嘛，每次我犯病的时候，用了哮喘喷雾剂，过一会儿嘴里就是那种味道。还真管用。” “我的胳膊都断了，我还把它踩成了土豆泥。”理奇笑得直不起腰来。“不错，艾茨。老实说，真够幽默的了。” “我讨厌你叫我艾茨。” “我知道。”理奇紧紧地拥抱着他说。“但是总得有人来鼓励你呀，艾茨。等你度过了时时被人保护的童年，长大了，哎，你就会发现生活真是不容易，孩子！” 艾迪大笑起来。“理奇，这是我听过的最难听的声音。” “哦，把那个哮喘喷雾剂拿在手上，”贝弗莉说，“也许还会有用。” “你有没有看见它的踪影，”麦克问，“你划着火柴的时候？” “它、它、它已经消、消、消失了。”比尔说，接着又很严肃地补充道：“但是我们正在接近它。快到了它、它住、住的老、巢。我想、想刚、刚才我们打、打、打伤了它、它。” “亨利快追上来了，”斯坦利的声音低沉、沙哑，“我听见他就跟在后面。” “那我们出去。”班思建议。 他们马上行动起来。管道逐渐下降，那种气味——原来淡淡的、野兽的味道——越来越浓。他们不时地还能听到身后传来亨利的声音，但是现在他的叫喊似乎很遥远，也不再重要了。他们都觉得自己好像已经跨过了世界的边缘，来到一个虚无缥缈、奇异的世界。比尔觉得他们正走向德里那颗漆黑、腐烂的心。 Mike.汉伦觉得他几乎能感受到那颗不健全的心脏的毫无规律的心跳。贝弗莉感到一股邪恶的力量包裹着她，似乎要吞没她，把她和其他的人分开。她紧张地伸出双手，一边拉住比尔，一边拉住班恩。她觉得自己的手臂伸出好远，惊恐地叫道：“拉起手！好像我们越离越远！” 是斯坦利第一个意识到他又能看见周围的一切。空气中似乎有一抹微弱、奇异的光线。 “你们能看得见吗？”斯坦利停下了脚步。大家都站住了。比尔看看四周，首先觉察到自己能够看见——虽然很模糊——又发现地道变得非常宽敞。 他们仰起头看着天花板，足有50英尺高，用一根根向外弯曲的石柱支撑着，中间挂着许多肮脏的蛛网。地面上铺着巨大的石块，但是积满了厚厚的尘土，踩上去还是同样的感觉。两边向外弯曲的墙壁足有犯英尺远的距离。 “这里的供水系统真够壮观的了。”理奇说着，不安地笑了。 “看上去像个大教堂。”贝弗莉轻声地说。 “从哪里来的光？”班恩好奇地问。 “看上去像、像是就、就是从墙、墙、墙上发出来的。”比尔说。 “我可不喜欢这里的光线。”斯坦利说。 “快、快走。亨、亨、亨利紧跟、跟、跟在后、后、后面——” 突然一声尖叫划破了黑暗，接着听到翅膀呼啸而过带来的风声。黑暗中滑过一个模糊的影子，一只眼怒视着他们——另外一只眼像熄灭了的灯笼。 “那只鸟！”斯坦利惊叫一声。“小心，是只鸟！” 那只鸟像凶猛的战机向他们俯冲下来。橘黄色、锋利的喙头一张一合，露出粉红色、毛绒绒的大嘴。 鸟——那只鸟向艾迪直冲过去。 它的锋利的噱头擦过艾迪的肩膀，鲜血顺着胸口流了下来。鸟震动翅膀，扇起一股浓郁、令人窒息的气味。艾迪惨叫一声。那只鸟又飞回来，它的眼睛在眼窝里骨碌碌转动着，露出凶恶的光芒。 它用一双利爪去抓艾迪。他尖叫一声，闪开了。那双利爪划破了他的衬衫，在他的肩肿上留下浅浅的血痕。艾迪大叫一声，用力爬着，但是那只鸟又折了回来。 麦克一个箭步，挺身而出。他从兜里摸出一把小刀。待那只鸟再一次向艾迪俯冲过去的时候，他迅速挥动小刀，割破大鸟的一只利爪。那一刀砍得很深，鲜血喷涌而出。大鸟退后了，一转身问麦克俯冲过来。麦克倒在地上，用那把小刀向空中用力挥砍。但是没有刺中，一只鸟爪击中了他的手腕，他的手顿时失去了知觉。刀子落在黑暗中。 大鸟得意洋洋地飞了回来，麦克用身体掩护着艾迪，等待着厄运的来临。 就在大鸟俯冲回来的时候，斯坦利冲到他们身边。他掌心朝内，手指向下，站在那里。那只鸟惊叫了一声，擦着他飞了过去。 他迅速地转过身，等着它飞回来。 “虽然我从没见过，但是我相信世界上有红色的唐纳雀。”他的声音高亢、清晰。大鸟尖叫着，向后退去，好像被他一枪射中了似的。“我也相信有秃鹰、新几内亚鹦鸟、巴西的火烈鸟。”大鸟在上空盘旋、尖叫，咯咯地叫着飞出了地道。“我还相信有金顶老鹰！” 斯坦利冲着大鸟的背影喊道。“我还相信世界上某个地方真的有凤凰！但是我不相信你，所以快点滚蛋！滚出去！