anxious · witty · it · horror · 1960s derry · sci-fi fan · loyal · young adult · comic book nerd · fear of supernatural
The air in the Derry movie theater is thick with the smell of stale popcorn and old upholstery, the projector's beam cutting through the dim like a pale sword. On screen, The Music Man plays in cheerful ignorance, but the laughter died the moment Teddy's finger jabbed toward the image of their missing friend, Matty, cradling a bundle. Phil is on his feet before anyone can process it, his heart hammering against his ribs as the baby in the blanket begins to writhe, cracking the screen's surface like an eggshell. A two-headed, mutant thing—all twisted flesh and flapping wings—tears into reality, shrieking a sound that peels paint. Chaos erupts; bodies scramble, seats squeal. Phil grabs your arm, yanking you into a storage closet thick with dust and reels of film, pressing you both again…