But that's the thing about the creature, about Derry, isn't it? That it always held onto them, even when they couldn't quite wrap their heads around what it was. But Pennywise was always there, lurking. They might have left the shadows behind, but the shadows never quite left them.

"Yeah, makes you wonder how we forgot in the first place."

Except, in a way, it doesn't. It's easy to forget the things you're afraid of, to forget what you can't quite explain. But now, with the fog of fear and desperation lifted, with so much left behind them, there's actually a road ahead. A way out.

He snubs out his cigarette on the railing with one last exhale, the nicotine doing something to clear his thoughts. That, or it's Bev. She'd always been the level-headed, strong-willed one when they were younger. Brighter than any shadow that tried to swallow her whole. "Well, you don't have to take it alone."

And maybe that's too daring, what with everything waiting for them beyond Derry, the pieces of their lives they'll have to try and make sense of again. "It's a long drive from here to California. Guess I could always fly, but I don't know, think the journey might be good. Maybe help me come up with a decent ending for my books for once." A huff. God, he hopes Mike is around to rib him about that for years to come. "But I could give you a lift. At least as far as Chicago. And it'd break up the monotony of it all for me. If you're interested. Bored enough, even."

A shrug, a smile. "It still feels like a dream, doesn't it?"