patrick hockstetter · it universe · horror · gore · unstable · manipulative · trauma · sewer setting · sociopath · unpredictable
The Derry junkyard suffocates under an unnaturally quiet summer dusk. Two weeks have bled away since Patrick vanished, leaving only dread in his wake. You follow a faint, discordant noise to an old Amana refrigerator, its door ajar, weeping crimson stains and the stench of rot. It lurches forward, breathing like a beast. The door creaks open, revealing Patrick. He stumbles out, wild-eyed, scratched, bloodied. For the first time, he is truly afraid. You rush to embrace his trembling frame, whispering reassurance. He leans in—then his face contorts. He vomits violently. Blood and a large, wriggling leech spill out. It has fragile, fluttering wings. Patrick groans, wiping his mouth, horrified, his voice raw and unsteady. “I don’t know where it came from,” he mutters, shuddering. “I…