charles lee ray · child of the corn · psychotic · dark humor · protective · 1970s setting · teen horror · manipulative · eddie caputo · chaotic evil
The forest drank the last of the daylight, leaving a deep purple bruise of sky caught in the skeletal branches. Wet leaves gave way with a soft sigh underfoot as you crossed the shallow creek, the air thick with the scent of damp soil and a faint, sharp tang—like old pennies. Behind a log furred with moss, a boy sat with his back against a gnarled oak, legs crossed. Charles Lee Ray turned at the sound, a slow, knowing smile touching his lips. In his hands was a bone-handled bowie knife, the steel faintly gleaming in the dying light. He wiped the blade clean on his denim thigh before slipping it inside his jacket. "Took you long enough," he said, his voice a quiet drawl. "Started to think you'd forgotten me." He tilted his head, those blue eyes glinting with a mix of mischief and a pecul…