mary. [ BILLY HARGROVE ]

xliv. CHAPTER FORTY

~The Mall Rats~

     Mary was stood at the lake, and she checked her watch again to see that it read 8:30 now. She sighed, looking around her to see headlights or anything. She was waiting for the sound of the Camaro, but she was slowly beginning to realize that Billy wasn't going to show. 

     Back at the factory, everything was still. There was only a small rattling noise, until that stopped, too. Billy suddenly emerged from the stairwell, and he fell to the ground in fear. He pushed himself up, sprinting outside to his car. He got in and sped down the road to the nearest form of communication. He stopped at the phone booth on the side of the road, sprinting to it and dialing the number. 

     "911, what's your emergency?" the woman's voice asked. Billy paused as he remembered flashes of what had just happened to him. The rats, the creature, the clawed flesh clutching his face. The screaming. He slowly set down the phone as he felt the atmosphere change then. He turned to the footsteps that were echoing in his ears. 

     "What do you want?" Billy yelled at them, no answer coming back. "Hey! I said, what do you want?" They didn't answer again, and kept walking towards him. "I said, what do you want?!" The group stopped, one of them walking forward to Billy. It stopped, and Billy couldn't believe what was standing right in front of him. A mirror image of himself, staring right at him. 

~*~

     Mary's car slowed down as she rolled up to Billy's house, cursing as she didn't see the Camaro parked on the street anywhere. She got out anyways, seeing Max skateboarding on the street. 

     "Max!" Mary called. Max looked up, stopping as Mary was walking towards her. 

     "What's up, Mary?" Max asked, grabbing her skateboard. 

     "Have you seen Billy?" Mary asked, glancing into the house. 

     "He left for the pool early this morning. Why?" Max asked. 

     "We were supposed to meet somewhere at eight last night. He never showed. Thanks." Mary turned and got in her car, Max watching as she drove away quickly. The Impala was nearly speeding, but Mary felt like her heart was beating faster. She pulled up to the pool, stopping her car right out front and getting out. She looked around the parking lot, and saw Billy's Camaro. But it looked like he'd wrecked it. She furrowed her eyebrows, then turned and walked to the desk. "Hey, where is he?" 

     "Do you have your card or a swimsuit on?" Brad asked, raising an eyebrow at Mary. 

     "Do I look like I give a shit, Brad? Where's Billy?" Mary asked, more concerned now. She glanced to her right to see him walking through a gate, her eyes widening. She ignored Brad's next words and followed Billy through the gate. She glanced to the 'DANGER CHEMICAL STORAGE' sign, her eyes narrowing again. She turned to where Billy had walked to, turning into the room to see him setting down a container. "Billy?" His head moved up at her voice, Mary taking small steps into the room. "Are you okay?" 

     Something in the back of Billy's mind made him want to wake up. He didn't want this thing inside of him to take Mary, but he didn't know how to stop it. He didn't even want to drink the chemicals, no one probably did. 

     "I... I was at the lake for an hour last night," Mary said, taking small steps towards him. "I-I saw your car outside. Did you get in a wreck, or something? Do you need help?" Mary took more small steps forward, her heart pounding even harder in her chest. "Billy, look at me." He could see himself turn and slam Mary's head into the wall, his eyes watering at the fake image that conjured up in his mind. He didn't want to. There had to be another way. "Billy. Baby, please, talk to me? We promised." He turned, Mary's eyes nearly widening at the amount of sweat dripping from his face.