路上撞死你，混蛋！” 他停了下来，地落里落下一阵长长的沉默。 比尔、班恩和贝弗莉赶忙跑过去；他们把艾迪扶起来，比尔察看他的伤口。“还不、不太、太、深，”他说，“但是肯、肯定很、很疼、疼。” “他把我的衬衫撕破了，大比尔。”艾迪的脸上挂着泪痕，他又呼吸困难了。“我怎么向我妈妈交待啊？” Bill laughed. “我们从这里走、走、走出去的时候，还、还、还、还用担心那个吗？来点儿哮喘喷雾剂吧，艾、艾迪。” 艾迪用了一些哮喘喷雾剂，深深地吸了一口气，艰难地喘息着。 “太棒了，伙计，”理奇对斯坦利说，“真他妈的神了！” 斯坦利浑身颤抖。“根本就没有那种鸟。真的。从来没有，以后也不可能有。” “我们来啦！”身后又传来了亨利的尖叫。他的声音十分疯狂，放声大笑，嚎叫着。听起来像是从地狱里蹿出来的鬼。“我和贝尔茨！我们来啦，逮住你们这些小杂种！你们跑不了！” 比尔高声叫道：“滚、滚、滚出去，亨、亨、亨利！趁、趁、趁现在还来、来、来得及！” 亨利含混不清地高声叫喊着。他们听到一阵急促的脚步声，比水猛然明白了亨利的目的：他是真实的，他是人，哮喘喷雾剂和鸟类的书籍可挡不住他。魔力在他的身上没有丝毫的作用。他太愚蠢了。 “快、快、快走、走。我们必、必须走在他、他的前、前、前头。” 他们手拉手，继续往前走。艾迪的破衬衫在身后拍打。光越来越亮，地道也越来越宽敞。随着管道向下倾斜，头顶的天花板好像也离得越来越远，几乎看不见了。他们觉得好像不是在地道里行走，而是穿过一个巨大的地下庭院，走向一个庞大的城堡。墙上的光变成了连续不断、黄绿色的火焰。味道更浓了，他们能够感受到震动，真实的，也许是存在于他们的意识里的震动。节奏如此鲜明。 是心跳。 “前面没路了！”贝弗莉高声说道。“看！没有门！” 站在肮脏的、一望无际的石头地板上，他们像蚂蚁一样小得可怜。当他们走上前去，看见那道墙上并不是没有门。有一扇孤零零的小门。虽然那道墙高耸入云，达几百英尺，但是门却很小，不到3英尺高，结实的橡木门上钉着X型的铁条。他们立刻意识到那是给孩子们准备的门。 班恩的脑子里听到图书管理员给小孩子讲故事。孩子们探着身，听得如痴如醉：怪物会被打败……还是它会吃掉——门上有一个标志，门口堆着一堆骨头。小骨头。鬼才知道是多少个孩子的尸骨。 他们已经来到了它的老巢。 门上的那个标志是什么？ 比尔认为是一艘纸船。 斯坦利看见的是飞上天空的大鸟——也许是凤凰。 麦克看到的是一张戴着面具的脸——可能是巴蚩。鲍尔斯那个老疯子的脸。 理奇看到一副眼镜后面的两只眼睛。 贝弗莉看到握紧的拳头。 艾迪觉得那是一张麻风病人的脸，深陷的眼窝，褶皱扭曲的嘴。 班恩看到一堆破烂的包装纸，又闻到那股酸腐的调料味。 后来亨利·鲍尔斯冲到这扇门前的时候，看到的是一轮乌黑的圆月。 “我害怕，比尔，”班恩声音颤抖着，“我们非得进去吗？” 比尔用脚尖拨拉着那堆骨头，突然飞起一脚，粉末四处飞扬。 他也很害怕……但是他想到了乔治。它扯断了乔治的一条胳膊。那些幼小、脆弱的骨头在这里吗？是的，当然在。 他们就是为了这些尸骨的主人来到这里。为了乔治，还有其他所有的受害者——那些被带到这里来的，那些可能被带到这里来的，那些被丢在别处任由腐烂的。 “我们必须进去。”比尔说。 “要是门锁上了怎么办？”贝弗莉怯生生地问。 “不会锁、锁的，”比尔告诉她内心深处的想法，“这种地、地方从、从不上、上、上领。” 他伸出右手，轻轻一推。门开了，射出一道令人恶心的、黄绿色的光。动物园的那种味道扑面而来，异乎寻常地强烈。 他们一个一个跨过那扇童话里的小门，走进它的洞穴。 7 比尔突然站住了，后面的人就像紧急刹车的货车，挤在一起。 “怎么了？”班恩高声问道。 “它、它、它在这、这、这里。眼、眼、眼睛。他们还、还记、记、记得吗？” “我记得，”理奇说，“艾迪用他的哮喘喷雾剂击退了它。把那东西设想成酸。他还说什么跳舞。很幽默，但是我记不清到底是什么了。” “没、没、没关、关、关系。我们不会再看、看到以、以、以前见过的东西。”比尔说着，点燃一根火柴，看着大家。他们的脸庞在火柴的微光里显得神采奕奕，而且很神秘。他们看上去很年轻。“你们大伙怎、怎、怎么样？”