The Sphere

Chapter 12

Billy still sat and cried. More than he's ever cried before. At least that what he told himself every time he emptied his tear ducts. The truth is, Billy was sensitive, he always found a sad movie extra sad, or his friends words extra harsh. So being left alone, in the middle of a torn friendship was doing quite the number on his heart.

      He wipes his eyes and decides to stand to his feet. At least he isn't constricted like Kelly was. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that she lost to him. Kelly lost to John, just how. He looks both ways on the deserted street. The scarlet red sky made the already dimly lit city seem extra eerie. The lack of life made the feeling even worse. Billy chose to walk in the direction he last saw Kelly and John. Now that it was all separated by buildings and god knows what else, he hoped it wasn't as far as he thought. Maybe they were both waiting for him. Maybe they worked things out.

    Knowing Kelly, she wouldn't have let it go until she beat him up at least one more time. Just because she can't stand to lose. Even back when they used to simply play videogames at her house, she couldn't stand to lose. If she saw herself on the brink of defeat she would simply quit, turn off the console, or she would just smash the buttons harder as if that would make her character work harder. God forbid she actually lost, she'd go dead silent until she won again. Billy remembered every session at her house perfectly, the good ones, the bad ones, the ugly ones. For six whole years since Kelly moved into her home all three of them were tied together. Billy never bothered to make any other friends because he always had John, and Kelly to protect him, back him up, and just be there. He didn't need anyone else. Now what would he do if this friendship is truly over?

    "Don't  think like that. It'll all be okay." He told himself. "Everything will be okay."

    As Billy crossed the street and rounded a corner, he looked up to see if he was in any place familiar. The street sign didn't read any actual words. It simply read: John's Won. So Billy would have to rely on landmarks to get around and memorize the city. So he looked around for some.  All of the structures looked identical. Except for the size variations between nameless stores, and numberless skyscrapers, nothing stood out.

    Billy sighed and continued walking. As he did, his footsteps began to echo more. Which didn't make any sense to him. It sounded as if there was someone walking beside him failing to match his steps. He stopped to listen and the echo faded and stopped. Maybe he was hearing things. Of course he was, he had always made himself more afraid than he truly had to be.

    So he continued on, but as he did, so did the double echo. So he began walking faster, to escape the ghost he'd convinced himself that he made up. When he did, the space between his footsteps and the phantom steps increased. He noticed and whipped his head around. But nothing met his gaze. He could feel his eyes welling up again, and he whimpered before turning around and running full speed ahead.