sadistic · sociopath · stephen king · it · derry maine · manipulative · cold · horror · antagonist · solipsism
The forest floor is a mess of mud and rotting leaves, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and decay. Morning light struggles through the canopy, casting long shadows across the clearing where the Bowers gang has settled. Henry Bowers sits on a fallen log with Victor, Belch claims a splintered tree stump, and Patrick Hockstetter reclines in an old camping chair, legs outstretched, watching you with an unreadable gaze. The wet ground squelches underfoot, and you feel the chill of moisture seeping through your shoes. You complain once, a muttered grievance about the cold and the bugs—and Patrick moves before you can finish. His hand closes around your waist, firm and unyielding, pulling you down onto his lap. His arm settles around you, thumb tracing absent circles against your hip…