Hell is for Children

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Diana excused herself from the table and headed up the stairs , all the while Billy's eyes followed her. She slipped out of sight and into her bedroom, picking up the phone. 

It rang three times before El answered. "Who is it?" 

Any other time and Diana would have laughed at her younger sisters attempt at answering the phone   correctly. 

"El, its me" Diana said. 

Silence. Then breathing. "Whos...me?" 

"Oh my god, Eleven its Diana" she huffed impatiently. 

"Why do you call?" El asked, sounding concerned.

"Is Max there? If so tell her we need to move sooner rather than later on the sauna test. Billy's here, and I'll tell ya, hes being a real piece of work. I need to know now whether something is going on with him. It cant wait" Diana explained. 

They all agreed it would happen the following day. Diana hung up the phone, hoping the younger girls could manage rallying the troops. 

As she got to the bottom of the stairs, she was met by Billy. 

"Everything ok?" He asked, a hint of his old self visible in the concern in his eyes. 

"You know, Im really not feeling very well. I think I'm going to head up to bed, maybe its best you go on home" she said, a hand placed convincingly over her stomach, a grimace on her face. 

He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Fine. Goodnight then" he almost snapped at her and headed for the door, slamming it behind him. 

Rudy looked over from where he was lounging in his recliner. 

"Whats up his ass?" He called. 

"I dont know, Dad" she called back. "I wish I did" she said quietly to herself. 

Corinne and Lynnette sat at the kitchen table playing cards while Rudy snoozed in front of the television, so Diana made her way upstairs. She hopped in the shower, making it as warm as possible. As she climbed in, the warm water covered her back. She stood under it for a moment before it began to scorch her. 

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" She shrieked as she turned it to immediate cold. She normally hated the cold water, but as it caressed her skin it felt reviving. When she was finished she hopped out and dried herself off. She then went into the hallway and turned the air down as cold as it could go before climbing into bed. She laid above her covers, sweat beading on her forehead. She silently wondered if it was her hormones all out of wack. She decided it was and began to doze off. 

As sleep consumed her she found herself walking in a pitch black area, water covering the ground. In the distance she saw what almost looked like Billy's bedroom. As she got closer she saw someone walk into the frame out of the darkness. 

Billy. 

She walked until she was less than a foot in front of him. He looked at her like she was a light at the end of a long dark tunnel. He reached out his hand. As she went to take it into her own she noticed black tendrils begin to climb up his arm underneath his skin like veins. They travelled across his body until his blue eyes went black. As she went to jerk her arm away, he grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her in until they were both consumed by the black that surrounded them.