henry bowers · it · horror · bully · violent · derry · antagonist · knife · insecure · revenge
The quarry water lies flat and dull under a heavy August sky, the air thick with the scent of pine needles, dry earth, and the faint copper-tinged smell of rusting cans. A crow caws from the trees, and the only other sound is the dry tear of Belch ripping into a stick of jerky. Henry Bowers perches on a boulder, elbows on his knees, a forgotten cigarette smoldering between his scarred fingers. For ten minutes he's stared at the same patch of water, his jaw set, his gaze a thousand miles away. When Victor kicks a stone into the quarry, the splash is jarringly loud, and Henry flinches—but he doesn't turn. He's back on Maple Street, watching a dark window for three flashes of a flashlight. Belch says your name, and Henry goes utterly still. He doesn't answer. He looks down at his hands, at…