MELANCHOLY [S.T. B. Hargrove]

54

Billy downs an entire bottle of water before speaking.

"Stay still," I urge, wiping the blood off of his face.

"The food here tastes like shit," he informs.

I sniffle and cup his cheek. He forces a painful smile.

This still didn't feel real. My guard was still up like Vecna would suddenly drop the curtains of this blissful fantasy.

"We should get out of here," I decide.

I stand up and help Billy to his feet.

"I've been waiting weeks to hear that," he comments.

"Weeks?" I repeat.

"Yeah.." he tilts his head. "I've been here.."

"For almost a year."

"No.." he denies. "I was.."

I shake my head. "We'll figure it out. Right now, we need to go."

"Who else was here?"

I wrap Billy's arm around my shoulder and we make our way out of the building. I make sure to grab my Walkman as we go.

"No a who.. But, what," I clarify.

"That shadow thing? Is it.." Billy looks around, panicked. "Is he still here?"

"No.. No, the Mind Flayer is gone."

"Mind Flayer.." he repeats.

"How did you survive?" I ask. "I.. Starcourt.. What the hell was that?"

He scratches his temple a little. "The shadow.. Mind Flayer.. it attacked me the night we were supposed to leave."

I figured that one out already.

"He.. He showed me.." he pauses, his hand moving to his chest. "Me."

"What, like.. a clone?"

"Yeah. But, the other me.. he was angry. He told me to build and.. and then he was gone."

"And you were here?"

"Sometimes.. it was.. it was like I was in both places at once."

Will. Will had mentioned feeling like that.

"I would have a grasp on myself and then I'd be back here. And when I came back.. it was always days later. Things changed."

"What was the last thing you remember?"

"There was the sauna. I was.. telling the kids to let me out. Then, you were on the floor and I came back here."

So.. he didn't remember going after Max and the kids.

"I was back here.. then.. you were talking to me. Everything hurt so badly. I didn't even know what was going on."

Outside the mall. I finally got the Mind Flayer to let me talk to Billy. He remembered a bit of that, even though it was clouded from his pain.

"Do you remember making the deal?"

"The deal?" he repeats. "You know about that?"

"We got filled in here and there."

Billy gasps out in pain and clutches his chest.

"Hey, whoa!" I call, stopping my movements and keeping him upright. "What's wrong?"

"I don't.. I don't know.. It's been happening for a few days. I keep getting these pictures in my head like.. like I.."

"Was getting stabbed in the chest?" I ask.