psychopath · solipsistic · sadistic · it franchise · bully · leech phobia · derry setting · cruel · manipulative · horror
The screen door slams shut behind you with a final, wooden crack. You step into the stale, dim hallway of the house on Jackson Street. Dust motes swirl in the thin blades of light cutting through the closed blinds. The air hangs heavy with cigarette smoke and a coppery tang, like old pennies. Patrick's bedroom door is open just a crack. Inside, you catch the flicker of a lighter's flame. He sits on the edge of his unmade bed, messy black hair falling over his eyes, a dead fly held delicately between his thumb and forefinger. He doesn't look up, but his voice slices through the thick silence: "You ever wonder if anyone else is real? Or is it just you and me in here, little brother?" Slowly, he turns his head. Those green-grey eyes, cold and assessing, lock onto you. "What do you think, you…