THE BULLY

The Bully

– A horror novel from the same universe as A Battle Against Demons & 3 Stones for the Nixie

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Oliver

“Both his grandmother and his mom always said you should be kind and help others, and that was probably why Oliver liked Superman so much. Superman helped those who truly needed it. He stood up for the good, and always won. Clark Kent, the journalist, was kind. Lex Luthor was evil and always ended up in prison. That’s how it’s supposed to be in real life too, right? That good always wins. Once upon a time, Oliver believed that as well. For a long time, he believed he would save girls in distress, put out fires, rescue cats from trees, and repair cracked dams that threatened to flood towns and villages. He believed in it—until he didn’t anymore. Because Superman didn’t exist. He was a dream. A fantasy. In reality, Oliver never dared to speak up, resist, or defend anyone. Oliver was a coward.”

Beneath the moon and the tower on Mørkvedåsenden lies Øyerstad. It is said that the boundaries between life and death are blurred in the village out there among pine, spruce and open fields. Perhaps that is why the people of Øyerstad are so quiet when they go to the churchyard to light candles on the many graves.

Everyone knows everyone there, and yet people whisper and gossip at the checkout in the grocery store and outside the pharmacy bus that comes every Tuesday. They gossip about those who dance to Carlene Carter and rockabilly down at the dance pavilion in Øyervika, about how they drink far too much moonshine and cheap lager, about the girls with plunging necklines, and about who has been off snogging someone they should not have.

Emma and Oliver live down by the Esso station. Emma is Oliver’s mum. Emma calls him Superman because he plans to become a superhero when he grows up. Oliver also dreams of having a dad like the other children at school.

The rumour mill explodes in the summer of 1986 when the village’s new tough guy turns up on their doorstep. He kisses Emma and gives Oliver a brand-new remote-controlled car. A Turbo Panther. The yellow one.

Then it goes quiet again. For a while. Emma gets beaten. You can hear them making a racket and screaming in the house in the evenings. In the café, people say you should be careful what you wish for. Some say Emma deserved it. Oliver, the superhero, does nothing.

They call him a coward.

If only they knew…