Violet Suicides (R E W R I T T E N)

~Bill~: Prologue

SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD Bill Denbrough sat in a chair outside of the principal's office, hands folded in his lap. The only sound in the room was the sound of clacking keys as the lady behind the Attendance desk typed away.

Bill scrolled through his phone, it was early in the morning: 6:30 am, promptly causing it to be 26 degrees outside. Bill shook his head, grateful he wasn't standing outside of the school shivering in the cold like many of the kids he could see through the half closed curtains. Technically, for the large K-12 school of Derry, Maine, school started at 7:40 am. But, sports and things had students arriving at 4:00 am.

Bill's phone rang loudly in his hand, causing him to drop it onto the carpeted ground. The screen lit up with Unknown Number with a 207 area code. The ringtone continuously echoed through the small office as Bill scrambled off his chair to pick it up and silence it. The lady glanced over her computer at him, her face set in a sour glare as if to say silence that infernal device. They made eye contact, and Bill gave her an apologetic smile as the phone continued to blare. He glanced down at the screen again, confused as to who would be calling him so early in the morning.

"Hello?" Bill whispered, not wanting to disturb the attendance lady any further as he answered the phone.

He rolled his eyes as all he heard on the other line was breathing. Richie, probably, calling from his mother's phone. How funny.

"Wow, Rich. This is the most cliche horror prank call... like ever." Bill chuckled, not thinking twice about calling out his best friend.

"I'm not Richie."

Bill pursed his lips. The voice on the other end sounded familiar. Yet-- it sounded so unfamiliar at the same time. "Okay? If it's not Richie... then it must be Ben."

"I'm not Ben either."

"Stan then? Whoever it is! Mike, Eddie, Bev! Cut it out, it isn't funny!" He sat down on the chair again, crossing his legs. "I'm in a quiet office right now, you guys and I don't want you prank calling me! Who's phone are you using even?!"

"I'm not one of your little friends, William. I'm coming for you. In fact, I see you right now my pretty little thing. Uncross your legs."

Bill glanced down at his legs. They were, in fact, crossed one over the other. He glanced back at the half-opened curtains and through the glass window across from him. He uncrossed his legs and stood up. "This isn't funny! Whoever this is! Quit it!"

The line clicked dead.

The attendance lady was glancing oddly at him over her computer monitor, her eyes more concerned this time than pissed. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Bill sighed shakily, rubbing the palms of his hands on his pants as he tucked his phone away in his pocket. "I don't know..." He began biting at the side of his finger nail. "Could we reschedule this meeting?" He asked, glancing up at her. "I have to go home..."

Then he turned and ran.

The intercom clicked on as soon as he stepped out into the hallway: "Staff and students, this is an internal lockdown! I repeat, an internal lockdown! Get all students indoors! Watch for a man with a white Halloween mask! I repeat! White Halloween mask!"

Bill's heart pounded in his ears as hundreds of students flooded through the front doors, shutting themselves into classrooms and grabbing anything that could be fashioned into a weapon.

Beelining for the staff bathroom (which read vacant), he turned on his heel and locked the door from the inside, retreating to the corner of the room.

"Billy? Where'd you go? My pretty boy?"

Bill slapped his hands over his nose and mouth to muffle his heavy breathing as a shadow loomed, blocking the light peeking from the crack under the door. Go away, go away, go away. Bill thought frantically, closing his eyes.

"Be a good boy and come on out for me?"

Somebody pounded on the door. Hard. It didn't seem like it was with a fist... or even a boot or shoe of some sort. It sounded like a hammer against the tacky wooden door that Derry didn't even bother to try and replace. Although half of them were collapsing off their hinges.

Bill cried out as whoever was on the other side of the door pounded harder, the whole door quivering from the impact. There's no way it's going to hold.

"Come on out, Billy! Come out for me! No use hiding!"

Bill pulled out his pocket knife, flipping it open and examining the serrated blade. It was small, but it would have to do. He had nothing else with him, his backpack was back in the office under the chair he was sitting in. He shrieked when the door was pounded on once more, finally giving in.

Nobody heard him scream.

And that wraps up the prologue of the rewritten Violet Suicides. Hope you enjoy and I hope you'll continue to read while I update. Thank yous <3