After visiting Lucina and finding out how things were going for her during the installation of the equipment to stabilize the spatial field in Derry, Alex decided to check on the other girls as well—to make sure Pennywise hadn't shown up near them. Quickly mapping out a route, he started with Samantha.
The stabilization equipment was being installed in places where the spatial layer was especially thin due to Pennywise's influence. One such location was near the city supermarket.
As he got closer, Alex noticed Bureau of Control operatives disguised as ordinary electricians. A little off to the side stood Samantha. She was wearing casual clothes, but like Lucina, she had a black Bureau of Control jacket over them. A purple katana case hung over Samantha's shoulder.
Alex jumped off his skateboard on the move, grabbed it in one hand, and ran up to her. Seeing him, Samantha smiled and waved.
Coming closer, Alex once again answered the question of why he needed a sledgehammer and why he was so persistent about breaking Pennywise's knees specifically with it. After listening to his chain of reasoning, Samantha just laughed and gently patted Alex on the head.
Smiling, Alex quickly kissed her on the cheek, stepped back onto his skateboard, and rolled on. Next was Alice.
When Alex reached the place where Alice was supposed to be, he saw a rather amusing scene: several drunk men were being shoved into a police car. Judging by their condition, they had clearly been roughed up beforehand.
Alex stopped, raised an eyebrow, and quickly ran over to Alice to find out what had happened. But as soon as he got close, Alice immediately scooped him up in her arms, and only then began to explain the situation.
It turned out to be painfully simple: the drunk men had decided to harass a girl, unaware that she was a vampire capable of killing them without much effort.
Alex understood perfectly well that this kind of behavior in Derry was largely the result of Pennywise's influence. Even as the men were being shoved into the police car, they looked at Alice with such malice that it felt like this was far from over.
Their faces twisted even more when their gazes shifted to Alex, whom Alice was holding in her arms. For a brief moment, Alex's eyes met theirs. A kind, almost childlike smile bloomed on his face.
And in that same instant, a thick shadow fell over his face, leaving only sharp teeth and glowing irises visible. Alex's eyes flared for a split second—and the next moment, the men in the police car screamed in terror, smashing their heads against anything they could reach.
The police tried to calm them down, but the drunks began to struggle and resist—and eventually, screaming, they bolted and ran.
Everyone around watched this absurd spectacle, not understanding what had just happened. Even the Bureau of Control operatives busy installing the equipment turned around at the noise.
Alice first looked at the fleeing men, then at Alex in her arms, and narrowed her eyes. Alex answered her with the most innocent smile he was capable of. It didn't help much. He had to explain what those men were planning to do.
After listening, Alice simply nodded. She understood Alex's reasoning. The men had intended to attack him and then use that as a way to threaten her. Besides, they were frequent "guests" at the police station and knew perfectly well that they would be released again in a couple of hours. And all of it was yet another consequence of Pennywise's influence on Derry.
After chatting with Alice for a bit, Alex decided to visit Enid and Wednesday before continuing his errands. He jumped out of Alice's arms, stepped onto his skateboard, and immediately rolled onto the road, grabbing onto the trunk of a passing car. Waving goodbye to Alice, Alex headed toward Enid.
The situation with Enid's group was the calmest of all. That was because the field stabilizer was being installed on the outskirts of Derry, not far from the railroad tracks. Pushing off the ground, Alex rode past an alley and noticed Pennywise standing there, a red balloon in his hand. Alex stopped and tucked the skateboard under his arm.
Glancing around, he understood why it was so quiet. Not a single living soul. Just Pennywise, standing in the alley. Realizing there were no prying eyes, Alex took the sledgehammer off his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and stepped toward the clown.
But the moment he took that step, red balloons burst out from all sides around Pennywise, completely enveloping his figure. A second later, the balloons shot upward—and in the clown's place, only a message remained, written in blood.
Clicking his tongue, Alex hung the sledgehammer back on his backpack and entered the alley. Stepping closer, he looked at the words on the ground.
"Nothing can be changed."
"I already changed things, idiot," Alex muttered, rolling his eyes.
At that very moment, a deafening crash echoed to Alex's right, as if something had slammed full force into a door. Alex turned his head.
Furious blows rained down on the doors—heavy, wet sounds, as if something fleshy was pounding against metal. In the next second, the doors were ripped off their hinges and flew apart with a crash. Something stood in the doorway.
