Strange as IT Seems

Chapter 68: Strangest Sunset

Mike Hanlon stands at the top of a hill. He leans down against his handlebars and watches as the men in hazmat suits and regular suits pack up and get ready to end the day. Several of them will have to stay on site overnight to ensure proper security and safety, and Mike wonders if they flip a coin or draw straws to see who gets stuck in this nowhere town on guard duty. It was slightly amusing to him, but he also knew that whatever lurked in the sewers —the clown creature — made staying out late and not in a secure location scary for even the adults.

His head then turned to the nearby trees where the sun was going to set soon, and he had the best view from on top of the hill.

With the reduced population of Derry next to nil, it meant that Mike's deliveries had also been reduced, much to his grandfather's chagrin. Now, to keep the farm going, the old man had to make new business deals and drive to the next town over to deliver the family's meat and products. No doubt in Mike's mind that his guardian wished that his grandson were old enough to drive back and forth, but that was not an option at the moment. This meant that aside from the extra chores to fill some of the day, Mike had a lot more time to himself.

Sometimes he enjoyed the alone time. He was allowed to read the various history books that his family owned. It was fascinating to read about Derry's history despite the mention of a specific clown. His uncle, but often he found himself missing his friends from the Loser's Club. It still stung that the only one to write to him was Stanley, who kept him up to date on what was happening in Hawkins. While it didn't seem like much was happening, Stan's most recent letter, which he read before riding up to see the sunset, seemed to have little excitement thrown in. Stanley told Mike about a chase that he and Richie had with the local "a*shole," as he put it. Richie had thrown a rock through the guy's car window weeks earlier to get back at the guy for trying to mow him down, a common occurrence in the town. It reminded Mike of when Henry Bowers would do that to them. The local "a*shole" found them in town and chased them in his car until they ended up hiding in a steel mill to avoid the guy. Fortunately, both escaped unscathed, but they are now more careful on the streets because they're worried the guy will try to find and mow them down. Stanley also vented in the letter how Richie always seemed to drag him into his problems, how he was an idiot despite being friends. He also asked Mike how the cleanup in Derry was going and how bad ninth-grade math was.

Mike began pondering his response letter to Stan as the sun began to set in the distance.

"What the hell happened here?"

Mike nearly jumps out of his skin when he sees that an old, beat-up Buick has pulled up on the gravel shoulder of the hill. A man stands in front of the car, holding a ring of beers.

The man was a gaunt-looking individual in aviator sunglasses. Skinny as can be, to the point that Mike swears that he can see the man's wrist bones. He wears a dirty-looking plaid shirt with the sleeves ripped off, which exposes various tattoos on his arms. All had weird-looking designs, most involved skulls and barbed wire. His greasy brown hair reaches past his chin, and it has likely not seen a brush in a long time. Certain strands of said hair also stick to various parts of his face, either from grease or sweat. He has five o'clock shadow, as his grandfather liked to say, under very flushed cheeks. His jeans were ripped and stained to match his shirt, and he had one hand in his pocket next to a pack of cigarettes. There was one more thing that stood out to Mike, but he wasn't sure if it was the sunlight, his imagination or real. His skin had the slightest tinge of yellow to it.

Either way, Mike wasn't sure what to make of this stranger, as he certainly wasn't from Derry.

The man opens a can of beer and drinks it in what feels like 30 seconds or less. The can is then crushed in his hand, and he tosses it onto the side of the road.