Raining Hellfire 3

Chapter 3: A Bad Feeling

You run to the car, peering through but finding no one in the drivers seat. You gnaw on your lip, spinning around as if to spot Billy laying somewhere.

That's when the light in the telephone box starts flickering, revealing the silhouette of someone stood by the phone.

"Hello?" You call out, walking closer.

That was your first mistake.

Suddenly, the flickering becomes much more aggressive until the bulb burst completely. You freeze, whipping your head away as you blink away the blinding light. As you rub your eyes, the hauntingly familiar feeling crept along your spine while goosebumps trailed your skin. You stop your movement just as your eyes came back into focus, breath clouding the air in front of you. Your eyes widen. That shouldn't happen in the middle of summer.

"Shit." You breathe.

You look around at the vines scattered across the floor, wrapping around the surrounding trees. White specs floated aimlessly in front of your eyes, flashes of red lightning quickening your breaths.

Up ahead, a figure was stood in the middle of the road. Instinctively, you look to their arm but weren't met with the familiar monster haunting your dreams. Whoever it was, they were human.

You've done this enough times to know that you shouldn't step forward, that you shouldn't investigate. But you also knew that if you didn't, you wouldn't be able to leave.

Small steps toward the man with his back turned to you and you convince yourself it's not who you think it is.

The jacket, the hair, the stance. The car, the glass, the lights.

It can't be.

You reach your hand out, fingers brushing their shoulder. They tense under your touch and slowly turn their head to meet your eyes.

Billy.

His head was bleeding, a look of fear on his face.

"Y/n?" His voice was unnaturally scared, sending waves of your own fear through your body.

You gasped, stepping back involuntarily and in a blink, you stepped back into reality.

Billy still stood in front of you, lips moving. "Y/n."

"What-" You looked around you. You frowned. Everything was back to normal.

"You need a ride home?" Billy asked, his voice rough. You shook your head at him, trying to comprehend.

"I- what?" He just stared at you, expressionless, "But- your car..."

You glance back to see his Camaro parked outside the telephone box. No steam pouring from the engine. No broken windscreen. No blood on Billy's head.

"Come on." He moves toward the car, opening the passenger side door for you.

Still dazed, you walk to him and finally meet his eyes. The way he looked at you it didn't feel right. They were darker than usual.

"Thanks..." You say, sitting in the passenger seat and he shut the door behind you.

He didn't speak a word the whole ride to your house. When he finally pulled up to your driveway, you looked to him with a frown.

"Are you okay?" You ask, reaching your hand out but pulling it away and resting it back in your lap. Nothing about this situation felt right to you.

He barely glances in your direction, hand on the steering wheel.

"Billy?"

"Good night, Y/n." His voice was neutral as he stared back at you. It was unnerving to say the least.