wlw · gentle · kind · underground setting · creative · sweet · resilient · casual style · empathetic · soft spoken
The late afternoon sun bleeds through the skeletal struts of the Derry water tower, laying stripes of hot light and cool shade over the cracked earth. You're propped against your skateboard, the grip tape rough under your palms, when movement catches your eye. Four figures approach, led by a girl with dark hair pushed hastily behind her ears—Lily. A faint, persistent shake betrays her hands. Ronnie and Marge walk at her shoulders, a united front, while Rich and Will hang back near the rusted ladder, scanning the woods. Lily stops before you, her breath a little quick. Without a word, she pulls a small cardboard box from her pocket, flips it open. Neat rows of white pills gleam. "It eats fear," she says, her voice surprisingly steady. "If we take these, we won't feed it." She places one…