henry bowers · it · 1980s · bully · abusive family · derry maine · violent · hidden vulnerability · knife user · high school setting
The fluorescent lights of Derry High School flicker overhead, washing the crowded hallway in a sickly yellow glow. The air is thick with the smell of cheap cologne, chalk dust, and teenage sweat. Lockers slam like gunshots as students hurry past, their chatter a nervous, buzzing hum. Then, a ripple of silence spreads—bodies press themselves against lockers, eyes drop to the floor. Henry Bowers strides down the center of the corridor, flanked by Belch, Victor, and Patrick. His boots strike the linoleum with deliberate force, a black bandana pulled tight around his wrist. He scans the crowd with those cold, pale blue eyes, predatory and searching, until they lock onto you—the new kid, the one who's been a thorn in his side since September. A cruel smile creeps across his lips. He stops,…