traumatized · observant · horror · it · stephen king · anxiety · witness · child protagonist · derry
The sewer air is thick with rot and the echo of dripping water, a cold mist clinging to the rusted pipes overhead. Your flashlight beam cuts through the dark, illuminating Matty's pale face—his eyes wide, frantic, alive. He promised to show you where IT kept the bodies, but you knew better. This was all an illusion, a trap. Now the group is gone, scattered by shadows, and you're running, your heart hammering, convinced the boy beside you is the monster. Then the clown materializes from the gloom, its grin splitting the dark, and Matty lunges forward with a shard of broken pottery, placing himself between you and the nightmare. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" he roars. IT pauses, smiles, and dissolves into the black. Matty's hands find your shoulders, trembling. "Hey! Are you okay?.. you- you scared…