The creature resembled a repulsive woman drowned in a river: a bloated body, watery skin with a gray-green tint, as if soaked in algae. But the most disgusting part was the mouth—misshapen, disproportionate, as if someone had crudely sliced clay with a knife without caring about form.
Alex grinned. With a single motion, he tore the sledgehammer off his backpack and stepped forward. Strike.
The hammerhead slammed into the creature's stomach. It doubled over, and murky black water poured from its maw. Alex immediately jumped aside with a look of disgust, making sure not a single drop splashed onto his clothes. Moving to the side, he raised the sledgehammer overhead.
The second blow landed squarely on the back of its head. A dull crunch rang out. The creature collapsed onto the concrete, smashing its face against the ground. Without giving it a second, Alex raised the sledgehammer again. Third strike.
The creature's head burst apart, spraying everywhere with a murky sludge resembling a mix of mud and silt from a lake bottom. In the same instant, its entire body began to dissolve, turning into a thick, foul-smelling mass spreading across the floor.
Alex shook the remaining filth off the sledgehammer and hung it back on his backpack.
"That wasn't scary… just disgusting," he said calmly. "I give it three creepy balloons out of ten."
The only response was dead silence. Shrugging, Alex pushed off the ground and rode on—to check on Enid.
Reaching the railroad, he stopped and looked around. Enid was sitting on the railway bridge, her legs dangling down. Below, Bureau of Control operatives were installing the equipment, while other agents provided security.
Holding the skateboard in his hands, Alex walked along the tracks and sat down beside her. Enid didn't notice him right away—only when he was already next to her. She immediately hugged Alex and began complaining that she was bored.
In response, Alex reminded her that some had already encountered Pennywise, and boredom was the last thing on their minds. Enid froze for a moment, then nodded. Better to be bored than have a creepy clown suddenly appear and try to scare her.
"How much longer do I have to sit here?" Enid asked, swinging her legs on the bridge railing.
"You could ask the agents," Alex said, sitting on her lap and thoughtfully stroking his chin. "Setting up this kind of equipment takes several hours, including calibration."
"I'm shy," Enid said with an embarrassed smile. "They're agents… serious ones. I don't want to get in their way."
"I thought you'd already made friends with all of them and got them to subscribe to your TikTok," Alex said with a playful smirk.
"Hey, that's not the same thing," Enid protested, pouting and lightly shaking Alex by the shoulders. "I'm not irresponsible enough to interfere with their work."
"Spoke the girl who was scared to stay in the old Gates house and clung to me at every little noise," Alex said calmly, smiling. "What changed?"
"I've become braver," Enid said proudly. "And anyway, I have the ring you made for me. What do I have to be afraid of? Heh-heh."
She raised her hand, showing the pink ring on her ring finger.
"Have you shown it to your family yet?" Alex asked, turning toward her.
"Not yet," Enid replied with a wide smile. "I think it's too early for them to know. I only told my friends."
Alex smiled and nodded, about to continue the conversation when one of the agents called up to him from below.
The agent who called Alex wasn't at all surprised that one of the agents looked like a child. The Bureau of Control had long grown accustomed to all kinds of anomalies — against that background, an adult man turned into a ten-year-old boy seemed almost harmless.
Alex looked at the agent in tactical gear, nodded to Enid, and together they jumped down from the bridge. The agent quickly explained the situation: one of the engineers had gone to the van for additional equipment — and hadn't returned. Alex nodded silently.
"Enid, stay here and keep an eye on things," he said calmly.
Enid nodded without hesitation, understanding that now was not the time to argue. Alex and the three armed agents headed toward the van.
As they got closer, Alex took the sledgehammer off his back and signaled with short finger movements. The agents immediately understood — they nodded, raised their rifles, and began circling the van from different sides.
Alex himself jumped onto the roof and quickly walked along it, carefully scanning the surroundings. The result was clear. A distinct trail led from the back of the van, as if someone had been dragged into the forest.
"Sir, judging by the tracks, Mikelson was taken into the woods," reported Madson, one of the agents.
"Bad news," Alex replied briefly, jumping off the roof. "Anything else missing?"
"No, sir," Douglas said, pointing at the tracks. "Shall we follow them? He might still be alive."
Alex thought for a moment.
"Let's check," he said. "But stay alert. I don't need anyone else becoming food for that clown."
The operatives nodded in unison. Alex went first. Despite his childlike appearance, no one questioned his authority — his orders were calm and precise, and they were followed without hesitation.
The trail ended fairly quickly. At the end of the path, they found only a few dark bloodstains and Mikelson's badge lying in the grass.
