Chapter 269 — The Clown in the Town (Part 6)
Gideon walked over to the sink.
With a sharp crack, he ripped the entire sink out of the wall and set it aside.
Everyone present—except Judy—stared with wide eyes.
When Gideon had mentioned earlier that he knew some exorcism methods, Chief Rell had assumed something like reciting scripture.
He hadn't expected… this.
Rell quietly gestured behind him.
The two officers standing at the bathroom door subtly stepped back.
Their positions hadn't been random—if anything went wrong, they could subdue a suspect instantly.
Gideon noticed, but didn't point it out.
---
"Chief Rell, may I borrow your flashlight?"
A beam of light pierced into the narrow, dark pipe.
Inside, the walls were coated with dark-red grime, and the stench was nauseating.
Gideon took out a bottle of holy water.
"For now, we know the creature can move freely through the sewer system," he said.
"We need to restrict that. Otherwise, it'll be very difficult to catch."
Rell narrowed his eyes.
"The town's drainage system is old. Above ground, waste from houses and streets flows through separate pipes—but underground, they all merge into a central reservoir."
"If we go down there, we can shut the flow temporarily."
Gideon shook his head.
"The underground is the clown's lair. Going in blindly would be suicide."
"Then what's your plan?" Rell asked.
---
"Seal off each drainage system—building by building."
Rell frowned.
"That's safer… but the town is too big. We don't have enough manpower."
"And if we shut everything down, residents will protest. The whole town will stink."
Gideon smiled faintly.
"That won't be a problem."
"But before that… I need your help gathering all the residents in one place."
---
This was his real reason for calling the police.
The clown had existed in this town for too long.
Its power had likely influenced the residents subtly over time—just like the veil over Beverly's father's eyes.
If he wanted to eliminate it completely, he had to ensure that no trace of its influence remained.
But as an outsider—and a priest—it would be difficult for him to gain the townspeople's trust.
With the police involved, however—
Everything would become much easier.
Rell hesitated.
"If we gather everyone like that, it could cause panic…"
"That's easy to solve," Gideon replied.
"How?"
"Chief… have you ever heard of a community giveaway?"
"…What?"
Two hours later…
Patrol cars drove through the streets of Derry.
No sirens—
Only loudspeakers repeating the same announcement:
"Good news! Good news! Residents of Derry!"
"The town is offering subsidies!"
"Head to Derry Square now to buy daily necessities at huge discounts—and receive free eggs!"
"What are you waiting for? Come to Derry Square now!"
Inside one patrol car—
Two officers sat with their hats pulled low.
The one in the passenger seat had practically reclined his seat all the way back.
"Hey, Ivan! We agreed to face this together!"
"No way, Dave. This is too embarrassing. I didn't go to the academy to become a salesman!"
"This is for the missing children case! Even the chief approved it. Sit up—people are staring at me!"
Dave tried to pull him upright, but Ivan resisted.
"Ivan, you—!"
As the patrol cars passed—
Doors opened.
Residents stepped outside.
"Wait… is that a police car? Are they joking?"
"Subsidies? Discounts? Free eggs? Is that real?"
"Honey, come take a look!"
In rural North America, people usually stocked up supplies in bulk.
And Maine—
Being in the far northeast, near Canada—
Had long, cold winters.
Heating supplies were expensive, and people often prepared months in advance.
Now—
They were being told they could buy goods cheaply—and get free items?
It was unheard of.
Within minutes, people grabbed cash and rushed out.
The streets filled with crowds.
---
Derry Square
Goods were piled everywhere—delivered from nearby supermarkets.
Gideon stood at the center.
Beside him were police officers—and the children.
After proposing the plan, he had contacted all local stores through the police.
Once they understood the situation, they agreed immediately.
They were residents too.
And selling goods was their business—now someone was helping move inventory quickly.
Why refuse?
The subsidies were funded by the Church.
With Gideon's current authority—and Archbishop Matthew's backing—there were no obstacles.
And so—
An exorcism ritual disguised as a shopping event was set into motion.
The crowd grew larger.
Gideon observed carefully.
As expected… they've all been affected.
A faint veil covered many residents' eyes—
Weaker than Beverly's father's, but still present.
Enough to dull perception—
Enough to make them ignore the abnormalities in town.
---
"Please tell everyone," Gideon said, turning to Rell,
"after buying, don't leave yet. Stay to collect an extra carton of eggs."
"…Understood," Rell nodded, signaling an officer.
Though he didn't understand the obsession with eggs—
He complied.
Rell tried to imitate Gideon's analytical gaze.
But all he saw were smiling faces.
"…This is insane," he muttered.
For a small, remote town—
This was unprecedented.
People were throwing money at vendors, buying as much as they could.
Rell quietly pulled out his phone—
And sent a quick message to his wife.
Only then did he look back up.
Meanwhile—
Gideon saw that enough people had gathered.
He activated the formations he had set earlier.
A soft white glow spread across the square.
Countless light particles drifted into the air.
The townspeople suddenly felt… lighter.
As if something had been lifted.
Like removing a pair of glasses they didn't know they were wearing.
They dismissed it as the joy of shopping.
