Over the Falls

Chapter 18

The two had not said a word to each other for almost the whole day. It had taken Wirt awhile to stop crying, though he never made a sound. The tears just did not want to stop flowing. Bill never apologized. Bill never really looked at Wirt.

Bill had taken the lead, walking faster than Wirt, kicking stones along the way with his hands once again shoved deep into the pockets of his pants. Bill had an idea of where he was going, he could sense something dark almost like a compass, leading him right and left. Wirt must have felt something similar, for he never argued against Bill's unspoken directions. The two were silent until Bill stopped walking.

The demon was bending over, holding his head. He made a low groan of agony.

"What's wrong with you?" Wirt asked in a harsh, monotone voice.

Bill groaned again. "Nghh...my head..." His nails dug into his hair.

"Is it the Beast?" Wirt asked, a little too eagerly. Bill shot him a look that was meant to be menacing, but the pain he was feeling was too apparent on his face, the only emotion he showed was pain.

"I don't know....what it is...!" Bill's voice grew louder, filled with pain. His mind was reeling, like everything was playing over and over, everything he ever knew, doubled with a torturous pain that felt like something was slowly stabbing his temples. "AH!! Make it stop, make it stop!!" He yelled as he repeatedly beat on his forehead.

Wirt realized the intensity of the situation. "Bill, hey, stop," he said as he attempted to pry Bill's hands away from his head. "I said stop!" he yelled louder when Bill's fists punched Wirt's instead of his own. "QUIT IT!" He yelled at Bill, vines growing out from his arms and surrounding the demon so he was pinned against a tree, hands at his sides.

Bill was still crying out. Though his limbs were restrained, he constantly struggled against them. Bill's eyes were a bright red now, he looked terrifying, but even more terrified himself. He seemed not to understand where he was anymore, like he was looking beyond, elsewhere.

"Stop!! Stop!! I don't want to kill him! I don't want to kill him! I can't!" Bill was screaming.

Wirt shook the demon. "Hey! Hey! Look at me, Bill!" but Bill's red eyes wouldn't meet Wirt's colorful ones. Bill was crying, now.

"I can't!" He cried, his voice shaking but still just as loud as before. "He's gonna die...!" Bill's words drifted a bit with these last words.

"He'll die..." Bill cried harder but no longer as loud.

Wirt, who was terrified it was Greg Bill had been seeing die, shook the demon harder, his heart pounding out of his chest.

Only when Bill blacked out did Wirt realize this was not about Greg.

As Bill's eyes closed, his mouth began a word beginning with d...i...p... but never finishing.