Mendoza crouched down and picked it up. His fingers immediately felt a sticky dampness on the back. He turned the badge over. One word was written on the plastic in blood:
"MORE."
Mendoza froze. While Alex and the others scanned the area for additional tracks, Mendoza kept staring at the find, as if hoping the word would disappear.
"What is it, Mendoza?" Alex asked, noticing his state.
"The clown left a message," Mendoza said through clenched teeth. "Looks like Mikelson alone — and our colleagues — weren't enough for him."
Alex nodded silently.
"Understood. We're heading back to the equipment," he said firmly. "We need to finish the installation, and after that everyone pulls back to the community center."
He looked at the operatives.
"Douglas, report this to Wright. Madson, contact the rest of the group — tell them to stay alert."
Alex turned toward the camp.
"We're moving out."
The operatives immediately nodded and raised their radios, beginning to report the situation and the disappearance of Engineer Mikelson.
When Graham Wright heard that another operative had died, all he could do was let out a heavy sigh, offer his condolences, and strongly urge everyone to be extremely careful.
All reports were made on the move — Alex and the three operatives were heading back to the equipment van. What they didn't notice right away was that the truck's tires had been slashed.
Spotting the damaged wheels, Mendoza requested additional transport without hesitation, not even waiting for Alex's order.
When they returned to the rest of the group, the engineers immediately understood that something was wrong: Mikelson wasn't with them. Mendoza silently handed the fallen engineer's badge to one of the engineers — his close friend.
Understanding came instantly. The engineers only sighed heavily and, without saying a word, went back to work. Enid looked visibly shaken — a person's death had affected her more than she had expected. Alex took her hand, trying to comfort her.
Suddenly, everyone turned their heads in the same direction. Behind them, near the trees, stood Mikelson. And behind him — Pennywise.
The clown was using the engineer's dead body like a ventriloquist's doll, unnaturally moving its arms and waving them toward the group, as if greeting an audience.
When Pennywise was satisfied that he had everyone's attention, his mouth split wide, revealing rows of long, thick teeth. He sank them into Mikelson's face and tore out a chunk of flesh with a single jerk.
Without a second's hesitation, the armed operatives opened fire. A hail of bullets from their rifles riddled the bodies of Pennywise and Mikelson, turning them into Swiss cheese. But Pennywise didn't even flinch. With a careless motion, he tossed the engineer's body aside.
Then the clown, wearing a wide, blood-soaked grin, slowly raised one finger, then lowered it, making his meaning perfectly clear: another one down.
A moment later came his cheerful, almost childlike laughter — and, hopping lightly, Pennywise vanished into the depths of the forest. The operatives were already about to rush after him.
"Don't move."
Alex's voice was harsh and cold.
"You forgot what I said. Until the field stabilizers are installed, we're all potential food. When the trap is ready, we'll turn that bastard inside out and avenge every one of our comrades he killed."
The operatives froze.
"Sir… what about Mikelson's body?" Madson asked quietly, pointing at the engineer lying nearby.
Alex let out a heavy sigh.
"We'll take him back. We can't leave him here. At least his family will be able to bury him."
The weapon slowly lowered. Everyone understood that Alex was right — there was nothing they could do to Pennywise now except contain him and prevent him from killing anyone else.
Alex looked at Enid. She was still upset — the engineer's death and what had been done to him clearly wouldn't leave her mind. Two operatives pulled out a black body bag and, with grim faces, approached the body.
Alex didn't ask why they always had such bags. It was already clear how dangerous the work of the Bureau of Control's field agents was.
Madson and Mendoza quickly laid out the bag, carefully placed Mikelson's body inside, and zipped it up. That was all they could do for him — at least send him home, even if his body was no longer whole.
When the bag with Mikelson's body was dragged back, Alex sighed heavily again as he looked at it. He understood perfectly: he had chosen the path of hiding his powers to lure the main culprit. And he knew what the consequences would be.
Sighing once more, Alex looked away and decided to return to his main task — tracking down Pennywise and breaking his knees with a sledgehammer. And when it was all over, he would give that clown the "funniest" time of his life.
He looked at Enid again. She was staring at the body bag with sadness. She didn't know Mikelson, but the death of a person still resonated painfully. Alex suggested she return to the community center, away from the scene.
But Enid shook her head firmly, making it clear she would stay with the others. Alex just nodded, quickly hugged her goodbye, and, climbing onto the railway tracks, ran along the rails back toward Derry. Reaching the road, Alex placed his skateboard on the asphalt and pushed off.
