The very safe door

A crowd was coming around the corner. She had only seconds to hide. Bev glanced around and realised, to her relief, that she was standing next to a door. She didn't know where the door went, but anywhere had to be better than this. Anyway, the sign on the door said VERY SAFE FOR BARE BEV. That had to be good, right? Quickly, she threw the door open and ducked inside.

And paused.

She was standing in a totally dark room, on what felt like a wooden floor. Her toes scrunched, testing the surface. She couldn't even see the door she'd come in through.

Wait a minute.

What if that door hadn't been safe at all?

And then she heard a voice over her shoulder.

"Poor, poor scaredy-bare Bev."

Oh, no.

"Scaredy-bare Bev doesn't know where she is. Wouldn't you like to know, Bev?"

"I'm not afraid of you. You can't hurt me."

"I don't have to hurt you, Bev. All I have to do is make you squeal." Something cold and damp brushed against Bev's earlobe, and she bit back a yelp, trying not to jump. It couldn't do anything to you if you weren't afraid of it. She knew that. But it was dark, and she was all alone, and all of a sudden not being scared didn't seem so easy.

"I can taste you," whispered the voice. "I can taste your fear, Bev. I can taste you... all over." The cold damp thing brushed her cheek, and this time she couldn't help squealing aloud. She took a few quick steps away from it, not sure where they were going to take her.

"Sweet little Bev. Scaredy-bare Bev in her birthday suit, wondering what I'm going to do. The more scared she gets, the more I can do. And she knows that, doesn't she? So she's trying not to be scared. But she... can't.... help... it."

"I beat you before. I'll do it again."

"But then you were with your friends, Bev. And then you had all your clothes on. Now you're all lonely and lost and alone..."

"Shut up - eek!" The cold damp thing had caressed the small of her back, making her jump a mile into the air. "I'm not scared! I'm not!"

"I can do anything, Bev. I can make all your nightmares come true."

"No!"

"Your nakedest nightmares."

And suddenly Bev was standing in her old high school maths class, in front of all the boys. There was Bill, and Ben, and Richie, and everyone else. She was up in front of the class, holding a piece of chalk, looking at a problem on the blackboard. She hadn't studied. She had no idea what the answer was. And she was naked.

"Um... Mr. Pennywise, I..."

The teacher's head swivelled towards her, painted in pasty white makeup with bright red lips. "Yes, Beverly?"

"I... I don't know the answer."

"And where are your clothes, Beverly?"

Bev glanced back and forth, petrified, shuffling her feet, as all the boys started to laugh. "I don't know, Mr. Pennywise. I... I... I..."

The teacher was laughing too, and its laughter was somehow hungry. "You fail, Beverly! You fail the test! Poor scaredy-bare-naked Beverly! You don't have any clooooooootheeessssss...."