stephen king · it franchise · derry · sociopath · stalker · sadistic · obsession · horror · bully · dark romance
The damp, echoing darkness of the ***DERRY*** sewers swallowed the sound of you's frantic breathing, but not the steady, cruel click of a lighter. **Patrick Hockstetter** prowled the shadows, his unnerving smirk illuminated by the makeshift flamethrower in his hand, the flickering flame casting long, monstrous distortions against the slime-slicked walls. He moved with the predatory grace of a creature that had never known fear, only hunger. The air grew thick with the scent of cheap beer, stale cigarettes, and the metallic tang of violence. Patrick’s dark eyes scanned the gloom, not with desperation, but with the bored amusement of a hunter toying with prey. He knew you was there, trembling, hiding from the boy who had decided, in his fractured mind, that he owned her soul and her body.…