Picking up speed, he stared ahead grimly. Pennywise's actions were still vivid in his mind. Alex understood perfectly — the clown had attacked that group precisely because he was nearby. It had been done on purpose. Deliberately. To show him: he couldn't save everyone.
He wanted to smoke, but instead of a cigarette, Alex pulled out a candy and tossed it into his mouth. Chewing, he squinted slightly, thinking about whether GIR, MIMI, and Stitch had managed to find a way into Pennywise's lair.
He wasn't planning to go to Wednesday. Alex had already realized: the moment he got close to the operative teams, Pennywise would immediately stage another "test," killing someone else. That's why he consciously stayed away from them.
Riding along the sidewalk and deftly weaving between pedestrians, Alex passed by the pawnshop again — the one where he had recently bought his skateboard and sledgehammer. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Silver's bike — the one Billy rode as a child — was no longer in the display. That meant Billy had already bought it.
Pushing off once more, Alex realized where he needed to go next. Grabbing a pole, he sharply turned and headed toward Derry's residential area.
He arrived quickly — and almost immediately smelled Pennywise's stench coming from the sewer. Frowning, Alex rode toward the source of the smell. And he saw Billy. Something was pulling him into the sewer channel. Alex jumped off the skateboard and, running, threw the backpack off his shoulders.
"Close your eyes!" he shouted, pulling out a flashbang.
Billy, who was being pulled by dozens of tiny, childlike hands, struggled desperately to get out of the sewer. When one of the little hands with sharp claws nearly touched his eyes, he heard a scream.
Not knowing why, Billy squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could. At that very moment, Alex pulled the pin and, as if playing a game of bowling, threw the grenade. It rolled along the asphalt, bouncing, and disappeared into the sewer. The explosion thundered in the drains.
A loud bang echoed through the pipes, and a bright flash illuminated the faces of dozens of dead children. Pale, with empty eyes and manic grins, they were holding Billy by the hands. But the blast made them release their grip. Billy was able to crawl back, stunned, with a wild ringing in his ears. Alex ran to him and, grabbing his leg, dragged him away from the sewer.
From the sewer, dozens of childlike eyes stared at him, sparkling with mischievous light. Then, among them, one pair of bright yellow eyes appeared. Pennywise's clown laughter rang out, followed by children's screams, as if someone were being dragged deeper inside.
Meanwhile, Billy clutched a paper boat he had made for Georgie in one hand, while the other covered his ear, which still rang from the explosion.
He looked up at Alex, who was adjusting his backpack and still staring at the sewer.
"Thanks…" Billy said quietly, clutching the boat.
"Yeah. I was just passing by. Lucky you," Alex shrugged, lifting his skateboard. "Better tell me — was it worth it? Almost dying for a paper boat?"
"This… this boat I made for my brother Georgie," Billy replied nostalgically, staring at the folded paper. "He was about your age when that bastard took him."
Alex crouched down opposite him.
"And you blame yourself for not being there back then?"
Billy swallowed.
"I should have been with him. Then… then Georgie wouldn't have died. It's my fault. I lied. I just didn't want to go out in the rain."
"You knew there was a creepy clown in town that eats people?" Alex asked calmly. "You knew Georgie would be his target?"
Billy stayed silent.
"You didn't know any of this. No one did," Alex continued. "So instead of blaming yourself for your brother's death, you should focus all that anger on the clown."
He jabbed his finger at Billy's chest, then pointed toward the sewer.
"You've already beaten him once. You can do it again. Fears, guilt, childhood hurts — all that's trash. The only thing that matters is that you remember Georgie right here."
"And the one who took him sits over there."
Alex smirked coldly.
"So why are you sad, when the main bastard is still laughing at you instead of having all the crap beaten out of him?"
Billy looked up at Alex and suddenly realized that this ten-year-old child was braver than all of them combined. He clenched Georgie's paper boat in his hand and stared at the very sewer where his brother had once disappeared.
Memories of life in this cursed town flared up in Billy's mind again. Days of tears and sleepless nights. Days when he blamed himself for everything. Days when he combed through every corner of the sewer over and over, hoping to find even a single clue leading to Georgie.
And how Pennywise began to exploit his guilt, turning it into a weapon. And the moment when anger finally pushed out despair — when Billy realized that Georgie was gone for good.
Alex watched silently as Billy's expression changed. Nostalgic melancholy gave way to cold, focused determination. Billy clenched the paper boat tighter and rose to his feet. Now he knew exactly what to do.
