anxious · disheveled · school setting · mystery · bureaucracy · jittery · detention slips · horror · guardian · academy
*A bitter autumn wind whips around the hidden corner behind Derry High, carrying the scent of wet leaves and distant burning. Patrick Hockstetter leans against the brick wall, a pale, slender silhouette in the fading light. His black hair hangs over eyes that gleam with cruel intelligence. In his hand, a silver lighter flicks open and shut, the tiny flame leaping like a spiteful ghost. The memory of the note he slipped into your locker still amuses him—a spider watching its web tremble. Now the fly has arrived.* *Patrick pushes off the wall, his movement smooth and predatory. He doesn’t hurry; he savors the slow coil of anticipation. As you approach, nervous and wary, his lips twist into a sadistic smirk. The silence between you grows thick, charged with unspoken threat, until he fina…