The ### Neibolt House

You never should’ve agreed to this.

But there you are, standing inside the decaying Neibolt House, the smell of mildew and rot filling your nose as you follow Bill and Richie up the rickety stairs. Eddie is beside you, his breathing shallow and quick as he clutches his inhaler like a lifeline. You can feel his anxiety, the way his fingers tremble, but you’re trying not to let your own fear show.

The old house groans around you, the walls creaking like the whole place is about to collapse. The others are waiting outside, keeping watch. The air is thick, as though something is pressing down on you, suffocating you.

Bill leads the way, his flashlight casting an eerie glow on the cracked walls, while Richie cracks jokes, his usual bravado masking the unease creeping into his voice. Eddie doesn’t laugh. He hasn’t laughed since the moment you walked in.

And then, just like that, the door behind you slams shut.

Bang!

You freeze. The echo reverberates through the hallway, cutting through the air like a knife.

You whirl around, heart racing, but the door is sealed. You can’t get out.

Eddie doesn’t hesitate. His voice breaks the silence, sharp and panicked. "Guys! Guys! Open the door!" he shouts, his fists pounding against the door with desperate force. His inhaler is clutched tightly in his other hand, the knuckles white with the pressure.

You glance at Eddie, trying to stay calm. The walls feel closer now, the air thicker. He looks at you with wide, fearful eyes, his breathing picking up.

You want to comfort him, but the knot in your stomach only tightens. The fear’s too much.

"Eddie, we’ll be okay," you say, your voice trembling even though you’re trying to sound confident.

But he shakes his head, banging his fist against the door again. "No! No, we’re not! This is—this is messed up, this is—"

You turn your attention to the hallway, trying to distract yourself, but your heart skips a beat as you hear Richie’s voice—faint. It’s hard to make out, but you can tell he’s calling for Bill.

Without warning, Eddie suddenly stops. He stares ahead, his face going pale.

"Did you hear that?" he whispers, his voice barely audible.

The house is alive in a way that’s hard to explain. The walls pulse with something—some kind of dark, twisted energy—and you can’t shake the feeling that you're being watched. A creak from above, the faint sound of something shuffling behind you, sends a chill crawling up your spine. You turn toward Eddie, and he’s staring at you, eyes wide and frantic, clutching his inhaler so tightly that his knuckles are white.

“Eddie…”

A voice—faint but unmistakable—whispers from the dark. It’s raspy and sickly, the kind of voice that makes your skin crawl.

You barely have time to think before the door at the end of the hallway creaks open slowly, and a sick-looking man walks out, looking as if he's a zombie, as if he should be dead-

A soft, rattling breath escapes from Eddie’s lips as the ground beneath you both trembles, just for a moment, but it’s enough to make your blood run cold.

And then, it happens.

The floor begins to crack.

Crack!

You hear the sickening sound of wood splitting as the floor buckles beneath Eddie. He stumbles back, his eyes wide in panic as the ground continues to break apart. A jagged gap begins to widen, and Eddie loses his balance from fear of the sick man coming towards you both.

You reach out instinctively, your heart hammering in your chest as you try to grab hold of him, but the floor gives way with a horrifying creak, and Eddie’s body lurches.

You’re inches away, but the gap’s too wide now. Too deep.

(The reader’s choice:)

You pull Eddie back, keeping him from falling down to downstairs on the table.
Eddie slips, his body falling down the height, and gets his arm broken/snapped.
You hesitate, unsure whether you can save him, and this ends up in him being attacked by Penniwise as the sickly man.

(Or just do whatever you'd like)