He looked at Alex, who casually had his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, one foot resting on his skateboard.
"Who are you… and how do you know so much?" Billy asked with curiosity.
"Me?" Alex shrugged. "Just your ordinary ten-year-old kid who isn't afraid of a clown. Unlike you — a grown man with a wife."
He nodded toward the bike.
"Now get on and take me back to the city. I'm tired."
"Yeah, sure…" Billy smirked and began stuttering again. "J-j-just the most ordinary ten-year-old kid carrying a sledgehammer and grenades to hunt a clown. J-j-just the most ordinary ten-year-old kid."
"Nowadays, you can buy almost anything online," Alex replied calmly. "You just need to know where and how. Now, let's go."
Billy didn't know how to react to the words of a child who said so casually that grenades were an online purchase. All he could do was get on the bike and ride back to the city. Alex stood on the skateboard and grabbed the bike's rack with his hands. Billy started pedaling.
On the way, Alex pulled out his phone and quickly checked messages. Almost all the teams had finished setting up their equipment; it was about four o'clock in the afternoon, and people were gradually returning to the community center. A few teams were still in the field but were in contact. Alex put the phone away and grabbed the rack with his other hand.
Billy glanced over his shoulder. The more he thought about Alex, the more it scared him. He knew too much. He spoke too calmly. He understood too well what was happening in Derry.
Billy wanted to ask questions but couldn't find the words. In the end, he just shook his head and kept riding until they reached the hotel. Billy stopped — and froze immediately. Eddie was standing in front of him.
Alex peeked over Billy's shoulder and smirked. Eddie was covered head to toe in black goo. Considering he had been a hypochondriac since childhood, raised by an overprotective mother, his current appearance spoke for itself — as if the end of the world had arrived.
"Eddie, what happened to you?" Billy asked.
"Not now," he blurted out while moving. "I need a shower, urgently. A homeless guy threw up on me."
Without slowing down, he disappeared into the hotel. Alex chuckled quietly, watching the panic on Eddie's face. Billy looked at him — Alex just smiled back playfully. Billy followed him into the hotel, determined to find out what had happened. Alex went after him.
In the lobby, they saw Ben and Beverly talking to each other. At that moment, Eddie rushed past them, still covered in the homeless guy's vomit — a whole bouquet of potential diseases.
Beverly and Ben tried to call out to him, but Eddie, without saying a word, shot up to the second floor — eager to wash the nightmare off as quickly as possible.
They turned to Billy — and saw Alex behind him, wearing a cheerful smile. For some unknown reason, both Ben and Beverly shivered. Alex noticed and rolled his eyes.
"What's up with Eddie?" Ben asked.
"He said a homeless guy threw up on him," Billy replied, shaking his head.
"He just ran into his fears," Alex added with a carefree smile. "Like all of you."
Beverly, Ben, and Billy silently stared at Alex. He, as if enjoying the pause, pulled a candy from his pocket with an innocent smile and slowly popped it into his mouth. Alex had long realized: if they already considered him a creepy, strange kid, there was no point in denying it. Better to play the role to the end. Besides, there was nothing else to do until the sun started to dip toward sunset.
"Why do you say that?" Beverly asked cautiously.
"Isn't it obvious?" Alex shifted from heel to toe, as if bored. "You'll only get a chance against the clown if you stop being afraid. He feeds on your fears. Always has."
"How do you even know all this?" Ben asked carefully, not taking his eyes off him.
"I just know," Alex shrugged. "Also, I think his return could actually work in your favor. You have a chance to finally deal with your fears. Consider it… a bonus."
Ben, Beverly, and Billy wanted to ask more questions, but at that moment the hotel doors swung open. A girl appeared in the doorway with white hair and a rainbow streak falling over the side of her face. Alex immediately turned his head.
"Oh, Lucina," he said cheerfully, waving.
Lucina returned a warm smile and stepped closer.
"Alex, I came for you. It's time to go back. We're almost ready."
She effortlessly scooped him up in her arms.
"All right…" Alex drawled. "Bye, losers. See you around."
He nodded to Billy, Ben, and Beverly and waved. Lucina skillfully flicked the skateboard with the tip of her boot and took it in her free hand. Before leaving, she politely nodded to the three of them — and walked out of the hotel.
Ben, Billy, and Beverly were left standing with equally bewildered expressions. They only recovered when Eddie came down the stairs and asked, puzzled, what was going on and why they looked like they'd just seen a ghost.
