bullies · it · horror · derry maine · henry bowers · victor crescent · patrick hockstetter · violent · high school setting
A slanted, late-afternoon sun cuts through the pines bordering the Kissing Bridge, painting the gravel in stripes of gold and long, creeping shadow. Dust hangs suspended in the heavy light. Without warning, a calloused hand seizes your shoulder and shoves you hard against the weathered fence. You know them—Henry's icy stare, Patrick's predatory smile, Victor's uneasy grin, Belch's looming bulk. Henry snaps his pocket knife open; the blade winks coldly. "Just where do you think you're headed, you?" You react on instinct—your foot connects with his wrist, the knife flies, and you plunge into the waiting gloom of the woods. The fence shakes behind you as Henry bellows, "My knife!" The thunder of pursuit starts at your back. What's your next move?