But Gideon continued—
Using the formation to dissolve the remaining particles in the air.
Elsewhere in town…
Inside a quiet house—
The bathtub was empty.
Then suddenly—
Blood began pouring out of the drain.
It spread across the floor, pushing a toy ball into the hallway.
Inside the drain—
A pale yellow eye stared upward—
Waiting for a curious victim.
But ten minutes passed.
No footsteps came.
The eye flickered with confusion.
It pushed more blood out—
Knocking over a broom.
A loud noise echoed through the house.
Five minutes passed.
Still no one came.
Glug… glug…
A chaotic, gurgling noise echoed from within the drainage pipe.
Then—
An eye squeezed its way out of the opening, rapidly morphing into the shape of a clown.
Pennywise lifted its nose and inhaled greedily.
The scent of humans was strong…
Yet none were here.
That was strange.
Pennywise could clearly sense the presence of those "light particles." If people were inside, it would know.
Perhaps… this was just an accident.
It narrowed its eyes, then its body melted into the wall.
Moments later—next door.
The same thing happened again.
Pennywise's chest rose and fell violently. Its face flickered—swelling and shrinking—as if it could barely maintain its form.
Bang!
It smashed a hole into the wall and moved on.
One house… then another…
Soon, a shocking realization hit it—
The entire town of Derry was empty.
How was that possible?!
For decades, the residents had stayed home in their spare time, watching television, living quiet lives.
That was why it had always treated the town as its personal hunting ground.
But now…
What had happened?
Standing in a dark corner, Pennywise's lower body began to melt uncontrollably.
Its expression grew darker and darker.
---
Derry Square
"Good thing we gathered everyone here," Gideon thought after purifying the last light particle.
"If we had left that much residual energy scattered around, it could've become Pennywise's chance to turn things around."
Individually, each person carried only a trace amount of power—
But together, it was not something to underestimate.
The shopping event was coming to an end.
People began returning home in groups.
Meanwhile, the police had already started their next task.
---
In addition to eggs, each resident was given a small glass bottle.
They were told it was a drain-cleaning solution.
The Derry Police Department was conducting an annual sanitation initiative, and they hoped residents would cooperate.
Naturally, no one refused.
After all, they had gained quite a lot today.
Some even wondered if they were still in the same country—
Because benefits like this were unheard of in a profit-driven society.
---
Soon, the square quieted down.
Chief Rell saw his wife off, arranged follow-up work, and finally returned to Gideon.
"Now… it's time to go underground, right?"
But Gideon shook his head.
"Chief, with such a large gathering, it's impossible that no one was missed."
"Once the purchase records are compiled, please assign people to check every address."
"And make sure they carry the holy items I gave you."
Before the event, Gideon had already arranged for every buyer's address to be recorded.
This was precisely to catch any omissions.
"No problem," Rell nodded.
"Are there any abandoned houses in town?" Gideon suddenly asked.
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, the children had once explored such a place.
Rell thought for a moment.
"There is one—at the end of Third Street in Derry."
"It's been abandoned for decades. I remember there used to be a well there."
Gideon nodded.
"Let's go."
---
They soon arrived at a quiet street near the forest's edge.
At the far end stood a dilapidated wooden house.
It had a distinctly Gothic appearance:
A sharp, slanted roof.
Dark, weathered wooden walls.
Withered weeds filling the yard.
And a twisted, dead tree looming nearby.
The entire place felt out of place—
Like something pulled straight out of a nightmare.
"I… I've passed by here before," Eddie said nervously.
"Every time I walk past, it feels like someone is calling my name."
Beverly had nowhere else to go, and Judy insisted—
So Gideon brought her along.
The other boys followed as well.
Considering they were key figures in the original story, Gideon allowed it.
Even without Eddie's warning, Gideon had already sensed something was wrong.
From his perspective—
The house wasn't made of normal materials.
It was saturated with the same abnormal energy he had seen in Pennywise.
Within the boundary of the fence, it was almost like a separate world.
Anyone who stepped inside would be affected.
At the same time, streams of energy were converging toward the house.
Gideon guessed—
The residents had poured the holy water into their drains as instructed.
That had forced Pennywise to recall its scattered power.
There were no abnormalities near the drainage outlet by Kissing Bridge either.
According to the officers stationed there:
They found the missing children's clothes
Voices were still calling for help inside
Something was trying to break out
But it was being blocked by holy artifacts
All signs pointed to one conclusion—
This house was the "upstream" entrance to Pennywise's lair.
The root of all evil… lay inside.
"Do you want me to send officers in?" Chief Rell asked seriously.
By now, with both evidence and personal experience—
He fully trusted Gideon.
"No. Not yet."
Gideon pulled out a monocular and observed the house.
"But I do need your help with something."
"Go ahead."
"I need several high-powered vehicles."
"And if possible… something like a tractor."
"Oh—and prepare some strong ropes."
"No problem."
Rell quickly went to make arrangements.
Meanwhile, Gideon surveyed the surroundings and set up defensive measures.
Before long, the chief returned with a construction vehicle.
"This is yours now," Rell said, tossing him the keys.
"What's the plan?"
Gideon picked up the thick ropes from the ground.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"We're tearing the house down."