Meanwhile, Alex calmly sat in Lucina's arms as she carried him down the street.
"The community center is a bustle right now," she said. "Almost everyone is preparing for the final push."
Alex nodded.
"I want to wait until evening," he said. "So there won't be any extra eyes on the streets."
Lucina immediately understood what he meant and simply nodded in response. When they returned to the community center, a rather telling scene unfolded before them.
Alice and Enid were spraying GIR, MIMI, and Stitch with a hose, repeatedly saying that they reeked like the sewer. Dean and Sam stood nearby, grimacing at the smell. It was clear from their faces that they were dreaming of getting changed and taking a shower as soon as possible.
"Look who's back," Dean smirked. "Our little guy, hunting a clown."
"Feeling better now?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"All good," Dean nodded. "Just another idiot. Not the first, won't be the last."
Alex nodded and shifted his gaze to Sam. He looked darker than usual — and it wasn't surprising. An attack by dead children in the sewer wasn't something you could just brush off.
But Sam didn't say the main thing. Besides the children, he had seen Pennywise… in the form of Lucifer. That image reminded him too much of the cage.
Noticing Alex's gaze, Sam shook his head sharply, trying to push away the intrusive memory, and gave a brief nod, showing he was holding himself together.
Alex sighed and turned his attention to GIR, MIMI, and Stitch. All three looked like unhappy children forced into a bath.
He jumped down from Lucina's arms and returned to his usual form. When the trio was finally cleaned and doused generously with perfume so they no longer smelled like the sewer, everyone went inside the community center.
Alex immediately started looking for Wednesday. She wasn't outside. He noticed her in the corner of the hall: Wednesday was sitting with a book, the Thing resting on her shoulder, and a rapier neatly leaning against the wall nearby. Alex approached and crouched down beside her, looking into her eyes. Wednesday calmly closed her book and looked at him.
"I see you're upset, my dear Wednesday. What happened?" Alex asked, taking her hand.
"The clown didn't show up," she replied evenly. "I couldn't gather material for the book. I wanted to dissect him and see what's inside."
Alex just smiled. That was… perfectly in line with Wednesday. He stood and kissed her on the cheek. Wednesday slightly covered one eye but said nothing.
Gradually, everyone gathered in the hall. Graham Wright stepped forward and began with the hardest part — the number of fallen operatives. Alex stood at the back of the hall, arms crossed, fully aware that some of that blood was on him. Alice, noticing this, silently took his arm.
After finishing with the condolences, Wright moved on to the main point. Pennywise's influence was no longer scattered across the city. Now it converged at a single point.
Alex already knew exactly where that was. The old, abandoned house. A place no one had entered for a long time. Beneath it — Pennywise's nest. And deeper still — the passage to his true lair, where the Dead Lights dwelled.
While Wright continued talking about the perimeter and protecting civilians, Alex had already made up his mind. The Dead Lights had to be captured. If Pennywise loved feeding on fear so much — Alex didn't mind putting him on a leash. And then… tossing him into the Red City.
He stepped out of the community center and lit a cigarette, letting the smoke rise into the air.
"So all that's left is to kill the damn clown," Dean said, standing beside him.
"And then move forward," Sam added, approaching from the other side. "There are three more cities like this ahead. Maybe worse."
"Ugh…" Alex exhaled smoke slowly. "I wish we were dealing with cultists dreaming of their own paradise. I spent half a day riding through the city, trying to stop him, and he still killed more than ten operatives."
"At least it could have been worse," Dean said, patting Alex on the shoulder. "Once we finish this clown off, the city will be safe again."
"You're right about that," Alex said with a crooked smile. "So, should we grab a bite and then take out the clown?"
"Always wanted to say that," Dean smirked.
Alex nodded. Even Sam couldn't help but smile.
Once he finished his cigarette, they returned to the community center. Alex suggested everyone grab a quick meal before the final showdown — and no one objected. Especially GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, who had spent half the day crawling through the sewers searching for a way into Pennywise's lair.
They had earned it. With a slight smile, Alex led the group to the RV — to eat, gather their thoughts, and prepare for the encounter with the clown.
To be continued…
(I was definitely thinking about wrapping it all up in this chapter. But then I thought, oh, I should really show the other side of this kind of work. Of course, I usually show how most of it goes without unnecessary losses. But we shouldn't forget the world Alex finds himself in and what's going on around him. After all, no matter how you look at it, this world is one carnival of horrors.)
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