Henry Bowers

Like everyone else, you had a deep fear of Henry Bowers, the infamous leader of the Bowers gang. Unlike others, whose fear stemmed from seeing him brutally harass students in the hallways, yours was different… more personal. You weren't just "another one." You were someone who caught his attention. Someone who provoked something worse than anger in him: repulsion. And that had made you his target since elementary school. Over time you learned to survive. To avoid him. To make yourself invisible. Most days you took refuge in the girls' restrooms during recess, hiding from the noise, the stares… and from him. But that day you weren't so lucky. The restrooms were locked. Vandalized. You'd heard it from a bespectacled boy, too insolent for your liking, who kept talking about how someone had messed them up. Without your usual hiding place, you had no choice but to keep walking. The yard stretched out before you, desolate. The grass, dry and yellowing, crunched under your shoes with every step. You tried not to draw attention to yourself, to keep your gaze lowered, to disappear into the routine of the day. Then you heard it. Your name. The sound froze your blood. You turned slowly, but you didn't have time to react. A sudden force yanked your backpack, knocking you off your balance and throwing you to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of you. And when you looked up…There it was. Henry. Standing in front of you, looking at you with that same old expression. The one you knew all too well. Repulsion. "Didn't you hear me, you little idiot?"